PART V. SECTION V. The Blessedness of those who die in the Lord, pro The voices of the angels had pronounced the punishments of those who, for worldly purposes receiving the antichristian mark, deny their Lord. A voice from heaven, from the throne itself, confirms their denunciations, adding thereto this consolation; that if the fiery trial proceed to its last stage, even to temporal death, this death shall be blessed; shall introduce the martyr to an eternal freedom from pain and trouble; his sufferings on earth shall be recompensed with everlasting rest and glory. These four proclamations are plain in their meaning, and of easy solution to those who are versed in Scriptural language. They seem intended to be so, in order that all Christians may be encouraged in time of trial to preserve their allegiance to their Lord, the Lamb; whose banner is unfolded in this chapter. PART PART V. SECTION VI. The Vision of the Harvest and of the Vintage. 14 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδὲ νεφέλη λευκὴ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν νεφέλην καθήμε νον ὅμοιον υἱῷ ἀνθρώ πω, ἔχων ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆ ςέφα τον χρυσῶν, καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὑτῷ δρέπανον 15 ὀξύ. Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγελος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τῶ να, κράζων ἐν με γάλη φωνῇ τῷ και θημένῳ ἐπὶ τῆς και φέλης Πέμψον τὸ δρέπανόν σε, καὶ θέρισον· ὅτι ἦλθέ [00] n weα T θερίσαι· ὅτι ἐξηράνθη ὁ θερισμὸς τῆς 16 γῆς. Καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τὴν νεφέλην τὸ δρέπανον CHAP, XIV. VER. 14-to the end. 14 And I looked, and lo! airê inì tùy yã117 earth was reaped. And καὶ ἐθερίσθη ἡ γῆ 17 Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τὰ να Tô in Tŷ ¿gava, ἔχων καὶ αὐτὸς δρό 18 πανον ὀξύ. Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τῶ θυσιαςη another angel came came forth from the M M the cloud 14 And I looked, and be- harvest of the earth is 16 ripe. And he that sat on the cloud, thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reap17 ed. And another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, he also having a sharp 18 sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which bad power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the τὸ εἶν, ἔχων ἐξεσίαν ἐπὶ τὸ πυρός· καὶ ἐξώνησε κραυγή με γάλῃ τῷ ἔχονία τὸ δρέπανον ὀξὺ, λέγων Πέμψον σε τὸ δρέπανον τὸ ὀξὺ, καὶ τεύγησαν τις βίτονας της apning tas yñs, ὅτι ήκμασαν αἱ ςα10 φιλαὶ αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ἄγελος τὸ δρέπανον αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐτεύ γησε τὴν ἄμπελον τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν ληνόν τα θιμῷ τῷ Θεῷ τὸν 20 μέγαν. Καὶ ἐπα· τήθη ἡ ληνὸς ἐξ. Δεν τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν αἷμα ἐκ τῆς ληνᾶ ἔχει τῶν χαλινῶν τῶν ἵππων απο ταδίων χιλίων εξακοσίων. called out with a loud "the vine of the earth, angel cast his sickle to the earth, and gathered of the earth, and cast sharp sickle, saying. Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the 20 wrath of God. And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horsebridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. Times of persecution, such as have been now represented under the antichristian powers, are times when the faith and virtue of Christians are tried by the severest tests. Many are they, "who gladly receive "the word, but in time of persecution fall away." Now such methods of God's Providence separate the good seed from the tares*. But the time of harvest and vintage, represented also in the Old Testament †, is a * Which our Lord and his Angels are represented as doing, in Matt. xiii. 41. Mark iv. 29; where the word Savor is also used. † Jer. li. 33. Joel iii. 13. Is. lxiii. 1-7. 3. time time not only of separation of the good from the wicked, but also of the final punishment or destruction of the latter, expressed by the act of burning the tares and chaff; and also by the bloody and furious appearance of him who, stained with the juice of grapes, treadeth the wine-press *. The imagery of both harvest and vintage are brought together in the prophecy of Joel; which seems to give, in a short and abstracted form, the same picture as this passage in the Revelation. "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down, for the press is full, the fats overflow:"for, their wickedness is great t." This final vengeance of the Almighty upon his enemies, is evidently not yet accomplished. But such a general view of "God's righteous judgments". was proper to accompany the warnings and encouragements delivered in this chapter; in which is also generally displayed the successful warfare of the Lamb and his followers. "What particular events are signified by this harvest "and vintage, it appears impossible for any man to determine; time alone can with certainty discover: for, these things are yet in futurity; only it may be "observed, that these two signal judgments will certainly come, as harvest and vintage succeed in their season, and, in the course of Providence the one will precede the other, as, in the course of nature, the "harvest is before the vintage; and the latter will greatly surpass the former, and be attended with a more terrible destruction of God's enemies. It is said, ver. 20, that the blood came even unto the "'horses' bridles;' which is a strong hyperbolical way "of speaking, to express vast slaughter, and effusion 66 6 Gen. xlix. 11. Psalm lxiii. 1-7. Lam. i. 15. † Joel iii. 13. ληνον ἐποίησε. "of blood; a way of speaking not unknown to the "Jews; for, the Jesuralem Talmud, describing the "woeful slaughter which the Roman Emperor Adrian "made of the Jews at the destruction of the city of "Bitter, saith, that the horses waded in blood up to the "nostrils. Nor are similar examples wanting even in "the classic authors; for, Silius Italicus, speaking of "Annibal's descent into Italy, useth the like expres"sion; the bridles flowing with much blood*." Bp. Newton, Dissert. iii. p. 267. 8vo edit. PART |
