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ἐφ ̓ ἵπποις λευκοῖς, ἐνδεδυμένοι βύσσινον λευκὸν [καὶ καθαρόν]. 15 Καὶ ἐκ τῆ ςόματα αὐτῶ ἐκπορεύεται ῥομφαία οξεία, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῇ παλάξη τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ αὐτὸς ποι μανεῖ αὐτὲς ἐν ῥάβ δω σιδηρά και αυ τὸς παλεῖ τὴν ληνὸν τα οἵνα τὰ θυμᾶ [καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς τὸ Θεο τε] παντοκρά 16 τορο. Καὶ ἔχει

ἐπὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν μηρὸν αὐτῆ ὄνομα γεγραμμένον Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων και Κύριθ κυρίων. 17 Καὶ εἶδον ἕνα ἄργε

λον ἐςῶτα ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ· καὶ ἔκραξε φωνῇ μεγάλη, λέγων πᾶ

σι τοῖς ὀρνέοις τοῖς πολωμένοις ἐν μεσα ξανήματι Δεῦτε συν αχθῆκε εἰς τὸ δεῖπ νον τὸ μέγα τῷ Θεῷ 18 Ινα φάγηλε σάρκας βασιλέων, καὶ σάρ και χιλιάςχων, καὶ σάρκας ἰσχυρῶν, καὶ σάρκας ἵππων καὶ τῶν καθημένων ἐπ ̓

αὐτῶν, καὶ σάρκας

πάνίων, ἐλευθέρων τε

και δάλων, και μικρῶν

καὶ μεγάλων.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with

an iron rod: and he treadeth the press of the wine of the anger [and indignation] of the Almighty [God]. 16 And he hath upon his

garment, and upon his thigh, a name written, KING OF KINGS, and LORD OF LORDS! 17 And I saw one angel standing in the sun: and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds, which fly between heaven and earth; « Come, be ga"thered together to "the great supper of 18" God; That ye may

eat flesh of kings, "and flesh of com"manders, and flesh "of mighty men, and "flesh of horses, and "of those who ride "" upon them, even "flesh of all, both "of freemen and of "slaves, both of small "and of great."

15 clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty 16 God. And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh a name written,

KING OF KINGS, AND 17 LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun: and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper 18 of the great God; That

ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captaius, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

We are now arrived at that signal and expected point of the prophecy, to which the preceding parts seem principally to tend, and in which they have their completion; the grand and decisive combat between the Christian and antichristian powers. Here the seven Seals, seven Trumpets, seven Vials, and all their accompanying warnings, unite. Heaven opens, and the white horse appears,

Qualis ab incepto processerat ;-et sibi constat.

He is the same white horse, whom we saw proceeding on his career of victory, in the early part of the vision; whose rider "went forth conquering, and for to con

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quer." He has been pursuing his destined course, though not always equally in sight;-he now appears again in more splendid array. The Christian Church, again pure (Ev λEUROIs), sees her Messiah in person, leading her forces, and fighting her battles. "Faithful " and true" to his promises †, he now gives more manifest assistance to the cause of his Religion. And while he confounds and destroys his enemies, it is apparent, that "his judgments are righteous." He appears in this passage as a dreadful warrior; yet there is little new in the description; we acknowledge the same King of kings whom we have before seen in other parts of the prophecy. The epithets, elsewhere applied to the Messiah,

* Ch. vi. 1.

† Matt. xxviii. 20. Rev. i. 6; iii. 14.

This title is attributed to the conquering Messiah, in ch. xvii. 14. The conquerors of the East had vainly usurped it. On a tombstone of Cyrus in the city of Pasargada was a Persic inscription ending with this Greek line,

Ενθαδ ̓ Εγω κείμαι, Κυρος βασιλευς βασιλήων
Here am I buried, Cyrus, king of kings.

Strabo, lib. 15. p. 100..

The

Messiah, are here collected, and so arranged as to display his glory, his power, and his anger, terrible to his unrepentant foes. He leads his armies, the faithful and pure Christians, to assured victory; victory so decisive, that none of his enemies escape. The birds, who prey on flesh, are bidden to a banquet on their carcases t. The angel stationed in the sun, betokening the light and knowledge which shall then beam upon mankind, invites all the world to join true Religion, and partake the victory.

The Asiatic monarchs followed the example; and medals also of Parthian kings, of Tigranes, of Pharnaces, &c., are found with the same title inscribed. Pinkerton on Medals, vol. i. p. 203. See ch. i. 14. 16; ii. 12. 17, 18. 27; iii. 7. 12. 14; xiv. 19, 20; xvii. 14; and the notes. Compare also Is. lix. lxv. 17. lxiii. 1, &c.

• Ch. xii. 13. xix. 8.

↑ Ezek. xxxix. 17, 18.

PART VII.

SECTION II.

The Conflict, and the Victory over the Wild-beast and his False Prophet.

19 Kai zidov To Ingiov, |
καὶ τὰς βασιλεῖς τῆς
γῆς, καὶ τὰ τρατεύ
ματα
αὐτῶν oury-
μένα, ποιῆσαι πιο
λεμον μετὰ τὸ και
θημένες ἐπὶ τῇ ἵππο,

CHAP. XIX. VER. 19-to the end.

19 And I saw the wild-|
beast and the kings of
the earth, and their
armies, gathered toge-
ther to make war
against Him who sate
upon the horse, and

μilà TE SPATE-20 against his army. And 20 μαίων αὐτῷ. Καὶ the wild-beast

was

19And I saw the beast,

and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was

taken, and with him

τη

ἐπιάσθη τὸ θηρίον, καὶ ὁ μετ ̓ αὐτὸ ψευδοπροφήτης ὁ ποιήσας τὰ σημεῖα ἐνώπιον αὐτῶ, ἐν οἷς ἐπλάνησε τις λα βόνας τὸ χάραμα τα θηρία, καὶ τὰς προσκυνώντας εἰκόνι αὐτῷ· ζώνες ἐβλήθησαν οἱ δύο εἰς τὴν λίμνην το upos The acquiry 21 ἐν τῷ θείῳ. Καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπεκιάνθησαν ἐν τῇ ῥομφαία το καθημένες ἐπὶ τὸ ἵππε, τῇ ἐξελθέσῃ ἐκ τῶ ςόμαίο αυτ τῆ, καὶ πάλα τὰ ὄρνια ἐχορτάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτ

των.

taken, and the false prophet who was with him, he who wrought the wonders before him, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast, and who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brim21stone. And the remnant were slain by the sword of Him who sate upon the horse, which sword proceedeth from his mouth and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning 21 with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse; which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

After the appearance of the Messiah and his armies, the armies of the worldly powers, under the beast, the false prophet, and the kings, who are * mustered by the spirits of demons to the great battlet, come in view. But the conflict, for which so vast preparation had been made, is finished in an instant. The leaders, they who

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There is great propriety and sublimity, in this rapidity of victory. An inventor would probably have dwelt upon this conflict, and have described it in a variety of detail: but this is a victory in which the arm of Omnipotence is displayed; and of which it may be said without extravagance, Venit, vidit, vicit.

during so many ages had abused their civil and ecclesiastical power, are taken, and consigned to that everlasting prison, to which such offenders were originally doomed *. Their followers, both small and great, fall; and are utterly destroyed by the word of God.

Thus, the kingdom of the beast and false prophet, of the civil and ecclesiastical power, administered so long and so abusively, comes to its end; and the kingdom of the Messiah, and of righteousness, is established. This is that happy period, the theme of many prophecies; which, being still future, it is presumptuous to explain particularly yet thus far we may generally and safely conclude, that as we have already seen the reign of the beast and false prophet, the mystery of iniquity ‡, so exactly foretold, and the prophecy so wonderfully fulfilled;―tyranny, irreligion, hypocrisy, and immorality triumphant and oppressive, by the means of pretended commissions from heaven: so, this usurpation will be utterly destroyed; and pure Religion, and peace and happiness, succeed. "The wolf shall dwell with "the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the "kid;"&c." They shall not hurt or destroy in all "the holy mountain;-the earth shall be full of the "knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the "sea §."

Ch. xvii. 8. Matt. xxv. 41.

+ Ch.i. 16. Compare with the battle here represented Isaiah xxxiv. Jer. vii. 32, &c. Ezek. xxxix. 17, &c. Zeph. i. 7. See also Bishop Lowth de Sac. Poës. Heb. lec. xx.

See notes, ch. xiii.

§ Isaiah xi. &c.

PART

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