Chapter ten starts the second major parenthesis in the Revelation timeline that ends in Revelation 11:14. Rather than being in Heaven, it seems as if John is back on Earth during this vision (Revelation 10:2). A powerful angel was holding a scroll that had already been opened, and he stood on the land and sea, […]
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 eight resumes where chapter six ended, with the opening of the seventh seal. The traditional understanding is that the trumpets described in chapters 8-9 are connected to the seventh seal. However, there seems to be a parallel between the fifth seal with the prayers of the saints on the altar (Revelation 8:3-4) and the
