World English Bible · Under Rome
Revelation 8
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When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in for about half an hour. I saw the seven who stand before , and seven were given to them. Another came and stood over the , having a golden censer. Much was given to him, that he should add it to the prayers of all on the golden which was before . The smoke of the , with the prayers of , went up before out of hand. took the censer, and he filled it with the of the , then threw it on the earth. Thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake followed. The seven who had the seven prepared themselves to sound. The first sounded, and there followed hail and , mixed with , and they were thrown to the earth. One third of the earth was burned up, and one third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. The second sounded, and something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became , and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea . One third of the ships were destroyed. The third sounded, and a great star fell from , burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of water. The name of the star is "Wormwood." One third of the waters became wormwood. Many people from the waters, because they were made bitter. The fourth sounded, and one third of the sun was struck, and one third of the moon, and one third of the stars, so that one third of them would be darkened; and the day wouldn't shine for one third of it, and the night in the same way. I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid , saying with a loud voice, "Woe! Woe! Woe to those who on the earth, because of the other blasts of the of the three , who are yet to sound!"
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.