ACC ~ Revelation 8 v6

SEVEN ARCHANGELS WILL ACCOMPLISH GOD’S WILL DURING THE TIME OF ANTICHRIST. VICTORINUS OF PETOVIUM: He sends these seven great archangels to strike against the kingdom of the antichrist. For the Lord himself said in the Gospel: “Then the Son of man will send his angels and will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”And before that he said, “Then there will peace in our land, when in it seven shepherds will arise and eight attacks of men and they will encircle Asshur, that is, the antichrist, in the trench of Nimrod,” that is, at the damnation of the devil. And similarly Ecclesiastes says, “When the keepers of the house tremble.” And the Lord himself spoke as follows: “When the servants came to him and asked him, ‘Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ He answered them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ They said, ‘Do you want us to go and pluck them out?’ He said to them, ‘No, let both grow together until the harvest, and at that time I will tell the reapers to gather the weeds and throw them into the fire, but to gather the wheat into the barn.’” Here the Revelation reveals that these reapers and laborers are the archangels. The “trumpet” is the word of power. And although there is a repetition of scenes by means of the bowls,this is not as though the events occurred twice. Rather, since those events that are future to them have been decreed [by God] to happen, these things are spoken twice. And therefore, whatever he said rather briefly by way of the trumpets he said more completely by way of the bowls. Nor ought we pay too much attention to the order of what is said. For the sevenfold Holy Spirit, when he has passed in revue [the events] to the last time, to the very end, returns again to the same times and supplements what he had said incompletely. Nor ought we inquire too much into the order of the Revelation. Rather, we ought inquire after the meaning, for there is also the possibility of a false understanding. And there-fore, those things written concerning the trumpets and the bowls are either the devastation of the plagues sent to the world, or the madness of the antichrist himself, or the blasphemies of the peoples, or the variety of the plagues, or the hope for the kingdom of saints, or the ruin of cities or the ruin of Babylon, that is, of the city of Rome. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8.1-2.

MADE READY TO PREACH. TYCONIUS: The church, often indicated by the number seven, prepared herself for faithful preaching. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8.6.

TRUMPETS ANNOUNCE THE COMING OF GOD. OECUMENIUS: Then angels blew their trumpets to announce the coming of God, for indeed also at that time trumpets were used to announce great occasions. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8.3-6.

THE PREACHING OF THE CHURCH. BEDE: Made zealous by the sevenfold Spirit, the church prepared herself to preach with faithfulness and to cast down the pomp of the world by the heavenly trumpets, even as happened to the walls of Jericho. For even that walking around them for seven days is indicative of the entire time of the church. EXPLANATION OF THE APOCALYPSE 8.6.