The text from Adam Clarke comes from volume 6 of the 6-vol Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes (Bellingham, Wash.: Faithlife Corporation, 2014):
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Revelation: |
D&C 77 commentary |
Adam Clarke Commentary |
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Rev 4:6 |
Q. What is the sea of glass spoken of by John, 4th chapter, and 6th
verse of the Revelation? A. It is the earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and
eternal state. Q. What are we to understand by the four beasts, spoken of in
the same verse? A. They are figurative expressions, used by the Revelator,
John, in describing heaven, the paradise of God, the happiness of man, and of
beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air; that which is
spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is
temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the
likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other
creature which God has created. Q. Are the four beasts limited to individual
beasts, or do they represent classes or orders? A. They are limited to four
individual beasts, which were shown to John, to represent the glory of the
classes of beings in their destined order or sphere of creation, in the
enjoyment of their eternal felicity. Q. What are we to understand by the eyes
and wings, which the beasts had? A. Their eyes are a representation of light
and knowledge, that is, they are full of knowledge; and their wings are a
representation of power, to move, to act, etc. (D&C 77:1-4) |
Verse 6. Four beasts] Τεσσαρα ζωα· Four
living creatures or four animals.
The word beast is very improperly
used here and elsewhere in this description. Wiclif first used it, and translators in general have followed
him in this uncouth rendering. A beast
before the throne of God in heaven sounds oddly. (p. 989) |
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Rev 4:4, 10 |
Q. What are we to understand by the four and twenty elders, spoken
of by John? A. We are to understand that these elders whom John saw, were
elders who had been faithful in the work of the ministry and were dead; who
belonged to the seven churches, and were then in the paradise of God.
(D&C 77:5) |
Verse 4. Four and twenty
elders] Perhaps this is in reference to the smaller Sanhedrin at Jerusalem, which was composed of twenty-three
elders; or to the princes of the
twenty-four courses of the Jewish priests which ministered at the
tabernacle and the temple, at first appointed by David. Clothed in white raiment] The garments of the priests. On their heads crowns of
gold.] An emblem of
their dignity. The Jewish writers
represent human souls as being created first; and before they enter the body,
each is taken by an angel into paradise, where it sees the righteous sitting
in glory with crowns upon their heads. Rab.
Tanchum, fol. 39, 4. . . . Verse 10. Cast their crowns
before the throne] Acknowledge the infinite supremacy of God, and that
they have derived their being and their blessings from him alone. This is an
allusion to the custom of prostrations in the east, and to the homage of
petty kings acknowledging the supremacy of the emperor. (pp. 989, 990) |
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Rev 5:1 |
Q. What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was
sealed on the back with seven seals? A. We are to understand that it contains
the revealed will, mysteries, and the works of God; the hidden things of his
economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its
continuance, or its temporal existence. (D&C 77:6) |
Verse 1. A book written within
and on the back side] That is, the book was full of solemn contents within, but it was sealed; and on the back side was a superscription indicating its contents. It was a labelled book, or one written on each
side of the skin, which was not usual. Sealed with seven seals.] As seven is a number of perfection, it may mean that the book
was so sealed that the seals could neither be counterfeited nor broken;
i. e., the matter of the book was so
obscure and enigmatical, and
the work it enjoined and the facts it predicted so difficult and stupendous,
that they could neither be known nor performed by human wisdom or power.
(p. 990) |
|
Rev 6:3-4 |
Q. What are we to understand by the seven seals with which it was
sealed? A. We are to understand that the first seal contains the things of
the first thousand years, and the Second also of the Second thousand years,
and so on until the seventh. (D&C 77:7) |
Verse 3. The second beast]
That which had the face of an ox. Verse 4. Another horse—red]
The emblem of war; perhaps also of severe persecution, and the martyrdom of the saints. Him that sat thereon] Some say, Chrıst; others, Vespasian;
others, the Roman armies; others, Artabanus, king of the Parthians,
&c., &c. Take peace from the earth] To deprive Judea of all tranquillity. They should kill one
another] This was
literally the case with the Jews,
while besieged by the Romans. A great sword.] Great influence and success, producing
terrible carnage. (p. 993) |
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Rev 7:1 |
Q. What are we to understand by the four angels, spoken of in the
7th chapter and 1st verse of Revelation? A. We are to understand that they
are four angels sent forth from God, to whom is given power over the four
parts of the earth, to save life and to destroy; these are they who have the
everlasting gospel to commit to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people;
having power to shut up the heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to
the regions of darkness. (D&C 77:8) |
Verse 1. And after these
things] Immediately after the preceding vision. I saw four angels] Instruments which God employs in the
dispensation of his providence; we know not what. On the four corners of the
earth] On the extreme
parts of the land of Judea, called ἡ γη, the
land, or earth, by way of
eminence. Holding the four winds] Preventing evil from every quarter. Earth—sea, nor on any tree; keeping
the whole of the land free from evil, till the Church of Christ should wax
strong, and each of his followers have time to prepare for his flight from
Jerusalem, previously to ıts total destruction by the Romans. (p.
996) |
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Rev 7:2 |
Q. What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east,
Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse? A. We are to understand that the angel
ascending from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God
over the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels
having the everlasting gospel, saying: Hurt not the earth, neither the sea,
nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their
foreheads. And, if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to
gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things. (D&C 77:9) |
Verse 2. The seal of the
living God] This angel is represented as the chancellor of the supreme
King, and as ascendıng from the east,
απο ανατολης ἡλιου, from
the rising of the sun. Some understand this of Christ, who is called ανατολη, the east, Luke 1:78. Four angels, to whom it
was given to hurt]
Particular agents employed by
Divine providence in the management of the affairs of the earth; but whether spiritual or material we know not. (p. 996) |
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Rev 6:12-17 |
Q. What time are the things spoken of in this chapter to be
accomplished? A. They are to be accomplished in the sixth thousand years, or
the opening of the sixth seal. (D&C 77:10) |
Verse 12. The sixth seal]
This seal also is opened and introduced by Jesus Christ alone. A great earthquake] A most stupendous change in the civil
and religious constitution of the world. If it refer to Constantine the
Great, the change that was made by his conversion to Christianity might be
very properly represented under the emblem of an earthquake, and the other symbols mentioned in this and the
following verses. The sun—the ancient pagan government of the Roman empire,
was totally darkened; and, like a black
hair sackcloth, was degraded and humbled to the dust. The moon—the ecclesiastical state of the same
empire, became as blood—was totally
ruined, their sacred rites abrogated, their priests and religious
institutions desecrated, their altars cast down, their temples destroyed, or
turned into places for Christian worship. Verse 13. The stars of heaven]
The gods and goddesses, demi-gods, and deified heroes, of their poetical and
mythological heaven, were
prostrated indiscriminately, and lay as useless as the figs or fruit of a
tree shaken down before ripe by a tempestuous
wind. Verse 14. And the heaven
departed as a scroll] The whole system of pagan and idolatrous worship,
with all its spiritual, secular, and superstitious influence, was blasted,
shrivelled up, and rendered null and void, as a parchment scroll when exposed
to the action of a strong fire. And every mountain] All the props, supports, and
dependencies of the empire, whether regal
allıes, tributary kings, dependent colonies, or mercenary troops, were all moved out of their places, so as to
stand no longer in the same relation to that empire, and its worship,
support, and maintenance, as they formerly did. And island] The heathen temples, with their precıncts and enclosures, cut off from the common people, and into which none
could come but the privileged, may
be here represented by islands, for
the same reasons. Verse 15. The kings of the
earth, &c.] All the secular powers who had endeavoured to support the
pagan worship by authority, influence, riches, political wisdom, and military
skill; with every bondman—all slaves, who were in life and limb
addicted to their masters or owners. And every freeman] Those who had been manumitted, commonly called freedmen, and who were attached,
through gratitude, to the families of their liberators. All hid themselves—were astonished at the
total overthrow of the heathen empire, and the revolution which had then
taken place. Verse 16. Said to the
mountains and rocks] Expressions which denote the strongest perturbation
and alarm. They preferred any kind of death to that which they apprehended
from this most awful revolution. From the face of him that
sitteth on the throne]
They now saw that all these terrible judgments came from the Almighty; and that Christ, the author of Christianity,
was now judging, condemning, and destroying them for their cruel persecutions
of his followers. Verse 17. For the great day of
his wrath] The decisive and manifest time in which he will execute
judgment on the oppressors of his people. Who shall be able to
stand?] No might can
prevail against the might of God. All these things may literally apply to the
final destruction of Jerusalem, and to the revolution which took place in the
Roman empire under Constantine the Great. Some apply them to the day of judgment; but they do not seem
to have that awful event in view. These two events were the greatest that
have ever taken place in the world, from the flood to the eighteenth century of the Christian era; and may
well justify the strong figurative language used above. Though I do not pretend to say that my remarks on this chapter point
out its true signification, yet I find others have applied it in the same
way. Dr. Dodd observes that the
fall of Babylon, Idumea, Judah, Egypt, and Jerusalem, has been described by
the prophets in language equally pompous, figurative, and strong. See Isa.
13:10; 34:4, concerning Babylon and
Idumea; Jer. 4:23, 24, concerning Judah Ezek. 32:7, concerning Egypt; Joel 2:10, 31, concerning Jerusalem; and our Lord himself, Matt.
24:29, concerning the same city. “Now,” says he, “it is certain that the fall
of any of these cities or kingdoms was not of greater concern or consequence
to the world, nor more deserving to be described in pompous figures, than the
fall of the pagan Roman empire,
when the great lights of the heathen world, the sun, moon, and stars, the powers civil and ecclesiastical,
were all eclipsed and obscured, the heathen emperors and Cæsars were slain,
the heathen priests and augurs were extirpated, the heathen officers and
magistrates were removed, the temples were demolished, and their revenues
were devoted to better uses. It is customary with the prophets, after they
have described a thing in the most symbolical and figurative manner, to
represent the same again in plainer language; and the same method is observed
here, ver. 15, 16, 17: And the kings of
the earth, &c. That is, Maximin, Galerius, Maxentius, Licinius,
&c., with all their adherents and followers, were so routed and dispersed
that they hid themselves in dens,
&c.; expressions used to denote the utmost terror and confusion. This
is, therefore, a triumph of Christ over his heathen enemies, and a triumph
after a severe persecution; so that the time and all the circumstances, as
well as the series and order of the prophecy, agree perfectly with this
interpretation. Galerius, Maximin,
and Licinius, made even a public
confession of their guilt, recalled their decrees and edicts against the
Christians, and acknowledged the just judgments of God and of Christ in their
own destruction.” See Newton, Lowman,
&c., and Dr. Dodd on this
chapter, with the works of several more recent authors. (pp.
995-96) |
|
Rev 7:4 |
Q. What are we to understand by sealing the one hundred and
forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel-- twelve thousand out of
every tribe? A. We are to understand that those who are sealed are high
priests, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting
gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of
the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn.
(D&C 77:11) |
Verse 4. I heard the number of
them which were sealed] In the number of 144,000 are included all the Jews converted to Christianity; 12,000
out of each of the twelve tribes: but this must be only a certain for an
uncertain number; for it is not to be supposed that just 12,000 were converted out of each of the twelve tribes. (996-97) |
|
Rev 8:2 |
Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets,
mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation? A. We are to understand that as
God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work,
and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so,
in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the
earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall
redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he
shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of
the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work,
in the beginning of the seventh thousand years-- the preparing of the way
before the time of his coming. (D&C 77:12) |
Verse 2. The seven angels
which stood before God Probably the same as those called the seven Spirits which are before his
throne, chap. 1:4, where see the note. There is still an allusion here to
the seven ministers of the Persian monarchs. See Tobit, chap. 12:15. (p. 999) |
|
Entirety of Rev ch. 9 |
Q. When are the things to be accomplished, which are written in the
9th chapter of Revelation? A. They are to be accomplished after the opening
of the seventh seal, before the coming of Christ. (D&C 77:13) |
Verse 1. A star fall from
heaven] An angel encompassed with light suddenly descended, and seemed
like a star falling from heaven. The key of the bottomless
pit.] Power to inundate
the earth with a flood of temporal calamities and moral evils. Verse 2. He opened the
bottomless pit] Το φρεαρ της αβυσσου·
The pit of the bottomless deep.
Some think the angel means Satan,
and the bottomless pit hell. Some
suppose Mohammed is meant; and
Signior Pastorini professes to
believe that Luther is intended! There arose a smoke] False doctrine, obscuring the true
light of heaven. Verse 3. Locusts] Vast
hordes of military troops: the description which follows certainly agrees
better with the Saracens than with
any other people or nation, but may also apply to the Romans. As the scorpions of the
earth have power.]
Namely, to hurt men by stinging
them. Scorpions may signify archers;
and hence the description has been applied to Cestius Gallus, the Roman general, who had many archers in his army. Verse 4. They should not hurt
the grass] Neither the common people, the men of middling condition, nor
the nobles. However, this appears rather to refer to the prudent counsels of
a military chief, not to destroy the crops
and herbage of which they might
have need in their campaigns. Which have not the seal of
God] All false,
hypocritical, and heterodox Christians. Verse 5. To them it was given]
That is, they were permitted. That they should be
tormented five months]
Some take these months literally,
and apply them to the conduct of the Zealots who, from May to September, in
the year of the siege, produced dreadful contests among the people; or to the
afflictions brought upon the Jews by Cestius
Gallus, when he came against Jerusalem, before which he lay one whole
summer, or nearly five months.—See Joseph.,
Bell. Jud., l. ii. c. 19. Others consider the months
as being prophetical months, each day being reckoned for a year; therefore this period must
amount to one hundred and fifty years, counting thirty days to each month, as
was the general custom of the Asiatics. Their torment was as
the torment of a scorpion] The phraseology here is peculiar, and probably
refers to the warlike weapon called a scorpion,
several of which, or men armed with them, Cestius Gallus brought with him in
his army. Isidore describes this scorpion thus: Scorpio est
sagitta venenata arcu vel tormentis excussa, quæ, dum ad hominem venerit,
virus qua figit infundit; unde et Scorpio nomen accepit. “The scorpion is a poisoned arrow shot from a bow
or other instrument, which, when it wounds a man, deposits the poison with
which it is covered in the wound; whence it has the name of scorpion.” Seneca, in his Hercules Œtæus, act iv., ver. 1218, describes the torment which
is occasioned by this species of poisoned arrow:— Heu qualis intus scorpius, quis fervida Plaga revulsus cancer infixus meas Urit medullas? Verse 6. In those days shall
men seek death] So distressing shall be their sufferings and torment that
they shall long for death in any form,
to be rescued from the evils of life. There is a sentiment much like this in Maximianus, Eleg. i., ver. 111,
commonly attributed to Cornelius
Gallus:— Nunc quia longa mihi gravis est et inutilis
ætas, Vivere cum nequeam, sit mihi posse mori?
O quam dura premit miseros conditio vitæ!
Nec mors humano subjacet arbitrio.
Dulce mori miseris; sed mors optata recedit:
At cum tristis erit, præcipitata venit. “Seeing that long life is both useless and burdensome When we can no longer live comfortably, shall we be permitted to
die? O how hard is the condition on which we hold life! For death is not subjected to the will of man. To die is sweet to the
wretched; but wished-for death flees away. Yet when it is not desired, it comes with the hastiest strides.” Job expresses the same sentiment, in the most plaintive manner:— Why is light given to the miserable, And life to the bitter of soul? Who wait for death, but it is not; And dig for it more than hid treasures. They rejoice for it, and are glad, And exult when they find the grave. Ch. 3:20–22. Verse 7. The locusts were like unto horses] This description of
the locusts appears to be taken from Joel 2:4. The whole of this symbolical
description of an overwhelming military force agrees very well with the
troops of Mohammed. The Arabs are the most expert horsemen in the world: they
live so much on horseback that the horse and his rider seem to make but one
animal. The Romans also were
eminent for their cavalry. Crowns like gold] Not only alluding to their costly tıaras or turbans, but to the extent of their conquests and the multitude
of powers which they subdued. Their faces were as the faces of men.] That is, though locusts symbolically, they
are really men. Verse 8. Hair as the hair of
women] No razor passes upon their flesh. Their hair long, and their beards
unshaven. Their teeth were as the teeth of lions.] They are ferocious and cruel. Verse 9. They had
breastplates—of iron] They seemed to be invulnerable, for no force
availed against them. The sound of their wings] Their hanging weapons and military
trappings, with the clang of their shields and swords when they make their
fierce onsets. This simile is borrowed from Joel 2:5–7. Verse 10. They had tails like
unto seorpions] This may refer to the consequences of their victories.
They infected the conquered with their pernicious doctrines. Their power was to
hurt men five months.] The locusts make their principal ravages during
the five summer months. But probably these may be prophetic months, as above, in ver.
5–150 years. Ver. 11. A king over them]
A supreme head; some think Mohammed, some think Vespasian. The angel of the
bottomless pit] The
chief envoy of Satan. Abaddon] From אבד abad, he destroyed. Apollyon.] From απο, intensive,
and ολλυω, to destroy. The meaning is the same
both in the Hebrew and Greek. Verse 12. One wo is past]
That is, the wo or desolation by the symbolical scorpions. There came two woes more] In the trumpets of the sixth and
seventh angels. Verse 13. The four horns of
the golden altar] This is another not very obscure indication that the
Jewish temple was yet standing. Verse 14. Loose the four
angels] These four angels bound—hitherto
restrained, in the Euphrates, are by some supposed to be the Arabs, the
Saracens, the Tartars, or the Turks; by others, Vespasian’s four generals,
one in Arabia, one in Africa, one in Alexandria, and one in Palestine. Verse 15. For an hour, and a
day, and a month, and a year] We have in this place a year resolved into
its component parts. Twenty-four hours
constitute a day, seven days make a week, four weeks make a
month, and twelve months make a year. Probably no more is meant than that these four angels were at all times prepared and permitted to
inflict evil on the people against whom they had received their commission.
There are some who understand these divisions of time as prophetical periods,
and to these I must refer, not professing to discuss such uncertainties. Verse 16. Two hundred thousand
thousand] Δυο μυριαδες μυριαδων·
Two myriads of myriads; that is, two hundred millions; an army that was
never yet got together from the foundation of the world, and could not find forage in any part of the earth.
Perhaps it only means vast numbers,
multitudes without number. Such a number might be literally true of the locusts. Those who will have their
particular system supported by the images in this most obscure book, tell us
that the number here means all the soldiers that were employed in this war,
from its commencement to its end! Those who can receive this saying let them
receive it. Verse 17. Breastplates of
fire—jacinth, and brimstone] That is, red,
blue, and yellow; the first is
the colour of fire, the second of jacinth, and the third of sulphur. And the heads of the
horses] Is this an
allegorical description of great ordnance?
Cannons, on the mouths of which horses’ heads were formed, or the mouth of
the cannon cast in that form? Fire,
smoke, and brimstone, is a good
allegorical representation of gunpowder.
The Ottomans made great use of heavy artillery in their wars with the Greeks
of the lower empire. Verse 18. By these three was
the third part of men killed] That is, By these was great carnage made. Verse 19. Their power is in
their mouth] From these the destructive balls are projected; and in
their tails, the breech where
the charge of gunpowder is lodged. Their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads] If cannons are intended, the description, though allegorical, is
plain enough; for brass ordnance
especially are frequently thus ornamented, both at their muzzles and at their breech. Verse 20. Yet repented not]
The commission which these horsemen had was against idolaters; and though
multitudes of them were destroyed, yet the residue continued their senseless
attachment to dumb idols, and therefore heavier judgments might be expected.
These things are supposed to refer to the desolation brought upon the Greek
Church by the Ottomans, who
entirely ruined that Church and the Greek empire. The Church which was then
remaining was the Latin or western
Church, which was not at all corrected by the judgments which fell upon the
eastern Church, but continued its senseless adoration of angels, saints,
relics, &c., and does so to the present day. If, therefore, God’s wrath
be kindled against such, this Church has much to fear. Verse 21. Neither repented
they of their murders] Their cruelties towards the genuine followers of
Goo the Albigenses, and Waldenses, and others, against whom they published
crusades, and hunted them down, and butchered them in the most shocking
manner. The innumerable murders by the horrible inquisitıon need not be mentioned. Their sorceries] Those who apply this also to the
Romish Church understand by it the various tricks, sleights of hand, or legerdemain,
by which they impose on the common people in causing images of Christ to
bleed, and the various pretended miracles
wrought at the tombs, &c., of pretended saints, holy wells, and such
like. Fornication] Giving that honour to various creatures
which is due only to the Creator. Their thefts.] Their exactions and impositions on
men for indulgences, pardons,
&c. These things may be
intended, but it is going too far to say that this is the true
interpretation. And yet to express any doubt on this subject is with some
little else than heresy. If such men can see these things so clearly in such
obscure prophecies, let them be thankful for their sight, and indulgent to
those who still sit in darkness. (pp. 1001-3) |
|
Rev 10:10 |
Q. What are we to understand by the little book which was eaten by
John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of Revelation? A. We are to understand
that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him to gather the tribes of
Israel; behold, this is Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restore
all things. (D&C 77:14) |
Verse 10. It was in my mouth
sweet as honey] There was in it some pleasing, some unpleasing,
intelligence. I read of the consolations and protection of the true
worshippers of God, and did rejoice;
I read of the persecutions of the Church, and was distressed. (p. 1004) |
|
Rev 11:3 |
Q. What is to be understood by the two witnesses, in the eleventh
chapter of Revelation? A. They are two prophets that are to be raised up to
the Jewish nation in the last days, at the time of the restoration, and to
prophesy to the Jews after they are gathered and have built the city of
Jerusalem in the land of their fathers. (D&C 77:15) |
Verse 3. My two witnesses]
This is extremely obscure; the conjectures of interpreters are as
unsatisfactory as they are endless on this point. Conjecturas conjecturis superstruunt, parum verosimiles, says
Rosenmüller: quorum sententias
enarrare, meum non est. I
say the same. Those who wish to be amused or bewildered, may have recourse
both to ancients and moderns on this subject. (p. 1005) |
