XVI. THE SEVEN VIALS. (1) AND I HEARD... — A great voice is heard out of the temple; it bids the angels pour out their vials “into the earth;” later on (Revelation 16:17) the voice is heard saying, “It is done.” The voice is then said to come from the throne; it seems likely that the voice of the f... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FIRST... — Translate, _And the first went forth,_ &c. The angel which receives the command departs and pours forth his vial upon the earth. All the vials are poured forth “into the earth” (Revelation 16:1) generally; the first angel pours his vial forth upon the earth, that is, the dry land.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE second angel... — Better, _And the second_ (_angel_)_ poured out his vial on the sea, and it became_ blood as of a dead man, and every soul of life died (_even_)_ the things that were in the sea._ The reference to the first of the Egyptian plagues is clear (Exodus 7:20; comp. Revelation 8:8... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE THIRD ANGEL... — The third vial resembles the second in its effects. As it is poured out on the rivers and springs of waters, they become blood. It is not only the great sea which becomes blood, but all the merry streams and babbling brooks which carry their tribute of water seawards also tu... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I HEARD THE ANGEL OF THE WATERS... — That is, the angel who was set over the waters, or the angel who is, on the heavenly side, representative of the waters. (See _Excursus A: On the Angels._) The angel acknowledges God’s righteousness. _Thou art righteous_... _because Thou didst judge these thi... [ Continue Reading ]
(5-7) But this state of things is declared to be a just retribution, and reasonably so; for the corruption arises because the true power of life has been rejected: it is the refusal of the good, the want of the life-giving element, which is the secret of all death, physical, moral, spiritual. “’Tis... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THEY HAVE SHED... — Better, _Because they shed_ (not, “have shed,” but _did shed,_ or _pour out_)_, and blood didst Thou give them; they are worthy._ “For” is to be omitted; the sentence has a startling force without it. They — _i.e.,_ those enemies of all righteousness — are worthy; they receiv... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I HEARD... — Translate, _And I heard_ (not “another out of the altar,” but) _the altar saying, Even so, Lord God the Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments._ The altar beneath which the souls of the martyrs cried, and on which the prayers of saints were offered, is represented as confirm... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FOURTH... — Better, _And the fourth_ (_angel_)_ poured out his vial upon the sun; and it was given to it_ (the “sun,” not the “angel;” the rendering of the English version “unto him is misleading) _to scorch men with fire. And men_ (_i.e.,_ those who were worshippers of the wild beast) _were... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FIFTH... — Better, _The fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne_ (not “the seat:” see Notes on Revelation 4:10; Revelation 13:2) _of the wild beast._ The vials of judgment gradually dissolve the integrity and organisation of the kingdom of the wild beast. The result of the principles... [ Continue Reading ]
But even the failure of their own light does not work repentance: _they gnawed their tongues from their pain._ Here is remorse and suffering. They are “unto themselves” (as the Book of Wisdom describes the Egyptians) “more grievous than the darkness” (Wis. 17:21); but there is no softening or humbli... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SIXTH... — Better, _The sixth_ (_angel_)_ poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates; and its water was dried that the way of the kings who are from the rising of the sun might be prepared._ The symbolical meaning of the Euphrates has been touched upon before. (See Notes on Revelation... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I SAW... — Better, _And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the wild beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs. For they are spirits of demons, doing signs, which go forth upon the kings of the whole world, to gather them... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, I COME... — Translate, _Behold, I come as a thief._ It is the oft-repeated Scripture warning (Revelation 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10. Comp. Luke 12:35). It reminds us not only that our Lord may come unexpectedly, but that He may even come and we be unaware. There is one day when H... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE GATHERED... — Better, _He gathered them together to the place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon._ Armageddon is the mountain of Megiddo. It is the high table-land surrounded by hills which was the great battle-field of the Holy Land. There the fortunes of dynasties and kingdoms have been d... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SEVENTH... — Translate, _And the seventh_ (_angel_)_ poured out his vial upon the air, and there came forth a voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying, It is done._ The results of the outpouring of this vial are described in the following verses; but before these are seen, the voice... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE WERE VOICES... — There is some variety in the order of the words in different MSS. _There were lightnings, and voices, and thunders_ (comp. Revelation 8:5; Revelation 11:19); _there was a great earthquake, such as was not from the time there was a man upon the earth._ The earthquake, which... [ Continue Reading ]
AND EVERY ISLAND FLED. — So wide-spread are the effects of the earthquake; the convulsion tests every spot; there is only one kingdom which cannot be shaken. (Comp. Daniel 2:44; Daniel 6:26; Hebrews 10:28.)... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE FELL.... — _And a great hail, as of a talent in weight, descends from the heaven on men._ There is again a reference to the Egyptian plagues. But we may also call to mind the great defeat of the enemies of Israel at Beth-horon (Joshua 10:1), when “the Lord cast down great stones from heave... [ Continue Reading ]