Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-11-26
JOHNS VISION OF CHRIST.
DR.. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
Lesson IN of the International Series for
sunday, Nov. 2S-Golden Text, Il am
He that Liveth and was Dcad'-Rev.
/, 1S-Lesson Text, Rev. /, AS.

No more important lesson than this has
been studied, and the difficulty will be to
bring into the fixed limits even a brief notice
of the many great truths here touched. The
teacher will explain at the outset that the
whole book is letter, and while the seven
churches are formally addressed, the entire
book S an epistle to- the whole church
throughout the world.
a second thing the teacher will bear IN
mind, namely, that the bold imagery of the
book-and this lesson has much of it's to
be traced to foregoing scripture. The Old
Testament is therefore the standard by which
we are to interpret many of the symbols of
the book. Indeed, itpresents and completes the
unity of Revelation; for while man begins in
Paradise. from which his sin drives him, he is
seen in the end of Revelation again in Eden,
and holding converse with God without
temptation and without sin.
Our lesson naturally divides itself into the
Introduction. the description of Jesus and the
message he sends: hut for the purpose of the
class it will probably he better to take it up
verse by verse
V. /. John, the friend of Jesus, the life
long preacher, the writer of the gospel, the
sufferer for the truth, the aged disciple, is
well fitted to receive and deliver the mes
sage Of the Churchs Head. The "seven
churches" in Asia represent, while they are
one by one, no doubt, truly described, the
conditions of the whole Church in all time.
Asia-sometimes called Proconsular Asia
includes only a small part of the continent
now so described 1t is the Asia referred to
in | Peter j, / Acts ii, Q; vi, .. "Grace and
peace are in the usual New Testament bless
ing. Mercy is inserted in the Epistles to
Timothy. The description from him (which
is, etc, can only apply to God the Father,
the II Am who is "from everlasting to ever
lasting" See Gods description of himself
to Isaiah, Isa xii, 4; Xiv, 6. The Seven
spirits cannot be angels or creatures
of any sort, or they would not be placed be
tween the Father and the Son in this ac-
count. The lamp of the tabernacle, the sa-
cred and perfect number seven, found in the
same connection in Zech. iv, 2, &, and the
fact that the gift of the Spirit are sevenfold
in lisa. xi, 2, explain this language. The per-
feet sevenfold work of the one divine Per
son we have brought before us 1t is the
idea of | Cor. xii. I. Universities of gifts. but
the same Spirit" This Spirit is given through
Christ; hence Rev. ill., /; iv, 5, and V, 6.
V >. Jesus is the faithful witness to Gods
character and law, concerning all eternal
things from God to men. Jesus himself often
employed the word witness" He is the first
hegotten from the dead: for though there
were resurrections before his lazarus e. ~.
they We're only temporary. and the last
enemy came again. But Jesus "dieth no
more" and his rising is the ground Of all
other triumphant resurrecti0ns He is prince
of the kings of the earth" Is ne said "all
power is given, etc, Matt. xviii IS G's IL.
2:cX, - Then comes the doXologv, in which
Christi great work is owned. running on into
v g. Mark the order-lovc washing. max
ing kings and priests, etc. We are to give
this glory to Jesus now and forever. We
are-all belicvcrs-now, kings and priests
unto God. peter ii, O.
Y. I. Christ came once in lowliness He
will come again in glory, with clouds" of
awc-nspiring darkness The idea is of terror.
to his enemies, as we see by the next words.
they which pierced him. wall" etc. To
the saints his coming is joyful; it is ter
rblc to unpardoned sinners Read care
fully Ps Xvii. ,. from which perhaps this
idea comes. But John and all believers re-
joicc in his coming and in all he does SO
| Even 50, Amen
V $ The divine Being describes himself at
greater length, as in V. /, taking the first and
last letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and
! OllN8u-'lue anu lue tlhlllb TO
represent his eternity, and repeating the Ian
guage of V. I, adding the Almighty" OF
this supreme cause of all, Jesus is the repre-
sentative and while men reject him now,
and in so doing reject the Almighty, when he
comes again it will be to assert and vindicate
divine right, and his enemies will quail be-
fore him. See Zech. xii, l0.)
v O. John now describes himself in Ian
guage which could apply to no other John
than the apostle. "Brother"-how he puts
himself on level with the ordinary believers
All were there suffering for the truth, hence
companion in tribulation;" but all had Joy
and strength in the kingdom and patience OF
Jesus. He was an exile in PatmoS, "a rocky
isle in the 4Egean sea The government OF
Domtian was trying to put down Christian
ity The cause of his Punishment was fol-
1.-THE word of God" and the witness he wa.
bearing to Jesus, They could place him OF
the bare bleak rocks but they could not rot
him of his JOY.
V. 10 The Lords day" first occurs her,
as phrase, and soon came into general use
1t is n good description of the first day OF
the week. the day of his rising. He was I'll
the Spirt'-not merely us all Gods peopl,
are lin the Spirit Gal. Y, H. H. but spec
tally taught helped and comforted. Wher
Gods people suffer for him, Ec gives then
blessed compensation. Notice the Significant,
of the riV,ion-the Lords day, house
supper, people. service. For the voice, as %
"a trumpet STE Nun. y, ,; Ps xvii, 33
V II gives instru tions To- write the com
muniratiuis EuW to be made 10 lin and sen,
them t. the seven churches named Their
Were doubtless many more than these, hu
probably these are chosen to represent to TIN