Chapter nine begins immediately with the fifth trumpet (the first “woe”). Whereas the first four trumpets are “natural,” the next two are completely supernatural. At the sounding of the fifth trumpet the “shaft of the abyss” (“bottomless pit” in some translations) will be unlocked and opened. Outside of the Revelation, ἄβυσσος, abyssos, is used only […]
Chapter nineteen continues the morning’s events, skipping Jesus’ short appearance before Herod (Luke 23:6-12). The fifth event in John’s record, then, was Pilate’s second interview with Jesus (John 19:1-16). Still unable to find any reason to execute him, Pilate had him beaten and humiliated instead, hoping that would satisfy the crowd, but it did not. It
Chapter two records the first of several miracles found only in John. Contrary to pseudepigraphical books 1 like the Gospel of Thomas, which claim that Jesus did miracles even throughout his childhood, John stated that this wedding in Cana was “the first of his miraculous signs” and how “he revealed his glory” (John 2:11). Not
