Revelation 8

Notes

Ver. 1. The half hour's silence in heaven may either denote the awful expectation of what was to follow, or the short calm during the last fifteen years of Constantine's reign, A.D. 323-337. 2, 6. The sounding of the trumpets supposes a church to hear the alarm, and denotes threatening appearances of fearful calamities. 3, 4. Christ's being here represented as standing at the golden altar, and offering up the prayers of his saints, imports that it is only through his merits and intercession that the prayers of saints are heard, for their own protection, or the punishment of their implacable enemies. 5. His casting a censer full of burning coals from off the brazen altar upon the earth, denotes his furious infliction of fearful but just judgments on the Roman empire, which had so corrupted the Christian faith, worship, and manners; and the terrible tempest which followed, denotes the fearful and alarming calamities which his wrath produced. 7-12. The hail and fire mingled with blood cast upon the earth under the first trumpet, may denote the schism of the Donatists, and especially the prevalence of the Arian heresy, with the dreadful contentions, bloody persecutions, and destruction of souls thereby produced in the church; the bloody wars between Constantine's sons and the different usurpers; and the barbarous ravages of the Goths and others in the empire, A.D. 338-379. The burning mountain cast into the sea, under the second trumpet, may denote the terrible contentions about precedency in the church, and the bloody persecutions raised by bishops against one another, which banished lively religion from among all ranks in the church; and the terrible ravages of the empire in France and Spain by the Goths and Vandals; the repeated ravages of Italy by the Goths under Rhadagaisus and Alaric, and the burning of Rome by the latter, A.D. 308-412. The flaming star called wormwood falling on and poisoning the rivers and fountains, may denote the Nestorian and Eutychian errors, but especially the Pelagian heresy, corrupting the doctrines of Christ to the spiritual and eternal ruin of multitudes in the church; the ravages of the Huns under Attila, and the ravages of Italy by the Vandals under Genseric in 455, and of the Goths, Heruli, and others under Odoacer, who, about 476, twice took and plundered Rome, deposed Augustulus the last emperor, and established a kingdom of his own, A.D. 413-492. The darkening of the sun, moon, and stars, under the fourth trumpet, denotes the introduction of superstition, along with Pelagian and Semipelagian errors, till the Scripture was quite obscured, and ordinances and ministers quite corrupted, in the church; and the terrible wars between Justinian the Greek emperor and the Goths, and the fearful pestilences and famines that attended them, which issued in depriving Rome of all its remains of ancient power and authority, and rendering it subject to the exarchate of Ravenna, A.D. 493-568.

Ver. 3. The imagery of the angel with the 'golden censer,' 'incense,' and 'fire off the altar,' seems to be taken from the high-priest on the day of expiation, Le. 16. 12, 29-34; and the angel who presents 'the prayers of the saints' can be no other than 'the angel of the covenant,' 'the angel of the Lord,' our great 'High-priest' in heaven, who 'ever liveth to make intercession' for his church, and is now 'waiting till his enemies be made his footstool.' C.

Ver. 5. The fire being cast 'into the earth'—the Jewish state and Roman empire—intimates a prophetic transition from ecclesiastical to civil affairs. See ver. 7. C.

Ver. 8. The only mountain mentioned in Scripture as 'burning with fire' is Sinai, Ex. 19. 18; 24. 17; De. 4. 11: 5. 23-26; and consequently seems to be the prophetic emblem of the divine word falling as a judgment upon the mingled nations of the Roman empire, because of their hatred of truth and love of idolatry. Like Pharaoh's, their hearts were hardened by the gospel message, and like Pharaoh they were punished by war, pestilence, and the destruction of their commerce. See Mat. 10. 34-36; Da. 2. 34,35. C.

Reflections.—The peaceful periods of the church on earth are ordinarily but very short. But infinite is the mercy that Jesus perpetually stands before his Father's throne making intercession for his people, and offering up their prayers with acceptance, on the ground of his own finished and meritorious righteousness; and that though the most fearful judgments be inflicted on nations and churches for the contempt of him, they are all regulated according to his and his people's requests. He loudly warns men before he severely strikes them. But if once his wrath begin to burn, dreadful are his judgments on both churches and states. And terrible, but still limited, storms and floods of his just vengeance come one after another. Never dare my soul to contemn or refuse him; never dare to live carnally and earthly; never dare to provoke him to jealousy. Am I stronger than he?