The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 208

(d) The nature or the seventh -1 is un- that the Chureh'11 prnyers are offered by disoloeed, and Ulia is t.e a certain stent means of an angel, prefer to belieTe that paralleled iu the trumpets by the Bilenoe Chrillt himself is indicated. (Thwi Eade, Elliott, Primasius, Yitringa.) But, besides ooncerning the third and last woe. that the difficulty has no real existenoo, the (e) In eo11110nance with the general pur- same expression ooours in di. vii. 2, where Jl''IW of the trumpet&, there is no preliminary there Is no doubt of its meaning. Moreover, 11111urance of victory as with the first &eal ; in no passage of the book is our Lord repre- UiiB is reserved to the end. sented under the form of an angel. With re ~ard to the office of lhe angels, Alford (6) Several reasons may be suggested for remarks (while supporting the view that · the employment of the figure of trumpeu, the word here bears the ordinary significa- by which t.o announoe each vision. tion), "They are simply A•1-ro11n,a:ri .,...{,. (a) It was the instrument in W!e among ,.,,_'T,s, and the action here described is 11 the Israelites for BSsembling people, either portion of that their ministry. Through icloo,n the prayers are offered, we all know. for Wlll"like or peaceful purpoaes (ef. Numb. He is our only Mediator and channel of J:. 1, 9, 10). grace." So also Wordsworth, "The angel (b) It we.s thWI intimately connected with :Is not here represented as giving ejloocg to l!Olemn proclamations or the delivery of God's the prayers of all saint.a, l,mt as taking part messages of judgment or waming, and ill in them. There is a communication of prayer between aU saints (namely, the sainte d&- thus used in the New Testament in desorib- plll"ted, and the saints on earth), and the ing the judgment-day ( ef. Lev. xxv. 9; Amos holy angel, in heaven." And stood e.t the iii. 6; 1 Cor. xv. 52: 1 Thess. iv. 16). altar. The Revisers, aeeepting the reading (n) The use of trnmpete on seven days at of tot, B, C, Andreas, adopt over the altar~· the destruction of J erieho, the type of all The Authorized reading follows A, P, 1, 17, 86. Alford remarks, "'Er! with g_enltive, that is worldly, may have suggested the form ·not simply juzta, nor ante, but 1uper; ll(t of the vision here, in the announcement of that hill form appelll"ed above it." Th£ allar the jndgment and destrneuon of the world. has been already mentioned (eh. vi. 9). ·. If the view there taken be correct, and the Ver. 2.-And I aaw the teVm angell brazen 1Jltar of sacrifloe intended, the two whieh atood before God; and to them were altars mentioned in this verse are riot iden- given even trumpets; whicTutaml(Bevised. tical; the eeoond represents the golden altar Version). "And I saw" introduces the new of incense whieh stood before the veil vision, 811 in eh. v. 1; vi. 1, eta. Probably {Exod. ux. 6), but which now stands before not during the WllflU (as Alford). but sub- the throne of God, the veil having disap- sequent to i l " The seven angels" probably peared. This view BlllllDI to be the ~ refers t.o a particular order of angels, or one. The BOOOnd altar is diatinguisbeil rather t.o tliOBe with a e.pecial mission; from the first by ihe addition of the qw,.lffl- though, with our limited knowledge, it is eation, "which was before the throne,.. u impoaible t.o determine e:xaetly who they well as by the epithet "golden"-faots wl!icJ-. are or what their mission is. The pasaage are not [Jlentioned in connection with ,he in Tobit ni. 15 is so similar as to be at throne alluded to in oh. vi. 9. The· order onoe 8Jlggested: "I am Raphael, one of the of evenls followed here, though not given aeven holy angels which present the prayers in minute detail, resembles the c e ~ of the se.ints." But here lhe •even do not of the Jewish worship. In the temple, the present the prayers of the saint.a, but IJfWiher priest took burning ooals from o:ll" the brazen angel does so ( var. 3). :pe W ette and others altar, and proceeded to the altar of ineen&4!, think the 8IJ1lffl are archangels (ef. 1 Theas. on which to bum incense (Lev. xvi. 12, 18). iv. 16, "With the voioe of the archangel, and There appeare to be a kind of progrearioa with the trump of God"). Arethas,. Ewald, in the insight which the seer aff'ords 11B of ete. identify them with "the seven Spirits of the heavenly worship. In eh. iv. 1 a door (i;;J" (oh. i. 4; iv. 5 ~ v. 6). Others incline is opened, and St. John sees into heaven; to the opinion that the IIBVffl are only dis- he ill. as it were, without the sanctuary. ID. tinguished from the other angels by being this place he i11 permitted t.o advanee in hill the seven who sonnd the trumpets, just as vision within the sa.notue.ry, and to observe four others are alluded to in eh. vii. L · (On the golden altar. In eh. n. 19 and xv. 5 the use of the number -n. aee above; also the most holy ple.ee is disclosed, and tke on eh. i. 4; v. 1, etc.) ark of the oovenant is seen. Alford and Ver. 3.-And another angel co.me. No Diisterdieek believe only one alw is ~ particular angel ia speoified. Some writers, mentioned, and identify it with that of eh. uable to accept the passage a■ meaning vi. 9. De Wette, Heogstenh11rg, WOid.- 232 THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DtvlNE. [OB. vm. 1-13.