Rev 9:12-19 | Geneva | STEP | {9} One woe is past; [and], behold, there come two woes more hereafter. (9) A passage to the next point and the history of the time following.

Revelation of John 9:12-19

{9} One woe is past; [and], behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

(9) A passage to the next point and the history of the time following. {10} And the sixth angel sounded, {11} and I heard a voice from the {b} four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

(10) The sixth execution done on the world by the tyrannical powers of it, working in the four parts of the earth, that is, in most cruel manner execution their tyrannous dominion through out the whole world: and killing the miserable people without punishment, which before was not lawful for them to do in that sort, as I showed in Re 9:4. This narration has two parts: a commandment from God, in Re 9:14 and an execution of the commandment, in Re 9:15. (11) The commandment given by Christ himself, who is governor over all. (b) He alludes to the altar of incense, which stood in the court which the priests were in, opposite the Ark of the Covenant, having a veil between them. Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, {12} Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

(12) As if he should have said, these till now have been bound by the power of God, that they could not freely run over all men as they lusted, but were held and restrained at that great river of Euphrates, that is, in their spiritual Babylon (or this is a paraphrase of the spiritual Babylon, by the limits of the visible Babylon long since overthrown) that they might not commit those horrible slaughters, which they long breathed after. Now go to it, let loose those four angels, that is, administers of the wrath of God, in that number that is convenient to the slaughtering of the four quarters of the world: stir them up and give them the bridle, that rushing out of that Babylon of theirs, which is the seat of the wicked ones, they may fly over all the world, therein to rage, and most licentiously to practise their tyranny, as God has ordained. This was done when Gregory the ninth by public authority established as Law, his own Decretals, by which he might freely lay traps for the life of simple men. For who is it that sees not that the laws of Decretal, most of them are snares to catch souls with? Since that time (O good God) how many great slaughters have there been? How many great massacres? All history is full of them: and this our age abounds with most horrible and monstrous examples of the these. {13} And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

(13) The execution of the commandment is in two parts: one, that those butchers are let loose, that out of their tower of the spiritual Babylon they might with fury run abroad through all the world, as well the chief of that crew who are most prompt to all the work, in this verse: as their multitudes, both most copious, of which a number certain is named for a number infinite Re 9:16 and in themselves by all means fully furnished to hide and to hurt Re 9:17 as being armed with fire, smoke and brimstone, as appears in the colour of this armour, which dazzles the eyes to all men, and have the strength of lions to cause pain, from which (as out of their mouth) the fiery, smoky, and stinking darts of the pope are shot out Re 9:18 The other part, that these butchers have effected the commandment of God by fraud and violence, in the two verses following Re 9:16,17. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: {14} for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

(14) That is, they are harmful on all sides: on whatever part you put your hand to them, or they touch you, they do hurt. So the former are called Scorpions, Re 9:3.