A Brief Commentary on the Apocalypse

by Sylvester Bliss

The Palm-bearing Multitude.

“After these things I looked, and lo, a great crowd, which no one could number, out of all nations, and tribes, and [pg 072] people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palm-branches in their hands; and they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! And all the angels stood around the throne, and the elders and the four living beings, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: blessing and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God for ever and ever. Amen! And one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said to him, My Lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they who came out of great affliction, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this, they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and He, who sitteth on the throne, will dwell among them. They will hunger no more, and will thirst no more; nor will the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will tend them, and lead them to fountains of living waters: and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”—Rev. 7:9-17.

This great multitude of white-robed palm-bearers, must include those who, under the preceding seal, anxiously inquired how long was to be deferred the avenging of their blood on those who dwell on the earth. That epoch had now arrived; and they come forth arrayed in the white robes then given them. The palm-branches in their hands, are emblems of victory. They symbolize the subjects of the first resurrection, caught up to meet the Lord in the air. That they are gathered from every land and every age, is asserted when it is said they are from every kindred, tongue, and people; and that they [pg 073] triumph over death and the grave, is evident from the answer of one of the elders to the questions: “What are these?” and “Whence came they?”

The epoch, is a point of time intervening between the first resurrection, and the descent of the new Jerusalem, 21:2. The loud and united voice, with which the redeemed multitude cry “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,”—synchronizes with that of the “great multitude,” which, like the voice of many waters, and of “mighty thunderings,” shouted “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (19:6), immediately preceding the marriage-supper of the Lamb (19:6-9). They are removed above the troubles of earth, which are impending upon the wicked, under:

The Seventh Seal.

“And when he opened the seventh seal, silence took place in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels, who stood before God; and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood by the altar, having a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar, and out it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”—Rev. 8:1-5.

The epoch of this seal, is sometimes regarded as anterior to that of the trumpets; and those are often supposed to be included in the events of this seal; but no conclusive reason has ever been given for removing it from its obvious position as the closing one, of a series of successive periods, commencing with the gospel, and extending to the end of the world. If the first six are successive in their respective order, analogy would require that the seventh be thus considered.

Under the sixth seal, the great men and rich, are seen fleeing to the rocks for refuge from the wrath of the Lamb; and the risen saints symbolized, are in the Saviour's presence; but the infliction of the wrath of God on the wicked is not there symbolized. The events of that seal come down as far as those in the 19th chapter, which precede the marriage of the Lamb, 19:7.

The half-hour's silence, is the first thing indicated under the seventh seal. Being so expressly noticed, it would seem to be of some significance. As a period of symbolic time, on the scale of a day for a year, “about half an hour,” would equal a week's duration—corresponding to the time which intervened between the entrance of Noah into the ark, and the commencement of the deluge, Gen. 7:1-4. As the period evidently synchronizes with the parable of the Saviour, when “the Bridegroom came; and they that were [pg 075] ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut” (Matt. 25:10),—the others being still without,—it would seem to symbolize the time, between the entrance to the marriage of the Lamb (19:7), and the going forth of the Word of God with his armies, to judge, make war, and to slay the remnant with the sword, 19:11-21. It would be a period of holy joy to the righteous in the Saviour's presence, and of awful suspense to the wicked.

The seven angels, to whom were given seven trumpets, being introduced here, have doubtless caused the events of this seal to be regarded as anterior to the first trumpet. As those immediately following, evidently synchronize with occurrences of the closing epoch, the angels can only be introduced here in anticipation of the symbolization which they are to unfold under the sounding of the successive trumpets—the same as the seven angels with the last plagues are introduced, before the epoch of the commencement of their allotted work, 15:1.