The Song of Moses and the Lamb 1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful: seven angels having seven plagues — the last, because in them was completed the rage 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 Having the seven last plagues. Because in them the wrath of God is completed, he called them the last: for the wrath of God always strikes the rebellious people with seven plagues, that is, perfect ones, as frequently in Leviticus: And I will strike you with seven plagues (Lev. XXVI). These will be the last when the Church has departed from its midst.
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those conquering over the beast and over its image and over the number of its name, standing upon the sea of glass, having harps 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 I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire. That is, the translucent fountain of baptism, consecrated with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Or also, in regard to the quality of fire, reddened by martyrdom.
3 And they are singing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God the Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, O King of the nations!
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 will certainly not fear, O Lord, and will glorify your name? For you alone are sacred. For all the nations will come and will worship before you, because your righteous acts were revealed.”
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.
Preparation for Judgment 5 And after these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
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 seven angels having the seven plagues came forth out of the temple, having clothed themselves in pure bright linen, and having girded themselves with golden sashes around the chests.
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 And the seven angels came out, having the seven plagues from the temple. This is what Mark says: But they went out and preached everywhere.
Dionysius bar Salibi · AD 1171 Golden belts on their chest—bound on their chests with a golden bond. Bowls are jugs or dishes.
7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the rage of God, who is living to the ages of the ages.
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 filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels may be completed.
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.