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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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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. XVII.</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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This chapter contains another representation of those things that had
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been revealed before concerning the wickedness and ruin of antichrist.
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This antichrist had been before represented as a beast, and is now
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described as a great whore. And here,
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I. The apostle is invited to see this vile woman,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:1,2">ver. 1, 2</A>.
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II. He tells us what an appearance she made,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:3-6">ver. 3-6</A>.
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III. The mystery of it is explained to him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:7-12">ver. 7-12</A>.
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And,
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IV. Her ruin foretold,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:13-18">ver. 13</A>, &c.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Re17_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_6"> </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 Fall of Babylon.</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 came one of the seven angels which had the seven
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vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will
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show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon
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many waters:
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2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,
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and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the
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wine of her fornication.
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3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and
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I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of
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blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
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4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and
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decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden
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cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her
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fornication:
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5 And upon her forehead <I>was</I> a name written,
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M<FONT SIZE=-1><B>YSTERY</B></FONT>,
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B<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS
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OF THE EARTH</B></FONT>.
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6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and
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with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I
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wondered with great admiration.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we have a new vision, not as to the matter of it, for that is
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contemporary with what came under the three last vials; but as to the
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manner of description, &c. Observe,
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1. The invitation given to the apostle to take a view of what was here
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to be represented: <I>Come hither, and I will show thee the judgment of
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the great whore,</I> &c.,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
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This is a name of great infamy. A whore [in this passage] is one that
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is married, and has been false to her husband's bed, has forsaken the
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guide of her youth, and broken the covenant of God. She had been a
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prostitute to the kings of the earth, whom she had intoxicated <I>with
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the wine of her fornication.</I>
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2. The appearance she made: it was gay and gaudy, like such sort of
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creatures: <I>She was arrayed in purple, and scarlet colour, and decked
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with gold, and precious stones, and pearls,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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Here were all the allurements of worldly honour and riches, pomp and
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pride, suited to sensual and worldly minds.
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3. Her principal seat and residence--<I>upon the beast that had seven
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heads and ten horns;</I> that is to say, Rome, the city on seven hills,
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infamous for idolatry, tyranny, and blasphemy.
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4. Her name, which <I>was written on her forehead.</I> It was the
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custom of impudent harlots to hang out signs, with their names, that
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all might know what they were. Now in this observe,
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(1.) She is named from her place of residence--<I>Babylon the
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great.</I> But, that we might not take it for the old Babylon literally
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so called, we are told there is a mystery in the name; it is some other
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great city resembling the old Babylon.
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(2.) She is named from her infamous way and practice; not only a
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harlot, but a mother of harlots, breeding up harlots, and nursing and
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training them up to idolatry, and all sorts of lewdness and
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wickedness--the parent and nurse of all false religion and filthy
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conversation.
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5. Her diet: she satiated herself with <I>the blood of the saints and
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martyrs of Jesus.</I> She drank their blood with such greediness that
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she intoxicated herself with it; it was so pleasant to her that she
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could not tell when she had had enough of it: she was satiated, but
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never satisfied.</P>
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<A NAME="Re17_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_13"> </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 Fall of Babylon.</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>7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I
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will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that
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carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
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8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend
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out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that
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dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in
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the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they
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behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
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9 And here <I>is</I> the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are
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seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
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10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is,
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<I>and</I> the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must
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continue a short space.
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11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth,
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and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
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12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which
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have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
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hour with the beast.
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13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength
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unto the beast.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we have the mystery of this vision explained. The apostle wonders
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at the sight of this woman: the angel undertakes to open this vision to
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him, it being the key of the former visions; and he tells the apostle
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what was meant by the beast on which the woman sat; but it is so
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explained as still to need further explanation.
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1. This beast <I>was, and is not, and yet is;</I> that is, it
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<I>was</I> a seat of idolatry and persecution; <I>and is not,</I> that
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is, not in the ancient form, which was pagan; <I>and yet it is,</I> it
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is truly the seat of idolatry and tyranny, though of another sort and
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form. <I>It ascends out of the bottomless pit</I> (idolatry and cruelty
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are the issue and product of hell), and it shall return thither and go
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into perdition.
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2. <I>This beast has seven heads,</I> which have a double
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signification.
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(1.) <I>Seven mountains</I>--the seven hills on which Rome stands; and
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(2.) <I>Seven kings</I>--seven sorts of government. Rome was governed
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by kings, consuls, tribunes, decemviri, dictators, emperors who were
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pagan, and emperors who were Christian. Five of these were extinct when
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this prophecy was written; one was then in being, that is, the pagan
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emperor; and the other, that is, the Christian emperor, was yet to
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come,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>.
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This beast, the papacy, makes an eighth governor, and sets up idolatry
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again.
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3. This beast had ten horns; which are said to be <I>ten kings which
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have as yet received no kingdoms; as yet,</I> that is, as some, shall
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not rise up till the Roman empire be broken in pieces; or, as others,
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shall not rise up till near the end of antichrist's reign, and so shall
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reign but as it were <I>one hour with her,</I> but shall for that time
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be very unanimous and very zealous in that interest, and entirely
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devoted to it, divesting themselves of their prerogatives and revenues
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(things so dear to princes), out of an unaccountable fondness for the
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papacy.</P>
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<A NAME="Re17_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re17_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Fall of Babylon.</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>14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
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overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and
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they that are with him <I>are</I> called, and chosen, and faithful.
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15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where
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the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
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tongues.
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16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these
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shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and
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shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
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17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to
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agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of
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God shall be fulfilled.
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18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which
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reigneth over the kings of the earth.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we have some account of the downfall of Babylon, to be more fully
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described in the following chapter.</P>
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<P>
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I. Here is a war begun between the beast and his followers, and the
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Lamb and his followers. The beast and his army, to an eye of sense,
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appear much stronger than the Lamb and his army: one would think an
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army with a lamb at the head of them could not stand before <I>the
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great red dragon.</I> But,</P>
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<P>
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II. Here is a victory gained by the Lamb: <I>The Lamb shall
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overcome.</I> Christ must reign till all enemies <I>be put under his
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feet;</I> he will be sure to meet with many enemies, and much
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opposition, but he will also be sure to gain the victory.</P>
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<P>
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III. Here is the ground or reason of the victory assigned; and this is
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taken,
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1. From the character of the Lamb: <I>He is King of kings and Lord of
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lords.</I> He has, both by nature and by office, supreme dominion and
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power over all things; all the powers of earth and hell are subject to
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his check and control.
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2. From the character of his followers: <I>They are called, and chosen,
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and faithful.</I> They are called out by commission to this warfare;
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they are chosen and fitted for it, and they will be faithful in it.
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Such an army, under such a commander, will at length carry all the
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world before them.</P>
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<P>
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IV. The victory is justly aggrandized.
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1. By the vast multitude who paid obedience and subjection to the beast
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and to the whore. She sat upon (that is, presided over) many waters;
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and these waters were so many multitudes of people, and nations, of all
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languages; yea, she reigned not only over kingdoms, but over the kings,
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and they were her tributaries and vassals,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:15,18"><I>v.</I> 15, 18</A>.
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2. By the powerful influence which God hereby showed he had over the
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minds of great men. Their hearts were in his hand, and he turned them
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as he pleased; for,
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(1.) It was of God, and to fulfil his will, that these kings <I>agreed
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to give their kingdom unto the beast;</I> they were judicially blinded
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and hardened to do so. And,
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(2.) It was of God that afterwards their hearts were turned against the
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whore, to hate her, and to <I>make her desolate and naked, and to eat
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her flesh, and burn her with fire;</I> they shall at length see their
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folly, and how they have been bewitched and enslaved by the papacy,
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and, out of a just resentment, shall not only fall off from Rome, but
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shall be made the instruments of God's providence in her
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destruction.</P>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC66016.HTM">Previous</A>]
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[<A HREF="MHC66018.HTM">Next</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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