And I saw another sign in heaven, great and
marvellous
This chapter is a preparation to the pouring out of the seven
vials, as ( Revelation
16:1-21 ) is to the sending of the seven epistles, and (
Revelation 2:1-3:22 ) to the seven seals and seven trumpets:
the vision is called a "sign", because what was seen was
significative of future events; a sign of the coming of Christ,
of his kingdom, and of the destruction of antichrist; and it is
said to be a sign "in heaven", where John was called up, and
where he had his visions; and it was "another", a different one
from that in ( Revelation
12:1 ) which represented the downfall of Paganism, but this
the downfall of Popery; and it is a very "great" one, it is
expressive of great things, as the fall of Babylon the great, or
the judgment of the great whore, and the great glory of the
church and kingdom of Christ; and it is "marvellous", for the two
grand events it respects are very wonderful; as that antichrist,
who was once in such power, should be destroyed, and that by such
weak means, in the esteem of men, as the preaching of the Gospel,
which is no less marvellous than the fall of Jericho by the sound
of rams' horns; and that the church, which was in so low an
estate in the wilderness, for the space of 1260 days or years,
should become so glorious. The vision follows,
seven angels, having the seven last plagues;
these are not the same angels that blew the seven trumpets, for
they are not contemporary with them, but are more likely the same
with those in the preceding chapter; though they seem rather to
be different from them: if these were angels literally
understood, their having plagues is no objection to their being
good angels, since such are often the executioners of God's
wrath; and that these good ones, appears from one of them talking
with John, and showing him the judgment of antichrist, and
another the bride, the Lamb's wife, and her glory, ( Revelation
17:1 ) ( 21:9 )
though they seem rather to be the ministers of the Gospel, since
they are said to come out of the temple, ( Revelation
15:6 ) and since the destruction of antichrist will be by the
breath of Christ's mouth, or by the preaching of the Gospel;
unless it should be thought that members of churches are
designed, since these angels receive their vials from one of the
four living creatures, ( Revelation
15:7 ) or preachers of the word; and may denote some very
principal men, as kings, who will now be come to Zion, and be
members of Gospel churches, and will be the nursing fathers and
protectors of them; and these will hate the whore, and burn her
flesh with fire; but of these angels, see more on ( Revelation
15:6 ) . They are said to have "the seven last plagues"; that
is, in their vials; for these seven plagues are the same with the
seven vials of the wrath of God, to be poured out upon
antichrist; and are no other than so many steps, ways, and means,
by which God will bring on and finish his destruction: these are
called the last plagues, because they will be in the last days:
there have been plagues before, as at the destruction of the old
world, and of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the plagues of Egypt, and
the downfall of several monarchies and kingdoms, and of Paganism
in the Roman empire; but these will fall upon antichrist, and
will be the last upon him, for they will issue in his utter ruin;
they will be the last plagues upon the earth, there will be no
other after them, but the conflagration of the world, and the
general destruction of the wicked in hell. These plagues are the
same with the third woe, and are an explanation of it, and belong
to the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which brings in the
kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of Christ, and the
time of God's wrath upon the nations, or Gentiles, the Papists,
and of judging the dead, and destroying them that destroyed the
earth, ( Revelation
11:15 Revelation
11:18 ) for these plagues do not follow upon the harvest and
vintage, nor has this vision any respect to them, nor to be
connected with the preceding chapter, but with ( Revelation
11:1-19 ) and gives an enlarged view, both of the glory of
Christ's kingdom, and of the ruin of antichrist, by these
plagues, called the last:
for in them is filled up the wrath of God;
upon the beast, and his followers.