426 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And after these things,.... After the opening of six of the seals of the sealed book, and after the demolition of Heathen deities, and of Heathen worship, and of Heathen magistrates, in the Roman empire, and the representation of these to John, he had the following vision; and which therefore does not refer to the preservation of the Christians,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I saw another angel,.... Not Constantine, who came from the eastern parts to the empire, with the true knowledge of God, and the authority of God to propagate it; and who repressed the four angels, or evil spirits, contention, ambition, heresy, and war, from doing the mischief they otherwise would; and sealed the saints, by giving them a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,.... That is, as yet, for their commission was not contradicted, nor taken away by Christ; and at the time appointed, at the blowing of the several trumpets, they let loose the winds, and let in the Goths, Hans, and Vandals, the Saracens and Turks into the empire, and after that poured out...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I heard the number of them which were sealed,.... And therefore could be sure of the exact number, which did not depend upon his sight, and telling them, in which some mistake might have been made, but he heard the number expressed: [and there were] sealed an hundred [and] forty, [and] four thousand: which is a square number arising from...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Of the tribe of Judah [were] sealed twelve thousand,.... Judah is mentioned first, because Christ sprung from that tribe, and the pure worship of God was preserved in it; and that itself was preserved a distinct tribe until the coming of Shiloh; its name signifies "praise God", Genesis 29:35; and shows, that it becomes all the sealed ones, all...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Of the tribe of Aser [were] sealed twelve thousand,.... "Asher", which the Septuagint pronounce "Aser", as here, signifies "blessed", Genesis 30:13; as all the sealed ones are, blessed with all spiritual blessings, with grace here, and glory hereafter. Of the tribe of Nephthalim [were] sealed twelve thousand; the name of this tribe signifies...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Of the tribe of Simeon [were] sealed twelve thousand,.... The name of this tribe signifies "hearing", Genesis 29:33; and such an hearing as is attended with obedience; and denotes the spiritual and practical hearing of the Gospel by those who hear, and understand, and believe, and practise what they hear, and yield the obedience of faith unto it....
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Of the tribe of Zabulon [were] sealed twelve thousand,.... Which signifies "dwelling", Genesis 30:20; and was the tribe in which Christ had his dwelling, and where he much conversed; and may denote his gracious inhabitation, as well as that of God the Father, md of the Spirit, among the saints and sealed ones. Of the tribe of Joseph [were] sealed...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
After this I beheld,.... What follows is a distinct vision from the preceding one, and is not a continuation of that, as if the sealing of the Jewish believers was designed by the former, and the sealing of the Gentiles in this latter; whereas in this vision there is no mention made of sealing, nor was there, or will there be any need of it in the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And cried with a loud voice,.... To show the strength of their affection, and the greatness of their joy, and how sensible they were of the favour they enjoyed, and how hearty they were in the following ascription of glory to God, and the Lamb. Saying, salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb; by "salvation" is meant,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all the angels stood round about the throne,.... The holy and elect angels, even all of them, the ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, the innumerable company of them, who are represented in the same position; [See comments on Revelation 5:11]; and [about] the elders, and the four beasts; the churches and ministers;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Saying, Amen,.... As approving and confirming what the great multitude of men had said in Revelation 7:10; in ascribing the glory of salvation to God, and the Lamb: the angels, though they have no part in it themselves, yet highly approve of it as right and just, that men should give the glory of it where it is due. Blessing, and glory, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me,.... This elder was not the Apostle Peter, as some Popish interpreters have thought; and still less Pope Silvester, who lived in the times of Constantine; be is much more likely, according to others, to be Constantine himself, the first of the elders, or the chief magistrate when the church sprung out...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I said unto him, sir, thou knowest,.... John replies in a very humble, modest, and respectful manner, to the elder, calling him "sir", according to the usage of the eastern people; and it is observable, that this word is much used in his Gospel, and more than in any other book; see John 4:11. Some copies, and the Complutensian edition, read,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Therefore are they before the throne of God,.... [See comments on Revelation 7:9]; not because of their great tribulations, but because they were brought through them, and out of them, by the grace and power of God; nor because of their robes, or conversation garments, but because those were washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb; or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
They shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more,.... The words are taken out of Isa 49:10, and will be true in a literal and corporeal sense. Now the saints are often in hunger and thirst, then they shall be so no more; and in a mystical and spiritual sense, there will be no famine of the word; for though there will not be the outward ministration...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne,.... See Revelation 5:6; not before the throne, as the great multitude are said to be, Revelation 7:9; nor round about it, as the angels in Revelation 7:11; but in the midst of it, being equal to him that sits upon it; sitting on the same throne with him, and having the same power and authority, he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Revelation 8 This chapter contains the opening of the seventh seal, and the things that followed on it, and particularly the sounding of the first four trumpets. Upon the opening of the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for half an hour, Revelation 8:1; then follows a vision of seven angels, who stood before God, and had...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when he had opened the seventh seal,.... That is, when the Lamb had opened the seventh and last seal of the scaled book: there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour; not in the third heaven, the seat of the divine Being, of angels and glorified saints, where are hallelujahs without intermission; but in the church, which is...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I saw the seven angels,.... Not the seven spirits of God, Revelation 1:4; their names, as well as their office, differ; nor the ministers of the word, though these are often called angels in this book, and blow the trumpet of the Gospel, and lift up their voice like a trumpet; but the angelic spirits, and these either evil ones, since they are...