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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. XII.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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It is generally agreed by the most learned expositors that the
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narrative we have in this and the two following chapters, from the
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sounding of the seventh trumpet to the opening of the vials, is not a
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prediction of things to come, but rather a recapitulation and
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representation of things past, which, as God would have the apostle to
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foresee while future, he would have him to review now that they were
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past, that he might have a more perfect idea of them in his mind, and
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might observe the agreement between the prophecy and that Providence
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that is always fulfilling the scriptures. In this chapter we have an
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account of the contest between the church and antichrist, the seed of
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the woman and the seed of the serpent.
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I. As it was begun in heaven,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:1-11">ver. 1-11</A>.
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II. As it was carried on in the wilderness,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:12-17">ver. 12</A>,
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&c.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Re12_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_11"> </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 Woman and the Dragon.</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 there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed
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with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a
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crown of twelve stars:
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2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and
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pained to be delivered.
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3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a
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great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
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crowns upon his heads.
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4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and
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did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman
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which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon
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as it was born.
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5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
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nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God,
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and <I>to</I> his throne.
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6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a
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place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand
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two hundred <I>and</I> threescore days.
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7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
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against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
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8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in
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heaven.
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9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called
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the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was
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cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
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10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come
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salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the
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power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast
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down, which accused them before our God day and night.
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11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
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word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the
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death.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we see that early prophecy eminently fulfilled in which God said
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he would <I>put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of
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the serpent,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+3:15">Gen. iii. 15</A>.
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You will observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. The attempts of Satan and his agents to prevent the increase of the
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church, by devouring her offspring <I>as soon as it was born;</I> of
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this we have a very lively description in the most proper images.</P>
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<P>
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1. We see how the church is represented in this vision.
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(1.) As a <I>woman,</I> the weaker part of the world, but the spouse of
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Christ, and the mother of the saints.
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(2.) As <I>clothed with the sun,</I> the imputed righteousness of the
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Lord Jesus Christ. Having put on Christ, who is <I>the Sun of
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righteousness,</I> she, by her relation to Christ, is invested with
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honourable rights and privileges, and shines in his rays.
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(3.) As having <I>the moon under her feet</I> (that is, the world); she
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stands upon it, but lives above it; her heart and hope are not set upon
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sublunary things, but on the things that are in heaven, where her head
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is.
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(4.) As having on her head <I>a crown of twelve stars,</I> that is, the
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doctrine of the gospel preached by the twelve apostles, which is a
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crown of glory to all true believers.
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(5.) As in travail, crying out, and <I>pained to be delivered.</I> She
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was pregnant, and now in pain to bring forth a holy progeny to Christ,
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desirous that what was begun in the conviction of sinners might end in
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their conversion, that when the children were brought to the birth
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there might be strength to bring forth, and that she might see of the
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travail of her soul.</P>
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<P>
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2. How the grand enemy of the church is represented.
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(1.) As a <I>great red dragon</I>--a dragon for strength and terror--a
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red dragon for fierceness and cruelty.
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(2.) As <I>having seven heads,</I> that is, placed on seven hills, as
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Rome was; and therefore it is probable that pagan Rome is here meant.
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(3.) As having <I>ten horns,</I> divided into ten provinces, as the
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Roman empire was by Augustus Cæsar.
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(4.) As having <I>seven crowns upon his head,</I> which is afterwards
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expounded to be seven kings,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:10"><I>ch.</I> xvii. 10</A>.
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(5.) As drawing with his tail a <I>third part of the stars in
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heaven,</I> and <I>casting them down to the earth,</I> turning the
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ministers and professors of the Christian religion out of their places
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and privileges and making them as weak and useless as he could.
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(6.) As standing <I>before the woman, to devour her child as soon as it
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should be born,</I> very vigilant to crush the Christian religion in
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its birth and entirely to prevent the growth and continuance of it in
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the world.</P>
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<P>
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II. The unsuccessfulness of these attempts against the church; for,
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1. She was safely delivered of a <I>man-child</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>),
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by which some understand Christ, others Constantine, but others, with
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greater propriety, a race of true believers, strong and united,
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resembling Christ, and designed, under him, <I>to rule the nations with
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a rod of iron;</I> that is, to judge the world by their doctrine and
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lives now, and as assessors with Christ at the great day.
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2. Care was taken of this child: it <I>was caught up to God, and to his
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throne;</I> that is, taken into his special, powerful, and immediate
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protection. The Christian religion has been from its infancy the
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special care of <I>the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.</I>
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3. Care was taken of the mother as well as of the child,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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She <I>fled into the wilderness, a place prepared</I> both for her
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safety and her sustenance. The church was in an obscure state,
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dispersed; and this proved her security, through the care of divine
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Providence. This her obscure and private state was for a limited time,
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not to continue always.</P>
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<P>
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III. The attempts of the dragon not only proved unsuccessful against
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the church, but fatal to his own interests; for, upon his endeavour to
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devour the man-child, he engaged all the powers of heaven against him
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>):
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<I>There was war in heaven. Heaven</I> will espouse the quarrel of the
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church. Here observe,</P>
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<P>
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1. The seat of this war--<I>in heaven,</I> in the church, which is
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<I>the kingdom of heaven</I> on earth, under the care of heaven and in
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the same interest.</P>
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<P>
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2. The parties--<I>Michael and his angels</I> on one side, and <I>the
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dragon and his angels</I> on the other: Christ, the great Angel of the
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covenant, and his faithful followers; and Satan and all his
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instruments. This latter party would be much superior in number and
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outward strength to the other; but the strength of the church lies in
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having the Lord Jesus for the captain of their salvation.</P>
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<P>
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3. The success of the battle: <I>The dragon and his angels fought and
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prevailed not;</I> there was a great struggle on both sides, but the
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victory fell to Christ and his church, and the dragon and his angels
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were not only conquered, but cast out; the pagan idolatry, which was a
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worshipping of devils, was extirpated out of the empire in the time of
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Constantine.</P>
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<P>
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4. The triumphant song that was composed and used on this occasion,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:10,11"><I>v.</I> 10, 11</A>.
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Here observe,
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(1.) How the conqueror is adored: <I>Now have come salvation, strength,
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and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ.</I> Now God
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has shown himself to be a mighty God; now Christ has shown himself to
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be a strong and mighty Saviour; his own arm has brought salvation, and
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now his kingdom will be greatly enlarged and established. The salvation
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and strength of the church are all to be ascribed to the king and head
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of the church.
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(2.) How the conquered enemy is described.
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[1.] By his malice; he was <I>the accuser of the brethren,</I> and
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<I>accused them before their God night and day;</I> he appeared before
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God as an adversary to the church, continually bringing in indictments
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and accusations against them, whether true or false; thus he accused
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Job, and thus he accused Joshua the high priest,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+3:1">Zech. iii. 1</A>.
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Though he hates the presence of God, yet he is willing to appear there
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to accuse the people of God. Let us therefore take heed that we give
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him no cause of accusation against us; and that, when we have sinned,
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we presently go in before the Lord, and accuse and condemn ourselves,
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and commit our cause to Christ as our Advocate.
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[2.] By his disappointment and defeat: he and all his accusations are
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cast out, the indictments quashed, and the accuser turned out of the
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court with just indignation.
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(3.) How the victory was gained. The servants of God overcame Satan,
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[1.] <I>By the blood of the Lamb,</I> as the meritorious cause. Christ
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by dying <I>destroyed him that hath the power of death, that is, the
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devil.</I>
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[2.] <I>By the word of their testimony,</I> as the great instrument of
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war, <I>the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,</I>--by a
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resolute powerful preaching of the everlasting gospel, <I>which is
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mighty, through God, to pull down strongholds,</I>--and by their
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courage and patience in sufferings; <I>they loved not their lives unto
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the death,</I> when the love of life stood in competition with their
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loyalty to Christ; they loved not their lives so well but they could
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give them up <I>to death,</I> could lay them down in Christ's cause;
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their love to their own lives was overcome by stronger affections of
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another nature; and this their courage and zeal helped to confound
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their enemies, to convince many of the spectators, to confirm the souls
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of the faithful, and so contributed greatly to this victory.</P>
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<A NAME="Re12_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re12_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>The Woman and the Dragon.</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>12 Therefore rejoice, <I>ye</I> heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
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Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil
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is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth
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that he hath but a short time.
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13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he
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persecuted the woman which brought forth the man <I>child.</I>
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14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that
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she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is
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nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face
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of the serpent.
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15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after
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the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the
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flood.
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16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her
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mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of
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his mouth.
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17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make
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war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of
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God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We have here an account of this war, so happily finished in heaven, or
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in the church, as it was again renewed and carried on in the
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wilderness, the place to which the church had fled, and where she had
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been for some time secured by the special care of her God and Saviour.
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Observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. The warning given of the distress and calamity that should fall upon
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the inhabitants of the world in general, through the wrath and rage of
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the devil. For, though his malice is chiefly bent against the servants
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of God, yet he is an enemy and hater of mankind as such; and, being
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defeated in his designs against the church, he is resolved to give all
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the disturbance he can to the world in general: <I>Woe to the
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inhabitants of the earth, and the sea,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>.
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The rage of Satan grows so much the greater as he is limited both in
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place and time; when he was confined to the wilderness, and had but a
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short time to reign there, he comes with the greater wrath.</P>
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<P>
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II. His second attempt upon the church now in the wilderness: <I>He
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persecuted the woman who brought forth the man-child,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.
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Observe,
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1. The care that God had taken of his church. He had conveyed her as on
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eagles' wings, into a place of safety provided for her, where she was
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to continue for a certain space of time, couched in prophetic
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characters, taken from
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Da+7:25">Dan. vii. 25</A>.
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2. The continual malice of the dragon against the church. Her obscurity
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could not altogether protect her; the old subtle serpent, which at
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first lurked in paradise, now follows the church into the wilderness,
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and <I>casts out a flood of water after her, to carry her away.</I>
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This is thought to be meant of a flood of error and heresy, which was
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breathed by Arius, Nestorius, Pelagius, and many more, by which the
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church of God was in danger of being overwhelmed and carried away. The
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church of God is in more danger from heretics than from persecutors;
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and heresies are as certainly from the devil as open force and
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violence.
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3. The seasonable help provided for the church in this dangerous
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juncture: <I>The earth helped the woman, and opened her mouth, and
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swallowed up the flood,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+12:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>.
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Some think we are to understand the swarms of Goths and Vandals that
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invaded the Roman empire, and found work for the Arian rulers, who
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otherwise would have been as furious persecutors as the pagan had been,
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and had exercised great cruelties already; but God opened a breach of
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war, and the flood was in a manner swallowed up thereby, and the church
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enjoyed some respite. God often sends the sword to avenge the quarrel
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of his covenant; and, when men choose new gods, then there is danger of
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war in the gates; intestine broils and contentions often end in the
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invasions of a common enemy.
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4. The devil, being thus defeated in his designs upon the universal
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church, now turns his rage against particular persons and places; his
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malice against the woman pushes him on to <I>make war with the remnant
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of her seed.</I> Some think hereby are meant the Albigenses, who were
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first by Dioclesian driven up into barren and mountainous places, and
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afterwards cruelly murdered by popish rage and power, for several
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generations; and for no other reason than because <I>they kept the
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commandments of God</I> and <I>held the testimony of Jesus Christ.</I>
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Their fidelity to God and Christ, in doctrine, worship, and practice,
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was that which exposed them to the rage of Satan and his instruments;
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and such fidelity will expose men still, less or more, to the end of
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the world, when <I>the last enemy shall be destroyed.</I></P>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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