Chapters 8 & 9: The Opening of the Seven Seals
Taylor Marshall’s Commentary on Chapters 8 & 9
The next video presents Chapters 8 and 9 (36:35 minutes). The seventh seal is opened and with this the really serious things are loosed onto mankind. These in turn are released by seven angels with trumpets.
The events that the angels release in order are:
- “[T]here 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.”
- A “great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 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.”
- “[T]here 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; … and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”
- [T]he 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.”
- A “star fall[s] from heaven unto the earth … the bottomless pit … opened … and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. … And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth …”.
- “… four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.”
I do want to mention that the seal placed on the forehead of believers represents, according to Taylor, both baptism and confirmation, both of which are required to receive the sacrament.
Pastor Paul LeBoutillier’s Commentary on Chapters 8 & 9
Here is his video (47:51 minutes).
Additional Commentaries on Chapter 8
- Matthew Henry’s Commentary
- Gill’s Exposition
- Pulpit Commentary
- Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Additional Commentaries on Chapter 9
- Matthew Henry’s Commentary
- Gill’s Exposition
- Pulpit Commentary
- Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
My Comments:
Trumpets, as Taylor notes in Chapter 16, are used to sound a warning. So the afflictions listed are not executed at this point but only issued as a warning. The execution of afflictions occurs in chapter 16. If this, if the case, helps reduce the confusion by the apparent repetition of apocalyptic events in different parts of the book.
An Interjection of Science
Ben Davidson is a polymath who publishes a YouTube channel called SuspiciousObservers. He follows the papers published in scientific journals on cosmology, astrophysics, climate, geo-sciences, paleontology and solar physics. He has constructed a model of events that posit a solar micro-nova every 12,000 years. He has a series of dozens of videos explaining the events that lead up to this periodic catastrophe.
He tracks the changes observed in the planets of our solar system and the sun which support his hypothesis. This includes especially, the collapse of the earth’s magnetic field and the magnetic pole shift underway. The solar effects are primarily due to a wave of interstellar dust that the solar system passes through every 12,000 years. At its peak the accumulation of dust by the gravitational field of the sun culminates in the building of a shell of material around the sun that prevents the sun’s energy (light) from escaping. The sun goes dark for a few days before the accumulated pressure in the sun’s atmosphere blows the shell off in a blinding cascade of energy and shell fragments that disperse throughout the solar system. The result is a shower of shell fragments, large and small, which bombard the earth’s surface. Also, the interstellar dust is in part, the debris from super novae in which the heavy elements are created. Thus, the earth could receive a dose of heavy metals that could poison surface waters.
If his hypothesis is correct – and scientific papers continually strengthen it – virtually all of the effects of the seven trumpet soundings are explained. The conjectured solar events have other effects including great earthquakes, volcanism, crustal shifts and deformations, and mega-tsunamis.
He estimates this event will occur in the late 2030’s or 2040’s. That’s about 2 decades away.
I have presented this information because it offers an explanation of apocalyptic events in terms that we today might understand but people in John’s time would not. Rather they were given descriptions that they would be able to understand. The risk in this for us is that by describing events from a scientific perspective we would not recognize God’s hand in them and therefore repent and turn to him.
Chapters 10 & 11: Two Witnesses
Taylor Marshall’s Commentary on Chapters 10 & 11
The result of the seventh angel blowing its trumpet are presented (55:06 minutes).
Taylor takes the popular interpretation of the two witnesses as being Enoch and Elijah to confront and be killed by the Antichrist.
Pastor Paul LeBoutillier’s Commentary on Chapters 10 & 11
Here is his video (43:19 minutes).
Additional Commentaries on Chapter 10
- Matthew Henry’s Commentary
- Gill’s Exposition
- Pulpit Commentary
- Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Additional Commentaries on Chapter 11
- Matthew Henry’s Commentary
- Gill’s Exposition
- Pulpit Commentary
- Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
My Comments:
A point that stood out for me is that of the New Covenant which is given to us through the sacrament of the Eucharist.
As I review this article at a later date I have a focus on Israel and Jerusalem in the contest of the current October 7th war. In chapter 11, there is the temple of the times. However, as with much in the bible, it prefigures future events. Today, the temple does not yet exist. I expect it could be rebuilt soon. In the passage, Jerusalem is under control of non-Israelites (Gentiles), which presumably means Muslims today, for 3 1/2 years. Whether concurrent or subsequent to this are two witnesses who preach the Word for 3 1/2 years.
I read a small part of Ellicott’s Commentary. He offered the idea that-some of the prophecy today might be more usefully understood as symbolism For example, the temple might represent all of Christianity today. The inner and outer courts might then represent true Christians and nominal Christians. Of course both interpretations may be true concurrently.
Articles in This Series
Refer to the series index in A New Direction.
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