Latest Commentaries

The two-thirds of mankind that were not killed by the plagues of the sixth trumpet are stubborn. They do not repent of their evil ways, even in the face of destruction, much like how Pharaoh’s heart was hardened even after nine plagues in Exodus.

The horses of the army display traits unlike earthly horses, like the ability to breathe fire, smoke, and brimstone and tails like serpents, which they use to kill a third of mankind.

The sixth trumpet is sounded and four angels that will kill a third of mankind are released, along with multitudes of armies of horsemen.

The locusts from the pit are described in more physical detail. They are otherworldly in appearance; war imagery like breastplates and chariots is used to describe them, increasing our understanding of their might and terror.

The fifth trumpet is sounded and a bottomless pit is opened, out of which come beings described as locusts like scorpions, who are given the authority to use their sting to torment those who do not have God’s seal. This will last for five months.

The Securing of the Tomb: The day after Jesus’s crucifixion, the religious leaders who conspired to murder Him are still worried. They recalled how Jesus claimed that He would rise from the dead after three days. They feared that His disciples may come and steal His body out of the tomb and falsely claim that He did rise from the grave. If they did these things, then it would potentially make the Jesus Movement bigger, more threatening, and more difficult to stop than ever before. Therefore, they request that Pilate guard the tomb for three days. He gives them permission to secure it as best they know how, and they do.

The Burial of Jesus: Matthew explains how the Messiah’s body was hastily buried before the Sabbath. A rich man named Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to request Jesus’s body, which Pilate granted. Joseph then wrapped Jesus’s corpse in clean linen cloth and laid it in his own nearby tomb and rolled a large stone in front of it. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw where His body was laid. Matthew’s explanation is also a reference to a Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53:9.

Matthew reports that there were many women who witnessed Jesus suffer and die. These women had been longtime followers and supporters of Jesus and were from Galilee. Matthew identifies three of these women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John.

The Centurion who was in charge of overseeing Jesus’s crucifixion, along with the other soldiers with him, became very afraid when they saw the earthquake and similar events which occurred when Jesus died. They confess that Jesus truly was the Son of God. This event is sometimes called “The Centurion’s Confession.”

Matthew notes four remarkable events that happened when Jesus the Messiah died.

Jesus cried out with a loud voice and dismissed His spirit. The death of Jesus makes the Gospel possible.

Matthew addresses a misconception that some of those standing there had about what Jesus said in the previous verse. They thought Jesus was calling for the prophet Elijah to rescue Him, instead of crying out to God. One of them brings Jesus sour wine to drink, thus fulfilling the second prophecy of Psalm 69:21. The bystanders wait in curiosity or scorn to see whether or not Elijah will come rescue Him from the cross.

After three hours of darkness, Jesus cries out, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?” This expression is a quotation of Psalm 22, which is prophetic of the Messiah’s sufferings. Jesus’s outcry is also the Gospel’s clearest glimpse into His suffering on the cross as He bore the sins of the world.

Darkness fell upon all the land between the sixth and ninth hour on the day Jesus was crucified. Matthew’s simple and factual account of the crucifixion darkness is both rich in meaning and is the fulfillment of a dozen or more prophecies.

The third and fourth of seven trumpets are sounded, at which a great star, being a spiritual being, falls from heaven, and a third of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened. An eagle then appears to declare woe and warn of the final three trumpets.

The first two of seven trumpets are sounded, which bring about destruction on the earth with hail and fire, and destruction on the sea, which turns to blood and causes sea life to die and ships to be destroyed.

The seventh and final seal is broken, which brings about a half hour of silence. Seven angels are then given trumpets and a censer with incense for the prayers of the saints. An earthquake precedes the judgement that will pour out upon the sounding of the trumpets.

One of the elders explains that the martyrs dressed in white robes who worship God are there in the throne room because they have come out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.

People from every nation, tribe, and language stand before the Lamb in the throne room, along with the angels, creatures, and elders. They worship God.

Angels are summoned to hold back the winds as the seal of God is placed on the foreheads of all the bond-servants, which consecrates them to the Lord and sets them apart. People from all twelve tribes of Israel are sealed, although the makeup of the tribe list has some notable replacements.