R
E V E L A T I O N
CHAP. VIII.
We
have already seen what occurred upon opening six of the seals; we now come to
the opening of the seventh, which introduced the sounding of the seven
trumpets; and a direful scene now opens. Most expositors agree that the seven
seals represent the interval between the apostle's time and the reign of Constantine, but that the seven trumpets are designed to
represent the rise of antichrist, some time after the empire became Christian.
In this chapter we have, I. The preface, or prelude, to the sounding of the
trumpets, ver. 1-6. II. The sounding of four of the trumpets, ver. 7,
&c.).
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The
Seven Trumpets.
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A. D. 95.
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1 And when he had opened the seventh seal,
there was silence in heaven about the space of half a hour. 2 And
I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven
trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having
a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should
offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was
before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came
with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's
hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of
the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and
thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven
angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
In these verses we have the prelude to the sounding of the trumpets in several
parts.
I. The opening of the last seal. This was to introduce a new set of
prophetical iconisms and events; there is a continued chain of providence, one
part linked to another (where one ends another begins), and, though they may
differ in nature and in time, they all make up one wise, well-connected,
uniform design in the hand of God.
II. A profound silence in heaven for the space of half an hour, which
may be understood either, 1. Of the silence of peace, that for this time no
complaints were sent up to the ear of the Lord God of sabaoth; all was quiet
and well in the church, and therefore all silent in heaven, for whenever the
church on earth cries, through oppression, that cry comes up to heaven and
resounds there; or, 2. A silence of expectation; great things were upon the
wheel of providence, and the church of God, both in heaven and earth, stood
silent, as became them, to see what God was doing, according to that of Zech.
ii. 13, Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord, for he has risen up out of
his holy habitation. And elsewhere, Be still, and know that I am God.
III. The trumpets were delivered to the angels who were to sound them. Still
the angels are employed as the wise and willing instruments of divine
Providence, and they are furnished with all their materials and instructions
from God our Saviour. As the angels of the churches are to sound the trumpet
of the gospel, the angels of heaven are to sound the trumpet of Providence,
and every one has his part given him.
IV. To prepare for this, another angel must first offer incense, v. 3.
It is very probable that this other angel is the Lord Jesus, the high priest
of the church, who is here described in his sacerdotal office, having a golden
censer and much incense, a fulness of merit in his own glorious person, and
this incense he was to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, upon
the golden altar of his divine nature. Observe, 1. All the saints are a
praying people; none of the children of God are born dumb, a Spirit of grace
is always a Spirit of adoption and supplication, teaching us to cry, Abba,
Father. Ps. xxxii. 6, For this shall every one that is godly pray unto
thee. 2. Times of danger should be praying times, and so should times of
great expectation; both our fears and our hopes should put us upon prayer,
and, where the interest of the church of God is deeply concerned, the hearts
of the people of God in prayer should be greatly enlarged. 3. The prayers of
the saints themselves stand in need of the incense and intercession of Christ
to make them acceptable and effectual, and there is provision made by Christ
for that purpose; he has his incense, his censer, and his altar; he is all
himself to his people. 4. The prayers of the saints come up before God in a
cloud of incense; no prayer, thus recommended, was ever denied audience or
acceptance. 5. These prayers that were thus accepted in heaven produced great
changes upon earth in return to them; the same angel that in his censer
offered up the prayers of the saints in the same censer took of the fire of
the altar, and cast it into the earth, and this presently caused strange
commotions, voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake;
these were the answers God gave to the prayers of the saints, and tokens of
his anger against the world and that he would do great things to avenge
himself and his people of their enemies; and now, all things being thus
prepared, the angels discharge their duty.
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The
Seven Trumpets.
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A. D. 95.
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7 The first angel sounded, and there followed
hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the
third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with
fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life,
died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10 And the
third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it
were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the
fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called
Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died
of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth
angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part
of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was
darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night
likewise. 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the
midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of
the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels,
which are yet to sound!
Observe, I. The first angel sounded the first trumpet, and the events
which followed were very dismal: There followed hail and fire mingled with
blood, &c., v. 7. There was a terrible storm; but whether it is
to be understood of a storm of heresies, a mixture of monstrous errors falling
on the church (for in that age Arianism prevailed), or a storm or tempest of
war falling on the civil state, expositors are not agreed. Mr. Mede takes it
to be meant of the Gothic inundation that broke in upon the empire in the year
395, the same year that Theodosius died, when the northern nations, under
Alaricus, king of the Goths, broke in upon the western parts of the empire.
However, here we observe, 1. It was a very terrible storm-fire, and hail, and
blood: a strange mixture! 2. The limitation of it: it fell on the third
part of the trees, and on the third part of the grass, and blasted
and burnt it up; that is, say some, upon the third part of the clergy
and the third part of the laity; or, as others who take it to fall upon
the civil state, upon the third part of the great men, and upon the
third part of the common people, either upon the Roman empire itself,
which was a third part of the then known world, or upon a third part of that
empire. The most severe calamities have their bounds and limits set them by
the great God.
II. The second angel sounded, and the alarm was followed, as in the
first, with terrible events: A great mountain burning with fire was cast
into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood, v. 8. By
this mountain some understand the leader or leaders of the heretics; others,
as Mr. Mede, the city of Rome, which was five times sacked by the Goths and
Vandals, within the compass of 137 years; first by Alaricus, in the year 410,
with great slaughter and cruelty. In these calamities, a third part of the
people (called here the sea or collection of waters) were destroyed: here was
still a limitation to the third part, for in the midst of judgment God
remembers mercy. This storm fell heavy upon the maritime and merchandizing
cities and countries of the Roman empire.
III. The third angel sounded, and the alarm had the like effects as
before: There fell a great star from heaven, &c., v. 10.
Some take this to be a political star, some eminent governor, and they apply
it to Augustulus, who was forced to resign the empire to Odoacer, in the year
480. Others take it to be an ecclesiastical star, some eminent person in the
church, compared to a burning lamp, and they fix it upon Pelagius, who
proved about this time a falling star, and greatly corrupted the churches of
Christ. Observe, 1. Where this star fell: Upon a third part of the rivers,
and upon the fountains of waters. 2. What effect it had upon them; it
turned those springs and streams into wormwood, made them very bitter, that
men were poisoned by them; either the laws, which are springs of civil
liberty, and property, and safety, were poisoned by arbitrary power, or the
doctrines of the gospel, the springs of spiritual life, refreshment, and
vigour to the souls of men, were so corrupted and embittered by a mixture of
dangerous errors that the souls of men found their ruin where they sought for
their refreshment.
IV. The fourth angel sounded, and the alarm was followed with further
calamities. Observe, 1. The nature of this calamity; it was darkness; it fell
therefore upon the great luminaries of the heaven, that give light to the
world--the sun, and the moon, and the stars, either the guides and
governors of the church, or of the state, who are placed in higher orbs than
the people, and are to dispense light and benign influences to them. 2. The
limitation: it was confined to a third part of these luminaries; there was
some light both of the sun by day, and of the moon and stars by night, but it
was only a third part of what they had before. Without determining what is
matter of controversy in these points among learned men, we rather choose to
make these plain and practical remarks:-- (1.) Where the gospel comes to a
people, and is but coldly received, and has not its proper effects upon their
hearts and lives, it is usually followed with dreadful judgments. (2.) God
gives warning to men of his judgments before he sends them; he sounds an alarm
by the written word, by ministers, by men's own consciences, and by the signs
of the times; so that, if a people be surprised, it is their own fault. (3.)
The anger of God against a people makes dreadful work among them; it embitters
all their comforts, and makes even life itself bitter and burdensome. (4.) God
does not in this world stir up all his wrath, but sets bounds to the most
terrible judgments. (5.) Corruptions of doctrine and worship in the church are
themselves great judgments, and the usual causes and tokens of other judgments
coming on a people.
V. Before the other three trumpets are sounded here is solemn warning given to
the world how terrible the calamities would be that should follow them, and
how miserable those times and places would be on which they fell, v.
13. 1. The messenger was an angel flying in the midst of heaven, as in
haste, and coming on an awful errand. 2. The message was a denunciation of
further and greater woe and misery than the world had hitherto endured. Here
are three woes, to show how much the calamities coming should exceed those
that had been already, or to hint how every one of the three succeeding
trumpets should introduce its particular and distinct calamity. If less
judgments do not take effect, but the church and the world grow worse under
them, they must expect greater. God will be known by the judgments that he
executes; and he expects, when he comes to punish the world, the
inhabitants thereof should tremble before him.
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