A MORE CIRCUMSTANTIAL ACCOUNT OF THE DIVISIONS OF THE APOCALYPSE. PART I. CHAPTERS I.-III. Preface, or Inscription, Salutation and Introduction, chap. i. 1-3 EPISTLES TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES. CHAPTERS II. AND III. Epistle to the Church at Ephesus, chap. ii. 1-7 66 66 66 8-11 "12-17 66 "18-29 chap. iii. 1-6 66 66 66 7-13 "14-22 PART II. CHAPTERS IV. - XI. Description of the imaginary dwelling-place of God, and of his attendants and their employments, chap. iv. Opening of the book sealed with seven seals, which revealed the punishment and destruction of the Jews, chap. v. EVENTS PRELIMINARY TO THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. Opening of the 1st seal-Preaching of the Gospel, vi. 1, 2. RECAPITULATION OF THE EVENTS UNDER THE SEVENTH SEAL. The description of the events under the seventh seal, as we have indicated, extends through the entire 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th chapters; and we find under this seal another series of seven, viz., the sounding of the seven trumpets, as follows: Trumpets given to the seven angels, viii. 1-6 SOUNDING OF THE TRUMPETS. 1st trumpet-Partial calamities of the Jews, The same, The same, CHAPTERS XII.-XX. 10. Woman clothed with the sun, whom the dragon Explanation of the judgment of the great harlot, xvii. entire. Fall of the city of Rome, Joy of the saints, Final victory, Thus the third part ends in the middle of the twentieth chapter. PART IV. CHAPTER XX. 11, TO END OF THE APOCALYPSE. FINAL PREVALENCE OF THE GOSPEL, AND BLESSEDness of believers. The mediatorial throne established, Christ's judgment of the nations, Enemies also destroyed, . Descent of the New Jerusalem, and all things made new, Punishment of unbelievers contrasted with the felicity of believers, The New Jerusalem largely described, EPILOGUE. Angel of the Apocalypse (mentioned i. 1) assures John, at the close, of the truth of what he had shown him, John falls to worship the angel, This the angel forbids, He repeats that the time of the fulfilment is at hand, Jesus confirms the whole, especially the fact that he will come quickly, Benediction, . xx. 11 14 15 12, 20 THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. CHAPTER I. vants things which must shortly HE Revelation of Jesus come to and he sent and Christ, watch God Jeave signified it by his angel unto his unto him, to shew unto his ser-servant John: CHAPTER I. distant day. This, however, is not to be understood as if everything The Revelation. This book is mentioned in the book were future; called the Revelation of Jesus Christ for it will be seen by i. 19, that some for two reasons; 1st, it was a reve- things had passed, and some were lation "which God gave unto him;" then present. It could be said only and, 2nd, it was a revelation which of those which were future, that they he made to his servant John. The were "shortly to come to pass. word revelation here should be taken The fact, that the events foretold by in its usual and obvious sense, as a the revelator were near, was asserted manifestation of a thing which was by him again and again; see i. 3. before hidden or secret. The truths So much for the commencement of of the book were communicated from the work. At the conclusion, the God to the mind of his Son Jesus nearness of the events is again reChrist, and from the mind of Jesus Christ to that of John. Of the manner of the revelation it is not necessary that we speak; the fact is plainly established by the text. For other instances of the occurrence of this word, see Rom. ii. 5; viii. 19; xvi. 25; Gal. i. 12; and from the last verse quoted it will be perceived, that Paul also received the gospel which he preached "by the revelation of Jesus Christ." In profession, at least, the Epistles of Paul and the Apocalypse stand on the same ground, as it respects the authority from which they were derived. ¶ Shortly come to pass. -This is a very important point. It is stated at the very commencement of the Revelation, and is worthy of peculiar attention. One would conclude that all the matters contained in the book were to be fulfilled at no peatedly declared; xxii. 7, 12, 20. In fact, we have almost the very words at the conclusion which we have at the beginning - "The Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done;" xxii. 6, compared with i. 1. The remarks of the very learned Dr. Hammond are so valuable on this point, that we shall present them at some length:-"Having gone through all the other parts of the New Testament, I came to this last of the Apocalypse, as to a rock that many had miscarried and split upon, with a full resolution not to venture on the expounding of one word in it, but only to perform one office to it, common to the rest, the review of the translation. But it pleased God otherwise to dispose of it; for before |