Revelation Lesson February 5, 2023

Chapters 4 through 22. And I'd like to start today by making some observations of patterns that are appearing. I think if we keep our eyes peeled for the patterns in the Book of Revelation, they will be a hint in the direction of understanding. What the, the big message of the Book of Revelation is about. So, we're in the middle of ways. Now, let me talk, let me point out to recurring patterns, one, is that events in the Book of Revelation? Come in groups of 7. So, last week, we saw the scroll That Jesus the lamb took from the father and he opens the seals I'm picturing that he's like peeling. Yeah. He's peeling seals on this scroll and when he opened a seal something happened and there are seven of those. And today we're going to move on to a different picture this time trumpet. And there are seven trumpets. It's also true. That last fall when we started chapters, 1 through 3, that the Book of Revelation is written to the seven churches in the province of Asia. So, the numbers 7, groupings of 7 is a theme in the Book of Revelation inside the seven, we're seeing now that there's kind of a groupings inside the seven. So the seals what started with a group of the first four? And then there were two that group together, five and six and we're not going to read until today. Actually number 7, so 7 to stand alone and we're going to read about these trumpets and they're going to have the same kind of breakdown four of them one through four or a group. And then there's five and six, they go together and we're not going to get to trumpet number 7 today that will be next week. So groups of 7 and it seems like there was some breaking down within those. I don't really know that that answers a lot of questions for us, but it's good for us to be observing package. The second pattern is that these events don't seem so much to be the kind of thing you would put on a timeline one after the other across that say, history from the time of the first century, a d up till now, or into the future, it seems rather that the events described things that have been going on all along. Let's take the last week. For example, the four seals, the first seal seems to have pictured Nation vs Nation confrontation, the second seal picture citizen vs. Citizen violence, the third seal picture, economic hardship, the 4cyl picture the presence of death, Well, if you were to ask when in history have those things happen? You would answer, they've been happening, they were happening in the first century ad when John wrote this and they're continuing to happen to this day. So what we're going to begin to see and now this is one way of interpreting The Book of Revelation, it's the way that makes the most sense to me. We're going to begin to see that in the Book of Revelation, we keep coming back to the beach to the first coming of Jesus and moving across time to the second coming of Jesus and then we go back there again. So the seals were really about the first coming of Jesus to the end because remember, the end of what we read was a great crowd that. Nobody could number wearing their white robes in heaven worshiping. So that was the seals. Now we're going to look at trumpets and it seems like we're going to do the same thing. Go back to the first coming of Jesus and by the time we get done with the trumpets will be at the second coming of Jesus and this is going to happen. Some more after trumpets, there are going to come Bull and and we'll see the same sort of thing. So I think from these beginning patterns, we can get at least this theory that the Book of Revelation is talking about things that are happening all the time in the world and which God wants us to be aware of so that they point us toward him. The point of the Book of Revelation isn't really complicated or hard to understand the point of the Book of Revelation is God, God is in charge of everything and he wants you to come into fellowship with him. That's the longing of God's heart. He's the Lord and he's going to maybe they're one other piece would be, there will be Justice against Satan and everything that has come from Satan. But in the end it's people with God uninterrupted that's what God wants. All right. Today, it's trumpets and trumpets are warning instruments. So there's something today about God, warning, humanity and up. Cindy Martini is our reader today, and she's going to live in the past couple weeks. We've had our reader separate the reading in the two parts. Not today and he's going to read all of chapter 8 in all chapter 9. Thank you.

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and seven trumpets were given to them. Another Angel who had a golden censer came and stood at the altar.

together with went off.

Let me angel. Fire from the off.

flashes of lightning, and Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. the first Angel sounded his trumpet, and there came High hail and fire mixed with

and all the green.

The second Angel, sounded his trumpet and something like a huge mountain. All Ablaze was thrown into the sea, a third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third Angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star.

the name of the

and many people.

The fourth, Angel sounded his trumpet.

third of the so that so that a third of them turned dark, Third of the day was without light.

As I watched I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice. Woe woe woe to the inhabitants of the Earth because of the trumpet blast about to be sounded by the other three angels Angel sounded his trumpet. And I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the Earth, the star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss, when he open the abyss smoke Rose from it, like the smoke from a giant furnace,

Out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given.

They were told not to harm the grass of the Earth or any plant or tree but only those p.

they were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for 5 months, and the agony, they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes during those

not find it. But definitely. The locusts look like horses. Prepared for battle on their head. They were something like crowns of gold and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women's hair and their teeth were like lions teeth. They had breastplates like breastplate of iron and the sound of their wings was like the Thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle, they had tails with stingers, like scorpions and in their tails, they had power to torment. They had as king over them. Name in Hebrew.

First one. Two other walls are yet to? Angel sounded his trumpet.

And the Four Angels, who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times.

the horses and Riders, I saw in my their breastplates were fiery red, dark, blue, and yellow as sulfur the heads of the horses. Remember, resembled the heads of lions and out of their mouths, came fire smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by. The three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouth. The power of the horses was in their mouth and in their tails, for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. the rest of mankind who are not killed by these plagues, still did not read

They did not stop worshipping demons and Idols of gold, silver, bronze Stone and wood. Idols, that cannot

Nor did they repent of their MO? Pickle Arts, their sexual.

Thank you very much.

So I'm going to start with this question in terms of taking a look at it, how do you respond to correction or warning? Do you Rage or do you repent? A couple of winters ago I was driving on young Avenue. After 8, it was bitter cold outside. I was driving 45 miles an hour in some wooded area, but I came out of the woods to this open area and I was on glare ice 45 miles an hour. My steering wheel is worthless. My brakes are worthless. I'm sliding to the left. Toward a house. And I think this is going to hurt. I've bounced through a culvert. Now I'm going across the front. Lawn, I miss this, huge landscaping, rock on the right. I missed the well on the left. It looks like I'm going to miss the house. I'm heading diagonally across the driveway. My front driver's side. Wheel hits the tongue of a trailer. Parked in the driveway and spends it like a record on a record player and I came to a stop against some Bramble bushes. The first thing I did was praise the Lord that I was completely uninjured. Second thing I did was I called my wife and ask her to come. Pick me up Thursday. I did was I called the insurance company and reported that I had a accident. Before thing I did was I called the tow truck to come and get me that fit to come get my truck. That's 15. I did was I called the police to report an accident. The last three people, there were my wife's a man died and the police officer and the police officer said as the as the, tow truck lights were disappearing into the distance. I'm sorry, mr. Huizinga, but I have to write you a ticket. Which is just, I knew it was coming but it's such a kick in the you-know-what at. Well, I mean my rear such a kick in the rear

Right? And just kicking you when you're down. Okay, so here's my question. Did John rage? Or did John repent?

My life track record would show that I'm capable of either of those options. I repented. The reason I repented is not really that ticket that ticket was just icing on the cake. The reason I repented was that the consequences of me that the ticket was for exceeding, the safe safe speed? That's the basic speed law of the land. You have to go a safe speed and I obviously wasn't going a safe speed. So the reason I repented was because the consequences of my bad behavior were so painful. Curling 45 miles an hour across. Somebody's front, yard is terrifying. Hitting the tongue of a trailer that spins like a record on a record player causes the tongue to hit the garage door in the frame of the garage, which is very expensive. Paying your insurance deductible Hertz? Getting a ticket just stinks, anytime that you get it. So those painful consequences of my behavior caused me to repent, which means I was sorry and I I changed the way I was going to behave from then on and I do drive slower. Now, especially in Slippery conditions than I did. How about you when you get corrected, when you get worn, what are you do? Rage or repent? This chapter is about trumpets and the theme of the trumpet seems to be that God's allowing some consequences to come upon Humanity because he wants Humanity to repent of ignoring him to repent of thinking that they could do life without him and turned to him. And so, the question of the trumpets is will people will Humanity Their need for God and turn to him. Let's take a quick walk through the chapter. It starts with the seventh seal and the seventh. We we didn't get to read the seventh seal last week so when the Seven Seals open, there is silence in heaven, for half an hour. I picture it as aunt, at the power, in the presence of God. And then also, as a part of this story, there's an angel, he's got incense and the prayers of God's people are mixed with that incense and they're going up before the face of God. All of the prayers you prayed, I think it's specially, they calls for justice all the times you've asked, God, how is this, right? I mean, why is this happening? Those kind of prayers and he Scoops up a plate, full of those prayers and he hurls them to Earth. And things happened rumblies, Rumblings lightning An earthquake.

Which seems to be a picture of those prayers have gotten a response from God and then seven angels are given seven trumpets. And here are the seven Trumpets. The first trumpet is plant life trees and plants are injured about a third of them. The second trumpet is sea life. A big that seems like an asteroid hits. The ocean and sea creatures are harmed and ships are harmed. About a third The third trumpet is freshwater. Another star falls from the sky and it affects rivers and springs. Freshwater sources in some people drink that water and died from drinking that water that has been harmed. And the trumpet number for is light. The daytime light is obscured at some level and the nighttime light is obscured at someone. One observation to make, is that God is not allowing the obliteration of these things that are so important to us plant life, sea life, freshwater light, but he's allowing an injury to them and because trumpets announce them, their God wanting to get our attention.

If you ask a question, Is this going to happen at a certain point in history? Or has it been happening all along? I think the answer is, it's been happening. All alone in 8070 for the Roman Empire leveled, the city of Jerusalem, that beautiful Temple called the second temple that Herod had built just flattened the city of Jerusalem. Pretty much destroyed there, have always been Nations warring against Nations and destruction left in their wake, which harms people and harms cities and towns and harms of water, and streams and such. But I think we would want to say and please don't. Take this in a political Direction. I don't mean to be politically at all here. Wouldn't we say that? It's true that we see in our day, the degradation of plant life, sea life, water, Life Light lights. I'm from Central, California. in central California when the weather is just right there is this Dome of Smaug Visalia is one of my hometown and normally in Visalia, California you can see the Sierra Nevada mountains and they are Majestic, but when that Dome of Smaug is over the valley, you can't see the mountains, you can't even see that there are mountains that are right there, and then the winds blow the right way. So that all that smog gets blown out of the valley and it's up in San Francisco or down in Los Angeles. And there's that Majestic Mountain that's seems like you could almost Reach Out And Touch It. We we are experiencing this kind of thing in our day. I would say if I am asked, what's the difference between John's Day first century ad and our day? I would, I would say that the increase in our technological ability and it was us to make bigger messages.

But it's also true that the increase in our technology enables us to create bigger Solutions or these things. Those are the first four. Then there's this like little interlude and eagle fly through the sky and says whoa, whoa.

I don't suppose that that's funny, but I delivered it as if it's funny. Sorry about that. Then there's trumpet number five, a star from the sky, is giving the key to the abyss Abyss at which is where the Demonic forces live. This shaft is open smoke, billows out like a volcano or like a big furnace Factory furnace and in that in that smoke, there are locusts. And locusts are have always been in and still are devastating. If there's a swarm of locusts that comes through Farmland, it's just Devastation. But this picture is coming up from the place where Satan is. And so, I think it's a picture of the impact of Satan in our world on people. And Satan doesn't have permission to kill people, but Satan makes people miserable and sometimes people are so miserable that they wish that they could die. And I I made a list that I thought you might, Be able to relate to as well. Discouragement depression, substance abuse human trafficking, sexual immorality, like pornography the sex slave industry, meaninglessness materialism, Envy slander, Are all those things. Things that Satan is stirring up fomenting in the world and don't they make people miserable and don't they make some people so miserable that they wish they didn't have to live anymore. That seems to be the picture of trumpet. Number 50. I'm going to skip this for the sake of time. You know, that's not fair. I'm not going to skip it.

The Book of Revelation has so much reference to the Old Testament. So here's the Old Testament story of Satan. How you this is Isaiah 14. How you have fallen from Heaven, Morning, Star, son of the Dawn. You've been cast down to the Earth, you who once laid low. The nation's you said, in your heart, I will Ascend to the heavens. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit and thrown down the Mount of assembly on the utmost Heights of mountains upon I will Ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high. Satan is an angel God created the Angels. This is an angel who who's not satisfied to be an angel, but who wants to be God? But you are brought down to the realm of the Dead, to the depths of the pit. so we've got this picture of the shaft to the abyss opened up and all of this destruction coming out, it isn't kill people but it it makes them miserable

Then there's another little update one roll to to go. And trumpet number six. Trumpet number six, is for Angels released to Warfare from the area of the Euphrates River the Romans. I had feared enemies in that area. The parthians, the Israelites had feared annamese from the area of the Euphrates, the Assyrians, the Babylonian the Persians. So I think that's what the Euphrates is about it. It said the symbol of a place where you're feared enemies come from and they carry out War but but it's limited One, third of the population is killed by this. That's a lot but the majority of people haven't been affected by it. and then, Because he's our trumpets and because trumpets are warnings. We're wondering how is humor as Humanity responding when God, Allows the consequences of sin to to be seen and felt will people turn to him and at least now because we've got another day to go on the trumpets. Next Sunday. Also, at least for now we have sad versus The rest of mankind who were not killed by. These plagues, still did not repent of the work of their hands. They did not stop worshipping demons and Idols of gold, silver, bronze Stone, and wood items that cannot see or hear. Or walk nor did they, repent of their murders, their magic Arts, their sexual immorality, or their steps, that the sadness is Gods. Allowing trumpets to be blown and Humanities, just not interested. And that's where we end today. So let's let's go with what we got. This is our peace that we're reading today. What are some takeaways from what we've read today? I have to first the painful consequences of our human inability unawareness, carelessness or sinfulness. I didn't describe it all as intentional and simple. I think, sometimes what we experience are the consequences of our inability in our own awareness,

These things are allowed by God. In order to turn us toward in our savior. Here are a couple of New Testament and Old Testament and the New Testament verse. About the fact that God wants These Warnings to drop people to him. And God takes no pleasure at people. Wandering from him. But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins, I've committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is Justin Wright that that person will surely lives. They will not die. None of the offenses, they have committed will be remembered against them because of the righteous things they have done. They will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Declares The Sovereign Lord rather. Am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and New Gods? That's God's message. I'm about life. I want, I want to give people life. This is the New Testament. The Lord is not slow, in keeping his promises some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repent. So the backup These painful consequences are allowed by God, in order to turn. Us and our fellow citizens toward God, our savior.

And my second take away, who explains to the world that this pain points toward God. People of got you. Somebody asked I'm just going to call him out where Jimmy Dean Jimmy Diaz. There's Jimmy D, give me the asset or Thursday men's bible study. Does God explain to these people. That it's a warning because Jimmy's heart was How are people going to respond if they didn't understand what was happening? And so that that was a really good question. And my reflection of the question is, that's cool. That's what God's people do. God's people are in the world around the world and God's people are the ones who can say, maybe this pain is an invitation to seek out the God, who can set you free. So, I wrote a little prayer.

For myself and and maybe for you too if it if it connects to you, Jesus help me to represent you in the world with grief at how Satan arms and DC.

You you you you interact with somebody. Maybe you see this in yourself. That Satan has just messed somebody up. And you you grieve about that and recognize. This is what Satan does is what those locusts are doing in the world every day. But on the other hand uses help me to represent you in the world with confidence. At how you forgive and restore. Remember Revelation 1. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood. Help me to be a person who has confidence Jesus that you are present right here in this mess. Ready to set people free.

How's the world respond? When God correct or warns? Repentance leads to forgiveness and freedom.

And I just been talking away. So it's time for us to end. Let's pray.

Lord, Jesus. We thank you for your word. Thank you for this book. It's it's different.