6 Blessed and holy is he the revelator's vivid imagination as though the martyrs were on the earth again these were the first section of the dead. The "rest of the dead," xix. 21, were of that class who had not, up to that time, been delivered from the dominion of the dragon. They were of the class who worshipped the beast and received his mark. Persons of this class, in the view of the revelator, would not be brought into the kingdom of Christ, until after the thousand years, when the dragon, released for a little season, would make his last efforts, and be entirely overthrown, to recover no more forever and ever. This is the first resurrection. - What is? Ans. The living and reigning with Christ during the thousand years. What else is there in the context for the pronoun this to refer to? "And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again, until the thousand years were finished. THIS [i. e., the living and reigning] is the first resurrection." The first resurrection, then, answers to the first fruits. We have now, we believe, brought out the sense of this verse. The dead were divided, in the mind of the revelator, into two classes; 1st, those who were slain with the sword of him that sat on the horse; xix. 21; and, 2d, those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus; xx. 4. They were all contemplated by the revelator as dead. The latter class, who had obtained the victory over the beast, and over his image, were raised from the dead figuratively, and lived in their successors, and reigned with Christ. This spiritual resurrection was the first lived not again until the thou- | that hath part in the first ressand years were finished. This urrection: on such the second is the first resurrection. death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of reigning with Christ during the thousand years. Blessed and holy was he who had part in the first resurrection. Why? Because on such the second death had no power; but on the contrary, they should be "priests of God and of Christ, and should reign with him a thousand years." ¶ Second death. Now, the second death, it will be seen, was the state that was in opposition to the living and reigning with Christ the thousand years. The first resurrection was the being raised to live and reign with Christ. As this was a resurrection, there must have been a previous state of death, which we may call the first death. Hence, then, the first death was a death in sin; and it was by sin that death first entered into the world. Now, the second death was, continuing to remain in that state of death, after the first resurrection had taken place, as darkness appears to be the more profound when brought into contrast with light. It may signify, too, being plunged more deeply into that state of death, for the gospel was to some "the savor of death unto death;" 2 Cor. ii. 16; and so some who heard the voice of Christ, and were roused by it from their state of apathy, were not truly converted thereby, but came forth to "the resurrection of damnation ;" John v. 29; viz., a greater damnation than they had suffered before. And Christ threatened such that they should receive "the greater damnation ;" Matt. xxiii. 14. The second death may also signify the falling away of some who once embraced the truth, and returned, like the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire; 2 Peter ii. 22. The animal thus became a second time unclean. To this view of the subject, the phrase "second death" seems peculiarly applicable. But, in opposition to this, it may be resurrection. 6. First resurrection. We have shown what was meant by the first resurrection it was an early conversion to Christianity — a living and > Christ, and shall reign with him | years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand said, that on those who have participated in the first resurrection, the second death hath no power. This is certainly not meant to include every individual who had participated in the first resurrection, for some of them did fall away, and were involved in all the judgments that came upon the enemies of the church. As a general rule it was true, that the second death had no power on such as had participated in the first resurrection. They were priests of God and of Christ, and reigned with him; still there were exceptions. But for further remarks on the second death, see ver. 14. 7. Thousand years are expired. · The thousand years denoted the time of the dragon's restraint and of the uninterrupted prosperity of the church. We do not pretend to define the exact limit of it. We have shown, in another place, that the word thousand is proverbially used in the Bible for many; but we are not sure this is the precise sense the phrase ought to bear in the Apocalypse. There was a tradition among the Jews, that the kingdom of the Messias would have a period of exceeding glory, which they called a thousand years. The term, therefore, came into the Apocalypse proverbially; and must be so understood. The great fact taught by the revelator was, that the dragon was to be restrained for a season. His power had been great, and he had made full use of it to persecute the church. Many of the Christians had suffered death; "they loved not their lives even unto the death;" xii. 11. The dragon raged the more because he knew his time was short; xii. 12; and he made war, cruel war, against the church; xii. 17. But he was to be restrained; and while he was restrained, the church would progress again; and men, just like 8 And shall go out to deceive the martyrs who had been slain, would rise up to reign with Christ, so that it would seem almost as though the martyrs were on the earth again. Such were the things that were to transpire during the time of the dragon's restraint, called the thousand years. St. Peter states, "that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day;" 2 Epis. iii. 8. He was warning his brethren not to suppose that the Lord delayed his coming. He assured them the Lord was not slack concerning his promise; and then, as though he feared they would put the second coming of Christ far away, on account of what they had heard or read about a thousand years, he seems to have intimated that this is not to be understood strictly; for he says, with the Lord one day may be reckoned as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. We offer this as a mere suggestion. ¶ Shall be loosed out of his prison.When the temporary prosperity of the church expired, Satan should be loosed out of his prison, but not for a long time. "He must be loosed a little season;" ver. 3. That all these things have reference to the events of this world, is made fully evident from the contents of the succeeding verse. 8. Nations which are in the four quarters of the earth. It seems, then, that this scene is laid on the earth. The nations "are in the four quarters of the earth," and are called Gog and Magog; and the Devil, or Satan, or the dragon, (for we have shown that all these terms signify the same thing,) went out to deceive them, and to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. Gog and Magog. - Who are intended by these mysterious terms? They were originally the the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. the church. See Ezek. xxxviii. 9, 14-16. proper names of persons. Gog was one of the sons of Joel; 1 Chron. v. 4; and Magog was one of the sons 9. Compassed the camp. They of Japheth; Gen. x. 2. But Ezekiel spread themselves widely; they surseems to use these terms to signify rounded the camp of the saints. This the very numerous armies that made is highly metaphorical. The opposiwar against the children of Israel. tion of heathenism to Christianity is See his prophecy, chaps. xxxviii. and represented under the metaphor of the xxxix. We interpret these terms on seige of a city. The city was the the same principles we applied to the beloved city, the new Jerusalem. term Armageddon. That was used What other city can we call the camp metaphorically for a place of great of the saints? But the enemies could slaughter, on account of certain cir- not succeed against it. ¶ Fire came cumstances in its early history. So down from God out of heaven.- God Gog and Magog, being terms applied suddenly discomfited them, which is by Ezekiel to the very numerous represented by fire coming down out enemies of the house of Israel, are of heaven to destroy them. This here used metaphorically to signify metaphor of fire coming down from the very numerous enemies that the heaven was employed, because God dragon, the leading powers of heath-had, in olden time, employed such enism, brought against the church of Christ. The battle of Gog and Magog against the church is to be understood in a similar sense with the battle of the forces of the dragon against Christianity, mentioned in former parts of the Apocalypse. See xvi. 14, where we are told that the kings of the earth and the whole world are gathered together to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. It was a spiritual contest, for which war, in the usual sense, often stands as a metaphor. As the sand of the sea.- The terms Gog and Magog convey two distinct ideas, viz., 1st, that of enemies; and 2d, an immense number of them; and hence it is said in the verse before us, "the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." Gog and Magog certainly stand in the verse before us, for the nations who were in the four, quarters of the earth, the number of whom was immense, and who made war on means to overthrow wicked men and cities. He rained fire and hail upon the land of Egypt; Gen. ix. 23; Psa. cv. 32. So he destroyed Nadab and Abihu; Lev. x. 2. The prophets of Baal were discomfited by fire from the Lord out of heaven; 1 Kings xviii. 38. At the call of Elijah, fire came down from heaven, and consumed those who were sent to take him; 2 Kings i. 10, 12. These facts were well remembered by the Jews. When Jesus sent his disciples to the Samaritan village, and they became incensed against the inhabitants, they said: "Wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did?" Luke ix. 54; for which their Lord rebuked them. Fire from God out of heaven became a metaphor for sudden destruction or overthrow. The revelator continually borrowed his images from the Old Testament, and from the sacred his 10 And the devil that de-ceived them was cast into the tory and traditions of the Jews; as Lightfoot says, (when speaking of Gog and Magog,) "From old stories and copies of great troubles, John transcribeth new, using known terms from Scripture, and from the Jews language and notions, that he might the better be understood." - (Works, iii. 365.) And let it be here remarked, that they would much more readily understand the revelator's style than we should. 10. And the devil. — The devil here does not intend any fallen angelic being, or any different order from that of the human race. We have shown conclusively, that "the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan," signified the heathen enemies of Christianity; and it cannot be denied, that all those terms signify the same thing. The devil, therefore, signifies the human enemies of Christianity, as we have shown in another case, under Rev. ii. 10. It is supposed, by some interpreters, that the devil here must signify the angelic apostate of the popular theology, because the word stands alone-HO DIABOLOS. Even as sound an interpreter as Dr. Campbell intimates, that where ho diabolos occurs, the devil of the dominant creeds, the fallenangelic spirit, is intended. This statement, however, is not to be relied on; for in ii. 10 we read: "The devil shall cast some of you into prison," where clearly the human adversaries of Christianity are referred to, and yet the Greek phrase is HO DIABOLOS. The devil in the verse we are considering is the same power mentioned in ver. 2, and there called "the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan." These names all represent the same power. The being by which that power was represented appears first in xii. 3, 4, 7,9; he was cast down from the sky, where he was seen to have a battle with Michael, a metaphorical representation of the contest between the heathen and Christian powers; 8, 9; he was the figure of the persecuting power; 13, 17; his associates, the beast and the false prophet, were cast into the lake of fire; xix. 20; the dragon, or devil, was seized and bound for a season; xx. 1-3; when this season had expired, he was let out of his prison; ver. 7; he began again to deceive the nations, and stirred up Gog and Magog to battle against the saints; and lastly and principally he, "the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan,”. was seized and cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. Now it would at once be obvious to all men, were it not for the blinding influence of their creeds, that it is the same power which is mentioned in all the places here referred to. The Apocalypse has but one dragon. If the dragon mentioned in chap. xii., with seven heads and ten horns, represented the Roman heathen persecuting power, so does it represent the same thing, and nothing else, in the case before us. Those, therefore, who interpret it to signify a fallenangelic being, engraft the fancies and traditions of men upon the word of God, -a practice that has been too long followed, and that we ought by all means to resist. In our note on xii. 9, we have showed at length, that the dragon is certainly used in no place, in all the Bible, as a metaphor for any enemies but human enemies; and if it signify anything else in the Apocalypse, it is a departure from the otherwise universal scriptural use. Let those who maintain that the dragon of the Apocalypse signifies a superhuman adversary, point us to a single passage, in any other part of the Bible, where they can even set up a pretence that any other than a human adversary is intended. We refer also to our note on xx. 2. ¶ That deceived them. The power represented by the dragon, or devil, was indeed a deceiver, and for this lake of fire and brimstone, where | the beast and the false prophet, reason it was called "the old serpent," | ually destroyed from that_part of the as it was the serpent that was employed as a metaphor of the power that deceived Eve. The dragon deceived the whole world; xii. 9; xx. 8. The beast also, and the false prophet, were great deceivers; xiii. 14; xviii. 23; xix. 20; xx. 3, 8. Was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. First of all, let the reader not fail to turn to the notes on xiv. 10, and xix. 20, and read what is there written. We have treated of the origin of this metaphor in the remarks on the passages last mentioned. It was drawn from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was used by the sacred writers to signify a thorough and irreparable destruction. The heathen leaders were to be utterly overthrown and destroyed. Many have supposed that the lake of fire and brimstone denoted a place of endless punishment in the future state. But there is an entire absence of proof of such a position. It is clearly an assumption, without the slightest evidence. Here we find an account of a contest between the heathen powers on the one side, and Christianity on the other. It was carried on upon the earth. The metaphors all show this. The devil is not said to be slain; but like the beast and the false prophet, xix. 20, he is cast alive into the lake of fire and brimstone. Now, we ask, under this view of the subject, how can it be made to appear congruous with the plan of the chapter, to suppose that what was intended by the metaphor of the lake of fire is not upon the earth? The beast and the false prophet had been previously cast into this lake of fire i. e., they had been previously crushed and punished. The dragon himself is now to be effectually put down to rise no more, throughout the empire; and it is metaphorically represented by his being cast into a lake of fire and brimstone. Heathenism is as effect world which formed the Roman Empire as Sodom and Gomorrah. Nothing remains of it but the smoke of its ruins. Were not Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire and brimstone from the Lord out of heaven? Have we not shown that fire is one of the most common figures which the sacred writers employ to represent the judgments of God in this life? Nothing is susceptible of clearer proof than this. See Psa. lxvi. 12; Ixxxiii. 14; xcvii. 3; Isaiah ix. 19; xliv. 15, 16; Jer. iv. 4; xxi. 12; xlviii. 45; Lam. ii. 3, 4; Ezk. xxi. 31; xxii. 18-22, and a host of others, that we have not room to quote. But it is supposed, by many, that punishment by fire and brimstone must surely belong to the future state. Let such examine the following passages, and they will see that "fire and brimstone" are terms frequently employed to describe the judgments of God in this present life: Gen. xix. 24; Deut. xxix. 23; Job xviii. 15; Psa. xi. 6; Isaiah xxx. 33; xxxiv. 9, 10; Ezk. xxxviii. 22; Luke xvii. 29. Where the beast and false prophet are. — We have already shown that they were both cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. See our remarks on xix. 20. ¶ Tormented day and night. Where, in all the Bible, are these terms to be found applied to the future state? We are told by Moses: "While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease;" Gen. viii. 22. But we could not expect the continuance of day and night should the earth cease to remain. And as the punishment of the devil, or dragon, in the lake of fire and brimstone, is to continue day and night, it must be on the earth, where day and night interchange. heathen power was to be totally put down, and destroyed. By day or by night it was the same; it should rise The |
