Possibility of Hail in the Middle Right Rosette

[CaryR]

Very interesting examples, Michelle. I think it's important to look at extrinsic evidence as you're doing, finding other examples of similar imagery contemporary with the VM, and then considering whether a similar meaning might make sense in the VM. I think the images you show certainly support a good possibility that the circles could be hailstones, which could imply a reference to Revelation.

To your point that the round circles seem to be outside the nebuly line and therefore might relate to the "earthly" plane, I found an interesting passage in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. that might support this interpretation:

"The Lord comes in a storm, throwing stones at his enemies (16:21), but hailstones also indicate that the firmament is shattering as the Lord brings his heavenly throne to earth ... Heaven and earth are no longer separated. The opening of the sanctuary... is completed. God stands face-to-face with his world, and there is no place to hide." (161)

Like I said before, even though Koen and I have been looking at certain aspects of Revelation imagery, we want to remain careful to avoid becoming biased towards interpreting all related VM imagery in this expected frame. You asked in another thread if we had found circles used representatively in this way elsewhere, and so I want to point to an alternative (but potentially related) possibility. The illustration of manna, the miraculous bread-like substance that fell from heaven as described in the book of Exodus, is depicted very similarly to--and in some cases is practically indistinguishable from--your examples of hailstones. Often the circles are white, though in one example I found it appears they can be blue and white, perhaps to emphasize that they are coming from the sky:
   
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Since we may write more about this soon, I won't elaborate too much on our speculations here, but there is one point I want to mention here in connection with your hailstone examples. I was just thinking about how these two different "raining substances" are so similar in appearance, yet so opposite in their meaning. When large circles falling from the sky are hailstones, it means destruction and God's wrath, but when they are manna, it means sustenance, salvation, and God's favor. And without the inclusion of people in an illustration to show whether the falling circles are the kind that mean "duck for cover" or "thankfully collect food", it's hard to tell whether a negative or positive meaning could be intended. In comparing these two possibilities, it's also worth noting that hailstones are mentioned in both Revelation and Exodus, and likewise, manna is mentioned in both too.

They are opposite, but perhaps related, and I wanted to mention this because in the same book passage I quoted above, there was a very interesting description of the hailstones of Revelation as "anti-manna":

During Israel's wilderness wandering, bread fell from heaven as manna. The Lord sustained his people with "circles" from the firmament. With the seventh bowl, this is reversed. Instead of raining life-giving bread, he rains down circles of hail, which crush the people beneath... The people of the city are no longer Israel, whatever they may call themselves, and so do not eat the heavenly bread. They refused the true manna, Jesus, and so an anti-manna crushes them. They are remembered before God, and are given anti-bread along with the wine of God's wrath.

I wonder if this could explain why the illustrations of these two things tend to look so similar... the hailstones looking like manna is almost like a cruel joke from God.