Stuart holds that the words of our Saviour, "I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God (Jhn. xx. 17), convey the same meaning as "our God." On the other hand at R. iii. 12, where the Lamb is the speaker, He speaks of "the temple of my God, . . . the name of my God, ... the name of the city of my God, . . . out of heaven, from my God."

66 All ye his servants and all you that fear him little and great" takes in the whole living Church. Owing to the fall of Rome, the Church is free to praise God openly, and is commanded to do so, " And you that fear Him" (see xi. 18, notes).

6. Καὶ ἤκουσα ὡς φωνὴν ὄχλου πολλοῦ καὶ ὡς φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν, καὶ ὡς φωνὴν βροντῶν ἰσχυρων, λεγόντων, Αλληλουά, ὅτι ἐβασίλευσεν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ παντοκράτωρ.

6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders, saying Alleluia, for the Lord our God, the almighty, hath reigned.

The appeal is answered by the voice of "a great multitude," not before the throne, nor in heaven, but "as the voice of many waters," which refers to living people (R. xvii. 1-15). A prolonged Alleluia rises from the whole Church, for the reign of God is established upon earth. The "reign" of God connotes a visible kingdom. The same sentiment appears at R. xii. 10, "Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ, because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth." The Church rejoices openly because she is acknowledged as supreme in her own sphere for the first time in her history. This anticipates the millennium (R. xx. 1-2). See also xi. 15-17, notes.

7. Χαίρωμεν καὶ ἀγαλλιῶμεν, καὶ δῶμεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἦλθεν ὁ γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἡτοίμασεν ἑαυτήν.

7. Let us be glad and rejoice and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come; and his wife hath prepared herself.

The Church rejoices because the marriage of the Lamb has come. She, "His wife hath prepared herself." The Church is the spouse of Christ, and she rejoices because an era of spiritual peace has dawned upon her through the destruction of paganism. She has prepared herself, by centuries of suffering and constancy, for this triumph. The imagery is from the

O.T., where Judah is the spouse of the Lord (Cants. iv. 8 f.; Jer. iii. 14; Ösee ii. 19, 20). The same idea is frequently exhibited with reference to Christianity in the N.T., as in Matt. xxii. 2, 10, xxv. I f.; Mark ii. 19; Jhn. iii. 29; 2 Cor. xi. 2. Tápos is "the marriage feast" of Matt. xxii. 8, to which men were gathered from the highways and the byways, where there was question of "a wedding garment.” But the "spouse" is prepared.

iva

8. Καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῇ ἵνα περιβάληται βύσσινον λαμπρὸν καθαρόν· τὸ γὰρ βύσσινον τὰ δικαιώματα τῶν ἁγίων

ἐστίν.

8. And to her it hath been granted that she should clothe herself with fine linen, glittering and white, For the fine linen is the justification of the

saints.

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The "spouse" has been given the gift to clothe herself in, Búσowov λаμπрpòv-" fine linen," the byssus of Egypt, brilliant and "kalaρóv" -" white," "spotless," which was, in fact, the customary wedding garment. But then we are told not to take it literally. "The fine linen is the justification of the saints.” It is a symbol of the grace of God, freely given. This leads on to the contemplation of the Church triumphant.

The verb Sidóval, "to give," is used in this book to denote the gifts of God to His Church, as in the letters to the Seven Churches.

9. Καὶ λέγει μοι Γράψον, Μακάριοι οἱ εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τοῦ ἀρνίου κεκλημένοι, καὶ λέγει μοι, Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι ἀληθινοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσίν.

9. And he saith to me, Write, Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith to me, These words of God are true.

"The marriage supper of the Lamb" is in heaven. "The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who made a marriage for his son, and he sent his servants to call them that were invited to the marriage" (Matt. xxii. 2, 3). (Matt. xxii. 2, 3). "The spouse reappears in heaven at R. xxi. 9, where one of the seven angels, who had the vials, says, "Come and I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb," and he shows the Seer the holy city, the new Jerusalem, the Church triumphant.

We gather from the next verse that it is the angel of R. xvii. 1, and of R. xxi. 9, who says "Write." He is present to explain matters to the Seer, or rather to us. "A great voice from the

throne," referring to the "bride" and the rewards of heaven, says, later," Write for these words are most faithful and true (R. xxi. 5). And the "Hebrew prophet" angel_repeats the words, in the same connection, at R. xxii. 6. Thus, thrice repeated, in the most solemn way the promises and prophecies of Revelation are guaranteed. The command to write would seem to indicate that S. John was fully occupied in listening to the angel.

10. Καὶ ἔπεσα ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ, καὶ λέγει μοι, Ορα μή, σύνδουλος σού εἰμι καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου τῶν ἐχόντων τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ, τῷ Θεῷ προσκύνησον. ἡ γὰρ μαρτυρία Ἰησοῦ ἐστὶν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς προφητείας.

10. And I fell before his feet to adore him, And he saith to me, See thou do it not, I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Adore God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

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The Seer fell at the feet of the angelπροσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ "to do obeisance to him," "to prostrate himself before him." The word connotes deferential worship; not λarpeía, from λατρέυω, to serve God," which means "adoration." See λατρεύουσιν, Marρevovotu, R. vii. 15. The custom still prevails, in India, of doing homage to princes and potentates by prostration at their feet. In Eastern countries this customary reverence does not mean worship, in a religious sense, at all. However, it was otherwise at Rome, and the opportunity is taken of inculcating a lesson against anything like Cæsar worship. "See thou do it not," that is to say, do not worship a creature, however exalted. "Adore God."

That the Seer knew the character of the angel and did not give him divine worship is shown by contrasting this episode with that of the vision of Christ at R. i. 17. "And when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead"-os veкpós. This angel discloses his identity here, and still further at R. xxii. 9. He was a "fellow servant" of S. John's, in the days when the Apostles called themselves officially the servants of God. He belonged to the Apostolic order. He was "of thy brethren," that is to say he was a Hebrew Christian, who had the testimony of Jesus. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," he tells us; and at R. xxii. 9 he says, "I am.. of thy brethren the prophets." He was therefore a Hebrew Christian prophet, who had predeceased S. John. He is seemingly the angel of whom it is written, "I Jesus have sent

my angel to testify to you these things in the churches" (R. xxii. 16). This again corresponds with the opening lines of the Book, "And signified sending by his angel to his servant John" (R. i. 1). And it corresponds with "Behold I send my angel before thy face who shall prepare the way before thee (Mark i. 2; Malac. iii. 1). "My angel" is found nowhere else in the Holy Scriptures. This was said of John the Baptist, who was a Hebrew Christian prophet, and a fellow servant of S. John the Evangelist, who preached "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. iii. 2), who "gave testimony" of Jesus (Jhn i. 32, 34).

11. Καὶ εἶδον τὸν οὐρανὸν ἠνεωγμένον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος λευκός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ ̓ αὐτὸν καλούμενος πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός, καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ κρίνει καὶ πολεμεῖ.

II. And I saw heaven opened and beheld a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and with justice he judgeth and fighteth.

(The use of capital letters here, as in other places, is taken from the Vulgate.)

Kai, "and," introduces a new vision which takes us back to a door open in heaven" at R. iv. 1, and the "white horse" at R. vi. 2, which leads on to the battle of Armagedon, reintroduced here as a fitting conclusion to the Roman theme. Three unclean spirits went forth from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, and gathered the kings of the earth "to battle against the great day of the Almighty God" (R. xvi. 13, 14). The great day has come. Heaven is opened for the passage of an army. And behold "a white horse and he that sat upon him." We have seen "a white horse and he that sat upon him ” “ καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος λευκός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ' αὐτὸν ”—at R. vi. 2. Identical words are used in both places to mark the identity of this rider with Him who "went forth conquering that he might conquer." He is the conqueror of Armagedon. "He was called Faithful and True." "Faithful" identifies him with "Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness" (R. i. 5). "True," identifies him with the Holy One and the True One at R. iii. 7, and the combination "Faithful and True" identifies him with "the Amen, the faithful and true Witness who is the beginning of the creation of God" (R. iii. 14).

As this is the prelude to a prediction of great slaughter, the end of the shattered Empire, we are again reminded "with justice he judgeth and fighteth," as at xix. 2. "The angel of the

waters," a Roman himself, and Bishop of Rome, expressed this sentiment at R. xvi. 5, where see notes.

12. Οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλόξ πυρός, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ διαδήματα πολλά, ἔχων ὄνομα γεγραμμένον ὃ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ αὐτός.

12. And his eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head many diadems, having a name written which no man knoweth but himself.

Further marks of identification are given that we may know who it is that rides forth on the white horse. "His eyes were as a flame of fire," is taken from R. i. 14, which again is amplified at R. ii. 18. "The Son of God who hath eyes as a flame of fire." "And on His head many diadems," contrasts with the dragon at R. xii. 3, and the Beast at R. xiii. 1. For He is ó apxwv, Prince (or King) of the kings of the earth (R. i. 5). He is "King of Kings" (R. xix. 16). All the diadems of the earth are His.

"Having a name written which no man knoweth but himself." This refers to R. ii. 17, where see notes. We are incapable of understanding the mystery of the name of the Son of God. "No one knoweth the Son but the Father" (Matt. xi. 27). But the Seer supplies a name, in the next sentence, by which we may know the rider of the white horse. He is "the Word of God."

13. Καὶ περιβεβλημένος ἱμάτιον ῥεραντισμένον αἷματι, καὶ κέκληται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. Ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ.

13. And he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood; and his name is called, The Word of God.

(S. = ῥεραμμένον.)

In Isaias lxiii. 1 to 4 we are told of the beautiful one that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments; red, "like theirs that tread in the winepress; . . . I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the Gentiles there is not a man with me. I have trampled on them in my indignation, and have trodden them down in my wrath, and their blood is sprinkled on my garments, and I have stained all my garments. . . . For the day of vengeance is in my heart." All this is very significant of the matter in hand-final vengeance on Rome. Compare with Rev. xiv. 20: "And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress."

The treading of the winepress has been in progress for some