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angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, | she made all nations drink of is fallen, that great city, because the wine of the wrath of her

powers that opposed it were doomed to fall. The revelator shouts over the fall of Babylon. Babylon was a great city, the capital of Babylonia, or Chaldea. It was to this place that the Jews were carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar. See the 137th Psalm. In consequence of this event, the name Babylon became symbolical, among the Jews, for a state of suffering and calamity, as Sodom was symbolical of a place of great wickedness; and hence Jerusalem was spiritually called Sodom and Egypt; Rev. xi. 8. As in this place where Sodom is named, we know that Jerusalem is intended, so here where Babylon is named, Rome is intended. The Jews believed, from the time of the seventy years' captivity, that Babylon would be destroyed, in consequence of their detention in bondage. When that city fell, therefore, they esteemed it a judgment of God. Isaiah sung: "Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground;" xxi. 9.

And Jeremiah takes up the same strain: "Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed;" li. 8. Thus we see where the revelator found the language he employs, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen." That Babylon is put for Rome in the Apocalypse, is placed beyond all doubt by what we find in the 17th chapter, where we are told that the woman Babylon, who sat upon the Roman beast, with seven heads and ten horns, [evidently the Roman Empire,] was "that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth;" a description that would apply to no city on the earth at that time except Rome. Rome was "that great city," or empire, which had "made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." In the first of this chapter, viz., from verses 1-7, the revelator had shown what

was to happen to the church, both in its Jewish and Gentile branches; and he commences at ver. 8 [now before us] to describe what was about to hap pen to her enemies throughout the empire. This fall of Rome is to be understood in a somewhat different sense from the fall of Jerusalem. There was not such an utter devastation that not one stone was left upon another. It partook more of the character of a moral fall, as we learn from chap. xviii. 2: "And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." This is not too strong a description of the wickedness of Rome. She did become "the habitation of devils;" she was "the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth;" xvii. 5. "She made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication;" i. e., she caused them to participate in her crimes and her punishments. The fall of Rome is more particularly described in chapters xvii. and xviii., and we shall treat of it again when we come to those sections. T Made all nations drink of the wine. She had power once, and she used it. She pressed all nations into her service; she infatuated them with zeal against Christianity, and made them partakers of her sins. Hence it is said she made all nations drink of her wine. Two qualities are attributed to wine in the Scriptures, the strengthening and the intoxicating quality. Used judiciously, by those in a weakly state, wine is beneficial; but if taken to excess, the effect is highly injurious. These contrary qualities will account for the apparently contradictory manner in which the sacred writers speak of wine. In the one case, it "is a mocker; and strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is

fornication.

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the

:

beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of

inflammatory, raging wine of her wickedness. She infuriated them by her example, and stimulated them by her power.

not wise;" Prov. xx. 1, and xxiii. 29; but in the other, "wine maketh glad the heart of man ;" Psa. civ. 15, and we are told to give it to "him that is ready to perish;" Prov. xxxi. 9. Third angel.— This again is one 6. Wine, like other medicines, if of the angels of proclamation. The used judiciously, will be beneficial; first is mentioned ver. 6; the second if otherwise, it will be injurious, per- ver. 8. ¶ Worship the beast and his haps fatal. We see now why wine image. The beast here is the sevenis made a metaphor for the influence headed beast, and his image the same of wicked men, as in the passage as referred to xiii. 15. Worshipping before us; it is because of its destruc- the beast and his image means nothtive qualities when taken in excess. ing more than paying allegiance and It is said of the wicked: "For their devotion to the beast himself. ¶ Revine is of the vine of Sodom, and ofceive his mark in his forehead, or in his the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps;" Deut. xxxii. 32, 33. May not this description be justly applied to the wine of which Rome made the nations drink? The figure of the revelator in the verse before us seems to have been taken from Jeremiah. "Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad;" li. 7. Such, evidently, was the passage which suggested the metaphor to the revelator's mind. He uses it repeatedly; see xvii. 2, 4. Of the wrath of her fornication. - Wrath here is put for the inflammatory nature of the wine, as if the phraseology had been, drink of the inflammatory wine of her fornication. If strong drink is raging, its qualities may well be described by wrath. Fornication, as we have repeatedly shown, is used metaphorically for idolatry. See our remarks on ver. 4 of this chapter. Purity in worship is represented as chastity, virginity; whereas the worship of idols is described by opposite terms. Rome made the nations drink of the

hand. - This is a reference to what is said xiii. 16, that the beast, which represented the false prophets, or teachers of the pagan religion, caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, i. e., all whom he could terrify into acquiescence, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. See the notes on that verse. The heathen nations, by whom the Jews were surrounded, were in the habit of receiving incisions, or marks, upon their bodies, to denote the class of idolaters to which they belonged, or the idol whom they adored. The Jews were forbidden to follow their custom. "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord;" Lev. xix. 28. Horne says, of the heathen: "A more frequent, and, indeed, very general custom, was the carrying of marks on their body in honor of the object of their worship. To this day, all the castes of the Hindoos bear on their foreheads, or elsewhere, what are called the sectarian marks, which not only distinguish them in a civil, but also in a religious point of view, from each other. Most of the barbar ous nations lately discovered have their faces, arms, breasts, &c., curi

the wine of the wrath of God, ously carved, or tattooed, probably for superstitious purposes. Ancient writers abound with accounts of marks made on the face, arms, &c., in honor of different idols, and to this the inspired penman alludes, (Rev. xiii. 16, 17; xiv. 9, 11; xv. 2; xvi. 2; xix. 20; xx. 4,) where false worshippers are represented as receiving in their hands, and in their forehead, the marks of the beast." - Horne's Intro., Phil. Edition, 1826; Vol. iii., p. 356. | 10. Drink of the wine of the wrath of God. We are now to see the punishment of those who received the mark of the beast in their foreheads, or their hands, i. e., of those who gave adherence wickedly to the power and practice of the empire in the persecution of the Christians. "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God," &c. This is a metaphor of the Old Testament. The judgments of God on wicked men are said to be wine in a cup, red with wrath-mixed with nothing to dilute it, but with ingredients to make it stronger — which is to be drunk, even to the very dregs, by those who suffer the severity of God's judgments. "But God is the judge: he putteth down one and setteth up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them;" Psalms, lxxv. 7, 8. Again: "Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out;" Isa. li. 17. The bold image of the cup of God's wrath, often employed by the sacred writers, is nowhere handled with greater force and sublimity than in this passage of Isaiah, verses 17-23. See Lowth on Isa., Note on li. 21. In the verse before us, the wine of God's judgments is said to be "poured out without mixture," i. e., prepared with

which is poured out without

out any diluting or weakening, in the cup of his indignation. The enemies of the church were obliged to drink it; and as Isaiah says, "God made them drunk in his fury;" lxiii. 6. To drink of the cup of God's wrath is to suffer the judgments which he inflicts on men for their sins. This is made clear by Jeremiah: “For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine-cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them;" xxv. 15, 16. The wine-cup of God's fury here was the judgment of the sword. The following passage, from the same chapter, is equally pertinent: "And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ye shall certainly drink. For lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts;" 28, 29.

See, also, Rev. xvi. 19; xviii. 6. God's fury or judg ments ofttimes madden men, and are therefore well compared to wine. ¶ Tormented with fire and brimstone. This metaphor of fire and brimstone I apprehend, had its origin in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. "The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;" Gen. xix. 24; also, Luke xvii. 29. Here we have the germ from which the constant figure of the sacred writers in regard to the punishment of the wicked by fire and brimstone grew. See, also, Deut. xxix. 23:-"And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and

mixture into the cup of his in- | dignation; and he shall be tor

and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have

Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath." Being thus brought into use by Moses, the figure became somewhat common. "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a hor-poured out my fury upon you." It rible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup;" Psa. xi. 6. The figure of "the lake of fire and brimstone" we shall consider when we come to the 19th, 20th and 21st chapters of the Apocalypse. That metaphor occurs nowhere but in the chapters now pointed out. But destruction by fire and brimstone, which is similar, is of more common occurrence in the Scriptures. The destruction of Idumea is thus described by Isaiah: "And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched day nor night; the smoke thereof shall go up forever: from generation to generation it shall ie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever;" Isa. xxxiv. 9, 10. This punishment of fire and brimstone was not in the immortal state, but in the land of Idumea. Fire was one of the most common metaphors employed by the sacred writers to represent divine judgments. It occurs in all the prophets as well as in the books of the New Testament; but there is no proof that these judgments are to be endured in the immortal state. On the contrary, the language employed is often such as to forbid such a construction. See, for instance, Ezk. xxii. 19-22. "Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath,

is not possible to conceive that this description of punishment by fire should be in the immortal state; and moreover it is expressly said to have been in "the midst of Jerusalem." It should be our earnest desire to ascertain the true sense of the Scriptures in these matters. ¶ In the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Professor Stuart says, these words "must refer the punishment in question to the future world." "That the blessed in heaven have cognizance of the wicked and their sufferings seems to be plainly disclosed in Luke xvi. 23-26. And the consciousness on the part of malignant persecutors in the world of woe, that those whom they had pursued unto death were looking down on their tor ments, from a state of inconceivable happiness above, would doubtless be a circumstance of great aggravation." In these remarks we think the learned Professor has consulted his creed more than the word of God; and if it be not improper for him to offer such suggestions in the course of a commentary on the Apocalypse, it cannot be improper for us to consider them in this place. He is disposed to give the passage a literal interpretation. If he affixes to one part a literal sense, we see no reason why he should not give a like sense to the whole passage. What, then, is the scene before us if we understand the account literally? Men worship literally a beast and his image; they have his mark in their hands and on their foreheads; they drink of the wine of the wrath of God out of the cup of his indignation; and they are tormented with fire and brim. stone in the literal sense, and the holy angels and the Lamb stand and look on eternally and contemplate the scene

mented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy

Can any person believe that this is to ners in his sight, or judgment; they be understood in the literal sense? had violated his statutes. 2d. To do If one part should be understood in a thing before God, is to do it with a that sense, we see no reason why the sense of his oversight and of accountwhole should not. But will any person ability to him. "I fell down before take the ground that the whole should the Lord, as at the first, forty days be so understood? On our part, we and forty nights: I did neither eat hold that the language is metaphori- bread, nor drink water, because of all cal; and that the words "in the pres- your sins which ye sinned, in doing ence of the holy angels and in the wickedly in the sight of the Lord, to presence of the Lamb," are as purely provoke him to anger;" Deut. ix. 18. metaphorical as any other part. There So the Jews were to eat before God; should be a unity preserved in the Idem, 12, 18. The descendants of interpretation of the Apocalypse, at Saul were hanged by the Gibeonites least as far as possible. When we before the Lord; 2 Sam. xxi. 9. This read that men "follow the Lamb;" certainly was not in "the future xiv. 4; that "the Lamb stood on world." When the enemies were Mount Zion;" xiv. 1; that the Lamb driven away by David, and the land led the believers to living fountains was given into his hand, it was said of water; vii. 17; that the great mul- "the land is subdued before the Lord titude stood before the Lamb; vii. 9; and before his people;" 1 Chron. xxii. and that the four beasts and four-and- 18. The Jews, in their sacred festitwenty elders "fell down before the vals, eat and drank before the Lord; Lamb;" v. 8; are we to understand Idem, xxix. 22. See, also, Ezek. xliv. these things literally or metaphor- 3. The Psalmist said, "I will walk ically? Surely we must adopt the before the Lord in the land of the last-named construction. Why, then, living;" cxvi. 9; which was certainly should it be alleged that we must un- not in the future world." The backderstand the language literally when sliding Jews "claimed to have walked we read that the Roman persecutors mournfully before the Lord of hosts;" were to be punished in the presence Mal. iii. 14. Paul gave charge to of the holy angels and the Lamb? Timothy "before God and the Lord The learned professor to whom we Jesus Christ;" 2 Tim. iv. 1. 3d. Men have referred adduces this as sufficient were said to be "before the Lord" when proof that the punishment of the Ro- they came to the temple to worship man persecutors shall be in the future him, or assembled in any other place state. Is it not possible that he may for the solemn services of prayer and not be fully aware of the style in praise. "Wherewith shall I come which the sacred writers speak of the before the Lord and bow myself bedivine presence? Let us examine a fore the high God?" Micah vi. 6. few passages in which the expres-"When shall I appear before God?" sions "before God," or "before the Psa. xlii. 2. "Every one in Zion apLord," and "presence of God," or "of peareth before God;" Psa. lxxxiv. 7. the Lord," occur. 1st, Before God, But let us turn for a moment to conmeans in his sight, or supervision, or sider the intent of the sacred writers estimation, in whatever place the thing when they use the word presence. referred to may be done. Nimrod God's presence went up with Moses was a mighty hunter before God; out of Egypt; Exod. xxxiii. 14, 15. Gen. x. 9; evidently not in "the fu- To be cut off from life was to be cut ture world." The men of Sodom off from the presence of God; Lev. were sinners before God exceedingly; xxii. 3-a most singular statement Gen. xiii. 13; that is, they were sin-if men can be found in the presence of

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