Revelation 8:13

“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, etc.] The Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, instead of “an angel”, read “an eagle”; and to “fly” agrees with either of them, and the sense is the same let it be read either way; and this angel may design either Christ, or a created angel, or a minister of the Gospel, as in (<661406>Revelation 14:6); did the next trumpet introduce Popery, as some have supposed, Gregory bishop of Rome might be thought, as he is by some, to be the angel here intended, since he gave notice and warning of antichrist being at hand: saying with a loud voice; that all might hear, and as…”

“an angel--A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic read for "angel," which is supported by none of the oldest manuscripts, "an eagle": the symbol of judgment descending fatally from on high; the king of birds pouncing on the prey. Compare this fourth trumpet and the flying eagle with the fourth seal introduced by the fourth living creature, "like a flying eagle," Rev 4:7; Rev 6:7-8 : the aspect of Jesus as presented by the fourth Evangelist. John is compared in the cherubim (according to the primitive interpretation) to a flying eagle: Christ's divine majesty in this similitude is set forth in the Gospel according to John, His judicial visitations in the Revelation of John. Contrast "another…”

“And I beheld - My attention was attracted by a new vision. And heard an angel flying, ... - I heard the voice of an angel making this proclamation. Woe, woe, woe - That is, there will be great woe. The repetition of the word is intensive, and the idea is, that the sounding of the three remaining trumpets would indicate great and fearful calamities. These three are grouped together as if they pertained to a similar series of events, as the first four had been. The two classes are separated from each other by this interval and by this proclamation - implying that the first series had been completed, and that there would be some interval, either of space or time, before the other series would…”

“And I saw, and heard an angel flying - Between the trumpets of the fourth and fifth angel. In the midst of heaven - The three woes, as we shall see, stretch themselves over the earth from Persia eastward, beyond Italy, westward; all which space had been filled with the gospel by the apostles. In the midst of this lies Patmos, where St. John saw this angel, saying, Woe, woe, woe - Toward the end of the fifth century, there were many presages of approaching calamities. To the inhabitants of the earth - All without exception. Heavy trials were coming on them all. Even while the angel was proclaiming this, the preludes of these three woes were already in motion. These fell more especially on the…”

“8:13 The ancients regarded the eagle as a symbolic messenger of God (see 4 Ezra 11:7-8; 2 Baruch 77:19-26). • Terror, terror, terror: A threefold announcement would be recognized as a message from God (see Acts 10:16). • The terror (Greek ouai) that sounded like an eagle’s screech was directed against humans of this world who were not among God’s faithful people (Rev 6:10; 9:4, 20).”

“flying: Rev 14:3, Rev 14:6, Rev 19:17; Psa 103:20; Heb 1:14 Woe: Rev 9:1, Rev 9:12, Rev 11:14; Eze 2:10 Next: Revelation Chapter 9”