fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was prejudice to aid it; but it could not prevail. ¶ Neither was their place found any more in heaven. — The dragon was degraded, thrown down from his high place. John, having laid the scene of the contest in the firmament, thus gave himself a fine opportunity to describe the degradation of the dragon, by his being precipitated to the earth. Instead of succeeding in his attempt, the dragon was even further removed from the power of accomplishing it. Christian church. See Eph. i. 22, 23: "Gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." Col. i. 24: "For his body's sake, which is the church." 1 Cor. xii. 27: "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." Michael, in metaphor, being spoken of as the guardian of the Jewish church, (metonymically, "the body of Moses,") so is he spoken of, in the same sense, as the guardian of the Christian church; and he contended 9. The great dragon was cast out. — with the dragon, or devil, about the The dragon prevailed not; he was body of Christ, or the church. Hence beaten. He was cast out of heaven; came the battle, or spiritual contest, between "Michael and his angels," and "the dragon and his angels." The dragon fought and his angels. We have given some account of the dragon under ver. 3. The dragon was the metaphorical leader of the opposition to Christianity, precisely as Michael was of the Christian forces. The spiritual contest is described under the metaphor of earthly warfare; and therefore the spiritual forces are described under the metaphor of earthly forces. Neither Michael nor the dragon was a real being. Michael and his forces were the Christian forces; the dragon and his forces were the heathen powers, that opposed and persecuted the Christians. The dragon, the old serpent, the devil and Satan, are all used to signify the leading opposers of Christianity. The great fact to be remembered in this place is, that this account of the contest is wholly allegorical, and describes the opposition between Christianity and heathenism. 8. Prevailed not. This is as we should expect. God's truth cannot be overcome. The Christian religion prevailed in spite of all the opposition that was arrayed against it; and the opposition could not prevail. It had numbers, wealth, learning, and i. e., he was cast down from his place of spiritual power. The Christian religion was successful. When the seventy disciples returned to Jesus on a certain occasion, and told him of their great successes, he foresaw the ultimate triumph of his truth over all opposition, and he described the fall of that opposition in these words: "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven;" i. e. from his high power. I beheld, and saw him cast down. The same figure was used to describe the fall of the king of Babylon from his throne. Isa. xiv. 12— 15: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." To be cast out of heaven into the earth was to be abased, — to be thrown down from high power and influence to weakness and degradation. The battle of Michael and the dragon was a visionary scene. It cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which of the Apocalypse signifies anything besides human adversaries, it is the only instance in the Bible in which it has such a signification. We find existed only in the imagination of St. John; though the circumstances intended to be described were realities. See our extract from Doddridge in our note on chapter iv. 4. Bishop the dragon mentioned Psa. xci. 13: Newton, we think, gives the best construction of the contest between Michael and the dragon: "This contest lasted several years, and the final issue of it was, that the Christian prevailed over the heathen religion; the heathen were deposed from all rule and authority, and the Christians were advanced to dominion and empire in their stead." The Christian religion prevailed among the leading men of the empire. There is not the slightest evidence that by "the great dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan," any other than earthly powers were intended. It is high time that all the old superstitions in regard to a super-human adversary passed away. That the devil stood for the earthly opponents of the Christians is certain; for it is said, "The devil shall cast some of you into prison," Rev. ii. 10; and of course, the power that cast the Christians into prison was intended by the devil. That power was unquestionably the leading opponents of the church, against whom the Christians had to contend. Paul said to the Ephesians, "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of THE DEVIL;" vi. 11; and then he shows who they were to contend with, in the next words: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." These rulers, these principalities, these powers, were diabolos, the devil, that old serpent, and Satan. The final and utter overthrow of the dragon is mentioned in Rev. xx. 1-3 and 7-10, to which places we refer for further remarks on this topic. We take the opportunity here to say, if the dragon "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." Is any other than a human adversary intended here? Is not this the meaning of the passage-thou shalt triumph over all thine enemies, even the most formidable? Are not the lion, the adder, the young lion, the dragon, all put for earthly enemies? Why should the dragon be supposed to refer to a super-human adversary any more than the lion, or the adder? The dragon is mentioned again, Isa. xxvii. 1: "In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” What is meant here by the dragon that is in the sea? Was it any other than a human adversary? Adam Clarke, speaking of the animals mentioned in this verse, says: "These are used allegorically, without doubt, for great potentates, enemies and persecutors of the people of God; but to specify the particular persons or states designed by the prophet under these images, is a matter of great difficulty, and comes not necessarily within the design of these notes. R. D. Kimchi says, leviathan is a parable concerning the kings of the Gentiles; it is the largest fish in the sea, called also tannin, the dragon, or rather the whale. By these names the Grecian, Turkish and Roman empires are intended. The dragon of the sea seems to mean some nation having a strong naval force and extensive commerce.- - See Kimchi on the place." So far A. Clarke. We here have the Jewish use of the metaphor. It signified earthly opposers and oppressors. The next instance in the common version in deceiveth the whole world: he | his angels were cast out with was cast out into the earth, and him. which mention is made of the dragon of his rivers. We have thus noticed is Isaiah li. 9, 10: "Awake, awake, every passage in the Bible, with the put on strength, O arm of the Lord: exception of the book of Revelation, awake, as in the ancient days, in the in which the dragon is mentioned in generations of old. Art thou not it the singular number. Those who that hath cut Rahab, and wounded wish to examine the places in which the dragon? Art thou not it which the word occurs in the plural, are hath dried the sea, the waters of the referred to the following; Deut. xxxii. great deep; that hath made the depths 33; Job xxx. 29; Psa. xliv. 19; of the sea a way for the ransomed to lxxiv. 13; cxlviii. 7; Isa. xiii. 22; pass over?" This is an apostrophe xxxiv. 13; xliii. 20; Jer. ix. 11; x. to the arm of the Lord. It is called 22; xiv. 6; xlix. 33; li. 37; Micah on to awake as in the ancient days, i. 8; Mal. i. 3. Now in none of these and refers to the wounding of Rahab places will it be contended that the [Egypt] and the wounding of the dragon signifies, when used_metadragon [Egyptian forces.] This took phorically, any other than human place when Israel passed through the adversaries or oppressors. We get Red Sea. Hence the reference to the no authority, then, from the Bible, for drying of the sea, and making the supposing that the sacred writers use depths thereof a way for the ransomed the dragon as a metaphor for a spir[from bondage] to pass over. Dragon itual, invisible, superhuman spirit, or here, then, means human adversaries, adversary. Such a use of the metaand none other. The next quotation phor is against the general scripwe make is the following: "Nebu-tural use. Why should we introduce chadnezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out;" Jer. li. 34. By the dragon here, it is so plain that Nebuchadnezzar, the enemy and oppressor of the Jews, is intended, that no remarks of our own will make this more apparent. We see, then, that as yet we have not found an instance in which the dragon signified anything other than a human adversary or oppressor. We quote only one passage more: "Speak and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself;" Ezek. xxix. 3. This passage is too plain to be misunderstood. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is expressly said to be the great dragon that lieth in the midst a different rule of interpretation when we come to the book of Revelation? We do not wonder that men have been unable to understand this book, if they have made an entirely different application of scriptural metaphors, in interpreting it, from that which they have adopted in interpreting all other parts of the Bible. We hold that it is sound and just, in inter preting the Apocalypse, to follow the general drift of the sacred writers in the application of metaphors. If we will not do this, but submit ourselves to the direction of mere prejudice or fancy, we must expect to go astray. But in respect to the dragon, we claim not only the general, but the universal authority and use of the sacred writers, to show that it signifies human enemies and oppressors. We have named every passage where the word occurs; and we cannot, we ought not, to depart, in applying the metaphor in the Apocalypse, from the universal scriptural use. ¶ His 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the angels were cast out with him. If anything more than mere imagery is meant here, then by the angels of the dragon may very naturally be intended his forces, - his ministers, his supporters. The dragon signified the leading, persecuting, ecclesiastical power of Rome; and his angels were the leading men and emissaries who abetted that power. 10. Now is come salvation and strength. The dragon and his angels having been cast out, we now come to the hymn of the triumph of Christianity, the hymn of triumph for the prevalence of Christianity over Paganism. "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ." This is the common language in the New Testament to signify the prevalence and triumph of gospel principles. Wherever the gospel prevailed, salvation was said to come. When Simeon saw the babe Christ, he said: "Mine eyes have seen thy salvation;" Luke ii. 30. When Jesus entered the house of Zaccheus, it was said: "This day is salvation come to this house;" xix. 9. "The kingdom of God is come unto you;" Matt. xii. 28. "Salvation is come unto the Gentiles;" Rom. xi. 11. When the kingdom of God was fully established, Jesus was said to come with power; Matt. xxiv. 30; for all power was given unto him in heaven and on earth;" xxviii. 18; he had "power over all flesh;" John xvii. 2. The power of Christ is acknowledged in this song, as the power of God was acknowledged, chap. iv. 11; and of Christ, ch. v. 12, 13; xix. 1-6. The accuser is cast down. One of the most common manifestations of a hostile spirit is to bring false accusations. The word diabolos, devil, signifies a false accu power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night. ser, and is so translated; 2 Tim. iii. 3; Titus ii. 3. How agreeable, therefore, to the enemy, diabolos, to bring false accusations against the followers of Christ. The Jews continually brought false accusations against the apostles, and so did the Gentile opponents, when the gospel came to be preached among them. Jesus forewarned his disciples of this feature of the opposition they would be obliged to meet" Matt. v. 11, 12: "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." The accusation was said to be made before God, because it was observed by him; not that the accusation was made to him, for the heathen would scarcely have gone to the true God, whom they knew not, and much less with an accusation against his servants. When it was said, "The earth was corrupt before God," Gen. vi. 11, the meaning was, that it was corrupt in his sight, and that he took special notice of it. Paul spake of the world becoming guilty before God; Rom. iii. 19; meaning guilty in his sight. So the accuser, who was cast down, accused the Christians falsely in the sight of God. The enemies were diaboloi, false accusers, and are called by that name in the preceding verse. Let us turn now to behold the means by which the conquest was obtained. 11. Blood of the Lamb-word of their testimony. - Thus we see by what means the gospel prevailed, viz., by the "blood of the Lamb," which is explained to be "the word of their testimony." "The blood of Jesus Christ" is said to "cleanse from all sin;" 1 John i. 7; but blood surely 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; is not to be taken here in the literal sense. In that sense what effect could the blood of Christ exert to save inen from sin? Under the Jewish law, without the shedding of the blood of animals, there was no remission of sin; Heb. ix. 32; and from this circumstance the New Testament writers were led to use the blood of Christ | as a metaphor. Jesus did not offer the blood of goats and calves, but his own blood, which is said to "purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God;" verses 12-14. He himself shall explain the metaphor of his blood. See John vi. 55, 56: "For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." When the Jews heard this, they thought it was a hard saying. Jesus then asked them, "What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" That is, if you find it difficult to understand what is meant by eating my flesh and drinking my blood now, when my body is present with you, what will you do when my body is removed by my ascension into glory? He then showed them that he did not use the words in the literal sense, for he added: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; THE WORDS that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life;" vi. 63. It was not blood in the literal sense that gave them life, but blood standing as an emblem of the word of God. And thus it is said in the verse before us, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by THE WORD of their testimony." See the notes on i. 5; v. 9; vii. 14. ¶ And they loved not their lives. This was true of the early Christians. It was one of the conditions of discipleship, that a man should love Christ's cause more than his own life; Luke xiv. 26. The early Christians were not required to throw their lives away; they were to live as long as they could do good, and to die when the cause of truth required it. The word psuche, here translated life or lives, is sometimes, in the common version, translated soul, as in Matt. xvi. 25, 26: "For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Who would suppose that the same Greek word occurred in both these last quoted verses? And yet it is so; and it is rendered life in the former and sou in the latter. Does it not mean life in both verses, as it does in the passage now before us? We have shown, that the Christians were required to love their lives less than they loved Christ's truth. If a man loved father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, wife, children, or even his own life, more than he loved Christ, he was not worthy of him. The early Christians, therefore, loved not their lives unto the death; i. e., they ceased to love life when the alternative was presented them of apostacy or death. Christ was more precious to them than the preservation of their lives. 12. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens. That is, rejoice at the triumph of Christianity. At the establishment of the kingdom of God, the heavens were called on by the prophets to rejoice. "Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved; he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice," &c.; Psa. xcvi. 10, 11. Again: "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted |
