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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Revelation X].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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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. X.</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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This chapter is an introduction to the latter part of the prophecies of
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this book. Whether what is contained between this and the sounding of
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the seventh trumpet
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+11:15">ch. xi. 15</A>)
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be a distinct prophecy from the other, or only a more general account
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of some of the principal things included in the other, is disputed by
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our curious enquirers into these abstruse writings. However, here we
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have,
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I. A remarkable description of a very glorious angel with an open book
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in his hand,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:1-3">ver. 1-3</A>.
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II. An account of seven thunders which the apostle heard, as echoing to
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the voice of this angel, and communicating some discoveries, which the
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apostle was not yet allowed to write,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:4">ver. 4</A>.
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III. The solemn oath taken by him who had the book in his hand,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:5-7">ver. 5-7</A>.
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IV. The charge given to the apostle, and observed by him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:8-11">ver. 8-11</A>.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Re10_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_7"> </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 Seven Thunders.</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 I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed
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with a cloud: and a rainbow <I>was</I> upon his head, and his face
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<I>was</I> as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
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2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his
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right foot upon the sea, and <I>his</I> left <I>foot</I> on the earth,
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3 And cried with a loud voice, as <I>when</I> a lion roareth: and
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when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
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4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was
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about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
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Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write
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them not.
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5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the
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earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
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6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created
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heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the
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things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are
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therein, that there should be time no longer:
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7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
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shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as
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he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we have an account of another vision the apostle was favoured
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with, between the sounding of the sixth trumpet and that of the
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seventh. And we observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. The person who was principally concerned in communicating this
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discovery to John--an angel from heaven, <I>another mighty angel,</I>
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who is so set forth as would induce one to think it could be no other
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than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
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1. He was <I>clothed with a cloud:</I> he veils his glory, which is too
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great for mortality to behold; and he throws a veil upon his
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dispensations. <I>Clouds and darkness are round about him.</I>
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2. <I>A rainbow was upon his head;</I> he is always mindful of his
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covenant, and, when his conduct is most mysterious, yet it is perfectly
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just and faithful.
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3. <I>His face was as the sun,</I> all bright, and full of lustre and
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majesty,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+1:16"><I>ch.</I> i. 16</A>.
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4. <I>His feet were as pillars of fire;</I> all his ways, both of grace
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and providence, are pure and steady.</P>
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<P>
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II. His station and posture: <I>He set his right foot upon the sea and
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his left foot upon the earth,</I> to show the absolute power and
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dominion he had over the world. <I>And he held in his hand a little
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book opened,</I> probably the same that was before sealed, but was now
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opened, and gradually fulfilled by him.</P>
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<P>
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III. His awful voice: <I>He cried aloud, as when a lion roareth</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>),
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and his awful voice was echoed by <I>seven thunders,</I> seven solemn
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and terrible ways of discovering the mind of God.</P>
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<P>
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IV. The prohibition given to the apostle, that he should not publish,
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but conceal what he had learned from the seven thunders,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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The apostle was for preserving and publishing every thing he saw and
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heard in these visions, but the time had not yet come.</P>
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<P>
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V. The solemn oath taken by this mighty angel.
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1. The manner of his swearing: <I>He lifted up his hand to heaven, and
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swore by him that liveth for ever,</I> by himself, as God often has
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done, or by God as God, to whom he, as Lord, Redeemer, and ruler of the
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world, now appeals.
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2. The matter of the oath: that <I>there shall be time no longer;</I>
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either,
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(1.) That there shall be now no longer delay in fulfilling the
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predictions of this book than till the last angel should sound; then
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every thing should be put into speedy execution: <I>the mystery of God
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shall be finished,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
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Or,
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(2.) That when this mystery of God is finished time itself shall be no
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more, as being the measure of things that are in a mutable changing
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state; but all things shall be at length for ever fixed, and so time
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itself swallowed up in eternity.</P>
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<A NAME="Re10_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re10_11"> </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 Little Book.</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>8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again,
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and said, Go <I>and</I> take the little book which is open in the hand
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of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
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9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the
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little book. And he said unto me, Take <I>it,</I> and eat it up; and
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it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth
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sweet as honey.
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10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate
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it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I
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had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
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11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many
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peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we have,
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I. A strict charge given to the apostle, which was,
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1. That he should <I>go and take the little book</I> out of the hands
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of that mighty angel mentioned before. This charge was given, not by
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the angel himself who stood upon the earth, but by the same voice from
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heaven that in the
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:4">fourth verse</A>
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had lain an injunction upon him not to write what he had discerned by
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the seven thunders.
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2. To eat the book; this part of the charge was given by the angel
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himself, hinting to the apostle that before he should publish what he
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had discovered he must more thoroughly digest the predictions, and be
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in himself suitably affected with them.</P>
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<P>
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II. An account of the taste and relish which this little book would
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have, when the apostle had taken it in; at first, while <I>in his
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mouth, sweet.</I> All persons feel a pleasure in looking into future
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events, and in having them foretold; and all good men love to receive a
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word from God, of what import soever it be. But, when this book of
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prophecy was more thoroughly digested by the apostle, the contents
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would be bitter; these were things so awful and terrible, such grievous
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persecutions of the people of God, and such desolation made in the
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earth, that the foresight and foreknowledge of them would not be
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pleasant, but painful to the mind of the apostle: thus was Ezekiel's
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prophecy to him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+3:3"><I>ch.</I> iii. 3</A>.</P>
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<P>
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III. The apostle's discharge of the duty he was called to
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+10:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>):
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<I>He took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up,</I>
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and he found the relish to be as was told him.
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1. It becomes the servants of God to digest in their own souls the
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messages they bring to others in his name, and to be suitably affected
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therewith themselves.
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2. It becomes them to deliver every message with which they are
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charged, whether pleasing or unpleasing to men. That which is least
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pleasing may be most profitable; however, God's messengers must not
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keep back any part of the counsel of God.</P>
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<P>
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IV. The apostle is made to know that this book of prophecy, which he
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had now taken in, was not given him merely to gratify his own
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curiosity, or to affect him with pleasure or pain, but to be
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communicated by him to the world. Here his prophetical commission seems
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to be renewed, and he is ordered to prepare for another embassy, to
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convey those declarations of the mind and will of God which are of
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great importance to all the world, and to the highest and greatest men
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in the world, and such should be read and recorded in many languages.
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This indeed is the case; we have them in our language, and are all
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obliged to attend to them, humbly to enquire into the meaning of them,
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and firmly to believe that every thing shall have its accomplishment in
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the proper time; and, when the prophecies shall be fulfilled, the sense
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and truth of them will appear, and the omniscience, power, and
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faithfulness of the great God will be adored.</P>
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<!-- (End Body) -->
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC66009.HTM">Previous</A>]
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[<A HREF="MHC66011.HTM">Next</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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