Revelation 8-9 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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881(...continued)John's vision may be related to the story of the conquering of Jericho in Joshua 5:13-6:27, in which there is a description of seven priests with seven trumpets, and the blowing ofthose trumpets result in the overthrow of the city. It is a story of YHWH's "holy-war," in whichYHWH punishes evil and brings His oppressed people into a new land of plenty with a future.The sounding of those trumpets do not mean “the end of the world,” but rather, signal thesoon-coming destruction of Jericho.We insist that this biblical theme of "holy war" does not end with Joshua [or, withJoshua - 2 Kings, or, Exodus through 2 Chronicles], but is constantly present in biblicalmaterials, especially in the so-called “Later Prophets” of Israel (Isaiah through Malachi), inwhose messages this theme is turned from being a holy war against Israel's enemies, into aholy war against Israel herself, because of her apostasy from YHWH, and her oppression andinjustice.Has this biblical theme been either outgrown or omitted in the New Testament? No,this is exactly what Jesus meant by his own "sending fire upon the earth" in Luke 12:49-53,and it is certainly present in Revelation! See 19:11-21.Aune notes that “The sounding of the trumpet is occasionally part of the imagery usedin early Christian apocalyptic to designate the point at which final events begin to unfold,particularly the Parousia [a Greek word meaning ‘coming’ or ‘presence’] (Matthew 24:31; 1Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52...In Revelation the trumpet is never used to signalthe return of Christ as it is in other Christian texts...“Series of trumpet blasts were used in various connections in the Old Testament andearly Jewish literature...Seven trumpets were used in the ritual that resulted in the destructionof Jericho (Joshua 6), and in the Qumran War Scroll seven Levites carry seven rams’ hornsinto the [final] conflict (1QM 7:14). The trumpet...was used in ancient Israel and in earlyJudaism for a number of purposes...(1) as a means of warning...Joel 2:1 (warning of the coming of the day of YHWH);(2) to signal an attack by military forces...(3) to give an alarm within a city to indicate an imminent attack...(4) to signal a retreat...(5) as a cry to God for help...(6) to indicate that a victory has been won...(7) to signal the announcement of good news...413(continued...)
882 883 8848.7 And the first one gave a blast. And there came hail and fire having been885 886 887 888mixed with blood, and it was thrown into the earth. And the third part of the earth was881(...continued)(8) as an accompaniment to religious ritual...(9) as part of a theophany [appearance of God] scene...and(10) in various [final] contexts...“The sound of the trumpet can therefore strike terror or joy or reverent expectation intothe hearts of the hearers, depending on the context and their expectations...” (P. 510) Wethink the context here makes it clear that these seven trumpets are announcing the coming ofthe day of YHWH and of the Little Lamb, the divine judgments in history, both warning andcalling earth’s inhabitants to repentance--in response to the prayers of faithful people. Whatdo you think?882Aune comments that “The series of plagues introduced by the seven trumpets inRevelation 8:7 - 9:21 and 11:15-19 begins with a series of four plagues, which are narratedonly very briefly (similar to the rapid narrative of the results of the opening of the first four sealsin 6:1-8)...The final three trumpets form a group of three woes announced in 8:13 by an eagle...Though the third woe may coincide with the sounding of the seventh trumpet (11:15-18) it ismore likely that it encompasses all the plagues unleashed by the seven bowls (15:1 - 16:21.”(P. 495)883Following the word ðñôïò, protos, “first (one),” the noun av,ggeloj, aggelos,“messenger / angel,” is interpolated into the original text by Minuscule 2329, the Majority Text(A), the majority of Old Latin witnesses, the Wordsworth-White Latin Vulgate, some manuscriptsof the Sahidic Coptic, the Bohairic Coptic and Tyconius (who died after 390 A.D.). Thevariant reading is an attempt by later copyists and translators to enhance the original text bymaking explicit what is implicit within it. It does not at all change the meaning of Revelation.884Aune translates by “sounded his trumpet” (p. 482).885The nominative plural perfect passive participle ìåìéãìÝíá, memigmena, “havingbeen mixed,” is changed to the nominative or accusative singular memigme,non, memigmenon,by Sinaiticus, the Majority Text (A), the Old Latin manuscript a, a few manuscripts of the SahidicCoptic, some manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic, Tyconius (who died after 390 A.D.) andthBeatus of Liebana (8 century A.D.). The plural participle agrees with the two subject nouns,÷Üëáæá êá ðñ, chalaza kai pur, “hail and fire.” The singular form (either nominative oraccusative) agrees with the singular neuter noun to. pu/r, to pur, “the fire.” So the variantreading involves a slightly different understanding of John’s statement. Instead of the hail andfire having been mixed, the variant understanding is that the fire has been mixed with blood.Neither reading changes the meaning of Revelation except in this relatively small detail.886The preposition í, en, which we have translated here by “with,” is omitted by the(continued...)414
Page 2 and 3: 8.10 Êá ôñßôïò ããåëï
Page 4 and 5: 9.18 ð ôí ôñéí ðëçãí ô
Page 6 and 7: 853(...continued)Jerusalem temple c
Page 8 and 9: 859 860 8618.3 And another differen
Page 10 and 11: 869 870Throne. 8.4 And the smoke of
Page 12 and 13: 877 878 879and lightnings, and an e
Page 16 and 17: 889 890burned up, and the third par
Page 18 and 19: 895(...continued)At least we may be
Page 20 and 21: 899 900having innermost-beings; and
Page 22 and 23: 902 903waters. 8.11 And the name of
Page 24 and 25: 8.12 And the fourth messenger / ang
Page 26 and 27: 909(...continued)and national ruler
Page 28 and 29: 913 914 915 916great voice, “Woe,
Page 30 and 31: 917(...continued)the east; and the
Page 32 and 33: 919(...continued)The futurists, “
Page 34 and 35: 924 925 926And it opened the pit of
Page 36 and 37: 930 9319.3 And out of the smoke cam
Page 38 and 39: 932The dative feminine plural prono
Page 40 and 41: 941 942was given to them that they
Page 42 and 43: 948 9499.7 And the likenesses of th
Page 44 and 45: 953like faces of people. 9.8 And th
Page 46 and 47: 960 961 962 963[for] five months. 9
Page 48 and 49: things! 972968 969 970 9719.12 The
Page 50 and 51: 979 980messenger / angel, the one h
Page 52 and 53: 985 986 987the people. 9.16 And the
Page 54 and 55: 988(...continued)out totally disrup
Page 56 and 57: 994the heads of the horses [were] l
Page 58 and 59: 1004 1005 1006the authority of the
Page 60 and 61: 1011(...continued)"turning around,"
Page 62 and 63: 1017 1018 1019and the stone ones, a
Page 64 and 65:
1023(...continued)Compare the state
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Revelation 8-9 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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