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THE BOOK OF

THE REVELATION OF ST JOHN.

CHAPTER II. VERSE 14.

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

The sin of Balaam consisted in his accursed love of filthy lucre, which led him to suggest to Balak certain means of tempting Israel to sin. But the Divine punishment fell not only on the guilty Moabites, but on the still more guilty prophet. The 'wages of unrighteousness' proved his destruction. Is it not to be deeply deplored that, for Mammon's sake, tens of thousands of men are found in our professedly Christian land to set before their neighbors a snare in the form of temptations to indulgence in intoxicating liquors, by which every kind of disease and lust is generated or inflamed? And though the Government tax on these liquors may be regarded as a restriction upon their use, the effect of the tax, in adding to the revenue, is demoralizing to the State. This was perceived by the Rev. John Wesley, who, in his ‘Thoughts on Scarcity,' published in 1773, after characterizing ardent spirit as 'poison that destroys not only the strength of life, but also the morals of our countrymen,' exclaimed, "Oh, tell it not in Constantinople that the English raise the royal revenue by selling the flesh and blood of their countrymen."

CHAPTER VI. VERSE 6.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The oil and thE WINE] To elaion kai ton oinon, the oil and the wine.' Hence both oil and wine seem put for the solid fruits, the olive and the grape yielding the fluid oil and oinon, if, indeed, the olive tree and vine be not intended. Wetstein gives, as an illustration of this phraseology, an extract from Cicero's Natura Deorum (ii. 12):—Quid de vitibus olivetisque dicam, quorum uberrimi lactissimique fructus nihil omnino ad bestias pertinent ?—'What shall I say of vines and olive trees, whose richest and juciest fruits are not the least adapted to the

beasts?' The notion that Mohammedanism is intolerant of the vine is a Western view, though sanctioned by so recent and generally excellent a witness as Dean Stanley, who says, in his 'Palestine and Sinai,' p. 421, speaking of the vine, that Christians and Jews alone can properly cultivate what is to Mussulmans a forbidden fruit'; whereas Mohammed, in the Koran, chap. 16, expressly distinguishes between the natural produce of the vine and the artificial preparations of the winemaker:-"We give you to drink pure milk, which is swallowed with pleasure by those who drink it. And of the fruits of palm trees and of grapes ye obtain an inebriating liquor, and also good nourishment;" on which Sale remarks, "Not only wine, which is forbidden, but also lawful food, as dates, raisins, a kind of honey flowing from the dates, and vinegar."

CHAPTER VIII. VERSES 10, II.

II

10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood: and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

V. II. WORMWOOD] Ho apsinthos. Dr Alford, in his Note on this passage, offers the following remarks :—“It is hardly possible to read of this third plague and not to think of the deadly effect of these strong spirituous drinks, which are, in fact, water turned into poison. The very name absinthe is not unknown in their nomenclature, and there is no effect which could be more aptly described by the falling of fire into water as this which results in ardent spirit, in that which the simple islanders of the South Sea call fire-water. That this plague may go on to destroy even this fearful proportion of the ungodly [a third] in the latter days, is far from impossible, considering its prevalence, even now, in some parts of the civilized world. But I mention this rather as an illustration than as an interpretation." It is a curious coincidence that the most deadly form of ardent spirit yet manufactured in Europe-a veritable 'poisoned poison'-is called absinthe. It is of a green color, and, when not adulterated with copper, derives its peculiar hue and bitter taste from a vegetable production.* The observations of Dean Alford do him credit as evincing a feeling appreciation of the ravages of ardent spirit; but he can scarcely have been ignorant that similar havoc has been caused by other forms of inebriating liquor. He is pleased to term distilled spirit 'water turned into poison,' yet (strange inconsistency) the poisonous element in distilled spirit is identical with the intoxicating agent which, according to the Dean, the Lord directly infused into the water at the Cana wedding-feast, and thereby converted it into wine! In ardent spirit the alcohol formed by fermentation is not so diluted as in fermented drinks, but chemically it is the same, and operates physiologically in an exactly similar way. Very much also of the ardent spirit consumed as grog, punch, and spirits-and-water, is possessed of an alcoholic potency much less than that of the ports and sherries in fashionable use.

The chief seat of its manufacture is amongst the Jura mountains, the agents being monks, who derive an immense revenue from its sale.

CHAPTER XIV. VERSE 8.

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

OF THE WINE OF THE WRATH OF HER FORNICATION] Ek tou oinou tou thumou tees porneias autees, from the wine of the heat [or passion] of her fornication.'

The Christian seer (like the elder prophets of Judaism) employs intoxicating wine as a striking symbol of spiritual iniquity." By thumos here is, probably, not to be understood 'wrath,' since the wine of fornication' is not productive of anger, but of furious illicit desire. Both 'rage' and 'passion' have in English the sense of mental excitement, taking the form either of anger or vehement desire. If thumos is interpreted in the sense of 'wrath,' the meaning must be that the 'fornication' spoken of is a means of provoking the wrath of God as displayed in his punitive dispensations.

CHAPTER XIV. VERSE 10.

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.

OF THE WINE OF THE WRATH OF GOD, WHICH IS POURED OUT WITHOUT MIXTURE] Ek tou oinou tou thumou tou Theou, tou kekerasmenou akratou, 'from the wine, mingled, unmixed (undiluted), of the wrath of God.'

The English translators have missed the true sense and force of the original, for the wine is kekerasmenon, 'mixed' (not 'poured out'); and also akraton, 'unmixed'—that is, it is mixed with powerful drugs to render it more heady, but 'unmixed' with water by which its potency would be reduced. This verbal paradox imparts to the description a startling vividness and lurid glow. [See Note on Isa. lxiii. 6.]

CHAPTER XIV. VERSES 18-20.

18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the 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 winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

*Benson, following Bishop Newton, has this comment: "The wine of her wrath-or rather, 'of the inflaming wine' of her fornication. Hers was a kind of circean cup, with poisoned liquor to intoxicate and inflame mankind to spiritual fornication. St John, in these figures, copies the ancient prophets."

V. 18. AND GATHER THE CLUSTERS OF THE VINE OF THE EARTH] Kai trugeeson tous botruas tees ampelou tees gees, ‘and pick the grapes (or grape-clusters) of the vine of the earth.'

FOR HER GRAPES ARE FULLY RIPE] Hoti eekmasan ai staphulai autees, 'because her grapes are perfectly ripe.'

V. 19. AND GATHERED THE VINE OF THE EARTH] Kai etrugeese teen ampelon tees gees, and picked the vine of the earth.' The principal MSS. read tees ampelou, of the vine.'

THE GREAT WINepress of the wrath of God] Teen leenon tou_thumou tou Theou teen megaleen, 'the press, the great (one) of the wrath of God.'

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This descriptive imagery closely resembles that employed in Joel iii. 13. The vine of the earth represents earthly-minded corrupt human nature; and this vine is stripped of its fruit,-viz. the evil-hearted of our race, who are cast into 'the press of the Divine wrath,' so called because the wrath of God causes it to be trodden, a figure of the penal afflictions which Divine Providence will bring upon the incorrigibly guilty.

CHAPTER XVI. VERSE 19.

And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

THE CUP OF THE WINE OF THE FIERCENESS OF HIS WRATH] To poteerion tou oinou tou thumou tees orgees autou.

This metaphor differs from that presented in chap. xiv. 18-20, for here the 'fierceness of the wrath' of God is described under the image of a cup of wine, intoxicating and maddening to those who are compelled to drink it up. [See Notes on Psa. lxxv. 8; Isa. li. 17, 22; Jer. xiii. 12, 13; Ezek. xxiii. 31—34.]

CHAPTER XVII. VERSES I, 2.

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

V. 2. HAVE BEEN MADE DRUNK WITH THE WINE OF HER FORNICATION] Emethustheesan ek tou oinou tees porneias autees, 'have been made drunk (made themselves drunk) from the wine of her fornication.'

Spiritual whoredom is represented as 'wine' made enticing to the taste, but possessed of a terrible power to confuse the understanding and corrupt the heart.

CHAPTER XVII. VERSE 6.

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

DRUNKEN] Methuousan, 'drunk' filled to the full-gorged. The meaning of methuō here is clearly one of fulness or satiety, as the blood of saints and martyrs' could not be supposed to cause even metaphorical intoxication.

CHAPTER XVIII. VERSE 3.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

OF THE WINE OF THE WRATH OF HER FORNICATION] Ek tou oinou tou thumou tees porneias autees. Codices A and B omit tou oinou, of the wine'; and Codex C reads, ek tees porneias tou thumou autees, 'of the fornication of her wrath.' If the A. V. is held to be correct, the term 'wrath' must be regarded as applied to the cup of fornication prophetically, indicating the consequences which its reception should involve. [See Note on chap. xiv. 8.]

CHAPTER XVIII. VERSE 13.

And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

AND WINE] Kai oinon. Here natural and artificial things are all commingled.

CHAPTER XIX. VERSE 15.

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 winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

AND HE TREADETH THE WINEPRESS OF THE FIERCENESS AND WRATH OF

ALMIGHTY GOD] Kai autos patei teen leenon tou oinou tou thumou tees orgees tou Theou tou pantokratoros, and he treadeth the press of the wine of the fierceness and of the wrath of the Almighty God.' [See Note on chap. xiv. 18—20.]

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