on under ever-varying forms. In this way it teaches, like all the prophetic utterances of the Gospels
and Epistles, lessons of warning and encouragement to every age. We must distinguish between
the spiritual coming of Christ and his personal arrival or parousia. The former is progressive, the
latter instantaneous. The coming began with his ascension to heaven (comp. Matt. 26:64:
"Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds
of heaven") and goes on in unbroken succession of judgments and blessings (for "the history of the
world is a judgment of the world"); hence the alternation of action and repose, of scenes of terror
and scenes of joy, of battles and victories. The arrival of the Bridegroom is still in the unknown
future, and may be accelerated or delayed by the free action of the church, but it is as certain as the
first advent of Christ. The hope of the church will not be disappointed, for it rests on the promise
of Him who is called "the Amen, the faithful and true witness" (Rev. 3:14).
Notes.
The Number 666.
The historical understanding of the Apocalypse turns, according to its own statement, chiefly
on the solution of the numerical riddle in the thirteenth chapter, which has tried the wits of
commentators from the time of Irenaeus in the second century to the present day, and is still under
dispute. The history of its solution is a history of the interpretation of the whole book. Hence I
present here a summary of the most important views. First some preliminary remarks.- The text, Apoc. 13:18: "Here is wisdom: he that hath understanding, let him count the
number of the beast; for it is the number of a man (ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν), and the number
is six hundred and sixty-six " χξς̓ orἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἓξ ).
This is the correct reading in the Greek text (supported by Codd. א, A, B (2), P (2), Origen,
Primasius, and Versions), and is adopted by the best editors. Irenaeus (Adv. Haer. v. 30, quoted
also in full by Tischendorf in his edition VIII. critica major) found it "in all the most approved and
ancient copies" (ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς σπουδαίοις καὶ ἀρχαίοις ἀντιγράφοις), and "attested by those who
had themselves seen John face to face." There was, however, in his day, a very remarkable variation,
sustained by Cod. C, and "some" copies, known to, but not approved by, Irenaeus, namely, 616.
(χις̓, i.e.,ἑξακόσιοι δέκα ἓξ) In the Anglo-American revision this reading is noted in the margin. - "The number of a man" may mean either the number of an individual, or of a corporate
person, or a human number (Menschenzahl), i.e., a number according to ordinary human reckoning
(so Bleek, who compares μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, , "the measure of a man," Rev. 21:17, and Isa. 8:1).
Just because the number may be counted in the customary way, the writer could expect the reader
to find it out. He made the solution difficult indeed, but not impossible. Dr. Lee (p. 687) deems it
not inconsistent with a proper view of inspiration that John himself did not know the meaning of
the number. But how could he then ask his less knowing readers to count the number? - The mystic use of numbers (the rabbinical Ghematria, γεωμετρία) was familiar to the
Jews in Babylon, and passed from them to the Greeks in Asia. It occurs in the Cabbala, in the
Sibylline Books (I. 324–331), in the Epistle of Barnabas, and was very common also among the
Gnostic sects (e g., the Abrasax or Abraxas, which signified the unbegotten Father, and the three
hundred and sixty-five heavens, corresponding to the number of days in the year).^1264 It arose from
(^1264) α = 1, β = 2, ρ= 100, α = 1, ξ = 60, α = 1, ς= 200; total, 365. A vast number of engraved stones, called " Abraxas-gems,"
are still extant. The origin of Abraxas is usually ascribed to Basilides or his followers.
A.D. 1-100.