a.  An  announcing  angel  prodaims  the
past  downfall  and  prospective  perrrianent
desolation  of  Babylon,  1-3.
After  these  things — ^After  John's
return  from  his  visit  to  the  wilder-
ness to  obtain  a  view  of  the  harlot;
see  last  chapter.  He  returns,  as  ap-
pears by  xix,  4,  to  the  temple,  the
scene  of  chapter  iv,  where  are  the
throne,  the  elders,  and  the  "four
beasts.**  Earth  was  lightened  with
his  glory — A  beautiful  image.  So
luminous  was  his  person  that  the  earth
was  made  luminous  around  him.
2.  He  cried. .  .with  a  strong  voice
— As  announcing  a  stupendous  event  I
The  words  that  wore  prophecy  in
xiv,  8,  are  now  become  history.  Dev-
ils— Demons.  See  note  on  xvi,  14.
The  idea  occurs  more  than  once  ^n
Scripture — and  wo  do  not  know  tint  it
was  an  illusion — that  there  are  invisi-
ble "as  well  as  visible  beings  to  whom
solitudes  and  desolations  are  a  conge-
nial abode.  If  devils  haunt  human
society,  why  may  they  not  haunt  the
deserts?  Perhaps  the  devils  which
seduced  the  living  populations  of  Bab-
ylon still  haunted  the  scenes  ^aftcr  the
populations  were  no  more.  Hateful
bird  —  Averse  from  the  society  of
man,  and  at  home  amid  damp  and  des-
olation.
452


REVELATION.
A.  D.  95.
chants  of  the  earth  are  waxed  rich
through  the » abuudnnce  of  her  del-
icacies. 4  And  I  heard  another
voice  from  heaven,  saying,  '•Come
out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be
not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that
ye  receive  not  of  her  plagues.
