The Seven Trumpets - Podcast

Hi and welcome to this episode of Pastor’s Corner. I am Thomas Hogan, senior pastor of Amazing Grace Church of the Nazarene in Wall Walla Washington.

We are continuing our series in Revelation, There’s A Man Going ‘Round Taking Names. If you haven’t please like this video and subscribe to our Chanel.

Also be sure to watch the lesson video connected with this podcast. Today we are going back into Revelation chapter 8:6 through chapter 11.

Let us begin by reading Revelation 8:6-13

Revelation 8:6–13 NASB

6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 7 And the first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8 And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood; 9 and a third of the creatures, which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 And the third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters; 11 and the name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were smitten, so that a third of them might be darkened and the day might not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 13 And I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe, to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

The seven angels who stand before God begin to blow their trumpets. In Jewish traditions there are lists of the angels and they are named Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Michael, Sariel, Gabriel, and Remiel.

We saw in the sermon that the trumpets include descriptions of how people, specially, those who rule, treat one another, and certainly those of God’s people.

Thus what we also see are judgments, Bruce Metzger: “John descriptions of the series of God’s judgments corresponds in some measure to that of the ten plagues sent against Egypt.”

The blowing of the trumpets also remind me of another time God brought judgment against a city, that is eerily familiar - Joshua 6:12-16

Joshua 6:12–16 NASB

12 Now Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while they continued to blow the trumpets. 14 Thus the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did so for six days. 15 Then it came about on the seventh day that they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times. 16 And it came about at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city.

Joshua 66:20

So to now the seven angels blow their trumpets in judgment against those who are opposed to God and his people.

Under Rome the treatment of Christians can be compared to the Enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt.

Remember that each of the ten plagues spoke against the idolatry of Egypt and the Pharoah himself.

The blowing of the first four trumpets take the imagination as they are then symbolically from events, storms, earthquakes which were familiar to John’s readers.

Gordon Fee writes, “These pictures are intended to address the imagination and are not to be pictured literally.”

For example notice Revelation 8:8-9

Revelation 8:8–9 NASB

8 And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood; 9 and a third of the creatures, which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

John’s readers would remember the catastrophic event a few years earlier when in Ad 79 Mount Vesuvius on the coast of Naples erupted, destroying the towns of Pompeii, and Herculaneum.

Were John writes, “thrown into the sea,” this is also a reflection of what happened to Vesuvius. As its lava flow went a considerable distance into the sea even though the whole mountain was not destroyed.

The image is not literal but John’s readers would have that memory to remember.

In this vision we are also reminded how much Rome relied upon imports from other parts of the empire.

Then we have the next trumpet Revelation 8:10-11

Revelation 8:10–11 NASB

10 And the third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters; 11 and the name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

So in this a star wormwood falls to the earth. We mat think of the fall of Satan from heaven. Now it is a possibility, but also remember whatever is meant in the symbolism here would be something familiar to John’s readers, the seven churches of Asia.

It is also possible that a meteor could have fallen and that imagery would be used to show God’s judgment.

Remember that the blowing of the trumpets and the imagery is symbolic of God bringing his judgment against those who have persecuted his people.

on Egypt and in the book of Joel.

I want us to consider now Revelation 9:13-16

Revelation 9:13–16 NASB

13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they might kill a third of mankind. 16 And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

There were tow empires at play during this period. The boundary for these Empires lies on the farthest eastern board of the Roman Empire.

The boundary is the river Euphrates. They are the Roman and Parthian Empires.

At its height, during this period, it stretched across what is now Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan to as far as the Indus Valley.

One can be sure that the readers of Revelation would have at least considered that in the symbolism here.

Don’t think of all these things as a sisenct sequence of events, but as different dimensions of the same terrible reality.

John is warning his readers that the plagues to come will consist of foul, hellish, destructive, forces, and in another point of view of massive, terrifying armies charging against defenseless people.

Next in chapter 10 we see there is another little book in the hands of an angel.

Revelation 10:8–9 NASB

8 And the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” 9 And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he *said to me, “Take it, and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”

John is told to eat this book. The imagery of taking a book and eating has been seen before in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Psalms.

N.T. Wright: “Eating the scroll is a vivid metaphor for the way in which the prophet then or indeed today can only speak God’s word insofar as it has become part of the prophet’s life. It may be nourishing, it may be bitter, it may be both.

This vision then sets in our understanding in what is about to be written in chapters 12-20, namely that John is writing God’s word.

Now in chapter 22 we have the temple and the two witnesses.

There is no collected agreement on the vision of chapter 11.

For example som see the actual temple of Jerusalem, others the temple in heaven.

Still others a third temple yet to be built.

You know there is another temple talked about in scripture, where God currently resides.

Let me share some passages with you:

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 NASB

16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

2 Corinthians 6:16 NASB

16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

1 Peter 2:5 NASB

5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:20–21 NASB

20 having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord;

We the church and as individuals of the church are the temple of God.

Is this a possibility?

The John talks about two witnesses a clue to who they are is given in Revelation 11:6

Revelation 11:6 NASB

6 These have the power to shut up the sky, in order that rain may not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

6a: Elijah had did that in Israel, remember

6b: Moses - remember the plagues

So for me the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah, the same two that talked with Jesus in the account of the transfiguration

Then on the heals of this is a vision of a beast of the abyss, and a great city called Sodom and Egypt.

Perhaps this will become clear later in Revelation.

A vision is starting to emerge I think. That of the creator God as a merciful God. A God who grieves over the rebellion and corruption of the world but is still determined to rescue and restore.

Accomplishing this through the death of the lamb, and also the death of the lamb’s faithful followers.

Thus we see celebration and the end of this section as we now round out the first half of the book of Revelation.

So now we see God’s plan beginning to unfold and what comes is the conflict as many try to reject and hinder God’s plans of redemption.

Blessings to you, hope you have a wonderful week, thank you for joining in the Pastor’s Corner.