1 And I sawe another signe in heauen, great and marueilous, seuen Angels, hauing the seuen last plagues: for by them is fulfilled the wrath of God.
Victorinus of Pettau · AD 304 "And I saw another great and wonderful sign, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is completed the indignation of God." For the wrath of God always strikes the obstinate people with seven plagues, that is, perfectly, as it is said in Leviticus; and these shall be in the last time, when the Church shall have gone out of the midst.
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 Everywhere he uses the number seven, signifying that the injustices done brazenly during the seven days of the present age will be held back by the seven plagues and the seven angels. After these, the future life of the saints, symbolized by the glass sea, will commence.
Bede · AD 735 And I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven. With the order again restored, about to narrate the same plagues of the final persecution, he wanted the listener to be attentive by saying: A great and marvelous sign.
2 And I sawe as it were a glassie sea, mingled with fire, and them that had gotten victorie of the beast, and of his image, and of his marke, and of the number of his name, stand at the glassie sea, hauing the harpes of God,
Cyprian · AD 258 That the foundation and strength of hope and faith is fear. In the cxth Psalm: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Of the same thing in the Wisdom of Solomon: "The beginning of wisdom is to fear God." Also in the Proverbs of the same: "Blessed is the man who reverences all things with fear." Of the same thing [in Isaiah: "And upon whom else will I look, except up…
Primasius of Hadrumetum · AD 560 [He saw] the water of baptism made holy by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Or, in view of the character of fire, this water has been made red through martyrdom.
Bede · AD 735 And those who have conquered the beast and its image, etc. Those who conquer the beast's deceits appear to stand by the fiery baptism, striving, according to the Apostle, to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).
3 And they sung the song of Moses the seruant of God, and the song of the Lambe, saying, Great and marueilous are thy workes, Lord God almightie: iust and true are thy wayes, King of Saints.
Oecumenius · AD 550 The harps, as has often been said, signify the sweet-sounding hymn of the saints to God. And he says, let us sing that song of Moses, the one which he sang when the host of Pharaoh was drowned, "let us sing to the Lord, for he has been gloriously glorified; he cast horse and rider into the sea; he became to me a helper and a cover for salvation." (Ex.
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 From the song of Moses we learn the hymn sent up to God by those who were justified by the law before [the coming of] grace. From the song of the Lamb we learn the thanksgiving of those who lived in holiness after the coming of the Christ.
Bede · AD 735 Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty, etc. This song is found in both Testaments, where the Lord, both true and merciful, is sung by all ages as the judge to be worshipped. He repeats what he had proposed, saying:
4 Who shall not feare thee, O Lord, and glorifie thy Name! for thou onely art holy, and all nations shall come and worship before thee: for thy iudgements are made manifest.
Oecumenius · AD 550 He says that Christ is indeed King of all nations, but since it is said to Isaiah: "and the root of Jesse and the one who rises to rule the nations, upon him the nations shall hope," (Isa.
5 And after that, I looked, and beholde, the Temple of the tabernacle of testimonie was open in heauen.
Oecumenius · AD 550 The tent of testimony, the tent that had been compacted in the wilderness, that tent which Bezalel the chief craftsperson of the works then made had the custom to call in the divine Scripture (see Ex. 35:30), because it was the tent of the testimonies and commandments of God.
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 The seer says that a "tent" was in heaven, and it was according to the likeness of this tent that God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle below.
Bede · AD 735 And behold, the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened. The vision harmonizes with the song. For the Lord to be worshipped by all nations, that temple of God's secrets, once enclosed within the walls of a single city, has now begun to be spiritually opened to the whole world.
6 And the seuen Angels came out of the Temple, which had the seuen plagues, clothed in pure and bright linnen, and hauing their breasts girded with golden girdles.
Oecumenius · AD 550 From there, the seven angels, he says, came out. For where else should the heavenly ministers of God be seen as coming forth but from the heavenly temple? And he says they had in their hands seven plagues which they would pour out upon the earth.
Bede · AD 735 Clothed in pure bright linen. As many (the Apostle says) as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. III). For He is the supreme cornerstone chosen. Or if you understand the singular number for the plural, it signifies various ornaments of virtues.
7 And one of the foure beastes gaue vnto the seuen Angels seuen golden vials full of the wrath of God, which liueth for euermore.
Oecumenius · AD 550 These then are the seven angels taken from one of the four living creatures, before whom there is much said, the wrath of God in seven golden bowls. Golden is well said; for the wrath of God is honorable too, bearing good and advantage in itself rather than justice, even if those punished are made to faint.
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 The angels take the golden bowls filled with the wrath of the Lord from the four living creatures, as it also says in Ezekiel. This shows that eternally in heaven the knowledge of God's plans is shared by those who are preeminent to those who are of second rank, even as the great Dionysius says.
Bede · AD 735 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels, etc. These are the bowls which the living creatures and elders, who are the Church, bear with odors, who are also the seven angels.
8 And the Temple was full of the smoke of the glory of God and of his power, and no man was able to enter into the Temple, till the seuen plagues of the seuen Angels were fulfilled.
Oecumenius · AD 550 And the temple, he says, was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. The smoke is an emblem of divine wrath. For it is written, "smoke went up in his anger." (Ps.
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 From the smoke we learn of the frightful, terrible and tormenting character of the wrath of God. We are taught that the temple is filled with this wrath, which comes at the time of judgment against those who are worthy of it, and especially against those who obey the antichrist and do the works of apostasy.
Bede · AD 735 And no one was able to enter the temple, etc. No one can be incorporated into the members of the Church unless he hears the mysteries of faith from the preachers and learns that Jesus is appointed by God as the judge of the living and the dead.