IsiTyhilelo 14:18

Izhibhalo Ezingcwele

18 Kwaphuma esinye isithunywa sezulu esibingelelweni, sinegunya kuwo umlilo; sabiza ngonkqangazo olukhulu kweso sinerhengqa elibukhali, sisithi, Lifake irhengqa lakho elibukhali, ubuthe izihloko zomdiliya womhlaba, ngokuba iidiliya zawo zigqibele ukuvuthwa.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

came: Revelation 6:9, Revelation 6:10

which: Revelation 16:8

and cried: Revelation 14:15, Revelation 14:16

Thrust: Joel 3:13

Reciprocal: Isaiah 5:2 - a winepress Jeremiah 6:9 - They shall Jeremiah 25:30 - give 1 Peter 4:6 - but Revelation 14:17 - came Revelation 16:1 - I heard Revelation 16:7 - out

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And another angel came out from the altar,.... Where are the souls of the martyrs of Jesus, Revelation 6:9 and whom this angel is thought by some to represent, in his address to him that had the sharp sickle, crying for vengeance on the wicked of the earth, who had shed their blood: the allusion seems to be to the altar of burnt offerings, where the sacrifices were slain, and on which they were burnt with fire; and which was an emblem of the strict justice of God, showing, that those persons, for whom these sacrifices were offered, deserved to be treated in like manner; and here the angel coming from thence signifies, that he came on the behalf of the justice of God, treating that he, to whom vengeance belonged, would execute it upon all the ungodly, who were ripe for judgment: and hence it is further said of him,

which had power over fire; whether the angels, as they have presided over particular kingdoms and states, Daniel 10:20 preside over the elements, since this angel had power over fire, and another angel is called the angel of the waters, Revelation 16:5 may be considered. According to the Jews c there are מלאכי אש, "angels of fire", and

מלאכי מים, "angels of the waters"; particularly it is said d, that Gabriel is שר של אש, "the prince of fire", or "that has power over fire", and Jurkemo is שר הברד, "prince of hail", or has power over it: however, fire is to be taken here, not for the Spirit, and his gifts, which not a created angel, but Christ only, has a power over, to baptize with; nor the Gospel, nor martyrdom, but rather the wrath of God, which in Scripture is often compared to fire, of which this angel was an executioner: and indeed here it may be referred, both literally to the burning of the world, and the wicked in it, in which the angels may be concerned, who will descend with Christ in flames of fire, taking vengeance on the wicked; and figuratively to hell fire, and the destruction of the wicked in it, who will be cast into it by the angels of God.

And cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, as in

Revelation 14:15 expressing like vehemence and importunity,

saying, thrust in thy sharp sickle: not commanding or directing, but entreating as before:

and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; not the vine of God's planting, the vineyard of the Lord of hosts, the church of Christ; but the vine of the earth, of wicked and earthly men, whose vine is the vine of Sodom, c. Deuteronomy 32:32 and which is spread over the whole earth a wild vine, whose grapes are gall, clusters bitter, and their wine the poison of dragons; and to such a vine the wicked are compared, for their emptiness and unfruitfulness, their uselessness and unprofitableness, and for their being fit fuel for everlasting burnings; see Ezekiel 15:2. And the clusters of it may denote the great multitude of the wicked now to be cut down, gathered in, and destroyed, the reason given,

for her grapes are fully ripe; their wickedness very great, their iniquity full, the measure of their sins filled up, and they fitted for destruction, and ripe for ruin; see Joel 3:13. Some understand this of the degenerate church of Rome, and the destruction of it; see Revelation 19:15.

c Sepher Raziel, fol. 39. 2. Targum in 1 Reg. xix. 11. d T. Bab. Pesachim, fol. 118. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And another angel - The sixth in order. He came, like the angel in Revelation 14:15, with a command to him who had the sickle to go forth and execute his commission.

Came out from the altar - This stood in the front of the temple (see the notes on Matthew 21:12; compare the notes on Matthew 5:23-24), and was the place where burnt-sacrifices were made. As the work now to be done was a work of destruction, this was an appropriate place in the representation.

Which had power over fire - As if he kept the fire on the altar. Fire is the usual emblem of destruction; and as the work now to be done was such, it was proper to represent this angel as engaged in it.

And cried with a loud cry, ... - See Revelation 14:15. That is, he came forth, as with a command from God, to call on him who was appointed to do the work of destruction, now to engage in performing it. The time had fully come.

Thrust in thy sharp sickle - Revelation 14:15.

And gather the clusters of the vine of the earth - That portion of the earth which might be represented by a vineyard in which the grapes were to be gathered and crushed. The image here employed occurs elsewhere to denote the destruction of the wicked. See the very beautiful description in Isaiah 63:1-6, respecting the destruction of Edom, and the notes on that passage.

For her grapes are fully ripe - That is, the time has come for the ingathering; or, to apply the image, for the winding up of human affairs by the destruction of the wicked. The time here, as in the previous representation, is the end of the world; and the design is, to comfort the church in its trials and persecutions, by the assurance that all its enemies will be cut off.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 14:18. Power over fire — Probably meaning the same angel which is mentioned, Revelation 8:3; Revelation 9:13, who stood by the altar of burnt-offering, having authority over its fire to offer that incense to God which represents the prayers of the saints.