and that by the help of Jude's Bible, the Peshito, they had embraced Christianity, and that Abram became dear to all converts as taught by Paul, who found that they were all his children by faith, and then you only need security, and time, and money, and a good measure of enlightenment on their part, and the work can be done. Then even the Saracen or the Turk will spare the early home of Abram, and thus regard for it will be diffused all around. And when the Christian temple was destroyed by Ishmael's children even then the Bet Chalil Allah, or "house of the friend of God," would be protected from destruction.

JAMES HOLDING.

NOTES ON THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.

THE

I. INTRODUCTORY.

THE Revelation given to St. John by Jesus Christ is contained in a book so extraordinary and so unique that one may well be excused for taking the usual course with it, and that which seems to so many the best course, viz., to leave it alone altogether. Yet to the student of the Bible this is impossible. Independently of the remarkable statement in chapter i. verse 3: "Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written therein," the book is one which has a marvellous interest, not to say fascination of its own. All Christians therefore are compelled, however unwillingly, to make themselves more or less acquainted with its contents, and to study it more or less attentively. It is, therefore, impossible for any of us not to take a deep interest in it and to endeavour to understand it.

Notwithstanding the innumerable works on the interpretation of the Apocalypse, and the attempts of so many in past ages to find out the meaning of its mysterious symbolism, we are continually impelled to fresh examination, to fresh search and to fresh study. That study, even if it do not lead to correct interpretation, is never useless, for it is found by experience that this is a Book which, to be understood at all, requires constant reference to the prophets and other writings of the Old Testament, as well as to many parts of the New. The images, at all events, are almost all taken from the Old Testament, and we are thus compelled to search; and as we all know by experience in this, as in so many other things, much blessing is in the search itself, even if it do not lead to discovery. We are expressly told that if we wish to find wisdom we must search for it as silver and dig for it as for hidden treasures—and in this pursuit we must be zealous and laborious.

Now, inasmuch as truth will endure any amount of investigation, and indeed fearlessly courts the most searching inquiry, whatever conclusions one comes to, they will, if true, and so far as they are true, abide and remain; while, if false, they are certain, sooner or

later, to disappear. If, therefore, among all the interpretations that I venture on in regard to this book, only some few sparks of real truth are elicited, my reward will be great.

In all, therefore, which follows, I do not presume for one instant to dogmatise, or to suppose that my interpretation is anything more than an attempt to solve this great and difficult problem. It is only, in fact, what appears to me at the present time to be the most likely explanation; my object is to provoke inquiry and to promote discussion, as well as to try to interpret.

I, of course, assume the inspiration and the genuineness of the Book taken as a whole. There are, no doubt, a considerable number of various readings, but taken altogether they do not seem to amount to much, and moreover, in a revelation such as this, there is but little scope for individuality in the writer. He no doubt describes accurately what he saw; and in such a wonderful vision as this, there is little probability of the human element making itself perceptible. The whole of the scenery and of the imagery is sublime, so totally unlike anything else, that it speaks for itself and shines by its own light, and thus "the Spirit itself witnesseth with our spirit that it is from God."

The grand object of this Book is undoubtedly to keep us in mind of the " one divine event to which all creation moves:"—The coming of the Lord. This grand hope is the key to the interpretation of the whole Book, and everything in it has a more or less. direct reference to it.

There can be no doubt that the coming of the Lord was to all the early Christians the great object of hope and desire. In all their sufferings and their poverty this was the great Beacon Light, which not only consoled them, but showed them the right path to walk in. It irradiated all the events of their lives and was constantly in their thoughts. Unfortunately for Christendom this hope has been, comparatively speaking at all events, very little dwelt upon, and the result has been that instead of a life to be realised after the Lord's return, mankind have looked to a certain extent to this life also as the scene of the Lord's triumph. Wherever the coming of Christ is not the paramount object of hope to Christians it must inevitably follow that their thoughts are more or less worldly. Whether that worldliness takes the form of supposing that Christ's kingdom may be promoted by extending its influence in the kingdoms of this world, or by the supposition that the world is anything more than a place of education for anotherthe result at last must be the same-viz., forgetfulness of the fact that Christians are but strangers and pilgrims upon earth.

In all the Apostolic writings it is easy to gather what were the views of the leaders of the Christian Church in those early days. They evidently looked upon the then existing world as passing away-their hopes and their desires were not in it; but their citizenship in the truest sense was in the New Jerusalem, which

shall ultimately come down from God out of heaven. Taking then the Lord's coming as the key-note to the interpretation of the Apocalypse, we may safely, I think, draw some deductions from the book as to its general scope and character, and I think we may state that Great as are the diversities of opinion, and many as are the interpretations of this book, there are one or two points on which very little difference of opinion can be said to exist. Two points more especially seem to come out clearly and distinctly, viz., first and chiefly, that all was not going on right with the Church of God; and, secondly, that so many and diverse events are alluded to as apparently to foreshadow that some considerable time, possibly a very long time, might elapse before the Restitution of all things. These two points are of the greatest possible importance and can scarcely be gainsaid by the extremest opponents of the ordinary views.

With regard to the first of these points, the book scems even at first sight to foreshadow apostasy within and persecution without the professing Church-and that before the time of the end she would have both to do and to suffer many things.

A third point, also, I think, comes out with even greater clearness and will, I am sure, be denied by none. It is that throughout all these events, whether apostasy or persecution were prefigured, there would be always a select faithful band of the followers of Christ. Lastly, there can be no doubt that the book shows that the ultimate end of all these varying scenes and events would be the complete and triumphant establishment of the Redeemer's kingdom. Whether that kingdom was to be set up on the earth in its present state, or after the resurrection, is a point on which there may be diverse opinions, but of the establishment of the kingdom itself there can be no doubt.

These are certainly the chief points on which at all events the great majority of Christians are agreed; as to any others, when we come to examine them, we find at once the greatest possible differences of opinion on almost every single point. Some, for instance, believe that the whole prophecy is already fulfilled; some, that the events referred to in the book are still going on; others, that all is still in the future. These have been called, for distinctness' sake, the preterist, the continuous-historical, and the futurist view. Í may say at once that I have been led to take the second of theseviz., the continuous-historical view, and for the following reasons: First, because the vision is said to refer to "things which must shortly come to pass." Secondly, that there are many indications that prove that different portions refer to different periods of time, and that therefore there was a continuous history, as it were; such, for instance, as the expression in chapter ix. 6: "And in those days shall men seek death," &c. Thirdly, that it would have been of very little use to the Church had it not, more or less, alluded to the whole period between the giving of the prophecy and the coming of

B

the Lord, and it was given to be a comfort and consolation during the Lord's absence. For these and other reasons I adopt the continuous-historical view as being the only one that is satisfactory.

There seems to be in several points a remarkable similarity between the Apocalypse and the Book of Daniel. Both Daniel and John were exiles at the time they saw their visions; both were men "greatly beloved;" both use similar imagery, and both refer to the time when the judgment was set and the books opened. Both seem to allude to the same thing when one speaks of the little horn having eyes like the eyes of a man, and the other says, "He that hath wisdom, let him count the number of the beast, for it is a number of a man." Both also certainly contain most distinctly similar prophecies about a beast with ten horns, and both of them tell us that this beast" was destroyed and given to the burning flame." It is interesting, too, to notice that in both cases an explanation of the meaning of the prophecies is given in one or two important, and so to speak, crucial points. Finally and chiefly, both visions lead up to the "coming of the Son of Man." With regard to the general principles on which the interpretation of the book should proceed, I think that although the events typified therein may have a literal, and so to speak, a human fulfilment, yet their real import is a spiritual one. The events refer, as

I venture to think, not to individuals, such as Cæsar, Constantine, or Napoleon, but to systems and principles. The woman seated on the beast, for instance, is not a woman, but a church-just as the beast is not a real living creature, but a figure. No one, again, supposes for a moment that a real beast was to arise out of the sea, or that the servants of God were literally to have the seal of God on their foreheads, but only that these figures are taken as being the symbols of what they apply to. Of course, indirectly, human kingdoms and purely human affairs may be referred to sometimes, but it is only indirectly, and these form, so to speak, only a sort of by-play. The real thing prophesied is the great working out of the principles of good and evil as exemplified in the professing churches of God.

It is also to be noted that as a rule the prophecy seems to have relation mainly, if not entirely, to the portion of the world which was then under the rule of the Roman Empire, and not to outside nations. The earth then is, I think, throughout the prophecy a type or figure of the professing Church of Christ as existing in these countries. The sea is a type of the nations or peoples, who are more or less purely Pagan. Compare Isaiah xvii. 13, "The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters," and the statement in Rev. xvii. 15. Similarly cities represent professing churches. The stars represent the servants of God who give light to the earth; mountains and hills represent the wealthy and externally powerful individuals in the churches, and so on. The sun, I think, represents Divine truth, and the moon the true Church of

Christ, the Church of the firstborn, receiving its light direct from the Sun. And so with all the other symbols of this extraordinary book.

Proceeding now to consider the vision in detail, we find that it was given by God the Father unto our Lord, in order that His servants might learn by it "things that should shortly come to pass," in accordance with God's promise to Isaiah, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secrets to His servants the prophets." We find, then, it is all to lead up to the time when "He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him, and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him." Here it is to be observed (comp. Zech. xii. 10, where precisely the same language is used, and to which no doubt reference is here made) that this wailing is not from terror, but from grief and sorrow; for it is distinctly stated that this wailing and sorrow arise from the Lord pouring out upon the House of David the spirit of grace and supplication. It is in fact a repentance, not remorse, and it is repentance most deep, earnest, and sincere. It is compared by the prophet to mourning as for an only son, and the intensity of it is shown by the fact that even each individual family can derive no comfort from its own members; but all is deep, individual, almost impassioned grief. It is a repentance so thorough that now even the very name and thought of an idol is an abomination. Now, indeed, "the (false) prophet and the unclean spirits" pass for ever out of the land. The unclean spirit was, indeed, so far expelled by the first captivity, that external obedience was greatly increased, but now "the seven other spirits, more wicked than the first," viz., the internal rebellion of the heart, is cast out, and for ever. Now the false prophet is "wounded in the house of his friends," for in that day "the Canaanite shall be no more in the House of the Lord of Hosts."

Having thus received this comforting assurance, the apostle is shown more of the wonderful means by which all these things were to be brought about.

The Seven Churches and their spiritual condition before God constitute, I think, the things which are, about which the apostle was commanded to write, and while the account afforded doubtless great instruction and comfort to the saints of those days, I cannot but think that they are intended also to be a type of seven different periods of the Church's history. It has been very truly remarked that if we take all the varying nations, kingdoms, tribes, and tongues of the earth as existing at any given time, we shall more or less have types or representatives of every degree of civilisation, from the highest to the lowest, and from the lowest state of civilisation to the most degraded savagery and cannibalism. Europe, Asia, and Africa, for instance, represent three widely different states of society and civilisation, and afford instances of every variety of character. In accordance with this principle, we