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 judgments 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 66 Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in and ye shall be melted in the midst his anger and in his wrath." Being thereof. As silver is melted in the thus brought into use by Moses, the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be figure became somewhat common. melted in the midst thereof; and ye Upon the wicked he shall rain shall know that I the Lord have 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 lie 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 If 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 angels, and in the presence of | the Lamb: God only in "the future world." See, melting fire burneth, the fire causeth also, 2 Kings xiii. 23; xxiv. 20. To worship God was to come into his presence; his presence was in the temple; Psa. xcv. 2; c. 2. So when the judgments of God came triumphantly, his presence is said to be with them; Isa. xix. 1. When men seek to flee away from responsibility, and from the discharge of their duty, they are said to flee away from the presence of the Lord. "Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." "The men knew that he [Jonah] fled from the presence of the Lord because he had told them;" Jonah i. 3, 10. These are but a few out of the multitude of texts that might be quoted to illustrate the phraseology of the sacred writers in regard to the divine presence. And there is one fact to which we desire to call special attention, viz., the divine judgments, above all things else, are said to take place in the divine presence, even in cases where it is known and acknowledged of all men that the judgments are in the present life. How strictly in agreement is it, then, with the style of the sacred writers, to represent the punishment of the Roman persecutors in fire and brimstone, as being "in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." We are confident that Professor Stuart, if he had looked into this subject as impartially and as fully as he has into many others, could not have regarded this phraseology as proof that the punishment must be in the future world. "Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it;" Isa. xix. 1. Here the presence of the Lord is said to accompany his fiery judgments. Again: "Oh that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, as when the the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence;" Isa. lxiv. 1—3. Here, again, God's presence accompanies his judgments; these judgments were evidently in the present world, on the earth. God is said to come, that is, to be present, when his enemies are punished. This is also true of the Lord Jesus Christ. How frequently do we read in the New Testament of his coming to judge and punish his enemies. He comes too, with his angels; Matt. xiii. 39, 41, 49; xvi. 27; xxv. 31; Mark viii. 38; Luke ix. 36; 2 Thess. i. 7. Jesus and his angels are present in the judgment—i. e., such is the figurative language of the Scriptures. Although Jesus is represented under the metaphor of the Lamb to show his meekness; Acts viii. 32; and to shadow forth the sacrificial character of his death; John i. 29; 1 Peter i. 19; still he is present also in his judgments in that character. Hence we read of "the wrath of the Lamb;" Rev. vi. 16. Why should we be surprised, then, to be told, that the temporal judgments of his enemies are inflicted "in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb?" Things manifestly belonging to this world are said to be done in the presence of Jesus and the angels. "We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men ;" 1 Cor. iv. 9. Paul to Timothy said: "I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality;" 1 Epis. v. 21. "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" 1 Thess. ii. 19. Thus we see 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever that as the angels and the Lamb are said metaphorically to be present to observe the doings of men on earth, and especially in the infliction of judgments, nothing could be more natural than to speak of those judgments as being inflicted in their presence. If there are any, after all, who suppose that the wine of the wrath of God is to be administered to the Roman persecutors in the immortal or postmortem state, let them observe, that the voice from heaven said to the seven angels who had the seven last plagues, in which was filled up the wrath of God, (xv. 1,)" Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." (xvi. 1.) This is the fulfilment of what is predicted xiv. 10. The wrath of God is described as an infuriating liquid, in xiv. 10, and there said to be contained in a cup; but in xv. 7, and xvi. 1, it is represented as being in vials. In xvi. 19, the revelator goes back to the figure of the cup again: "And great Babylon (Rome) came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath." The metaphor of the succeeding verse (xvi. 20) is precisely such as was applied to temporal punishments, vi. 14. To sum up in a few words: the wine of the wrath of God, mentioned xiv. 10, has seven vials prepared to receive it; see xv. 1; these vials "full of the wrath of God" are put into the hands of the seven angels; see xv. 7; and these angels were directed to pour them out upon the earth; xvi. 1. That this is the same thing as the cup of the wine of God's wrath is fully proved by xvi. 19. And what the plagues of the seven vials were is distinctly shown in xviii. 8: "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." These judgments are of such a nature that they must certainly have been endured on the earth. For further remarks I direct the reader to the comments on xix. 20, where similar phraseology from the pen of the revelator is found. We submit it, then, to the candid reader, whether it afford any proof that punishment must be in the future state, merely because it is said to take place "in the presence of the holy angels, and the presence of the Lamb." Observe, the question here is not whether the doctrine of future punishment be true; that question we have discussed nowhere in this Commentary, neither shall we discuss it. The question simply has been, whether the verse before us (Rev. xiv. 10) refers to a future state of punishment. For further remarks, see our note on vérse 20 of this chapter. 11. The smoke of their torment ascendeth up. - This is but a continuation of the imagery; it adds nothing to the fact. As the punishment had been represented as being in fire and brimstone, it was natural for the revelator to heighten his imagery by speaking of the smoke ascending. Forever and ever.. The term "forever and ever" is very frequently applied in the Scriptures to the continuance of temporal things, without any reference to the future state. It is the translation of one of the combinations of the Greek word aion, which does not necessarily signify endless duration. In fact, there seems no room to doubt, that this expression of the revelator was borrowed from Isaiah's description of the punishment of Idumea, in which it is said, "the smoke thereof shall go up forever;" chap. xxxiv. 10; or, as the revelator has it, "The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever." It is certain that the punishment of Idumea was on the earth; and by what sound rule of interpretation can we apply the language of the revelator to the immortal state, if we apply that of Isaiah to the destruction of Idumea ? |
