THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST BOOK 11 REVELATION 4 THE VISION OF HEAVEN EDWARD IRVING 1831

Transcription

1 THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST BOOK 11 REVELATION 4 THE VISION OF HEAVEN EDWARD IRVING 1831

2 Cover Picture: Heinrich Halmen, The Throne in Heaven Sabbath Rest Advent Church Fonts used: FreeSans Linux Biolinum G Linux Libertine G A September

3 THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST BOOK 11 REVELATION 4 THE VISION OF HEAVEN EDWARD IRVING Exposition of the Book of Revelation: in a series of Lectures 1831 Reprinted 1867 (vol. 1) and 1870 (vol. 2)

4 WHY THIS WORK? The first tim I cam acoss th witings of Edwad Iving, dp in th back shlvs of th Theology Libay at UBC (Vancouv, BC, Canada), I was dply impssd with th unusual tatmnt h gav to th firnal book of th Bibl. H wot as on who knw his calling, and knw that h had a mssag fom God fo his gnation. Combind with that ugncy, Iving had a lag sns of th gloy of God in Chist, and God s puposs though Chist to val Himslf unto th wold though th Chuch. H also possssd a lag gift fo languag and xpssion, and appa- ntly was quit an oato, as wll as bing a man of gat compassion and snsitivity. His wok on th book of Revelation, which oiginally compisd two volums, but only covd th first six chapts, tows abov oth simila commntais bcaus of it s uniqu blnd of gospl and pophcy. Coming fom a chuch foundd on th Advnt movmnt of th mid s, I was somwhat familia with books on th pophtic pats of Sciptu. Iving s commntay was nothing lik thos. Whas th standad pophtic woks tndd to gt quagmid in histoical vnts and dtails, thus dwlling on th vssl by which God s puposs w wokd out, Iving kpt his y singl to th gloy of God, and sachd into thos dp puposs as fa as h was abl. H ightly dwlt on th tasu that was in th vssl of pophcy. Lik Moss, h wantd to s God s gloy, o as much as was humanly possibl. And h did s much, indd. And bcaus most of th tasu h unathd is pactically lost to th Chuch today, I hav fo a long tim had a stong dsi to mak ths woks mo widly availabl. In this publication, I hav takn only a fw libtis: cocting and modnizing splling and gamma in a fw placs (including th languag in th KJV Bibl fncs), baking up lag paagaphs and sntncs, and insting full Bibl fncs wh appopiat. I hav spaatd th oiginal 2-volum wok into small books, on fo ach of th firft n oiginal lctus. Othwis it is as Iving wot it. Theis is Edwad Iving s pating gift to th Chuch of Chist. In his own wods, fom th xposition on Laodica: But my confidence in truth never fails me. I know that these things are not publishe in vain. It is not for myself, nor for my floock, but for the church of Go, that I write these things, which I pray Go for His own name s sake to hasten an bless. - Frank Zimmerman, 2016 Gather up the fragments, that none be lost.

5 CONTENTS CHRIST THE REDEEMER AND KING...1 HE UPON THE THRONE...16 THE NAZARITE...20 THE VISION OF EZEKIEL...27 THE RAINBOW...32 THOSE AROUND THE THRONE...46 THE TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS...49 THE THRONE ITSELF...57 LIGHTNINGS AND THUNDERINGS...67 VOICES...69 SEVEN LAMPS OF FIRE...72 THE SEA OF GLASS...79 THE FOUR BEASTS, OR LIVING CREATURES...89 THEIR APPEARANCE...92 THE FOURFOLD FORM...98 THEIR WINGS FULL OF EYES...121

6 Revelation 4 1 Afteer this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafteer. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3 And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sittiing, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9 And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that lives for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created.

7 CHRIST THE REDEEMER AND KING T HE singl ida which w hav givn of this book is that it contains what its nam dclas, a vlation of Jsus Chist; whos pson, and whos woking, hav sinc th days of his assumption bn hiddn within th vil of havn. Bcaus Chist s pson and officc a vy lag, and many-sidd, this discovy o disclosu is mad by succssiv ffoots and acts of vlation. The first, occupying th th pcding chapts, psnts in gat fullnss and distinctnss, by Divin dvics of wisdom, th aspct of Chist as ou gat High Pist, th only Had of th Chuch, th tu Shphd of th shp, th univsal Bishop of all th chuchs of th Living God. Theat vision of th dmd fom th ath, of th whol Chuch militant, is dsvdly placd at th had of th whol book bcaus th Chuch is th bginning and th nd of all vlation, but also bcaus vything which follows of good and ill to th ath, and th kingdoms thof, has its law and its masu fom th condition and chaact of th Chuch in that tim and plac wh it falls out. And with all spd, thfo, bcaus tim psss, and th combination against Him stngthns apac, w do now pocd to opn th scond aspct of Chist s pson and officc, which xtnds ov th fou following chapts; and which, as in th fom cas, may b dividd into two pats: 1. The scn of gloy psntd in chapts 4 and 5; 2. The act of pow psntd in chapts 6 and 7. It is at th sam tim to b bon in mind, that chapts 4 and 5 psnt th scn of gloy and pow within th vil, out of which coms not only th action of th sals containd in chapts 6 and 7, but likwis th whol pophtical action of th book. Theis scn of gloy is th intoduction to all - 1 -

8 which follows. Fo xampl: in th action of tumpts w hav (Revelation 11:16) an allusion to this havnly scn; although that vision of tumpts has an intoduction and a scny pop and pculia to itslf, which is th scny of th tmpl. In lik mann, in th vision of th Chuch and th apostasy o anti-chuch, w hav continual fnc to this sam common pologu o pfac to th whol divin mysty (Revelation 14:3). And th vision of Babylon s ovthow (Revelation 19:4) has spct unto th sam sct obsvs and actos within th vil of th havns. With spct to th last consummation of th Chuch s gloy, and th nw ath, h dmd inhitanc, containd in th last th chapts, I hold it to b nothing ls than th lttiing down of this havnly scn unto th ath, and th constituting it thon und th fom of an athly polity. So much th mo ncssay thn, sing th whol book is suspndd fom this vision of th havnly thon, th lds, and th living catus, is it that w go into it with a patint and pains-taking xamination: and this w will now do, if God pmit. Revelation 4 1 Afteer this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show you things which must be hereafteer. Fist, as concns th scn: It is laid in havn, whas th act dscnds fom havn to ath. The moving pows within th vil, th sct and spiitual machiny whby th visibl acts, changs, and volutions on th ath tak plac, a first dlinatd to us; just as in th fom aspct, Chist th High Pist, and th svn stas th paching ovss of th - 2 -

9 Chuchs, and th svn candlsticks th Chuchs, a first psntd to us, bfo any communications of any kind tak plac btwn th invisibl and th visibl. But whas in that vision of th Had of th Chuch, th plac wh H appad, and th out-vil aimnt in which H is aayd, and vy thing ls, did dcla that vision to b wholly of th Chuch tstial; this, upon th oth hand, in all its cicumstancs, as w pocd to show, dclas itslf to b of things clstial, as wll as of things tstial. Fo aft th fom vision had bn concludd, th s bhld, and a doo was opnd in havn; whas, in th oth cas, th thing which h bhld was bhind him wh h stood, upon th ath (Revelation 1:10). Theis opning of a doo into havn can man nothing ls than th pupos of God to val somthing concning th invisibl stat. And sing th titl of th book, and its pupot, is to val Jsus Chist, this doo opnd into th invisibl must b, not to satisfy vagu cuiosity, no yt mly to tach knowldg concning invisibl spiits, but to unfold th gloy of Chist, and th pson of Chist, as th sam is bhld and flt within th vil of th havns. Yt inasmuch as w hav sn that H is th Alpha and th Omga, th bginning of th cation of God, fo whom and by whom a all things visibl and invisibl, w may xpct that this doo opnd into havn should manifst much of th mysty of th invisibl wold. And this I will say, that in ths two chapts, though thy b but as it w intoductoy to th act of sals in paticula, and to th us of th book in gnal, is containd mo insight into th invisibl wold than is to b found in all th st of th Sciptus put togth. Thefo lt us, with th mo dilignc, pus thm cafully, that w may obtain coct infomation concning that havn, and thos havnly things, of which so much is - 3 -

10 vaguly spokn accoding to man s fancy, and so littil undstood accoding to th vald mind of God. Whn th s bhld th doo opnd in havn, h had at th sam tim a voic, th first of many which aft wad pocdd, fom th sam havnly gion. The voic was as of a tumpt spaking with him. Such also was th voic of th Son of Man, in th fom vision, a gat voic as of a tumpt; upon which txt, whn discousing, w showd that th voic of Chist th Had, and th voic of th Chuch th body, w continually st foth by th sam similituds; bcaus, though th b a had and a body in vy pson, of which both a ncssay to th uttianc of intllignt spch, yt th is but on voic btwn thm. 1 The wods which th voic spok w ths: Revelation Come here, and I will show you things which must be hereafteer. 2 And immediately I was in the spiritc The pson h I tak to b th angl which showd m ths things (Revelation 20:8 and 1:1). H calls upon John to ascnd up into havn, which, by th pow of th Spiit, h staightway dos; fo so I undstand th wods of th nxt vs, And staightway I was in th Spiit. I bliv John was in his snss; his a had a tu sound lik a tumpt; his y saw a doo opnd in havn, in th blu vault ov ou hads, and, lik Philip und th pow of th Spiit, h was tanspotd into th havnly gion and saw th things which h naats. Whn I say that John saw thm and had thm with his snss, I do not man to say that th things shown to him a snsibl things which xist in th invisibl havns, but that 1 S Thee Revelation of Jesus Christ, Book 3 Chist th Univsal Had and Bishop of th Chuch, Chapt: The Vision, Sction: A Book fo All Chuchs, p

11 thy a symbols psntd to th sight which a capabl of hittiing th sns; symbols of things which, in thmslvs, a invisibl, and incapabl of hittiing th sns. Theis is not difficcult to undstand; it is th cas of vy on who is psnt in th that. Conciv that som on gift d with th knowldg of futuity should b sttiing foth by a damatic psntation in th that, th condition in which Gat Bitain shall stand som fw yas aft w hav incopoatd th Papacy into ou constitution, with haply a papal king, a papal Paliamnt, a papal Chuch, and vything papal pdominant. Conciv a mimic thon, with mimic lgats, cadinals, and oths; a mimic Paliamnt uttiing spchs, a mimic popl giving xpssion to thi sntimnts: conciv th whol body of futu tim to b dpictd, as ou gat tagdian has dpictd th body of tim past. Now suppos that I, o any on ls bholding th sam, should fom th window, o any oth pat of th that, call to any pass-by: Com up hith, and I will show you things to com. Theis, to compa gat things with small, would b xactly paalll with that which was spokn to John by th tumpt voic of th angl: fo in both cass it is ncssaily but a p- sntation of futu things; but in both cass, th psntation is ally mad to th y and a of th bhold who is in his snss, and has th psntation submittid to his snss. Fom th xpssion I will show you things which must b haft, o, as it is litally, I will show you what must b aft ths things, w gath, that th facts st out und this vision a subsqunt to th facts st out und th fom vision; that all in th fom vision which coms within th conditions of tim, is antio to all in this vision which coms within th sam condition

12 Now, as w hav sn, th only thing put foth und conditions of tim a th tn days pscution thatnd unto th Chuch of Smyna, likwis th hou of tmptation which shall com upon all th wold, fom which th Chuch of Philadlphia was to b psvd. Thes, w hav shown, giv a limitation of tim to th matti-of-fact pat of th fom vision: fo as to th gnal tuth concning Chist and His Chuch thin containd, it is spiitual and univsal, and not und conditions of tim; and as to th pomiss mad to th Chuchs by th Spiit, thy hav thi accomplishmnt not until tim is no mo; that is, in th tnal ag, which is about to b, at th coming of th Lod. Now ths tn days of tibulation I f to th tn pscutions of th Chistian Chuch 2, and th tmptations which shall com upon all th wold, th last and gatst of thm all, which ndud likwis tn pophtical days, which is th sam as tn common yas. If this intptation b just, it givs to th fom vision this spcifirc objct with spct to tim namly, to confirm, stablish, and cown th Chuch with victoy, und th pscutions which God had appointd h at th hands of Paganism. And, suly, to ppa th Chuch fo that firy poof was an objct wothy th ca of h gat Bishop. To mak h tiumphant ov Paganism was an act in th gat pupos of God, of which much is mad in th squl of this book. To th faithfulnss of th matys und thos tn pscutions ism Revelation salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 2 S Thee Revelation of Jesus Christ, Book 5 Epistl to th Chuch in Smyna, Chapt: His Scond Chag, Sction: Tibulation Tn Days

13 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Most wothy, thfo, whth as spcts th mcy and loving kindnss to th Chuch without th vil, was it that Chist should st apat a potion of this vlation to th objct of confirming and stngthning his Chuch against th tnfold pscutions of Paganism. Now, thn, if th fom vision of Chist f to this as its tmpoay objct, as I bliv it dos, thn must th tmpo- ay objct of this vision b th things which immdiatly succd; fo it is xpssly said to th s by th tumpt voic of th dmonstating angl: Com up hith, and I will show you what must b aft ths things. If ths things b th things which happnd to th Chuchs in thi stat of pscution und Paganism, as w hav shown good ason fo bliving, thn what must b aft ths things can only lat to th things which immdiatly succd. Now at th conclusion of th last Pagan pscution, and w may say without an intval of tim, and what is makabl, on th sam day in distant pats of th wold, th two pscuting mpos (fo th mpi was thn dividd btwn two) did sign th impial dignity, and Constantius, th fath of Constantin, was chosn in th oom of on of thm. H, shotly aft dying at Yok, constitutd his son Constantin, bon of th pincss oyal, and hiss of th Bitish thon, to b mpo in his stad. And this sam Constantin, mging as it w out of th last Pagan pscution, bought Pagan pscution to an nd, and stablishd Chistianity, instad of Paganism, ov th bounds of th Roman mpi. And fom this tim foth th Chistian Chuch has a nw aspct, - 7 -

14 und conditions altogth nw. W should xpct, thfo, both fom th languag of th txt and fom th volution in th condition of th Chuch, that what is tmpoay in th application of this scond vision is to th tim immdiatly consqunt upon th Pagan pscution, and commncing with th a of Constantin s advancmnt to th impial thon. With spct to its plac, w shall, upon gounds which cannot b disputd, and which a wholly divd fom th vision itslf, now dmonstat that it is th wstn half of th Roman mpi which acknowldgd Rom fo its had, aft th astn pat had found anoth had in Constantinopl, which this sam Constantin built to b th capital of th whol mpi, and so to supplant old Rom. But Povidnc had othwis puposd, that by this act th mpi should fall asund into two pats, ach und its own mtopolitan city; and that this division should b th mans of xhibiting a doubl mysty, th on th mysty of a Chuch psving th tuth, but in a stat of impisonmnt; th oth dnying th tuth altogth: th on of a Chuch in a stat of apostasy: th oth of a Chuch in a stat of hsy: th on making idolatis out of tuth; th oth dnying and altogth losing sight of th tuth: th on of th Roman, th oth of th Gk Chuch. And God having thus povidd, w hav th Wstn mpi, with Rom at its had, as th locality of this vision on which w a now nting, and w hav th Eastn mpi, with Constantinopl at its had, as th locality of th nxt vision, which is th vision of Chist th Avng, th vision of th svn tumpts of wo. Theough it b somwhat pmatu, and dos as it w anticipat th pogss of th vision, to nt upon th locality of this vision, w do it on pupos, bcaus whn laying down th tim of th things that occu in this vision, it is natual to - 8 -

15 dsi likwis to know th plac. The tim is fom th ising up of Constantin, to firght und th Coss th battils of th Chuch, and tiumphantly to stablish it upon th thon of th mpi; th plac is that wstn half of th mpi which Constantin was chiflyy instumntal in dividing, by th ction of anoth mtopolitan city. Of th tim littil o nothing futh nd b said; it is xpssly aft th things of th fom vision. But upon th plac it may b convnint to nlag a littil. Fo, as w hav obsvd in ou fom discouss, tim and plac a ssntial lmnts of vy pophcy. Not indd th highst and noblst lmnts thof, which a th knowldg of God, and of ou Lod Jsus Chist, and of th mthod of thi dalings with th nations and citis of th ath. But foasmuch as vy pophcy of Sciptu nds to hav som maks by which it may b known to b of God, and not of man, ths maks of Divin authnticity a givn to it though th conditions of plac and tim, which man can judg of, and by which man can know that th pophcy is of God; accoding to th ul givn by Moss unto th childn of Isal: Deuteronomy When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken, but the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. In all Divin pophcis, thfo, th a conditions of tim and plac, whby to asctain th fulfirllmnt of th wod spokn, and thus to know that th whol infomation, instuction, and vlation built thon fo th us of mn is tuly fom th Lod. Having asctaind thfo th tim of th act of this vision to b upon Constantin s sttiing up his standad of th Coss, w obsv, futh, with spct to th plac, that it is th gion calld th ath, of which a fouth pat was smittin - 9 -

16 und th fouth sal, and pac was takn fom it und th scond sal, and vnganc was calld down upon it by th matys und th firft h sal, and its kings and gat mn, and vy bondman, and vy f man, w astonishd by th judgmnt of th sixth sal and th instant judgmnt of th svnth. Now th qustion aiss, and what is mant by th ath in this pophcy? W answ, not th whol wold, btwn which and th ath a distinction is takn: Revelation They are the spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world. Without nting at lag into a matti which, I may say, has hadly bn disputd, and hadly admits of a disput, amongst thos who a ad in this book, w answ, that th ath, whn usd to xpss a limitd spac o bounds, to which som action of th book xtnds, always dnots th Roman titoy, th dominions of th fouth bast of Daniel. Fo xampl, it is said of th tn-hond bast out of th sa, which is, as w shall show, th Papal Roman mpi, consisting of th tn kingdoms of th Wst, Revelation 13 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not writtien in the book of life of the Iamb slain from the foundation of the world. And, in lik mann, in th sam chapt, all th doings of th oth bast, with two hons as a lamb, and spaking as a dagon, xtnd to th ath (vss 12-14). And, again, it is th gion ov th kings of which Babylon, th moth of halots, uld: Revelation And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth

17 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committied fornication; and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Fom ths and a gat many oth passags of this book, and likwis fom th continuity of Danil s pophcy, which uss th sam languag, th ath, whn spaking of th kingdoms of Nbuchadnzza, Cyus, Alxand, and th Romans, w conclud that th plac of this vision is th bounds of th Roman ath, that sam spac of th wold which was und th fouth bast of Daniel. Theough Daniel s fouth kingdom b undoubtdly th nti Roman mpi, which tod down thos that pcdd it, yt hav its symbols, th tn hons and th littil hon, and its mo spcifirc action, th pscution of th saints by th littil hon, a mo limitd locality; to wit, th Wstn Roman mpi, which fll und th ovuling inflyunc of th Papal supmacy. The lik int-mixtu of a lag and mo limitd locality, nv passing byond th bounds of th Roman mpi, and nv falling within th limits of th Papacy, should w xpct to firnd in this book, which, as has bn said, is only th continuation o nlagmnt of that pat of th book of Daniel which lats to th fouth o Roman kingdom. The is anoth obsvation, confirmatoy of what has bn said, which, though it may b thought somwhat out of plac, w shall now add. It is, that th locality of th nxt vision, which is th vision of tumpts, is confirnd to a thid pat of th ath. Evy act of that svnfold judgmnt is limitd to a thid pat: Revelation the third part of treesc 8...the third part of the seac 12...the third part of the starsc

18 Revelation the third part of men. Now it is known to all acquaintd with histoy, that th Roman mpi, o th pophtic ath of th Apocalypse, was first dividd into th pats upon th dath of Constantin, whof on includd Constantinopl and th East: but within lss than thity yas of this division it fll into anoth division of two pats, th East and th Wst: th Wst having Rom fo its capital, and th tn kingdoms which submittid to Impial and Papal Rom fo its bounds; th East having Constantinopl fo its capital, and th Asiatic and Gcian dominions fo its bounds. Theis also bcam th oigin of th division of th Chuch into Gk and Latin, und which it still continus. Now it was both du unto Constantin that th mpi took th thfold division, and aft wad took th twofold division; th on was appointd by his will, and th oth gw out of his building of th city of Constantinopl, and making it th sat of his mpi. In so makabl a mann is this first of Chistian mpos implicatd with this scond, and likwis with th thid, vision of this book. And so much a w confirmd in making th things which a to b haft to commnc fom Constantin s tim; fo, xcpt to thos 27 yas which occud fom his dath to th division of th mpi into two pats, it nv subsistd in th pats. So unlss th visions do commnc fom Constantin s tim, th was no maning in this thid pat which continually occus in th vision of tumpts. If, as som say, thy commnc fom th bginning of th Chistian a, th was thn no thfold patition of th ath. If it commncd aft Constantin s tim, that division had bn don away with. W thfo conclud, upon th whol, with spct to th plac of th vision of sals, that it is gnally th Roman

19 ath, but mo paticulaly th Wstn, o Papal, pat thof, which fo thitn o foutn cntuis has lookd to Rom as its had. And fo th locality of th vision of tumpts, w hold it to b spcifircally that thid pat of th ath whof Constantinopl was th had, and which fll to th ldst son of Constantin, and which has kpt spaat fom Rom both by ligion and by govnmnt unto this day. Having thus, fom th book itslf, asctaind both th tim and locality of this vision, w now pocd to show first th clstial machiny, so to spak; and, scondly, th tstial action thof; whof th fom is containd in chapts 4 and 5, and th latti in chapts 6 and 7. Revelation and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. The s bing tanspotd to havn by th Spiit, as Philip was fom plac to plac upon th ath, and as Paul was, whn h had things unuttiabl in th thid havn, was pmittid to s a scn which, bing lookd upon gnally, xhibits to us that king and council, that thon and govnmnt, within th vil of which all th things that happn upon th ath a th sults. But bing xamind paticulaly, which w cannot now do, but shall as w pocd, opns to us mo insight into th condition of Chist, and dpatd saints, and angls, than all th oth Sciptus bsids. The thing which th Apostl saw in havn may b aptly dnominatd th vision of Chist as Pinc of th kings of th ath. H H is satd upon His Fath s thon; th councilos and th xcutions of His counsls a aound Him; and vy act which is don poducs a gat volution upon that pat of th ath to which th vision has spct. It is thfo havn and ath unitd, th visibl and th

20 invisibl connctd, Chist and th catus, th Chuch glo- ifird and th Chuch militant, shown in thi lations to on anoth, all which is within th vil of th havns; th sct spings, th moving causs, th guiding psonags, of all which is tansactd without th vil, in this visibl wold. It is a scn th most gloious and th most instuctiv that was v vald to motal y; a scn which, und symbols takn fom visibl and al objcts, psnts unto us that knowldg of th invisibl wold which vy soul pants aft, which vn th hathn sought to know, and to which ancint pots w wont to conduct th hos of thi tals. But to us not though th couptd tadition of ancint mythology, composd aft th imagination of pots, but though vlation of th mssng of Chist and inspiation of th Holy Ghost, coms that knowldg of th invisibl wold though which w shall b abl to discov th causs of thos gat volutions in th stat of Chistndom, and of th wold, of which histoy is th cod, but how sldom, alas! th xposition. As th is, howv, som divsity of opinion upon th subjct of this vision, whth it b th vlation of th spiitual wold as it now is administd and pocding, o whth it b th psntation of that gloious stat of things which is to b alizd haft in th Millnnial kingdom, I count it good to st foth th gounds upon which I pf th fom opinion. Fist, as has bn said abov, this clstial agncy is thoughout th book psntd as bholding, intpting, and binging th succssiv actions to pass. Fo xampl, ach of th fou sals is shown to th s by on of th fou living catus (Revelation 6:1, 3, 5, 7), and th svnth is intptd by on of th lds. Now no on doubts that th sals a und th succssion of tim: thy ba inwad dmonstation of this tuth. Rf

21 ing backwad and fowad to on anoth, and sing that th clstial psonags a contmpoanous with th pats of that action, w ought to conclud, that th stat of things, th pows, and inflyuncs, and psons which thy psnt, a likwis in xistnc, to tak th pats which a assignd to thm. And this mak which I hav mad with spct to th sals may b xtndd to th oth visions, with which I hav shown abov that ths clstial psonags do intcommun. Scondly, th action of th sals, which is confssdly und th condition o catgoy of succssion in tim, dpnds ntily upon anoth action containd in chapt 5 th Lamb s civing th svn-sald book, in which action all th clstial psonags, living catus, lds, and angls, and inf- io catus, tak a pat; and thfo thy, and th scn in which thy act, must hav a pioity of tim to th actions which dpnd upon thm. The lds and living catus sing thi song of dmption whn H civs th book, and thn also do th angls and infio catus bing up thi offoing of homag and woship. Now th book must b civd into th hands of th Lamb bfo any of its sals a opnd, and thfo th clstial action of chapt 5, to which th clstial scn of chapt 4 is th intoduction, o ath ppaation, must b pio to th action of chapts 6 and 7, and thfo pio to all th st of th book. Theidly, with spct to th difficcultis of conciving wh havn is, and what is th stat of th spaat soul, and wh is its plac, and oth qustions of th lik kind, thy concn m not, as an intpt of this symbolical vision and symbolical action; which I do not consid to b ith in conditions of tim o plac, though I hav agud abov that it is pio in tim to th following acts, o, ath, that it has an

22 xistnc all th whil of thi coming into xistnc. It is not a histoy that is containd in chapts 4 and 5, but it is an ida, o psntation, of thos pows in th invisibl wold though th causation and instumntality of which th histoical visions a bought to pass. It is a continual ps- nc of clstial agncy, valing itslf in a succssion of outwad vnts; and th officc of an intpt is to lay out th psons, pogativs, and mutual dpndncis, of ths clstial pows, and th pats which it is givn thm to pfom in th histoical vnts which follow. And this, th lgitimat officc of th intpt who tmbls at God s wod, I will by His gac ndavo to pfom. HE UPON THE THRONE Fist h saw a thon, and upon th thon on satd; this is th thon of God in th havns, of which so much is spokn in th Old Tstamnt: Psalm The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all. And in th Nw Tstamnt also: Matth1ew 5 34 Swear not by heaven, for it is God s thronec Acts 7 49 Heaven is my thronec And to this thon Chist has alady mad distinct allusion in th last wods of th pcding vision: Revelation 3 21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne. With ths wods th fom vision concluds; and as if to link thm togth, as if to mak th nxt vision th agumnt

23 and illustation of that which wnt bfo, this bgins with th dsciption of that havnly thon, and of Him who sat upon it. Now, if so b, accoding to Chist s own dclaation, that H is st down upon His Fath s thon, whom should w xpct to firnd satd th but Chist Himslf? And yt in th Psalm so oft fd to in th Nw Tstamnt as th gat authoity upon this subjct, th Fath says unto Chist: Psalm Sit at my right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. By which wods w hav Chist advancd untom Hebrews the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. And, again, in Psalm 2, wh th kings of th ath and thi popls a psntd in confdacy against Jhovah and His Anointd, it is said: Psalm 2 4 He that sits in the heavens shall laugh; Jehovah shall have them in derision. H Jhovah, o th Fath, in contadistinction to th Son, is psntd as sittiing in th thon; fo H spaks nxt concning Chist: Psalm 2 6 Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. The Fath s thon is in th havns, and Chist s thon is on Mount Zion. So, in lik mann, in th passag alady quotd fom th fom vision Chist maks a distinction btwn His own thon to b stablishd against a futu tim upon th ath, not fo Himslf alon, but fo vy on who ovcoms, and His Fath s thon now in th havns, occupid by His Fath and Himslf

24 The can b no doubt, fom ths passags of Sciptu, that th thon in havn is poply th thon of th Fath, and th thon which is haft to b stablishd upon Mount Zion is th thon of Chist. And, likwis, Chist, who is haft to occupy th thon of David pomisd to Him in all th Sciptus, psntly occupis in havn th thon of th Fath; not indd alon, but at th Fath s ight hand; with, o bsid, th Fath. A w thn, fom this th concunt languag of Sciptu, to look fo two psons satd upon th thon of th havns? It may not so b xpctd, bcaus th Fath no on has sn, nith can s. H is ssntially invisibl, incomphnsibl; not within th gion of cation, no within th gion of th snss, v to com. If thn th Fath, as taining in His pson th uncontaind ssnc of th Godhad, b not by sns, no yt by comphnsion, to b takn in, what a w to xpct to firnd upon th thon which is st in havn? W a to xpct to firnd thon th pson of th Fath, psntd in th Son. In th Son, und symbols pop to His incanation, not as light, but as a man, must th gloy of th Fath now b xhibitd upon th thon. Und th fom dispnsation God was xhibitd in that most holy plac, which was th symbol of th havns, by light, bcaus Chist was th Light. But now that th Light has bcom th lif of man, now that th Lif has bcom manifstd in ou natu, and bn takn up to th thon of th Fath, w must xpct to bhold th Fath manifstd though th isn gloifird body of Jsus. It is th Fath s invisibl pson bcoming manifst on th thon of havn though th nthond Chist. And thus w hav th Fath and Chist upon th thon: Chist th visibl, th Fath th invisibl; yt, though invisibl, valing what of Himslf can b vald though Chist

25 I am th mo paticula upon this point, bcaus Chist Himslf appas in this sam havnly scn as a Lamb that had bn slain; and in this chaact H civs th sald book out of th hands of Him that sits upon th thon: and to ths two psons, to Him that sits upon th thon and to th Lamb, a th adoations and xaltations of havn ascibd. Likwis also th Holy Spiit has His plac in this psntation of th invisibl wold, bing th svn lamps bfo th thon, which a th svn Spiits of God. It is ncssay thfo, I think, most distinctly to b mmbd, that th pson psntd upon th thon is th Fath, that th pson psntd in th Lamb is th Son, and th pson psntd in th svn lamps of fir is th Holy Ghost; all indd psntd und symbols divd fom Chist, in whom dwlt all th fullnss of th Godhad bodily, so that it could b said: Jo1n he that has seen me has seen the FatherC Jo1n Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. As in th days of His flysh, whn wishing to b shown th Fath, a ctain discipl was dictd to look upon Chist: Jo1n 14 9 Have I been so long with you, Philip, and you say, Show us the Father? So I say unto you, if you would know how th Fath is bhld by th hosts of havn, look upon Him, vn Chist, satd upon th thon, and say unto youslvs: H that has sn Him has sn th Fath

26 Revelation 4 3 And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stonec Litally, a ston of jasp and sadin, by which I undstand, not that on pat of Him was lik a jasp and anoth pat lik a sadin, but that altogth His aspct was lik th combination of a jasp and a sadin. Lt us now xamin what that combination is, and what tuth is vald und this symbol. The sadin is th colo of flysh, o blood d, by common consnt; but th jasp is thus dscibd by th Lod: Revelation New Jerusalem, having the glory of God, and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper, clear as crystal. Thes two, thfo, combind togth giv us th aspct of flysh baming foth th light and gloy of God; bing, as I tak it, th bst psntation which can b givn of th appaanc of th spiitual body aayd with its clstial gloy, God manifstd in gloifird flysh unto th clstial, as unto us on th ath H was manifstd of th ath, athy. THE NAZARITE Illustativ of this th appaanc of th King of havn, I firnd two passags in th Old Tstamnt; th on in th Lamentations of Jeremiah, and th oth in th Prophecies of Ezekiel. In th Book of Lamentations th appaanc of th Nazait, in th day of Jusalm s gloy, is thus dscibd: Lamentations 4 7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies; their polishing was of sapphire. H also is th flysh-d colo of th uby, th pu whit of th jasp, with th lucnt polish of th sapphi. Now

27 th law of th Nazait, as it is containd in Numbers 6, had fnc to th body, and to that only; pohibiting th us of stong dink, by which it is nvatd and shivld up, and likwis pohibiting th us of th azo, as th psntativ of thos ats dcoativ of th outwad pson which show thmslvs, ag aft ag, in such fantastical vaitis. The ats of man, by which h sks to giv inwad vigo and outwad bauty, bing thus cut offo, and th Nazait spa- atd to God, God showd what H could mak of him, how fai and comly, and pu and mighty: pu than snow, whit than milk mo uddy in body than ubis; thi polishing of sapphi. And by this odinanc God did giv in flysh a livly psntation of that bauty, and gloy, and might, to which th human body should com, whn it was wholly takn out of th hands of oths, spaatd fom th dad, and dvotd to Himslf, which it will b in th suction. The odinanc of th Nazait, blssd as it was, of God with such supassing bauty of body, I consid as a standing typ of th suction body, which shall b fashiond aft th liknss of Chist s gloious body: P1ilippians 3 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. Theis is th ason, as I tak it, why th pson satd on th havnly thon is dscibd in His appaanc by languag so simila to that in which th Nazait is dscibd by th Popht Jmiah. Theat it is th suction body of Chist which is satd in th thon of havn, I know fo ctain fom what is wittin in Ephesians 1. Theis is not wittin of His Divinity, no yt of His asonabl soul, but of His body in paticula, fo that

28 only was aisd fom th dad: Ep1esians 1 20 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all. And accodingly, whn th havns, with thi pincipalitis, a vald to us, th first thing w s is On upon th thon, who to look upon is lik a jasp and sadin ston. Now that this idntifircation of Chist with th Nazait is co- ct I hav oth good asons fo bliving. Fist, bcaus in th days of His flysh H was not a Nazait, but was poachd fo His indisciminat us of th kindly fuits of th ath: Luke 7 34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and you say, Behold a gluttionous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! Moov w know that whn H shall com again, H will dink of th juic of th gap with His discipls: Matth1ew But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father s kingdom. If thfo at any tim H gaths up into Himslf this odinanc of th Nazait, as H dos vy oth, it must b duing th piod of His sssion at th ight hand of God, vn that piod which is psntd in th vision bfo us. The Nazait suly, lik vy oth odinanc, must tstify

29 of Jsus: H is th nd of it. But th Nazait H was not duing th days of His flysh, no is to b whn H coms again: thfo th Nazait H must b in His psnt xaltation. To abstain fom win was th chif pat of th Nazait s vow. To this phaps also fs what H said: Jo1n And for their sakes I sanctify myself [that is, set myself apart] that they also might be sanctified through Your truth. Whin I think is dclad that th on nd fo which His body was sanctifird and spaatd fom all sinful, motal, and couptibl poptis by th suction, and th on occupation which it should duing its spaatnss b takn up with, was to sanctify thos who bliv, to mak thm pfct in on, and to advanc thm to th fllowship of His gloy, vn as H spaks in th passag fd to. It answs wll with th officc of th Nazait to s Chist as th only body, spaat fom dath, though which th Fath digns to xcut His pupos, in which th Fath dwlls, and which is altogth dvotd to th Fath. On ths accounts I inclin to bliv, that th mbodid Chist upon th thon of God, lik a sadin and a jasp, is th antityp of th Nazait; and that th appaanc which is givn to Him in th txt is fo th pupos of taching us this, along with oth tuths. Bliving, as I do, that this is th tu intptation of th appaanc of Him who sat upon th thon, it funishs us with th ky to th histoy of Samson, th mighty Nazait of God, who was givn to Manoah and his wif (Juges 13), with such gloious cicumstancs as attind not upon th bith of any oth of th Old Tstamnt saints, xcpting only Isaac. If, as w hav shown, Chist bcam th Nazait upon His ascnsion into gloy, and continus so until His tun unto th ath, w must firnd th bginning and th nding, and all

30 th paticulas, of Samson s histoy alizd within that p- iod of ou Lod s bing. Now th first action of Samson s lif is th xtaodinay, and vn unlawful, dsi which h had fo a wif of th uncicumcisd Philistins, which answs to ou Lod, upon His ascnsion into gloy, sking His spous, His bid, fom th uncicumcisd Gntils. But, bfo this is accomplishd, a lion oas against Samson, which h nt as h would hav nt a kid; signifying th sistanc mad by th Pagan mpi of Rom, which Chist had to subvt bfo H did attiain His pupos amongst th Gntil nations. Out of th cacas of this lion cam foth swtnss and nouishmnt; signifying, as I tak it, th dlight and stngth which flyowd to Chist fom th Gntils, aft that th wild bast of Paganism was ovthown. Now th scond act of Samson s lif is his wath and vng upon th Philistins, fo dpiving him of his wif, which I conciv to b th act of Chist s vnganc upon th nations, fo coupting His Chuch, and maying h to th kings of th ath. And bhold how this act of vnganc pocds, by buning up thi standing con in th tim of th what havst, making it to thm a havst of wath, instad of a havst of joy, which answs to all th Sciptus; as, fo xampl: Joel 3 13 Put you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Zec1aria In that day will I make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand, and on the lefte

31 Matth1ew As therefore the tares are gathered, and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offeend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Theis battil with buning and ful of fir bing accomplishd, th Philistins mak wa upon th popl of Judah; and Samson smits thm with th jaw-bon of an ass, out of which in his thist flyowd to him abundanc of fshing wat. If I not, this signifirs th dstuction of th Gntil apostat lods by th wod of th tstimony of a fw dspisd pachs of Chist, who a in His hand as th jaw-bon of th ass in th hand of Samson. And fom th sam wod of tstimony which dstoys th nations pocds th living wat which fshs th hat of th Lod, whn His wok of judgmnt is past and ov. Psalm He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lifte up the head. Theis now is th first act of th Nazait s lif, in which, as I think, is containd und a typ th act and histoy of ou gat Nazait, in spct to His wif whom H taks to Himslf fom amongst th uncicumcisd. And now w com to th oth act of Samson s lif, spa- atd fom th fom by a piod of twnty yas; and und which w bliv th sam gat action of th mighty Nazait, fom His ascnsion to His coming again, is st foth with somwhat diffont mblms. It consists of two scns, bing both scns of lov, th lovs of th Nazait; th on fo a woman in Gaza, which was a halot; to whom having gon in, th popl of Gaza

32 thought to hav dstoyd him in th moning, but in th midnight h aos and caid th gats of th city upon his should to th top of a hill bfo Hbon. If I not, this is Chist in His lov coming to th halot city of Jusalm. Isaia How is the faithful city become a harlot? And whn thy would hav dstoyd Him, caying offo th gats of hll and of th gav, and ascnding into th plac of David s govnmnt bfo H ignd in Jusalm. Theaft, and appantly without any gat intval, h lovd a woman in th vally of Sok, whos nam was Dlilah, which if th fom signify th Jwish Chuch, in whos svic h caid offo th gats of dath and hll, thn this must signify th Gntil Chuch, to whom th Lod btook Himslf aft Judah would not b His. And bhold Dlilah lnds h a to th lods of th Philistins; as th Gntil Chuch has fosakn h Nazait, h sanctifird and spaatd on, of whom sh has bn blovd, and givn hslf to th kings of th ath: th nd of which tachy is, that th svn locks, wh was th hiding of Samson s stngth, bing cut offo, h bcoms to thm a mis- abl dudg. Which bing intptd is, that ou mighty Nazait having by th tachous daling of th Chuch bn stippd of His svn-hond o oyal pow, as King of kings and Lod of lods, th kings of th ath do us His nam and His ligion fo binging to pass all thi vil machinations against tuth, quity, mcy, and pac. But at lngth, in th clos of th Nazait s day, thi iniquity iss to such a pitch of daing, that thy will us th Lod s Chist fo th nttainmnt of thi idol paganty, whupon, at lngth waid out, th mighty Nazait coms

33 down upon thm with hidous uin. And so coms to an nd th action of His Nazait condition: taching us, that whn Chist coms foth fom His stat of spaation at th ight hand of God and concluds His Nazait lif, it shall b with th dstuction and uin of thos apostat kings and judgs of th ath who hav appopiatd His nams and attiibuts, and usd thm fo th svic of thi idol. Such is a bif viw of th mysty of th Nazait, which som may think mo ingnious than judicious, and which I giv ath as th matials fo an xposition than an xposition itslf. To th studnts of th Old Tstamnt, who hav som insight into its mthod, ths maks will not sm unpofirtabl, though by oths thy b gadd as foolishnss. THE VISION OF EZEKIEL The oth passag in th Old Tstamnt, with a viw to which th appaanc of Him who sat upon th thon, as wll as th whol of ths two chapts, is manifstly wittin, is that gloious vision which occus v and anon in th Popht Ezkil, and which is wittin at lag in th first chapt thof. As th pophtic pat of th Apocalypse acknowldgs th vision of chapt 4 and 5, so th book of Ezekiel acknowldgs th vision of chapt 1 as th mast-ky of th vnts dscibd, th sct moving caus of thm all. To this vision of Ezkil, th whls, and living catus, and nthond on, w hav alady fd both in ou first and in ou thid Lctu. 3 3 S Thee Revelation of Jesus Christ, Book 1 Nam, Authoity, Substanc, and Sanctions of th Book, Chapt: The Substanc and Mthod of th Book, Sction: Chist Gathing His Chuch, p ; and Book 3 Chist th Univsal Had and Bishop of th Chuch, Chapt: The Vision, Sction: His Voic, p

34 Now th vision of Ezkil is aft this sot: a firmamnt with an appaanc of a thon and a man abov it, suppotd by th living catus and th whls bnath it. The living catus suppotd upon thi hads and wings a firmamnt: Ezekiel 1 26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone, and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27 And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it: from the appearance of His loins even upward, and from the appearance of His loins even downward, I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord; and when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke. Theis nthond on, th can b no doubt, is th sam with th nthond on of th txt; and indd th whol of ths two visions hav so many points of smblanc, as v to hav bn gadd as psnting th sam things and mutually illustativ of on anoth. And in th xposition which follows w shall hav much us to mak of th vision which Ezkil saw by th iv of Chba. Now, in th vss quotd abov, th man who sat upon th thon is calld th liknss of th gloy of Jhovah, and in chapt 10 it is wittin: Ezekiel And the glory of the God of Israel was over the cherubim above. 20 This is the living creature that I saw under Elohim of Israel, by the river Chebar, and I knew that they were the cherubim. The can b no doubt thn that th pson sn by Ezkil

35 is H who dwlt btwn th chubim, whos gloy first appad to Moss in th bush, whn also H took His nam of Jhovah, th God of Isal. In His humility, in th appaanc of His flyshly tabnacl, H at, and walkd, and talkd with Abaham on th plains of Mam; and in th sam appaanc H wstld with Jacob at th book Jabbok. But whn H appad unto Moss, with a high hand to dliv His popl out of Egypt, H appad in His gloy, and in that gloy H machd in th havns by His nam Jah; in which pilla of cloud by day, and of fir by night, though a man appad not, yt that a man was th is dclad in th Covnant itslf: Exodus Behold, I send an Angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him, and obey His voice; provoke Him not: for He will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in Him. 22 But if you shall indeed obey His voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto your enemies, and an adversary unto your adversaries. 23 For my Angel shall go before you, and bring you in unto the Amorites, and the Hittiites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will cut them offe. Theis Angl of th Covnant is th sam with Him of whom Jacob spaks in his blssing of Josph s sons: Genesis The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And this is th sam with th man with whom h wstld, and with whom h had vaious intcous in all his wand