Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Revelation 15:7
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And one of the four beasts, etc.] Or living creatures: now we hear of them, as of the four and twenty elders, under the blowing of the seventh trumpet, (<661116>Revelation 11:16) with which this vision is contemporary; these living creatures are the ministers of the Gospel; (see Gill on “<660406>Revelation 4:6”) and this was one, or the first of them, who was like a lion, for fortitude and courage, and whose voice was as the noise of thunder, (<660407>Revelation 4:7 6:1) and so fitly represents those ministers who shall give out the vials of God's wrath: not any particular person is designed, who shall be at this time; and much less Luke the evangelist, as Lord Napier thinks; nor Peter, who prophesied of the last time, (<610310>2 Peter 3:10,11) as Grotius; but a set of Gospel ministers, comparable to one of the living creatures John had before seen; of whom it is said, that they gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever: these seven vials are for the seven last plagues to be put into, and out of which they are to be taken, or poured, and inflicted; (see <662109>Revelation 21:9) hence it appears, that the seven plagues, and the wrath of God, are the same thing, and both design God's judgments upon antichrist; and these being expressed by “vials”, which are measures, and large ones, show the large abundance and plenteous effusion of God's wrath, and the secret, sudden, and irresistible power of it; and yet that it will be poured out in measure, according to righteous judgment, and therefore it is put into vials; and these golden ones, expressive of the purity, holiness, and justice of the divine proceedings: and it will be very terrible; it will be, not the wrath of men, but of God, and a cup of the fierceness of his wrath; it will be the wrath of the living God, of him that lives for ever, and as he is, such will his wrath be; it will continue for ever, for this wrath will issue in the everlasting destruction of antichrist: so the wrath of God is signified by a wine cup of fury, (<242515>Jeremiah 25:15) and that destruction, and those plagues which God designed to bring upon Pharaoh, are by Jonathan ben Uzziel, in his Targum on (<014012>Genesis 40:12) called azgwrd alyyp, “a vial of wrath”, which he should drink of: and in the pouring out of there seven vials, there is in some of them a manifest allusion to the plagues of Egypt. So the cup of trembling, in (<235117>Isaiah 51:17) is by the Targumists called ylyp, “a vial”, and also “the cup of fury”, (<235122>Isaiah 51:22) and that these vials were not small narrow mouthed vessels, but large broad mouthed ones, and more properly basins or bowls, is manifest from the use of the word with Jewish writers. The dishes on which the loaves of the shewbread were set, each of which loaves was ten hands breadth long, and five broad f377, are by the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem on (<022529>Exodus 25:29 <040407>Numbers 4:7) called tlyyp, “vials”; and so the chargers offered at the dedication of the tabernacle, (<040713>Numbers 7:13,84,85) are, by the same, rendered vials, which weighed 130 shekels; and so the silver bowl they offered, is, by Josephus f378, called a vial: the bowls in (<300606>Amos 6:6) are, by the Targum there, said to be “silver vials”. The lordly dish brought by Jael to Sisera, (<070525>Judges 5:25) the Targum calls the vial of the mighty ones; and the earthen vessels used at the trial of the suspected wife, and at…
This public page shows a contextual excerpt from the locally available source text.
How to use this source
This excerpt is attributed to its named commentary. It is included as a historical study resource and should be evaluated in light of Scripture and other relevant evidence.
