Rev. 16 Rev. 16:1 The seven angels are commanded to pour out their vials on the earth. Rev. 16:2–14 Great plagues follow thereupon. Rev. 16:15–21 Christ cometh suddenly as a thief: blessed are they that watch.

And I heard a great voice out of the temple; either out of the church triumphant, Christ, the Head of it, commanding the executioners of his justice to go and do their office; or out of the church militant, by their prayers soliciting God to execute vengeance upon the beast.

Here is a plain allusion to the plagues which God brought upon Pharaoh king of Egypt for his oppression of his ancient Israel; God hereby showing us, that he would deal by this Romish beast for his persecutions of his gospel churches, as he dealt by Pharaoh: as he turned the Egyptian rivers into…

This answered the first plague upon Pharaoh, Ex. 7:20, All the waters that were in the river were turned to blood; and the fish that was in the river died. By the sea here Dr. More understands the jurisdiction and dominion of the papacy, wherein he agrees with Mr. Mede.

Mr. Mede and Dr. More both agree in interpreting this of the Jesuits and other popish emissaries, and the laws made for the execution of them in England in the time of Queen Elizabeth, not excluding those civil powers which are the upholders and maintainers of antichrist, as the Spaniard, who also…

This and the two following verses do but express the honour and glory that shall be given unto God, when he shall have accomplished his great work in destroying those who feed, and uphold, and maintain the beast, partly by those instruments he shall use in that work, expressed here by the angel of…

Because of their persecutions of, and cruelty towards, God’s faithful ministers and people, which rendered the spilling of their blood but a condign punishment suited to their sin.

Others also, either members of the church triumphant or militant, or both, shall in that day give glory to God, as a God of power, able to do such things; of righteousness, thus giving these bloody men their due; and of truth, thus fulfilling both his promises to his people and his threatenings…

Here we have no history to guide us in the government of our fancies and judgments, but their opinion seems most probable to me, who, by the sun, understand some great prince or potentate, or the whole civil power in the antichristian heaven; suppose the Spaniard, or the emperor.

What the damned do in hell, where the wrath of God is poured out upon men to the utmost, that reprobates do upon earth, they are scorched with great heat, the vengeance of God cometh upon them; they are mad and enraged, and speak evil of a just and righteous God, who bringeth such plagues on them;…

And the fifth angel; the fifth of the seven angels mentioned Rev. 16:1; by which, as was said, is to be understood the instruments which God will use gradually to destroy the papacy; the fifth rank of persons, whom God will employ in the execution of this his purpose, by his acts of providence.

This is the same that was said, Rev. 16:9, of a former party belonging to the beast, and doth but signify, that there will be found the same vein of blindness of mind, hardness of heart, and reprobacy of sense, running through that whole party, until they be wholly ruined.

Upon the great river Euphrates; upon the Turkish empire: See Poole on “Rev. 9:14”. And the water thereof was dried up; their force, power, and strength shall be destroyed. That the way of the kings of the east might be prepared; that a way may be prepared for the conversion of the Jews.

God here showeth John, that after the power and strength both of the pope and Turks should be broken, the devil would yet make one push more; to which purpose he would influence some on the behalf of the antichristian secular power, others on the behalf of the beast with two horns, or the false…

Which, from the influence of the devil, should solicit the kings of the earth to join together in a battle against the church. This is, undoubtedly, the battle in Armageddon, Rev. 16:16.

I come as a thief; that is, I come suddenly and unexpectedly: see Matt. 24:43–44, Luke 12:39, 1 Thess. 5:2, Rev. 3:3. It may be understood either of Christ’s coming to the last judgment, or of his coming in his vindicative providence to be revenged on his enemies.

Either the devil brought them together, or God by his providence ordered that they should be gathered together, into the place where God designed to destroy them and their armies, for so the word Armageddon signifieth, say some; but others make it to signify the mountain of the gospel, or the…

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air: I take this to be best interpreted (as Mr. Mede doth it) by the power of the air, of which Satan is called the prince, Eph. 2:2, that is, upon all the children of the devil, that had so long given disturbance to the church of Christ.

See Rev. 4:5, Rev. 6:12, Rev. 11:13, Rev. 11:19. Either declarative of the majesty and power of God, (as Ex. 19:16, when God came forth to give his law} the violation of which God here was coming out to punish; or of the great stirs and confusions in that part of the world where the beast’s…

The great city; Rome, afterwards called great Babylon in this verse. Was divided into three parts; the pagan part, the evangelical part, and the antichristian part, (saith Dr.

These are the effects of great earthquakes: see Rev. 6:14. Some, by islands and mountians, understand the inhabitants of both. I know not whether those reverend authors, who by this term understand their idol worship and superstition, or ecclesiastical dignities, (I suppose because the heathens,…

The hail was another of the Egyptian plagues, Ex. 9:22–25. The allusion also may be to the hailstones by which God fought against the five Canaanitish kings, Josh. 10:11. It signifies only further great judgments with which God will pursue the beast and his party, until they all be destroyed.