Notes on the New Testament, Explanatory and Practical: Revelation. Albert 1798-1870 Barnes
and the preparatory arrangements for sounding, chap. viii. 1–6.Two series of events referring to the West and the East in the downfall of the Roman empire:—The West—to the fall of the Western empire—four trumpets.(1) The first trumpet sounded, chap. viii. 7.The invasion of the Roman empire by Alaric, king of the Goths, A.D. 395–410.(2) The second trumpet sounded, chap. viii. 8, 9.The invasion of the Roman empire by Genseric, king of the Vandals, A.D. 428–468.(3) The third trumpet sounded, chap. viii. 10, 11.The invasion of the Roman empire by Attila, king of the Huns, the “Scourge of God,” A.D. 433–453.(4) The fourth trumpet sounded, chap. viii. 12, 13.The final conquest of Rome and the Western empire by Odoacer, king of the Heruli, A.D. 476–490.The East—to the fall of the Eastern empire—two trumpets, chap. ix.(5) The fifth trumpet sounded, chap. ix. 1–12.The Mahometans, or Saracens.(6) The sixth trumpet sounded, chap. ix. 13–19.The Turkish power.The interval between the fall of the Eastern empire and the sounding of the seventh trumpet, chap. ix. 20; xi. 13:—(a) The result of these judgments, chap. ix. 20, 21.They produce no change in the moral condition of the world; fulfilled in the state of the Papal world after the conquest of Constantinople, and before the Reformation.(b) An angel is seen descending from heaven with emblems of majesty, joy, and peace, chap. x.; fulfilled in the Reformation:—(α) The angel with the rainbow on his head, and his face like the sun, a proper symbol of the Reformation as a work of peace, and accompanied with light and knowledge, chap. x. 1.(β) The little book in his hand, a symbol of the principal agent in the Reformation—a book—the Bible, chap. x. 2.(γ) His crying with a loud voice, symbolical of the Reformation as arresting the attention of the nations, chap. x. 3.(δ) The seven thunders—the anathemas of Papal Rome—the thunder of the seven-hilled city, chap. x. 3.(ε) The purpose of John to record what the seven thunders had uttered, and the command not to write; the mistake which the Reformers were in danger of making, by regarding the doctrine of the Papacy as the truth of God, chap. x. 4.(ζ) The solemn oath of the angel that the time predicted would not then occur, but would occur in the time when the seventh angel should sound, chap. x. 5–7; fulfilled in the anticipations of the Reformers that the world was about to come to an end, and the reign of Christ about to commence, and the assurance of the angel that this would not then occur, but that a long and important interval must take place.(η) The command given to John to go and take the little book from the hand of the angel, chap. x. 8; fulfilled in the delivery of the Bible again to the church.(θ) The command to eat it, and the consequences—sweet in the mouth, and bitter to the belly, chap. x. 9, 10; the effect of the pure word of God on the soul indicated by the one; the bitter consequences, in persecution and opposition, that would result from the attempt to make the truth known to the world, indicated by the other.(ι) The assurance that he would yet prophesy before many people, and nations, and tongues, and kings, chap. x. 10; fulfilled in the restoration of preaching in the church, founded on the Bible, and in the immediate and ultimate influence of the Bible in making the gospel known to the world.(c) The measuring of the holy city, chap. xi. 1, 2; the determining of what constituted the true church at the time of the Reformation.(d) The two witnesses, chap. xi. 3–13. Those who bore faithful testimony to the truth in all the corruptions of the church; their trials and their triumph; fulfilled in the succession of true and sincere Christians whom God raised up from time to time to testify to the truth. They would be persecuted, and many of them would be put to death; they would seem to be finally silenced, and would be treated with great indignity, as if their dead bodies should remain unburied; they would, however, come to life again, that is, at the time of the Reformation they would rise and testify against the corruptions of the Papacy, and would triumph as if they ascended visibly and gloriously to heaven.(7) The sounding of the seventh trumpet. The final triumph of the church, and the establishment of the kingdom of God in the overthrow of all its enemies, chap. xi. 14–18. This ends the first series of visions; and this expresses in general terms what is drawn out more in detail in the next series of visions, Part V., embracing more particularly the rise and progress of Antichrist.
5 The Church internally—the rise of Antichrist, and the effect of that formidable power on the internal history of the Church, to the time of the overthrow of that great power, and the triumphant establishment of the kingdom of God, Chap. xi. 19; xii.–xx.General Introduction to this series of visions, Chap. xi. 19; xii.A new vision of the temple of God opened in heaven, chap. xi. 19.A representation of the church, under the image of a beautiful woman, chap. xii. 1.The particular thing designed to be represented—the church about to increase and to fill the world, chap. xii. 2.The deadly hostility of Satan to the church, and his purpose to destroy it, represented by a great red dragon waiting to destroy the man-child, chap. xii. 3, 4.The ultimate safety of the church, represented by the child caught up to heaven, chap. xii. 5.The fact that the church would be a long time obscure and hidden—represented by the woman fleeing into the wilderness, chap. xii. 6.A scenic representation of the great contest going on in the universe about the church—represented by a conflict in heaven between Michael, the protector of the church, with his angels, and Satan, the great enemy of the church, with his angels, chap. xii. 7.The ultimate discomfiture of Satan, represented by his being overcome and cast out of heaven, chap. xii. 8, 9.A song of victory in view of this triumph, chap. xii. 10, 11.The fact that Satan would be allowed, for a limited time, to persecute the church, chap. xii. 12, 13.The church in the wilderness, chap. xii. 14–17.(a) The church would be driven into obscurity, like a woman fleeing into a desert—representing the condition of the church while the Papacy should have the ascendency, ver. 14.(b) The church would still be preserved, though in obscurity—represented by the woman nourished by some unseen power, ver. 14.(c) Satan would still rage against the church—represented by the dragon pouring forth a flood of waters to overwhelm the woman, ver. 15.(d) The church would be protected, as if the earth should open its mouth to swallow up the water—representing the interpositions from an unexpected quarter in delivering the church from its perils, ver. 16.(e) The wrath of Satan against the remnant—representing the attempts of the Papacy to cut off individuals when open and general persecution no longer raged, ver. 17.The two beasts, representing the great persecuting power in the church, Chap. xiii.The first beast, representing the Roman civil or secular power that sustained the Papacy in its career of persecution, chap. xiii. 1–10.The second beast, representing the Papal ecclesiastical power, giving life to the former, and perpetuating its influence on the earth, chap. xiii. 11–18.A representation designed, under a succession of symbols, to cheer and sustain the church in its present and prospective trials, with the assurance of its final triumph, and the ultimate destruction of all its foes, Chap. xiv.A vision of the redeemed in heaven, triumphant and rejoicing, ver. 1–5.The ultimate spread of the gospel through all the world, ver. 6, 7.The fall of Babylon, the great Antichristian power, ver. 8.The final overthrow of all the upholders of that Antichristian power, ver. 9–12.The blessed state of those who should die in the Lord in any time, whether of persecution or peace, ver. 13.The consummation of all things—the final triumph of the church, and the overthrow of the wicked, ver. 14–20:—(a) The great harvest of the world by the Son of God—the gathering in of the righteous, ver. 14–16.(b) The final overthrow and destruction of the wicked, ver. 17–20.Preparation for the final judgment on the beast and his image, Chap. xv.A new wonder is seen in heaven; seven angels appear, having the seven last plagues, to fill up or complete the wrath of God, ver. 1.Those who in former times had suffered from persecution by the power represented by the beast, but who, in the midst of trial and temptation, had maintained their faith steadfast, now appear to celebrate with a song of victory the prospective downfall of the great foe, ver. 2–4.Arrangements made for executing the wrath of God. The temple is open in heaven; seven angels come out having the seven last plagues; one of the four living creatures gives command to them to go and execute the divine purpose, presenting seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God; the temple is forthwith filled with smoke, preventing all access to the mercy-seat, and indicating that the divine purpose was inexorable, ver. 5–8.The execution of the purpose, Chap. xvi.The first vial, ver. 1, 2. The first blow struck on the Papacy in the French Revolution.The second vial, ver. 3. The scenes of blood and carnage in that Revolution.The third vial, ver. 4–7. The calamities brought by the French invasions upon the countries where the most bloody persecutions had been waged—the north of Italy.The fourth vial, ver. 8, 9. The overturning of the governments that sustained the Papal power, in the wars consequent on the French Revolution.The fifth vial, ver. 10, 11. The direct assault on the Papal power; the capture