t the world, a decided victory over it. The words:
"_Over her assemblies_," show that the whole life of the people shall
then bear a religious character, and shall be a continual service of
God, comp. Acts ii. 42, where, as a type of the completion of the
Church, it is said: "And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles'
doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."
[Hebrew: mqra] is only the name for that which is called, "the
assembly," and stands in Levit. xxiii. and Is. i. 13 of the religious
assemblies which were held on the holy days, comp. my pamphlet: _Ueber
den Tag des Herrn S_. 32. The same phenomenon is, according to its
appearance by day, designated, at the same time, as _clouds_ and
_smoke_. Smoke is never "vapour, vapoury clouds" (_Knobel_); and here
the smoke by day corresponds with the _flaming fire_ by night. If then
the smoke can be considered as a product of the fire only (comp. my
remarks on Rev. xv. 8), the cloud cannot come into consideration
according to its matter, but according to its form only. The smoke
assumes the form of a cloud which affords protection from the burning
sun of tribulations, as once, in the burning desert, from the scorching
heat of the natural sun, comp. Num. x. 34: "And the cloud of the Lord
was upon them;" Ps. cv. 39: "He spread a cloud for a covering;" Is.
xxv. 5. The cloud which thus affords protection to the Church turns a
threatening face towards her enemies. Rev. xv. 8.--The words: "_For
above all glory is a covering_," point to the ground of the protecting,
gracious presence of God in the Church. Several interpreters explain
the sense thus: "As we cover and preserve precious things more
carefully, in order that they may not be injured, so does God in His
grace surround His Church, which has been adorned with glorious
virtues, and raised to the high dignity of the saints of God, and
protects her from every danger." Others understand by [Hebrew: kl-kbvd]
the whole glory mentioned in the preceding context; but in that case we
should expect the article. One may also supply the limitation: For, _in
the Kingdom of God_, there is a covering over all glory.

[Pg 25]

Ver. 6. God--this is the same sense--protects His Church from every
danger and calamity. By His gracious presence in His Sprout, He affords
to them that protection which a hut does from sun, storms, and rain.
Luther says: "In this passage, accordingly, Christ is held up to us as
He who i