I looked, and behold a white cloud, &c.— As the voices of these three warning angels had not their due effect, the judgments of God will overtake the followers and adherents of the beast; which judgments are represented under the figures of harvest and vintage, figures not unusual in the prophets, and used particularly by Joel, who denounces God's judgments against the enemies of his people in the like terms; Joel 3:13. 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 boththesesignaljudgmentswill as certainly come, as harvest and vintage succeed in their season. It is said, Revelation 14:20 that the blood came even unto the horses' bridles, which is a strong hyperbolical way of speaking, to express a vast slaughter and effusion of blood: a way of speaking not unknown to the Jews; for the Jerusalem Talmud, describing the woeful slaughter which the Roman emperor Adrian made of the Jews at the destruction of the city of Bitter, says, that the horses waded in blood up to the nostrils. The stage where this bloody tragedy is acted, is without the city, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs: the measure of Stato della Chiesa, or the state of the Roman Church, or St. Peter's Patrimony; which, reaching from the walls of Rome to the river Po, contains 200 Italian miles, which make exactly 1600 furlongs; a furlong being one eighth of a mile.
Inferences.—How delightful is a view of Christ as the Lamb on mount Sion among his glorified saints, and of their singing with inimitable strains of melody, the praises of redeeming love! These have distinguishing marks of the children of God, who own and honour him, and are owned and honoured by him: these are they that were finally redeemed from the earth. They were pure from the superstitious and idolatrous worship of the Papists; and follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes, and are a kind of first-fruits consecrated to him and his Father; they were sincere in their profession of his name, and were holy and without blame in love, and free from guilt and condemnation, through faith in the merit of Christ: in these patience had its perfect work; and they conscientiously obeyed the commandments of God, and maintained the uncorrupted doctrines of Christ, with a humble trust in him for all salvation; and these shall be blessed from the time of their death, and for ever afterwards, as has been declared by an immediate voice from heaven, and by the infallible Spirit of prophesy. How thankful should we be, that, after a long night of Popish darkness, the everlasting gospel was preached in its purity, and with great success at the reformation! What a blessing is this to the church of Christ! and what a humbling and vexatious stroke upon antichrist, and sure presage of her utter downfal! This shall be as certainly accomplished in God's time, as it is now foretold. And, ah! how dreadful will the portion of their cup be, who have drank of the wine of her fornication, by joining in her idolatrous worship! They shall drink of the cup of God's wrath without mixture; and their torment shall be incessant for ever and ever. The Lord Jesus, who appeared on a bright cloud with a glorious crown, will espouse the cause of his church and people, and come forth in righteousness against their antichristian enemies, by gradual dispensations of Providence, in which he will cut them down, as with a sickle in harvest; till, at length, he will make a full end of them, as the grapes of a vintage are cut off, and cast into and trodden in a wine-press, till all their juice is squeezed out. Thus shall it be done in God's time to the idolatrous and tyrannical church of Rome; and the slaughter of them will be great and terrible beyond expression. How should we rejoice in faith and hope of the glorious, though awful manifestation, that will then be made of God's righteous judgments, to open a way for the prosperous and happy state of the church, which shall succeed it.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, Dark and gloomy as the former scene appeared, the sun now arises to dispel the night of idolatry, ignorance, and error.
1. The Lamb of God is seen on mount Zion with all his glorified saints, sealed in their foreheads, in opposition to those who had the mark of the beast, over whom they are made triumphant: innumerable multitudes as the drops of the ocean, with voices united, raising a chorus as loud as thunder, yet melodious as the trembling harps which mingled with their concert, sung that song of praise which none but the finally redeemed from the earth can learn.
2. The character of these happy souls is given. They are virgins, not defiled with the idolatries of the great whore; they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, faithful to his gospel doctrines, and observant of his ordinances; they are a peculiar people, even the first-fruits to God and to the Lamb, sanctified to his service, and without guile before the throne of God, uncorrupted by error of doctrine or immorality of conduct, and perfected in holiness. Blessed and happy are they who shall be found to answer these characters of the redeemed from the earth!
2nd, Three angels, or messengers, are sent from heaven to proclaim the fall of Babylon.
1. One, bearing the everlasting gospel through the midst of heaven, cries aloud to all people, nations, and languages, to fear, worship, and glorify God, the great Creator, in opposition to all idols; his judgments upon his enemies speedily approaching. And this may refer either to past times; or to the future period, when, before the final overthrow of Popery, a noble army of preachers of the pure gospel, animated with holy zeal, shall be raised up to plead the cause of God and truth.
2. Another angel followed, crying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and the cause of her doom is assigned, because she intoxicated the nations with her fornications and idolatries, which provoke the fearful wrath of God against her.
3. A third angel followed, denouncing the most terrible woes on the antichristian party, who shall henceforth persist in this idolatrous religion: the eternal torments of hell, intolerable as endless, must be their portion, in the presence of the holy angels, who will applaud the righteous judgment of God and of the Lamb, who inflicts it upon them; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day nor night. How fearful the scene! how loudly does it preach to us, Flee from idolatry!
4. Here is the patience of the saints; the blessed issue and effect of it: here in glory are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, in opposition to all the corruptions of deceivers and persecutors; great and eternal will be their reward.
3rdly, For the farther encouragement of the church, we have,
1. A voice from heaven, declaring the blessedness of all who die in the faith and favour of Jesus, whether martyrs or others; their sufferings are all ended, they enter upon the beginnings of their eternal rest, and their works of piety and goodness, though so ill requited here, shall follow them into the presence of God, shall be acknowledged there in the most condescending manner, and, through the riches of divine mercy, recompensed with eternal glory.
2. A new vision succeeds under the figure of the harvest and vintage. The Lord Jesus appears seated on a cloud, with a golden crown, and holding a sharp sickle in his hand; and an angel, the representative of the ministers of Jesus, cried to him in prayer out of the temple, that he would put in his sickle, and execute vengeance on the wicked, whose provocations made them ripe for judgment: in answer to their cry, the sickle is thrust into the earth. A second angel with another sharp sickle appears, and a third from out of the temple cries to him to put in his sickle, and gather the grapes of the earth into the wine press of the wrath of God; and the blood came out of the wine press up to the horses' bridles, for the space of one thousand and six hundred furlongs. These judgments may refer either to the great destruction which shall be made of the enemies of Christ's church, in the day when the Papal tyranny shall be destroyed, and the most dreadful slaughter be made of all the adherents of the beast; or to the final day of judgment, the perdition of ungodly men. In either case, it is the comfort of the faithful, that however many or inveterate their enemies may be, they shall inevitably be rooted out at the last, and perish for ever. See the Annotations and the Appendix.