If

Vespasian there has appeared a new imperial house; but Titus, as the end is at hand, can reign but a short time. there is then an eighth, according to Dan. vii. 27, to come, then the last personification of the beast can only be he, in whom its antichristian qualification comes quite again to manifestation; and the bearer of this development which makes the empire ripe for judgment, and thus directly brings about the end, the author sees already, in the second descendant of the new imperial house, in Domitian (ver. 11).5 Just in this, that all the historical figures, which lie in the circle of the visions of the author of the Apocalypse find their application in the course of the development indicated in the prophecy, he sees the security for this, that with the highest realization of the antichristian principle in the third of the Flavians the end will come.

(d) As once the fall of Jerusalem was to be the signal for the final catastrophe (§ 33, b), so now, when the former stands at the beginning of the time of the last tribulation, it is the fall of the world's metropolis. The way in which the prophet

6

5 The reference to Nero, which, besides, makes the motive for this apocalyptic combination quite perplexing, is here also excluded, for this reason, that the eighth is not designated as one of the seven, but as descended from the seven (that is to say, from Vespasian), in which there is for the author implied no genealogical notice (only in which case it would be to require, with Hilgenfeld, p. 433, ix Tou ixrov); but the indication of this, that that eighth, who will be the incarnation of antichristianity, stands already in his circle of visions as a descendant of the new imperial house. A reminiscence of this correct reference of the Apocalypse is preserved in the singular error of Irenaeus, by which it is to be written under (instead of with reference to) Domitian. I will not contend with Hilgenfeld, p. 432, on this point, whether the author of the Apocalypse could ascribe rather to Otho and Vitellius than to Titus a short reign, since, finally, the shortness of the reign ascribed to the seventh Caesar is ever required from the nearness of the end generally. But why it should be " a mad expectation," that Domitian will overthrow the empire of his father and brother by the governors of the provinces, it being presupposed that he, as the author of the Apocalypse regards it, comes forth equipped as the the most perfect organ of Satanic might, and therefore with its powers, I cannot conceive. Hilgenfeld seeks to show that the year 68 offered for the combination of the author of the Apocalypse a very favourable political constellation; but he forgets that whoever counts with such factors as that of Nero returning from the kingdom of the dead, has no longer any right to boast of historical probabilities.

As Jerusalem, by the slaying of the Lord (xi. 8), so has Rome (xvii. 18; comp. vv. 5, 9), by the slaying of the two witnesses (xvii. 6, xviii, 20, xix. 2), by seducing all nations to the sin of fornication (§ 117, b), and to worship the worldly power (xvii. 2, xviii. 3), which, moreover, is itself represented (xiv.) as

imagines himself entering on that catastrophe is clear from chap. xvii., where the city is shown to the seer as already devastated (ev èρýμw: vv. 1-6). Domitian, that is to say, will obtain the empire, not in consequence of natural succession, but, as happened once in the period of the interregnum, during the reign of the seventh Caesar, a revolution will break out simultaneously in all the provinces of the Roman Empire. The rulers symbolized by the horns (xiii. 1, xvii. 3) will become independent (ver. 12); but then, having become unanimous by a sort of miracle, they still call the last Flavian to become emperor (ver. 13), and coming to Rome will destroy the capital with fire, as it would keep firm to the seventh emperor (vv. 16, 17; comp. xviii. 8). But with the fall of Rome there by no means fell the antichristian empire. Rather the last emperor, in whom the whole daemonic nature of the beast is, as it were, incarnated in league with his ten royal helpers, renews at once the struggle with the Christ and His believing people (xvii. 14), as he also fights with the two prophets of Israel, and kills them (xi. 7). Against them Messiah already, vi. 2, going forth to victory (xix. 11-13, xv. 16), comes with His heavenly hosts (ver. 14). Thus the judgment of the great day of the Lord appears (xvi. 14: ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη ἡ μεγάλη τοῦ Θεοῦ ; comp. § 33, c; 40, d; 129, a), according to the typical analogy of God's judgments, which once took place in Jehovah's victories over over the Gentiles gathered together against His people to battle, under

a divine judgment (comp. § 70, d), and by numberless other sins (xviii. 5–7), wrought out her destruction; and the blood of all the slaughtered holy ones is now to come upon her head, as once it came upon Jerusalem and her heads (xviii. 24; comp. Matt. xxiii. 35). The nearer this judgment of God stands (xviii. 8, 20), the more pressingly are Christians urged to flee from Rome (xviii. 4), as formerly out of Jerusalem (Matt. xxiv. 16). Even, xiv. 8, the fall of Rome appears as the beginning of the end; xvi. 19-21, it is expressly represented in symbolical imagery (comp. xviii. 21-24) as the last of the preliminary judgments (§ 130, b).

This last fight is already prepared in this way, that, in the judgment of the sixth bowl, three daemonic spirits, which proceed from Satan and the two beasts, have seduced the kings of the earth outside the Roman Empire to gather together for the decisive battle of this day, while the way to the great slaughterfield is prepared for them by the drying up of the Euphrates (xvi. 12-16). These kings of the East have been often quite wrongly identified with the ten governors; they rather appear, xix. 19, along with their armies, to be in league with the beast, to which, indeed, the ten horns notwithstanding belong for the last fight.

the image of a great slaughter, before the beginning of which an angel summons the birds to a great feast of dead bodies (xix. 17, 18), and to a dreadful bath in blood, in which all the followers of the beast fall (ver. 21; comp. xiv. 20). The power of the Roman Empire is thereby for ever annihilated, and the two beasts are cast into the lake of fire (ver. 20).

§ 132. The Earthly and the Heavenly Consummation. Now begins the perfected kingdom of Christ on the earth, in which He rules along with His true servants and the martyrs raised from the dead; a kingdom, however, which as earthly has but a limited continuance, because Satan, fettered for a long time, breaks out finally once more against it, in order to be then destroyed for ever (a). Then only on the overthrow of the world comes the final judgment, for which all the dead are raised, either to receive eternal life, or to be delivered up to the second death (b). The perfected kingdom of God comes, in the new world, with the appearance of the new Jerusalem, with the taking of the Church home by Messiah (c). Then the perfect live for ever in spotless holiness, in divine glory and blessedness; they behold the face of God, who makes His dwelling among them (d).

(a) It is implied in the historical situation of the Apocalypse that the judgment, which the returning Christ brings, is confined to the worldly power and its associates, because enmity to God and antichristianity had been concentrated and personified in these two organs of Satan. But the mightier and the more terrible they thereby became in the present, the weaker must they become as soon as ever their organs are destroyed; and with this once more is connected the hope of an earthly realization of the kingdom of God, to be brought about by Messiah. With the overthrow of the worldly power

8 The judgment, which God executed by His Messiah, appears under other symbolical figures, when the latter reaps the great harvest with the sharp sickle (xiv. 14-16) or treads the winepress of the wrath of God (vv. 17-20; comp. xix. 15). This judgment, to be sure, is in view, vi. 10, when vengeance for the innocent blood shed is referred to. On the other hand, vi. 17, by the day of the great wrath, the real last judgment is thought of (xx. 11 ff., and therewith § 132, b), although there mention is expressly made of the wrath of the Lamb (vi. 16; comp. also xi. 18, and therewith Gebhardt, p. 300 [E. T. 285]).

is Satan's power broken; he is bound and shut up in the abyss (xx. 1-3). But in that way is room made for the rule of Christ on the earth; and since the promise has been made to His true disciples, that they shall rule with Him (iii. 21, ii. 26, v. 10; comp. § 97, d), it must be now decided who have proved themselves true, and those of them who have died, whether as martyrs or by a natural death, must be raised. And thus before the earthly consummation there is a judgment and a first resurrection (xx. 4-6).1 Connected with the Jewish idea of a thousand years' continuance of the (earthly) Messianic kingdom is now the earthly consummation, which, as such, can naturally have but a limited duration, fixed for a thousand years, only that this number may have possibly another signification, as all the numbers according to the plan of the Apocalypse.2 In this kingdom of Christ for a thousand years is now fulfilled the promised completion of the Old Testament theocracy, in which, not the literal Israel, to be sure, but the true Israel (§ 130, c), has reached the goal proposed to itself

1 It is the sifting of believers promised at Christ's second coming (§ 33, c) which is here described with the colours of Dan. vii. 9. It is hence quite inadmissible to substitute, with Gebhardt, p. 292 [E. T. 278], ruling for judging. It no doubt remains indeterminate from the words who is to hold the judgment; but since the martyrs are found approved as such, it seems ever to be most natural to regard them as those who determine which of the other Christians, who have in the meantime died, as also which of the survivors, has like them been found approved. Then, also, in the relative clause not only are meant those who have died with a true testimony (comp. second edition, and Gebhardt, p. 294 [E. T. 280]), but along with them survivors, and hence also nov, with its double meaning, follows. But the change of the survivors is not by any means to be considered included in the first resurrection (Gebhardt, p. 295 [E. T. 281]), since the consummation is an earthly one, and the resurrection to it can restore but to an earthly life (comp. Heb. xi. 35). Gess, p. 584, appears to transport the risen to Christ in heaven.

2 It is, moreover, by no means clear that Christ coming again will Himself dwell on the earth; conformably to the prophecy (Ps. cx. 1), after He has made at His return all His enemies His footstool, He rules on the earth through His believing people. In an earlier vision, after Israel's conversion (xi. 13), at the conclusion of the time of the great tribulation (ver. 2; comp. with xiii. 5), the everlasting kingdom of God and His Anointed is immediately introduced (xi. 15; comp. § 103, b). Here, just as in the earlier Pauline Epistles (§ 99, c), the kingdom of Messiah is distinguished from the perfected kingdom of God (xix. 6); only that with Paul immediately on the subjugation of all enemies there follows the giving up of the kingdom to the Father, while here the rule of Christ is perfected in the earthly present, and has a definite period of continuance.

as its ideal, and has become a royal priesthood (xx. 6; comp. 1 Pet. ii. 9, and therewith § 45, c), whose ideal centre is yet ever the beloved city (Jerusalem) (ver. 9). And as, according to the ancient prophetic idea, only at the time of the consummation of Israel's theocracy, the Gentile nations throughout, attracted by the contemplation of the salvation realized in Israel, will connect themselves with Israel (comp. § 43, a); so the nations of the earth still continue, so far as they have not fought in the army of the worldly power against believers, the object for the priestly and kingly activity of believers (ver. 6; comp. v. 10), by whom salvation is brought to them. Only the contemplation of the perfected salvation will lead them to repentance. Likewise, indeed, the most distant of those nations (Gog and Magog), who are the least affected by this influence, continue to be the subjects of seduction, when Satan has been unbound after the thousand years (xx. 7, 8). Their last assault on the kingdom of Christ, as it is looked at on the ground of prophetic imagery (comp. Ezek. xxxviii. 8–16), is defeated by the direct interposition of God; fire falls from heaven (comp. Ezek. xxxix. 6) and devours them (ver. 9); their leader is now delivered up to everlasting destruction, ver. 10.

(b) By the hope of an earthly consummation which here again emerges, is the idea of a great day of the Lord split into its different parts. The judgment of this day, as it results at the second coming of Christ, has brought victory only to the kingdom of God on earth. But the universal judgment, as the definite decision on the fate of all men, as it is likewise thought of as connected with the day of the Lord (comp. § 131, d, footnote 8), is now introduced only at the end of the thousand years' kingdom, and doubtless, as § 126, 6, 129, b, in immediate connection with that destruction of the world. (xx. 11; comp. xxi. 1), which in the first place carries aloft all those who survive, as well as those members of the thousand years' kingdom who have been raised again for the earthly kingdom. Hence there arises the idea of a second resurrection, as, to be sure, it is only indirectly, xx. 5, 6, hinted at, and this a general one; for all the dead must stand before God's judgment-seat (vv. 12, 13). Naturally those only who attain to the final heavenly consummation experience a resurrection in the proper sense (i.e. a quickening in a heavenly