2 And I saw an 4 2-4. And whilst this was a doing, I saw another other angel ascend- angel coming on a message from Christ, (intituled the ing from the east, having the seal of cast or rising sun, see note [s] Luke i, and note [f] the living God: and Rev. xvi,) with a writing sealed (an ordinance or he cried with a loud commission from God) in his hand, that they proceed voice to the four an- not to any such act of mischief till the believers, or gels, to whom it was orthodox, pure, steady Christians be sealed, that is, earth and the sea; put into a safe condition, that they partake not in that 3 Saying, Hurt not destruction. And these that are thus sealed, and so the earth, neither the preserved, though they are a very small, despicable sea, nor the trees, number in respect of the far greater number of those till we have [c]seal- that were destroyed, only a remnant, as Noah's family God in their fore- of the old world, or Lot's of Sodom, (see Luke xvii. 27. 29, and note [] Matt. xxiv,) are yet fourteen 4 And I heard myriads and four thousand, that is, a great number, which were sealed: (not precisely so many, or just twelve thousand and and there were seal- no more, of every tribe;) and these were by God's ed an [d] hundred appointment to be secured before the judgments were and forty and four to break out upon that people. 5 ed the servants of our heads. the number of them thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. 9 After this I be- 9. After this immediately I saw all the orthodox, held, and, lo, a great pure, constant Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles, multitude, which no every where dispersed, of all nations, that had conman could number, of all nations, and tinued thus long under persecution of the Jews, (see kindreds, and peo- ver. 14,) looking up with faith and constancy to ple, and tongues, Christ, attending this vengeance of God on the unbestood before the lieving Jews, and owned and acknowledged and rethrone, and before warded by God as those that had stuck to the faith the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and and persevered constantly, Matt. xxiv. 13, though palms in their hands; they had not resisted unto blood, Heb. xii. 4. 10. And these praised God for his deliverance, (as a loud voice, saying, the martyrs called for vengeance, ch. vi. 9,) acknow[e] Salvation to our God which sitteth ledging all their delivery to be imputable, as a most upon the throne, and remarkable act of mercy, to God the Father, and to unto the Lamb. Christ, on whom they have believed. IO And cried with angels stood round II And all the 11, 12. And a multitude of angels stood waiting about the throne, on God, and encompassing the bishops of Judæa, and about the elders (which were, together with the apostles, to be gone and the four beasts, out of the country at this time, and so to partake of and fell before the this delivery,) and they joined with them in this throne on their faces, rejoicing and blessing of God. and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 13 And one of the 13. And methought one of the bishops asked me, elders answered, say- who I thought those were (or whence) that were in ing unto me, What the white garments of unspotted innocence, ver. 9. are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said un 14. And I told him I knew not, desiring him to tell to him, Sir, thou me. And he told me, saying, These are the confessors (though not martyrs), ver. 9, that ventured their knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of lives for Christ in the confessing him constantly. great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they 15. Who shall therefore live to enjoy some tran 6 every nation, and tribes, παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ φυλῶν. 7 living creatures. before the throne of quillity and peaceable assembling to serve him in the God, and serve him church: (see 2 Thess. ii. 1, and Rev. v. 10.) day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hun 16. They shall no more be persecuted or restrained ger no more, neither from assemblies: (see Isaiah xlix. 10.) thirst any more; nei ther shall the sun 17 For the Lamb of the throne 10 shall 17. But live peaceably in Christ's fold, (see psalm which is in the midst xxiii. 2;) and having sown in tears, they shall now feed them, and shall reap in joy the fruits of their patience and perseverlead them unto liv- ance, (see Isaiah xxv. 8,) a peaceable time of serving ing fountains of wa- God. (Such as the Christians had in the days of ters: and God shall Vespasian and Titus after the destruction of the Jews.) wipe away all tears from their eyes. lence in heaven about hour. CHAP. VIII. AND when he had 1. And after these six rolls and seals, ch. vi, conopened the seventh taining the several previous judgments that were to seal, there was [a]si- fall on the unbelieving Jews, and the prodigies forethe space of half an going, and predictions of utter destruction that should fall upon them, follows now the seventh roll and seal, 2 And I saw the and on the opening of that there was a representation seven angels which of the service in the temple at the time of offering inand to them were giv- cense. For, first, I perceived an universal silence for en seven [a] trump- half an hour, that is, the people praying by themselves silently in the court, (as they are wont to do while 3 And another an- the high priest is offering in the sanctuary.) stood before God; ets. gel came and stood at the altar, having 2. And the seven angels or officers that waited on a [a] golden censer; God, ch. i. 4, like so many priests in the temple, and there was given sounded their trumpets. cense, that he should unto him much in- 3, 4. And another angel, as the high priest, offered 1 offer it with the up the incense with which the people's prayers are prayers of all saints supposed to ascend to God. By this, signifying the upon the golden al- prayers of all faithful people, persecuted by these obtar which was before durate Jews, to have come to God's ears, and to have found admission there. 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. 2 filled it with fire of earthquake. 5 And the angel 5. And as an effect or consequent of that, that is, took the censer, and of that persecution, and their prayers for deliverance, the altar, and cast it (not for this vengeance,) it is, that the angel fills his 3 into the earth: and censer with fire from the altar of burnt offerings, that there were [b]voices, is, with the wrath of God, (so oft expressed in the and thunderings, and prophets by fire,) and that wrath consuming, (such lightnings, and an as the fire that consumed the burnt sacrifice totally,) 6 And the seven and cast it upon all Judæa; and the effects of that angels which had the were voices, and thunders, (that is, noise of thunders,) seven trumpets pre- and lightnings, and earthquake, that is, great, heavy, pared themselves to sudden, wasting judgments upon that people, repre7 The first angel sented here in general, but particularly set down in sounded, and there the consequents of the sounding the seven trumpets. 4 followed hail and 6. Then the seven angels set their trumpets to their [c] fire mingled with mouths, every one, and were ready to blow, and did blood, and they were cast upon the earth: so, one after another, each of which had a several 6 and the third part signification in it. sound. angel sounded, and of trees was burnt 7. And when the first sounded, I saw falling upon up, and all [d]green Judæa hail and fire mingled with blood, a fit emblem grass was burnt up; of seditions and commotions, and they fell upon 8 And the second Judæa, and wasted it in a bloody manner; and the as it were a great obedient, meek, pious Christians that would not join mountain burning with them in their seditious practices were terribly with [c]fire was cast plundered and wasted by them. And this fell heavily [e]third part of the upon the tetrarchate of Abylene (see note [b] ch. vii.) as well as upon into the sea: and the sea became blood; Judæa. 9 And the third 8. And upon the second angel's sounding there was part of the creatures another representation of a great multitude of the which were in the sea, same or like seditious persons rising in Galilee, and and the third part of the suppressing of them cost a great deal of blood, the ships were de- consumed a great multitude of Galilæans, and had life, died; stroyed. 9. Made a great destruction of men, and vastation 10 And the third of the most eminent cities there: (see note [e].) angel sounded, and there fell a great 10, 11. And upon the sounding of the third, an star from heaven, eminent person, taking upon him to be a captain [c]burning as it were among them, and drawing many after him, raised a a lamp, and it fell sedition in the lesser cities and towns of Galilee: (see upon the third part note [e].) And this sedition was a bitter, pernicious upon the fountains one to those that joined in it, brought a force from the Romans, slew a great multitude more in those parts of the rivers, and of waters; II And the name of Galilee. of the star is call ed [f] Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became 2 from the fire of the altar, ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ θυσ. 3 on the land, εἰς τὴν γῆν. 4 was, 5 land, yv. ἐγένετο. 6 The King's MS. reads, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς γῆς κατεκάη, καὶ TρíTOV Twv dévopwv, and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees. wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth 12. And upon the sounding of the fourth, I saw angel sounded, and the representation of a great judgment falling upon the [9]third part of the holy city, a siege and attempt on Jerusalem itself. 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 7 shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. 13 And I beheld, 13. And a prophet denouncing three horrible woes and heard an angel against the whole nation, which should particularly flying through the be set down in the three representations which should midst of heaven, say-be ushered in by the three other angels still behind, ing with a loud voice, [h]Woe, woe, woe, which would not be long before they sounded; the to the inhabiters of first of them belonging to the forerunners immediately 9 the earth by reason before the last siege and destruction of Jerusalem; of the other voices the second, to that siege itself; the third, to the sad three angels, which events following it. 8 of the trumpet of the 10 are yet to sound! AND the fifth angel sounded, and I saw [a]a star fall from heaven unto the CHAP. IX. 1. And upon the sounding of the fifth trumpet, I saw him that was before, (ch. viii. 10,) the leader of the seditious, or some other that succeeded in his earth and to him place, and he became a ringleader of most hellish was given the key of villainies, which, under the title of zealots, did all the the bottomless pit. mischief imaginable. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; 2. And they marched up to Jerusalem, and seized and there arose a upon the temple there, killed the high priests and the smoke out of the pit, rest of the priests, and plundered the city. as the smoke of a great 3 furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came 3. And these became as locusts, great wasters and out of the smoke lo- devourers, and were in other respects peculiarly like custs 'upon the earth: locusts, which, having no king, go out by bands, and unto them was Prov. xxx. 27; and such were these, a company of given power, as the scorpions of the giddy, wild people, in great numbers, harassing and earth have power. devouring all. 7 appeared not the third part of it, μὴ φαίνῃ τὸ τρίτον αὐτῆς. King's MS. reads aeroû. sound, μελλόντων σαλπ. 8 Or, eagle: for the 10 ready to 9 the land from the rest, yns èk tŵv Xoitŵv. 1 the star that was fallen from heaven on the land. 2 well 4 into the land, εἰς τὴν γῆν. of the abyss, φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου. 3 chimney, καμίνου. |