24.  And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

V. 24.—­When the Lord “maketh inquisition for blood,” the “blood of all that were slain upon the earth,”—­for Christ’s sake, will be found in the skirts of this Jezebel.  Papal Rome has shed more innocent blood than pagan Rome; than Babylon, Tyre and Egypt; and by her relentless cruelty to “prophets and saints,” ministers and members of the witnessing church, she has endorsed all the murderous persecutions from Abel down to the present day. (Luke xi. 50, 51; Acts vii. 52.)—­Now when we contemplate in the light of prophecy, confirmed by authentic history, the numberless, aggravated and long-continued crimes of Babylon the great, her pride, (v. 7,) her cruelty, (v. 3,) her luxury, her tyranny, her idolatry, her fornication, her impenitence in all,—­can we hesitate to acquiesce in the righteousness of her final doom, or to join in the plaudits of the saints in the next chapter?

CHAPTER XIX.

1.  And after these things, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 

2.  For true and righteous are his judgments:  for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3.  And again they said, Alleluia.  And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4.  And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

Vs. 1-4.—­The frequent repetition of the Hebrew word “Alleluia” in this chapter, may perhaps be an intimation of something which specially relates to the Jews.  The perpetuity of the covenant made with Abraham, renewed to Isaac, and confirmed to Jacob, (Ps. cv. 9, 10,) is clearly taught in the Scriptures. (Gen. xvii. 7; Acts ii. 39; Rom. iv. 13; Gal. iii. 14, 29.)

It has been already intimated, (ch. xi. 15,) that at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, “there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he (Christ,) shall reign for ever and ever.”  Beholding the overthrow of Babylon, all the people of God were invited, (ch. xviii. 20,) to “rejoice over her,” for her downfall was effected under the last trumpet and vial.  With that invitation the saints here joyfully comply. “Much people in heaven,” implies a great augmentation of their number, and as “heaven” signifies the church on earth, we are warranted to expect a rapid increase of her membership as the consequence of the sounding of the seventh trumpet.—­At the pouring out of the third vial, (ch. xvi. 7,) the angel of the altar said, “True and righteous are thy judgments.”  The very same sentiment is repeated here by the “much