Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Revelation
Book: Revelation
Chapter: 8
Overview:
The seventh
Seal is opened and
Seven angels appear with
Seven
Trumpets, ready to proclaim the purposes of
God.
(1,2) Another
Angel casts
Fire On the
Earth, which produces terrible storms of
vengeance.
(3-5) The
Seven angels prepare to sound their
Trumpets.
(6) Four sound them.
(7-12) Another
Angel denounces
greater woes to come.
(13)
1-6 The seventh
Seal is opened. There was profound silence in
Heaven for a space; all was quiet in the
Church, for whenever
the
Church On Earth cries through oppression, that cry reaches
up to
Heaven; or it is a silence of expectation.
Trumpets were
given to the angels, who were to sound them. The
Lord Jesus is
the High
Priest of the
Church, having a golden
Censer, and much
Incense,
Fulness of merit in his own glorious person. Would that
men studied to know the
Fulness that is in
Christ, and
endeavoured to be acquainted with his excellency. Would that
they were truly persuaded that
Christ has such an office as that
of Intercessor, which he now performs with
Deep sympathy.
No
prayers, thus recommended, was ever denied hearing and
acceptance. These prayers, thus accepted in
Heaven, produced
great changes upon
Earth. The
Christian Worship and religion,
pure and heavenly in its origin and nature, when sent down to
Earth and conflicting with the passions and worldly projects of
sinful men, produced remarkable tumults, here set forth in
prophetical language, as our
Lord himself declared, Lu 12:49.
7-13 The first
Angel sounded the first trumpet, and there
followed
Hail and
Fire mingled with
Blood. A storm of heresies,
a mixture of dreadful errors falling
On the
Church, or a tempest
of
Destruction. The second
Angel sounded, and a great mountain,
burning with
Fire, was cast into
The Sea; and the third part of
The Sea became
Blood.
By this mountain some understand leaders
of the persecutions; others,
Rome sacked
By the Goths and
Vandals, with great slaughter and cruelty. The third
Angel
sounded, and there fell a
Star from
Heaven. Some take this to be
an eminent
Governor; others take it to be some person in power
who corrupted the churches of
Christ. The doctrines of the
Gospel, the springs of spiritual
Life, comfort, and vigour, to
the souls of men, are corrupted and made
Bitter By the mixture
of dangerous errors,
So that the souls of men find ruin where
they sought refreshment. The fourth
Angel sounded, and
Darkness
fell upon the great lights of
Heaven, that give
Light to the
world, the
Sun, and the
Moon, and the
Stars. The guides and
governors are placed higher than the people, and are to dispense
Light, and kind influences to them. Where the
Gospel comes to a
people, and has not proper effects
On their hearts and lives, it
is followed with dreadful judgments.
God gives
Alarm By the
written
Word,
By ministers,
By men's own consciences, and
By the
signs of the times;
So that if people are surprised, it is their
own fault. The
Anger of
God makes all comforts
Bitter, and even
Life itself burdensome. But
God, in this world, sets bounds to
the most terrible judgments. Corruption of doctrine and
Worship
in the
Church are great judgments, and also are the usual causes
and tokens of other judgments coming
On a people. Before the
other three
Trumpets were sounded, there was solemn warning how
terrible the calamities would be that should follow. If lesser
judgments do not take effect the
Church and the world must
expect greater; and when
God comes to punish the world, the
inhabitants shall tremble before him. Let sinners take warning
to flee from the wrath to come; let believers learn to value and
to be thankful for their privileges; and let them patiently
continue in
Well doing.