John saw these souls as if they were collected under the altar - the place where the sacrifice for sin was made - offering their supplications. We are to remember, however, that the temple and the altar were both destroyed before the time when this book was written, and this should, therefore, be regarded merely as a vision. This stood in front of the temple, and it was on this that the daily sacrifice was made. The altar here referred to was probably the former. (1) the position of the martyrs - "under the altar." There were in the temple at Jerusalem two altars - the altar of burnt sacrifices, and the altar of incense. (d) the command to wait patiently a little time. (b) their invocation - or their prayer that they might be avenged The points which require elucidation are: In the series of woes, it was natural and proper that there should be a vision of martyrs, if it was intended that the successive seals should refer to coming and important periods of the world and accordingly we have here a striking representation of the martyrs crying to God to interpose in their behalf and to avenge their blood. This seal pertains to martyrs - at the former successively did to a time of prosperity and triumph to discord and bloodshed to oppressive taxation to war, famine, and pestilence. In itself considered, it cannot be supposed that they would be any less interested in the events about to be disclosed than they were in those which preceded. No reason is given for the change in the manner of the representation and none can be assigned, unless it be, that having represented each one of the four living creatures in their turn as calling attention to the remarkable events about to occur, there seemed to be no necessity or propriety in introducing them again. I saw under the altar - The four living creatures are no longer heard as in the opening of the first four seals. On the epithets Holy and True, see Notes on Revelation 3:7.īarnes' Notes on the BibleAnd when he had opened the fifth seal - notes at Revelation 5:1 Revelation 6:1. The righteous blood shed does fall upon the world in retribution: the laws of God avenge themselves, though the victims do not live to behold the reward of the ungodly. It is a poetical description, but it is not fiction. The forgotten or ignored wrongs of generations come forth from oblivion and cry for vengeance. It is not the Christians themselves ( Luke 23:34 and Acts 7:60) who cry for vengeance, any more than it was Abel himself who cried from the ground to God: it was the blood of Abel ( Genesis 4:10), the earth disclosed her blood, and refused to cover her slain. O Master (the word is the correlative of “servant,” see Revelation 6:10) the Holy and True, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood from (on) those who dwell on the earth? By a dramatic figure the persecuted and slain ones are represented as crying for retribution on their oppressors. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(10) How long.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |