4 And God shall wipe away | pain: for the former things are passed away. all tears from their eyes; and evangelical prophet, seemed to catch See 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto of the prophet even to the abolition of death at the time of the general resurrection of mankind;" 1 Cor. xv. 26, 54. In his view, it will be then that God shall wipe tears from all faces; and cause death, and sorrow, and sighing, to cease forever. We have found these glorious consequences of the gospel before referred to in the Apocalypse; see vii. 17. It is peculiarly worthy of observation, that Paul did not believe that all the consequences of the gospel would be fully realized until the immortal resurrection of the dead. These consequences may be realized in part in the present world; but in his view the whole force of the passage is not here felt. ¶ The former things are passed away. The meaning here is, that the former state of things should no more be known. The prophet had said, when speaking of the new state of things denoted by the new heavens and new earth: "And the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind;" Isa. lxv. 17. The reve 4. Wipe away all tears, &c.· This was the consequence of God dwelling among them; this was the new and highly improved state of things denoted by the new heavens and new earth. This description of the conse-lator expresses the same idea by say. quences of the gospel among men is ing, "the former things are passed beautiful. Can the imagination con- away." The Christians were continceive of anything more brilliant? All ually reminded of their former or tears are wiped away; death is abol- unconverted state, and of the deeds ished; and neither sorrow, nor cry- thereof, as things to be specially ing, nor pain remains. These beau- avoided in their new condition. Their tiful metaphors were copied from the "former conversation" was put off; prophet Isaiah. "He will swallow Eph. ív. 22; and they were not to up death in victory; and the Lord fashion themselves according to their God will wipe away tears from off all "former lusts;" 1 Pet. i. 14. Thus faces; with the Christian, the former things must pass away. But more of this under the next verse. and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth for the Lord hath spoken it;" XXV. 8. It is supposed that Isaiah was looking forward to the coming of the gospel, and was foretelling the glorious consequences that would result from that great system of divine grace. Paul extends the language 5. I make all things new. — The whole design here is to show that the gospel was designed to produce an improved condition of the world — an entirely new state. This is begun in the heart of every believer. If he me, Write: for these words are done. I am Alpha and Omega, true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst true and faithful, and of vast importance to men, worthy of special record, and of being transmitted by this sure method from age to age. 6. It is done.-The phrase "it is done" is to be understood here, it is determined, it is certain. As if the spirit had said to the revelator, What I have written to you is true and faithful, and the events which I have foretold shall certainly come to pass. It is determined in the decrees of him who is able to fulfil his pleasure. ¶ Alpha and Omega. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Alpha is the first letter and Omega the last of the Greek alphabet. To say that God is Alpha and Omega, is to say that he is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. See Rev. i. S; xxii. 13. ¶ Water of life. has been brought to the knowledge of the truth, and knows and feels that Christ is his Lord, and lives accordingly, he is translated thereby into a new state. Hence Paul said: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new 2 Cor. v. 17. When the house of Israel turned from their wicked ways, to serve God, the change was described by very striking figures. To forsake wickedness was to "turn to the Lord;" Isa. lv. 7. To become disgusted with vice, and to be brought to love the ways of the Lord, was described by the prophet as follows: "Make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" Ezk. xviii. 31. These forms of speech, so clearly metaphorical, are preserved in the New Testament. Hence, the change from false religion to Christianity was called a new creation, or regeneration; a new birth; the Christian was a new creature; 2 Cor. v. 17; he "put on the new man;" Eph. iv. 24; Col. iii. 10; he entered the "new Jerusalem," and had a "new name;" Rev. iii. 12; a "new song was put in his mouth," because he had a new occasion of rejoicing; v. 9; xiv. 3. How strikingly true, then, when God sent the new covenant into the world, was the assurance, "Behold, I make all things new." Write for these words are true and faithful. — Things that were to be understood, that were to be remembered, and that were of vast importance to men, it was customary to command them to write. They were not to be left to be trans-leading consequences of the gospel is mitted by tradition. Hence Moses was commanded to write the words of the law; Exod. xxxiv. 27. To write a thing on the tablet of the heart, was to impress it deeply there. The revelator was commanded to write these things, because they were : To show the efficacy of the gospel in healing the moral maladies of men, it is represented under the metaphor of water, and more especially of the "water of life." See Isa. Iv. 1. Examine, also, the beautiful allegory that occurred in the course of the conversation between Jesus and the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well, John iv. 10-15. Here Jesus compares his gospel to living water; and the wants of men destitute of the gospel are represented by thirst. There is something in the gospel which completely satisfies the moral wants of mankind, as water satisfies the thirsting man; and the gospel furnishes a satisfaction so full and complete to the human soul, that he who receives it, it is said, “shall never thirst." One of the great and referred to here. It wipes away all tears, abolishes death, removes sorrow, and crying, and pain, and in this way gives men perfect satisfaction. When, therefore, he that sat upon the throne said, It is done, — I have the power to fulfil what I have of the fountain of the water of | 8 But the fearful, and unbe lieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in want of courage and fortitude to bear the perils of being Christians. They were unbelieving. Faith gains the victory; 1 John v. 4, 10; and these had it not. They were abominable, for they were guilty of the worst of vices, those that were most degrading to men. They were murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and liars, - and no wonder they were said to be abominable. Shall have their part in the lake, &c. - Now these could not enter into the kingdom of God. St. Paul said: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not received; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God;" 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. No wonder, then, that the revelator said, they "shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." The Christians had part in the new Jerusalem. They did "eat of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God;" Rev. ii. 7; they 7. He that overcometh. It is the Christian's duty to overcome the world. Jesus overcame the world; John xvi. 33. The coadjutors of the beast made war upon the Lamb, and he overcame them; Rev. xvii. 14. John said: "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John v. 4, 5. The whole of this may be expressed in one word, the Christian is not to be overcome of evil, but is to overcome evil with good; Rom. xii. 21. ¶ Shall inherit all things. He that overcometh, i. e., he that remains firmly attached to the principles of the gospel in the midst of persecution, "shall inherit all things." All things, here," were not hurt of the second death;" signify all those blessings of which the revelator had been speaking. I will be his God; -i. e., I will be his portion, I will be his protector, I will appear in a near and important relation to him, like that of a God and a father. ii. 11; they eat of the hidden manna, and had a white stone given to them, and in that stone a new name; ii. 17; they had "power over the nations;" ii. 26; they were clothed in white raiment, their names were in the book of life, and they were confessed before God; iii. 5; they were pillars in the temple of God; and the name of God and the Lamb was written upon them, and the name of the New Jerusalem; iii. 12; they sat with Jesus on his throne, as he sat with his Father; iii. 21. This was the part the Christians enjoyed. the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had the seven vials full of the These metaphors were used to de- condition from that which the Chrisscribe their happy state, even in the tians enjoyed. But does the revemidst of outward trials and persecu-lator intend that persons in this contions. The worshippers of the beast dition can never be brought into the had no rest day nor night; but kingdom of God? Certainly not. those who were crucified with Christ For then how should tears be wiped rested from their labors and suffer- from all faces? how should the rest ings, when the persecuting power of the dead live; xx. 5; those who was destroyed, and their works of had not partaken in the first resursuccess followed them; xiv. 10-13. |rection? how should the final harvest, Peace reigned in their souls. But that was to follow the first fruits, be the unbelievers were in an entirely gathered in? how could it be said, opposite condition, described by oppo- there shall be no more death, nor site metaphors. They had their sorrow, nor crying, nor pain? xxi. 4. part in the lake which burneth with It will be remembered, that when fire and brimstone: which is the sec- Paul said absolutely, "The unrightond death." This lake of fire we eous shall not inherit the kingdom of have fully explained, under Rev. xix. God," he was particular to remark to 20; xx. 10, 14, 15. It was a meta- the Christians, "SUCH were some of phor to represent utter destitution. you; but ye are WASHED, ye are The expression is made intensive, to SANCTIFIED, but ye are justified in the show the lost and undone condition name of the Lord Jesus, and by the of those who were deterred by fear spirit of our God;" 1 Cor. vi. 11. and vice from embracing the gospel. This explains the whole matter. The slightest proof has not been dis- While men are in the state of sin covered, in the whole Apocalypse, which we have described, they are that these metaphors refer at all to not in the kingdom of God, and canthe future state. ¶ Which is the not be; but they may be washed, and second death. In Ezekiel's metaphor purified, and fitted for that kingdom. of the valley of dry bones, the Jews We have shown incontestably that were represented not merely as dead, fire and brimstone are metaphors for but wasted away; their flesh was temporal calamities. We consider entirely gone, and their bones were these figures to be parallel to the furdry; they were twice dead. The nace of fire into which the Jews were figure was made thus intensive to cast; Matt. xiii. 42. Those who show their absolutely lost and undone wish to know whether this fire is a condition without the help of God. metaphor of temporal judgments may So in the case before us. The unbe-consult Isaiah xxxi. 9; Ezk. xxii. lievers were cast into the lake of fire 17-22. Give particular attention to and brimstone. Not that this was the passages here referred to. done actually; no one puts such a construction upon the words. Judaism and heathenism were to be actually destroyed by the power of the gospel; and the poor subjects of them were to remain in an absolutely lost and undone condition as long as they remained such subjects. They had their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, the opposite 9. One of the seven angels. - We now come to a new section in the chapter. The revelator had given assurance of the coming of a much improved state of things, under the metaphor of the new heavens and new earth. This was to be done by means of the gospel, which was represented by the descent of the holy city, new Jerusalem, from heaven. seven last plagues, and talked 11 Having the glory of God: with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. The consequences of the establishment of the gospel are then described, such as the wiping away of all tears, and the utter abolishing of death, and sorrow and crying. All things shall be made new. He that overcometh shall inherit all the blessings, while the fearful, unbelieving, &c., shall suffer not only the deprivation thereof, but the punishments indicated by the lake of fire. Such are the subjects of the preceding verses. But at the 9th verse, the revelator proceeds to a more particular description of the holy city, new Jerusalem. And to introduce this, he states, that one of the seven angels who had the seven, last plagues, xv. 1, talked with him saying, "Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife;" xix. 7. The figure of a woman is frequently used to represent the church, and sometimes the gospel covenant; Gal. iv. 24-26. The bride, in this case, was the new Jerusalem, as subsequent verses will show. and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper-stone, clear as crystal; 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the metaphor of the destruction of a city; and so the return from captivity, or the renewed prosperity of a people, was represented, on the contrary, by planning and building a new city on a scale of great magnificence. The example which the revelator follows may be found in Ezekiel, chap. xli.— xlvi. — (Lightfoot's Works, iii. 367.) 11. The glory of God.· This holy city, new Jerusalem, was full of the glory of God; Isaiah lx. 1, 2. The covenant of the gospel was the more perfect exhibition of the glory of God, which the world hath ever seen. ¶ Jasper stone. - The jasper was a beautiful stone, sometimes purple, sometimes cerulean and sometimes green. The stone spoken of here was clear as crystal. The Holy One is said to have had the appearance of a jasper and a sardine stone; iv. 3. The light of the new Jerusalem was like that reflected from a beautiful jasper, clear as crystal. It was clear, it was bright, and yet not painful to the eye. See Isaiah liv. 11, 12, and lviii. 8. 10. Showed me the great city. — The carrying of the revelator to an ex- 12. A wall great and high.-In ceeding high mountain is altogether setting forth the beauties and excelscenic, like the angel standing in the lencies of the new Jerusalem, all that sun; xix. 17. The angel showed would be great, and glorious, and him that great city, the holy Jerusa- necessary in an earthly city, is here lem, descending out of heaven from brought in. Hence mention is made God. This spiritual city was the of the wall great and high, which bride, which the angel had promised can mean nothing as appertaining to to show him; ver. 9; and it was the new Jerusulem, but is put into the new Jerusalem mentioned ver. 2. description merely to make the imThe Jews had the custom of describ-age of the city complete. Cities, of ing the enslaving and carrying away old, were built with walls, which of a people into captivity, under the were one of their principal means of |
