Revelation 20:9

πῦρ … εἰς τὴν λίμνην. א* omits.

ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. So Text. Rec[762] Treg[763] W. H[764] marg. with אcP vg[765] syr[766]; Lach[767] Tisch[768] W. H[769] Weiss ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ with A and Primas[770] transcript of Aug., who seems to have read ἀπο τοῦ θεοῦ after ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ with B2 cop[771] arm[772][762] Rec. Textus Receptus as printed by Scrivener.

[763] Tregelles.
[764] H. Westcott aud Hort.
[765] Vulgate.
[766] Syriac.
[767] Lachmann’s larger edition.
[768] Tischendorf: eighth edition; where the text aud notes differ the latter are cited.
[769] H. Westcott aud Hort.
[770] Primasius, edited by Haussleiter.
[771] Coptic.
[772] Armenian.

9. καὶ�. The Seer does not pass easily over the immense space of time during which the world is too happy to have a history. He sees the establishment of the earthly kingdom of Christ, and foretells its end: it is only gradually that he comes to see the end also brought before his view as present.

ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος τῆς γῆς. The breadth of the land. They overspread the whole land of Israel, against which, as we see from the next clause, their attack is directed.

τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῶν ἁγίων. Possibly “the army,” as in Hebrews 11:34; here all English translators have “the camp” with A. V[784]

[784] Authorised Version.

τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἠγαπημένην, i.e. Jerusalem, which, it appears from this place only, will be the seat and capital of the millennial kingdom. It appears that in the popular millennial anticipations, which discredited the literal interpretation of this prophecy, this localisation of the kingdom was much insisted on, and it was even thought that the Jewish law and the sacrificial worship would be revived. This of course is utterly incredible to an orthodox Christian: but there is no difficulty in supposing that the Kingdom of God may literally have an earthly centre in the Holy City and the Holy Land. Even if the literal view be not taken, the prophecy can hardly imply less than a future purity of the Church far exceeding the present; and it may be that this purified Church will recognise a better Papacy at Jerusalem, one not too proud to learn either from the excellences or from the faults of the Roman.

καὶ κατέβη πῦρ. Cf. 2 Kings 1:10, and ch. Revelation 11:5, and even Revelation 13:13. This does not agree with the description of Gog’s overthrow in Ezekiel 39, where the army lie slain till they are buried, and their weapons are broken up for firewood.

Remarkable as it is that St Irenaeus appears to say nothing of the loosing of Satan, it is still more remarkable that St Hippolytus is known (Hermathena Vol. VI. p. 404) to have laid down in his work against Caius that the destruction of Gog and Magog was to precede that of Antichrist.