the tree were for the healing of and his servants shall serve him: the nations.

3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it;

4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5 And there shall be no night

mark, that it yielded its fruit every any curse remain? Everything should month. The leaves of the tree were live whither the river should come. for the healing of the nations. It Death, therefore, shall be entirely remight truly then be called the tree of moved; and as the leaves of the tree life. Its very leaves were of a heal- are for the healing of the nations, ing quality. This language in respect there cannot remain any curse in the to the nations shows, that by the new new Jerusalem. The throne of Jerusalem the revelator was not de- God shall be there. - This seems borscribing the immortal state of man, rowed from Ezekiel's description of but a happy state on the earth, where the renovated Jerusalem. "It was nations exist. Although Professor round about eighteen thousand measStuart maintains that by the new ures; and the name of the city from Jerusalem the revelator intended "the that day shall be, THE LORD IS THERE;" final abode of the faithful servants of Ezk. xlviii. 35. The description rethe Redeemer," (ii. 389,) yet on this sembles very strikingly a passage in verse he is constrained to acknowl- the previous part of the Apocalypse, edge, that "the distant nations may where the revelator was treating more derive healing and life-preserving vir- particularly of the Jews. "Therefore tue from the leaves of the trees, car- are they before the throne of God, and ried abroad and distributed among serve him day and night in his temthem." This would seem to show ple: and he that sitteth on the throne that the tree of life was a blessing en- shall dwell among them. They shall joyed on the earth. In the preceding hunger no more, neither thirst any chapter it had been said, concerning more; neither shall the sun light on the new Jerusalem, " And the nations them, nor any heat. For the Lamb of them which are saved shall walk in which is in the midst of the throne shall the light of it; and the kings of the feed them, and shall lead them unto earth do bring their glory and honor living fountains of water; and God unto it;" xxi. 24. Is it possible this shall wipe away all tears from their can be a description of the immortal eyes;" Rev. vii. 15-17. How truly state? Every one must see it is not. was it said, "There shall be no more How, then, can the events of the twencurse." tieth chapter be referred to the future world? The events of that chapter certainly transpired before those described in xxi. and xxii.

3. There shall be no more curse. Everything evil shall be excluded from the new Jerusalem, for the throne of God and the Lamb is there. In Zechariah's description of the renewed state of Jerusalem, he says: "And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited;" xiv. 11. Blessed with the river of life, and the tree of life, how could

him."

"His servants shall serve

4. They shall see his face. To see God's face means to live in near communion with him. Thus we read: "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God;" Matt. v. 8. To see the Lord is, by some, supposed to signify being in his immediate presence in the immortal world; and it is thought the passage intimates that some will never thus see him. But, however true it is that all men must be perfectly holy before they can be perfectly happy in the future life, still the phrase to see God is used, by the

there; and they need no candle, I and they shall reign forever and neither light of the sun; for the ever. Lord God giveth them light:

6 And he said unto me, These

Hebrew writers, to denote a state of was said xxi. 23, 25, and we refer the spiritual honor and enjoyment in the reader to the remarks on those verses. present life. The expression arose These metaphors of the fulness and from the customs of the eastern kings. | beauty of God's house, of the river of "To behold the king's face, was con- water, the fountain of life, and the sidered an honor and happiness; special light of God's countenance, are much more to see it habitually, that very ancient. "They shall be abunis, to be employed in his immediate dantly satisfied with the fatness of thy service, and to enjoy his favor. Thus, house; and thou shalt make them also, the expression to see God signi- drink of the river of thy pleasures. fies to experience his friendship, and For with thee is the fountain of life; to be admitted to the greatest happi- in thy light shall we see light;" Psa. ness in his presence; whereas, not to xxxvi. 8, 9. The metaphor of the see him is to be shut out from his favor, reign, we have shown, is of frequent and to be under his awful displeasure. occurrence in the Apocalypse, and in Christ says of his humblest followers, other parts of the Bible. See ii. 26, that in heaven their angels do always 27; iii. 21; iv. 4; v. 10; xi. 17; xx. behold the face of his heavenly Father; 4, 6. Thus the revelator brings to a referring to the usage of earthly close the description of the new Jecourts, where such as always behold rusalem, commenced at the tenth the monarch's face were highest in verse of the preceding chapter. Why office and regard. By this he signi- the division of the chapters should fied, that these little ones had a pow- have been made as it was, we cannot erful interest in heaven, and were imagine. Why were the first five peculiarly dear to God himself; so verses of this chapter separated from that it became men to take heed how that which preceded them? We adopt they despised them; Matt. xviii. 10. the language of Professor Stuart :To sit next the king, especially on his "What could have induced the author right hand, was a mark of the highest of the division of the New Testament honor and dignity; 1 Kings ii. 10; into chapters to disjoin the first five Matt. xx. 20-23; Heb. i. 3." -(Nev- verses, it is difficult to see. They bein's Biblical Antiquities, i. 247.) ¶ His long inseparably to the preceding dename shall be in their foreheads; i. e., scription. A new chapter should have shall be written in the most conspic- begun with xxii. 6, which commences uous place. Their profession shall be the epilogue to the book. But it is very open; they shall be known un- useless to complain of these unskilful doubtedly as the servants of God. separations now. The Scriptures The same figure has occurred before have so long been printed and quoted in the Apocalypse: "Him that over- in their present form, that the mistake cometh, will I make a pillar in the cannot be well retrieved.". - (Com., temple of my God, and he shall go no ii. 387, note.) more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name;" iii. 12. See, also, vii. 3; xiv. 1.

5. Need no candle, neither light of the sun. - - This is a repetition of what

CONCLUSION OF THE APOCALYPSE.

We have now come to the epilogue, or conclusion, of the work. This is divided into three parts. 1st. The concluding remarks of the angel, who had been sent by God, "to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass ;" i. 1. The whole book

sayings are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

of Revelation, from the very commencement of it to the fifth verse of chapter xxii., is the communication made by that angel to the revelator. Then follow the angel's concluding remarks. 2d. The remarks of the Lord Jesus, confirming what the revelator had said, extending from verse 12 to verse 20. 3d. The benediction of the revelator. And, 1st, the concluding words of the angel; vers. 6-11.

7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

8 And I John saw these

sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John;" i. 1. Thus we see, that he reässerts, at the close of the book, what he had declared at its beginning. Shortly be done. — And observe, the angel, who opened the whole matter to him, showed him nothing except what was shortly to come to pass. Mark this well. How, then, can it be supposed that the principal judgments mentioned in this book have not yet taken place? The angel showed unto the revelator only "the things which must shortly be done."

7. I come quickly. - Behold, that is, take special notice of this fact; let it not be passed by through inattention,

"I come quickly." The language is here put in the first person, because it is precisely the same language which Jesus used in reference to the same event. See verses 10, 12, 20. The coming of Christ was then speedily to take place. ¶ Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings, &c.—Blessed, happy is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book; not heareth merely, but keepeth. The book of Revelation is a prophecy; but the

6. He said unto me.. - Since the work, in the main, is here completed, the angel reässures the revelator of the truth of his words. This is the same angel mentioned i. 1, who had revealed the whole matter of the book; - he said, at the conclusion, to the revelator, "The sayings are faithful and true,' - a solemn declaration of their truth and importance. This was not an uncommon form of speech. See xix. 9; xxi. 5. ¶ The Lord God of the holy prophets.· Well might the angel speak of the Deity in these terms. The revelator had himself been a diligent student of the prophets. The great truths that had been urged by him had been previously foretold by them. He was himself a proph-events were not far distant. The peoet, for he foretold future events things which were shortly to come to pass. He claimed to be instructed to make those communications by the Lord God of the holy prophets; so that the same divine character was to be ascribed to his book which the Jews had been accustomed to ascribe to the prophecies of old. ¶ Sent his angel. This Lord God of the holy prophets had sent his angel to testify these things to John, his servant. See the following: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he

ple of the generation in which the revelator lived were personally interested in them; they were called upon to remember them and keep them; and happy would they be if they did so, for the time was at hand. "I come quickly."

8. I John san, &c. - The revelator here gives his name, John. That John, the apostle, was the author of this book, we have clearly shown in the introduction, and also in various parts of the commentary. He saw the things which he had described, he saw the visions, the scenery, &c., &c. He heard the words which had been

things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

9 Then saith he unto me,

uttered to him. It is a reäffirmation that the facts of the book of Revelation were divinely communicated to him. He described them, it is true, in his own style and manner; the images were the most of them borrowed from the prophetical writings. But the message itself, the great truths he communicated, he had heard and seen. At the very beginning of the book, John was commanded to write the things which he had seen; i. 19. Some of the things which John saw were past, some were then present, and some were future, but were shortly to come to pass. ¶I fell down to worship. The revelator adds: "And when I had heard and seen," to wit, when he had heard and seen all that had been revealed to him, he was overwhelmed with wonder. He fell down to do homage to the angel-revelator. He seems to have worshipped him as a divine person; he seems to have rendered to him the worship that belonged to God. His falling down was the effect of what he had heard and seen. He had been impressed similarly on a former occasion; xix. 10.

See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book worship God.

10 And he saith unto me,

10. Seal not the sayings. — The angel still continues, but he was near the close of his communications; he is about to give his last advice, his closing admonition: "Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand." To use the words of Dr. A. Clarke: "Do not lay up these sayings for future generations; they concern the present times; they must shortly come to pass, for the time is at hand." See verse 6. It is a well-known fact, that, when important events revealed through the prophets or inspired men of old were not to be fulfilled or accomplished till some very remote period, or for a long time after the prediction was made, the prophets were commanded to seal up the roll, or the sayings thereof, because the time of fulfilment was distant. Thus, in Dan. viii. 26, Gabriel says to the prophet, "The vision of the evening and the morning, which was told, is true; wherefore, shut thou up the vision, for it shall be for many days;" that is, its fulfilment is to be at a remote period. Again; xii. 4, 9, 12, 13: "Thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Blessed is he that

three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." On the other hand, where the events were to take place immediately, or very soon, the prophet was forbidden to seal the sayings of the book; as in the events spoken of in the text and context, on which we are now remarking.

9. See thou do it not. Thus, it will be seen, the angel forbid the rev-waiteth, and cometh to the thousand elator worshipping him. The reason why worship should not have been rendered to the angel was, he was fellow-servant to the revelator, and of his brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of the book. That there was a class of men in the Christian church called prophets, see 1 Cor. xii. 28, 29. Perhaps his meaning was, "I am like the prophets, merely a servant of God, I am not entitled to divine honors more than they. Worship not me- worship God."

See Lightfoot, iii. 368. It should not be forgotten, that both at the beginning of the Apocalypse and at its close, it is insisted that the time