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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>R E V E L A T I O N.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. VII.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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The things contained in this chapter came in after the opening of the
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six seals, which foretold great calamities in the world; and before the
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sound of the seven trumpets, which gave notice of great corruptions
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arising in the church: between these comes in this comfortable chapter,
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which secures the graces and comforts of the people of God in times of
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common calamity. We have,
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I. An account of the restraint laid upon the winds,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:1-3">ver. 1-3</A>.
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II. The sealing of the servants of God,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:4-8">ver. 4-8</A>.
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III. The songs of angels and saints on this occasion,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:9-12">ver. 9-12</A>.
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IV. A description of the honour and happiness of those who had
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faithfully served Christ, and suffered for him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:13-17">ver. 13</A>,
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&c.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Re7_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Vision of Heaven.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT VALIGN=BOTTOM><FONT SIZE=-1>A. D.</FONT> 95.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four
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corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that
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the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any
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tree.
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2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the
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seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the
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four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
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3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,
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till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
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4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: <I>and there
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were</I> sealed a hundred <I>and</I> forty <I>and</I> four thousand of all
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the tribes of the children of Israel.
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5 Of the tribe of Juda <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand. Of the
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tribe of Reuben <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
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Gad <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand.
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6 Of the tribe of Aser <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand. Of the
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tribe of Nepthalim <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
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Manasses <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand.
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7 Of the tribe of Simeon <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand. Of the
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tribe of Levi <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
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Issachar <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand.
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8 Of the tribe of Zabulon <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand. Of the
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tribe of Joseph <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
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Benjamin <I>were</I> sealed twelve thousand.
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9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man
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could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
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tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed
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with white robes, and palms in their hands;
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10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God
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which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
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11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and <I>about</I>
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the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on
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their faces, and worshipped God,
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12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and
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thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, <I>be</I> unto our God
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for ever and ever. Amen.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we have, I. An account of the restraint laid upon the winds. By
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these winds we suppose are meant those errors and corruptions in
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religion which would occasion a great deal of trouble and mischief to
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the church of God. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is compared to the wind:
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here the spirits of error are compared to <I>the four winds,</I>
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contrary one to another, but doing much hurt to the church, the garden
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and vineyard of God, breaking the branches and blasting the fruits of
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his plantation. The devil is called <I>the prince of the power of the
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air;</I> he, by a great wind, overthrew the house of Job's eldest son.
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Errors are as wind, by which those who are unstable are shaken, and
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carried <I>to and fro,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eph+4:14">Eph. iv. 14</A>.
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Observe,
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1. These are called <I>the winds of the earth,</I> because they blow
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only in these lower regions near the earth; heaven is always clear and
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free from them.
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2. They are restrained by the ministry of angels, <I>standing on the
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four corners of the earth,</I> intimating that the spirit of error
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cannot go forth till God permits it, and that the angels minister to
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the good of the church by restraining its enemies.
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3. Their restraint was only for a season, and that was <I>till the
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servants of God were sealed in their foreheads.</I> God has a
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particular care and concern for his own servants in times of temptation
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and corruption, and he has a way to secure them from the common
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infection; he first establishes them, and then he tries them; he has
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the timing of their trials in his own hand.</P>
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<P>
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II. An account of the sealing of the servants of God, where observe,
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1. To whom this work was committed--to an angel, <I>another angel.</I>
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While some of the angels were employed to restrain Satan and his
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agents, another angel was employed to mark out and distinguish the
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faithful servants of God.
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2. How they were distinguished--the seal of God was set upon their
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foreheads, a seal known to him, and as plain as if it appeared in their
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foreheads; by this mark they were set apart for mercy and safety in the
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worst of times.
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3. The number of those that were sealed, where observe,
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(1.) A particular account of those that were sealed of the twelve
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tribes of Israel--twelve thousand out of every tribe, the whole sum
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amounting to <I>a hundred and forty-four thousand.</I> In this list the
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tribe of Dan is omitted, perhaps because they were greatly addicted to
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idolatry; and the order of the tribes is altered, perhaps according as
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they had been more or less faithful to God. Some take these to be a
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select number of the Jews who were reserved for mercy at the
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destruction of Jerusalem; others think that time was past, and
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therefore it is to be more generally applied to God's chosen remnant in
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the world; but, if the destruction of Jerusalem was not yet over (and I
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think it is hard to prove that it was), it seems more proper to
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understand this of the remnant of that people which God had reserved
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according to the election of grace, only here we have a definite number
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for an indefinite.
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(2.) A general account of those who were saved out of other nations
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>):
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<I>A great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and
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kindreds, and people, and tongues.</I> Though these are not said to be
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sealed, yet they were selected by God out of all nations, and brought
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into his church, and there stood before the throne. Observe,
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[1.] God will have a greater harvest of souls among the Gentiles than
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he had among the Jews. <I>More are the children of the desolate than of
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the married woman.</I>
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[2.] The Lord knows who are his, and he will keep them safe in times of
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dangerous temptation.
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[3.] Though the church of God is but a little flock, in comparison of
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the wicked world, yet it is no contemptible society, but really large
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and to be still more enlarged.</P>
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<P>
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III. We have the songs of saints and angels on this occasion,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:9-12"><I>v.</I> 9-12</A>,
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where observe,</P>
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<P>
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1. The praises offered up by the saints (and, as it seems to me, by the
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Gentile believers) for the care of God in reserving so large a remnant
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of the Jews, and saving them from infidelity and destruction. The
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Jewish church prayed for the Gentiles before their conversion, and the
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Gentile churches have reason to bless God for his distinguishing mercy
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to so many of the Jews, when the rest were cut off. Here observe,
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(1.) The posture of these praising saints: they <I>stood before the
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throne, and before the Lamb,</I> before the Creator and the Mediator.
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In acts of religious worship we come nigh to God, and are to conceive
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ourselves as in his special presence; and we must come to God by
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Christ. The throne of God would be inaccessible to sinners were it not
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for a Mediator.
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(2.) Their habit: they were <I>clothed with white robes, and had palms
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in their hands;</I> they were invested with the robes of justification,
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holiness, and victory, and had palms in their hands, as conquerors used
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to appear in their triumphs: such a glorious appearance will the
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faithful servants of God make at last, when they have <I>fought the
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good fight of faith and finished their course.</I>
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(3.) Their employment: they <I>cried with a loud voice, saying,
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Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb.</I>
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This may be understood either as a <I>hosannah,</I> wishing well to the
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interest of God and Christ in the church and in the world, or as a
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<I>hallelujah,</I> giving to God and the Lamb the praise of the great
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salvation; both the Father and the Son are joined together in these
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praises; the Father contrived this salvation, the Son purchased it, and
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those who enjoy it must and will bless the Lord and the Lamb, and they
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will do it publicly, and with becoming fervour.</P>
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<P>
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2. Here is the song of the angels
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:11,12"><I>v.</I> 11, 12</A>),
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where observe,
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(1.) Their station--<I>before the throne of God,</I> attending on him,
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and about the saints, ready to serve them.
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(2.) Their posture, which is very humble, and expressive of the
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greatest reverence: <I>They fell before the throne on their faces, and
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worshipped God.</I> Behold the most excellent of all the creatures, who
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never sinned, who are before him continually, not only covering their
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faces, but falling down on their faces before the Lord! What humility
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then, and what profound reverence, become us vile frail creatures, when
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we come into the presence of God! We should fall down before him; there
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should be both a reverential frame of spirit and a humble behaviour in
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all our addresses to God
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(3.) Their praises. They consented to the praises of the saints, said
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their <I>Amen</I> thereto; there is in heaven a perfect harmony between
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the angels and saints; and then they added more of their own,
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<I>saying, Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and
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honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.
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Amen.</I> Here,
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[1.] They acknowledge the glorious attributes of God--his wisdom, his
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power, and his might.
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[2.] They declare that for these his divine perfections he ought to be
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blessed, and praised, and glorified, to all eternity; and they confirm
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it by their <I>Amen.</I> We see what is the work of heaven, and we
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ought to begin it now, to get our hearts tuned for it, to be much in
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it, and to long for that world where our praises, as well as happiness,
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will be perfected.</P>
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<A NAME="Re7_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re7_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Honour and Happiness of the Saints.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT VALIGN=BOTTOM><FONT SIZE=-1>A. D.</FONT> 95.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are
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these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
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14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me,
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These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have
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washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
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15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him
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day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne
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shall dwell among them.
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16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither
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shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
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17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed
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them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and
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God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we have a description of the honour and happiness of those who
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have faithfully served the Lord Jesus Christ, and suffered for him.
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Observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. A question asked by one of the elders, not for his own information,
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but for John's instruction: ministers may learn from the people,
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especially from aged and experienced Christians; the lowest saint in
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heaven knows more than the greatest apostle in the world. Now the
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question has two parts:--
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1. <I>What are these that are arrayed in white robes?</I>
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2. <I>Whence came they?</I> It seems to be spoken by way of admiration,
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as
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:6">Cant. iii. 6</A>,
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<I>Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness!</I> Faithful
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Christians deserve our notice and respect; we should <I>mark the
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upright.</I></P>
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<P>
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II. The answer returned by the apostle, in which he tacitly
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acknowledges his own ignorance, and sues to this elder for information:
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<I>Thou knowest.</I> Those who would gain knowledge must not be ashamed
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to own their ignorance, nor to desire instruction from any that are
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able to give it.</P>
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<P>
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III. The account given to the apostle concerning that noble army of
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martyrs who stood <I>before the throne of God in white robes,</I> with
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palms of victory in their hands: and notice is taken here of,
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1. The low and desolate state they had formerly been in; they had been
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in great tribulation, persecuted by men, tempted by Satan, sometimes
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troubled in their own spirits; they had suffered the spoiling of their
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goods, the imprisonment of their persons, yea, the loss of life itself.
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The way to heaven lies through many tribulations; but tribulation, how
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great soever, shall not <I>separate us from the love of God.</I>
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Tribulation, when gone through well, will make heaven more welcome and
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more glorious.
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2. The means by which they had been prepared for the great honour and
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happiness they now enjoyed: they had <I>washed their robes, and made
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them white in the blood of the Lamb,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+7:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>.
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It is not the blood of the martyrs themselves, but the blood of the
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Lamb, that can wash away sin, and make the soul pure and clean in the
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sight of God. Other blood stains; this is the only blood that makes the
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robes of the saints white and clean.
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3. The blessedness to which they are now advanced, being thus prepared
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for it.
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(1.) They are happy in their station, for <I>they are before the throne
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of God night and day;</I> and he <I>dwells among them;</I> they are in
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that presence where there is fulness of joy.
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(2.) They are happy in their employment, for they serve God
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continually, and that without weakness, drowsiness, or weariness.
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Heaven is a state of service, though not of suffering; it is a state of
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rest, but not of sloth; it is a praising delightful rest.
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(3.) They are happy in their freedom from all the inconveniences of
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this present life.
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[1.] From all want and sense of want: <I>They hunger and thirst no
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more;</I> all their wants are supplied, and all the uneasiness caused
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thereby is removed.
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[2.] From all sickness and pain: they shall never be scorched by <I>the
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heat of the sun any more.</I>
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(4.) They are happy in the love and guidance of the Lord Jesus: <I>He
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shall feed them, he shall lead them to living fountains of waters,</I>
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he shall put them into the possession of every thing that is pleasant
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and refreshing to their souls, and therefore <I>they shall hunger and
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thirst no more.</I>
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(5.) They are happy in being delivered from all sorrow or occasion of
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it: <I>God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.</I> They have
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formerly had their sorrows, and shed many tears, both upon the account
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of sin and affliction; but God himself, with his own gentle and
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gracious hand, will wipe those tears away, and they shall return no
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more for ever; and they would not have been without those tears, when
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God comes to wipe them away. In this he deals with them as a tender
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father who finds his beloved child in tears, he comforts him, he wipes
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his eyes, and turns his sorrow into rejoicing. This should moderate
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the Christian's sorrow in his present state, and support him under all
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the troubles of it; for <I>those that sow in tears shall reap in joy;
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and those that now go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall
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doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with
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them.</I></P>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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