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Eureka

AN EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE
Sixth Edition, 1915
By Dr. John Thomas (first edition written 1861)

 

 

Chapter 10

Section 10

The Seven Thunders


 
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Apocalyptic thunder is significant of war. Seven thunders are either so many distinct wars; or, they are war of complete and intense severity; or the wars are styled seven thunders, because they are the thunderings of the Seven Spirits of the Deity sent forth from before the throne into all the earth (Apoc. iv. 5; v. 6). This, I believe is the correct definition. If the spirits of the Deity had been eight instead of seven, it would have changed the arrangement of the whole prophecy. There would then have been eight apocalyptic epistles to eight ecclesias, eight seals, eight trumpets, eight vials, and eight thunders. But seven is the Divine Number of the Spirit; and, therefore, all these are numbered sevenfold; and the Spirit is symbolized by "seven horns and seven eyes," as significative of omnipotence and omniscience.

The Rainbowed Angel is the Seven Spirits incorporate in Jesus and his Brethren going forth in their wars into all the earth. Hence the connection between the lion-roar of his voice and the voices of the seven thunders -- "And he cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth; and when he cried, the Seven Thunders uttered their voices." If the angel had not crashed forth his voice, there would have been no thunderings reverberating their echoes through the aerial of the Sin-Powers of the world. The thunders are, therefore, the echoes of the voice of the All-powerful and Omniscient Seven. They are the wars of the Saints in the execution of "the judgment written," and "given to them;" and waged against Babylon and the apocalyptic beasts in what remains of the sixth vial after the return of Christ, and in all the seventh, until the wrath of Deity is filled up, and the smoke from his glory and power no longer prevents an entrance into the nave (Apoc. xv. 8).

"And when," says John, "the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write." The voices of these thunders imported the things to be transacted in the wars. When John heard the revelation of them, he was about to make a record of them for the information of the servants of the Deity; but this he was forbidden to do by a voice from the heaven, saying, "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not." This shows that the voices of the thunders were their utterances; and that these were things expressed in words that could be intelligibly recorded. To seal up is to conceal; and to conceal what he had heard them say, was to obey the command, "Write them not." When the time of the thunderings from the rainbowed throne arrives, the things they uttered will be unsealed. The unsealing of them will be the practical development of them in the execution of the judgments by the saints in the time of the end. This also will be the unclosing and unsealing of the words and the book which Daniel was commanded to shut up and seal till the time of the end (xii. 4,9); and this unclosing and unsealing in that time is symbolized by the little open scroll in the angel’s hand. As the apocalypse is a revelation for the sealed servants of the Deity alone, it was deemed inexpedient to write in detail the things in which they would be practically engaged. The apocalypse is not for their enemies; hence the universal failure of all their attempts to expound it. To these, the prophesyings of the thunders were to be impenetrable. They were not to be permitted even to read them; therefore, the Spirit said, "Write them not." Thus, they can only be read in the history of "the terrible doings of the Elohim toward the children of men," in bringing them to submit themselves to the glorious majesty of the kingdom (Psa. lxvi. 3-7). The utterances of the thunders will be written upon the historic page by the valiant and mighty deeds of all the saints. This is the only record of them the world will be permitted to inspect.

 

 


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