Revelation Chapters 8-9 and 16:2-17:3a - Rings Seven and Eight of The Woven Rings of Revelation

This is one study within the larger body of work introduced here: The Woven Rings of Revelation: Intro

This presentation showcases the seventh and eighth woven rings of the book of Revelation, counting from the outside in. These two rings are expressed through 165 lines of text.

Ring Seven opens with 8:1-6 and closes with 16:17-17:3a. (13 lines and 26 lines)
Ring Eight opens with 8:7-9:21 and closes with 16:2-16. (84 lines and 42 lines)

Through the visual organization and interactive features of this presentation, it first highlights the structural relationships within the opening text of the ring, and separately, of the closing. The access provided to the Author's guidance is invaluable! There is further benefit on offer for those who are able to recognize the parallels that exist when comparing the opening with the closing texts of this woven ring.

Be sure to read the notes you'll find down below the interactive presentation.

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Be sure to read the comments embedded in the above interactive presentation.

While comparing the sounding of the trumpets to the pouring out of the bowls of wrath, it became obvious that each of the trumpets matched the bowls, number for number. (Discover this for yourself by using the interactive features to easily compare them, trumpet to bowl.) I puzzled over the fact that the pouring out of the 7th bowl wasn't paired with the sounding of the seventh trumpet because it's addressed in Revelation 11:15 (in Ring Eleven). Where was the companion text for the pouring out of the 7th bowl? Having become familiar enough with the neighborhood, so to speak, I found it easily enough in 8:1-6.

Let's consider what we find in this context.

In one contiguous text (of chapters 8-9), we find the introduction to all seven trumpets followed by a description of the soundings of the first six. In a companion text (16:2-17:3a), we find a description of the pouring out of the first six bowls followed by the description of the pouring out of the seventh plus an invitation from one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls. Parallels exist that link the text of the six trumpets with that of the six bowls, and likewise, parallels exist that link the surrounding texts. This is like a sandwich, with 6+6 spicy layers of trumpets and bowls sandwiched between two slices of bread. In the concentric ring analogy, we have two adjacent rings that have a very special bond between them. This is intriguing!

The text of the sounding of the seventh trumpet (Ring 12) is separated from the text of the first six trumpets (Ring 8) by three chapters of biblical text. This is a structural thing, of course. We find that the text of the seventh bowl (Ring 7) is also separated from the text of the six bowls (Ring 8), but not by distance. Instead, this separation occurs by shifting the context to an adjacent Ring - a thing that is known only through careful analysis or by being received by revelation insight.

What does this observation do for those of us who realize that the Author hasn't done this merely for his own entertainment? We should well understand that this is an encrypted communication of meaning as much as an expression of beauty, intention and harmony in design. What lesson or lessons can we take away from this? Based upon the mysteries this trove of treasure has already led me to ponder, it occurs to me that the Author's purposes will manifest in seasons to come as understanding is granted.

The Seventh Ring - Parallels

8:5 and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
COMPARE
16:18 And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake,

8:1 "When the Lamb broke the seventh seal"
8:2,6 Seven angels receive seven trumpets and are prepared to sound them.
COMPARE
18:18 the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air

The Eighth Ring - Parallels

Discover these for yourself by using the interactive features above to easily compare each individual trumpet text to its like-numbered bowl text.

Explanation:

What you see above is an exhibit of the linguistic structure that appears throughout the Bible. The featured passage of scripture is straight from the Bible. Nothing has been added or removed or shifted out of sequence.

What's the point of studying this kind of symmetrical design? Firstly, be inspired by the awesome beauty and intricacy of the Author's Word. The structure also conveys meaning to those seeking knowledge and wisdom! In an elegant way, it suggests where the Author places emphasis. It presents context in a very refined manner that guides us to ask questions we would otherwise not be inclined to ask, subsequently leading us to profound insights we would not otherwise glean! How are the paired elements alike and how do they differ? In what specific ways do they compare? Why are they paired? Ask the questions prompted by the holy spirit as you're being informed by the structural comparisons.

Directions:

The interactive features will vividly illustrate the structural design. Pass your mouse cursor over the passage. Hovering over a vertical bar or a line of text will cause it to be highlighted together with its matching elements. If you see a bar or a line of text called out for special attention, click it to open a Commentary Window (which can be repositioned by dragging) and freeze the relevant background highlighting.

Tip: When a presentation is too big to fit on your device screen, you can make adjustments that will allow you to see the elements of interest together onscreen for easier comparison. Right clicking on a bar will collapse it to a single line - a very useful feature! Make your browser full screen - try F11. You can also adjust the zoom (ctrl- or ctrl+ to zoom out or in). If you have a monitor that rotates into a portrait display, leveraging that vertical real estate can be very useful.

For more explanation, see: About These Thematic Patterns

For more examples, see: Interactive Content