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Eureka

AN EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE
Sixth Edition, 1915
By Dr. John Thomas (first edition written 1861)

 

 

Chapter 11

Section 2  Subsection  1

"RISE UP!"


 
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In this we find John in a like situation with Zechariah. They are both in the presence of an angel, and both asleep. That John was lying down asleep appears from a voice saying to him, egeirai, awake, or rise up! When John had the vision of the One Body, as related in the first chapter, he "fell at his feet as dead," and from this symbolic death was restored again by the Spirit who spoke to him; so, in this eleventh chapter, being in the same presence, namely, of the Rainbowed Angel, of whom he says, "the Angel stood," he was prostrate in symbolic death, from which he was commanded, not by the angel, but by the voice of the power that develops the angel, to "Awake," or "Rise up." The angel is placed there, very much to the perplexity of the grammarians and commentators, who have proposed to abolish him from the text altogether, as an inconvenient superfluity -- as the representative of the One Body in the post-resurrectional period; as indicated by the symbolical resurrection of John, who, when awake or risen up, sees him standing -- "the Angel stood."

But why was John made the subject of a symbolic resurrection when he was about to transact business having regard to the position and mission of the One Body in the times antecedent to "the time of the dead?" The answer is, because the business he had to transact would ultimate in the resurrection of the One Body, of which, in its awaking or rising up, he was the dramatic representative. The literal resurrection of the dead saints develops the angel he saw standing when he opened his eyes to see. The things revealed in this eleventh chapter ultimate, as any one may see, in the resurrection of the saints, and the establishment of their kingdom. They are the Spirit’s dead men, and they arise as his dead body. This is a grand consummation in regard to them. They now "dwell in dust," where they are fast asleep; but they shall "awake and sing," as the climax of their position and mission in this present evil world (Isa. xxvi. 19; Dan. xii. 2).

This is a notable feature in all prophetic oracles, namely, the primary statement of the end to be established as the result of, or consequent upon, the details immediately to follow. There is another striking illustration of this in the fifteenth verse of this chapter. Here, the end resulting from the finished judgments of the seventh trumpet is summarily stated before the details of the trumpet are specified. A neglect of this peculiarity would lead the reader to suppose that "the kingdoms of this world became the Lord’s" at the first blast of the seventh trumpet. This, however, would be a great mistake; for subsequent specifications show that such a notable and world-astounding result is not to be expected until the sounding is about to cease. But, of this apocalyptic characteristic I need adduce no further examples, for it must be obvious enough to all.

 

 


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