Dr Friedrich Bleeks Lectures On the Apocalypse

Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified), to the derision and joy of the nations of the earth; but afterwards they would ascend to heaven, being again awaked by God, before the eyes of their enemies, to the horror of those seeing it. At the same time a great earthquake takes place, a tenth part of the city falls, seven thousand men perish, the remainder are afraid and give honour to the God of heaven (verses 4?13.) In the description a change takes place (verse 11) in relation to the preceding; a transition from prophecy in God's address to the seer, to the form of vision, on which account, whilst the preceding verses announce the impending future, the aorist is used in verses 11 ?13, so that the seer himself appears narrator in the vision. Then it is said, in verse 14, " The second woe is past; behold, the third woe cometh quickly." It agrees with this, that the seventh angel now sounds his trumpet (verse 15); upon which it is made known by loud voices in heaven that the world-kingdom has become for all eternity that of God and of Christ; and the twenty-four elders, falling down, praise God that he has taken to himself the power, and that the time of his judging the dead is come, in order to reward his prophets, saints and worshippers, both great and small, and to destroy the destroyers of the earth (verse 18). Hereupon the temple of God in heaven opens, and the ark of the covenant appears in it, and there are lightnings, voices of thunder, earthquakes and gr...