The list “lightning, sounds, thunder” frames the “seal” section of Revelation, occurring in both 4:5 and in 8:5. Plus, there is a reference to fire in both 4:5 and 8:5. Though the phrase is repeated here, there is also a progression. In 4:5, the lightning, voices, and thunder is from the throne, and is evident only in heaven. But in 8:5, the angel throws fire from the heavenly altar onto the earth, and the thunder, voices, lightning occur on earth, and are joined to an earthquake. The beginning and end of the section, in other words, moves from heaven to earth, and shows that the activities of heaven have their effect on the earth. The lightning and thunder of heaven are echoed in the history of the nations on earth, and when the heavenly lightning and thunder falls to earth, the earth shakes.
The same furniture and characters appear at the beginning and end of the passage. While John watches the elders and the living creatures in chapter 4, they engage in a worship service, praising the Lord God, the Almighty, casting crowns before the throne, and prostrating to worship Him. At the end of the section, we have another worship service, with songs (using the same words as chapters 4-5: doxa, 4:9, 11; 5:12-13; 7:12; time in the same verses; eucharistia , 4:9; 7:12), and prostrations before the throne of God (7:11). Again, however, there is a progression, with an innumerable multitude now joining the heavenly assembly.
We see open exchange between heaven and earth: Prayers go to heaven, and the lightning and thunder of heaven fall to earth. Martyrdom on earth elevates saints to heaven, where they join the elders and living creatures.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
