Let the Trumpets Begin to Sound pt. 1

Turn to Revelation 8.1

Revelation 8:1 KJV 1900

1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

What a contrast to the typical scene described in heaven. In Revelation 4 and 5 we read of shouting and praising, in chapter 7 at the end of the tribulation in heaven we read of the tribulation saints crying out to God and praising Him. But in Revelation 8, as the final seal is broken we hear…nothing.

Why is this? Let me remind you that the seven sealed book is the “title deed to the earth” which Christ began opening in chapter 6. The book, we are told in chapter 5 is written within and on the back side, meaning that every possible writing surface has been covered. Now in the eighth chapter the book is finally opened and when the judgment of God is read, all sound in heaven ceases.

The seventh seal begins the seven trumpet judgments, just as the seventh trumpet will usher in the seven vials and the vials the destruction of Babylon and the return of Christ.

Revelation 8:2 KJV 1900

2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

Trumpets are significant in Scripture. They speak of happy times, such as feasts, of victory, as in when kings return having defeated their foes. They also speak of battle, as when God would send Israel to war against her enemies, and the speak of judgment as when the God brought down the walls of mighty Jericho in judgment. John sees these seven angels, who are constantly standing in the presence of God, waiting on a special assignment, receive these trumpets, and now they are about to sound!

Have you ever asked, “Why Lord?” How many times this week have you asked that question? Chapter 8 gives the answer.

This chapter may be divided into two parts, the first part deals specifically with the “why”, the last deals with the “what”. The outline is only two points, we’ll address the first today, the second next week.

First we examine the “why” - the answer is....

Situation 1-6

Christian, God is going to judge the earth for two reasons:

Accountability

Make no mistake: God is holy and is justified in His judgment.

There are no innocent people

Romans 3:23 “23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Listen, as bad as the judgments are going to be, there is not a man, woman, boy, or girl that HAS to endure it.

Jesus died for every person who has ever lived, is alive today, and will live in the future

He paid the price for their sin, and all they have to do is believe!

God is going to hold them accountable for their rejection of His Son

You say, “How can God do that?”

Becasue Jesus died for them, and they refuse to accept it.

Still, there will be millions who will reject His sacrifice and endure these coming judgments

How do I know?

Becasue there are millions today who have rejected Him. The future will be no different

My friends, there is still hope today for your loved ones

For the child that is out of God’s will

For the parent who has not turned to Jesus

For the neighbor who is lost

There is still hope for you if you have never trusted Jesus as your Savior

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ENDURE THE TRIBULATION! YOU CAN BE SAVED!

We speak today about sin and forgiveness… maybe you’re wondering “How many sins do I have to commit before I can’t be forgiven”

The answer is just one: the sin of rejecting the son of God.

The good news is, that you can trust him right here, right now and be saved.

God will judge the earth because of their rejection, this is the simple truth. Church, my final point today deals with YOUR...

Responsibility - don’t fall into the trap of, “This is for a future day!” You have responsibility right now. “How?” You ask..to pray!

Prayer is the central theme in Revelation 8.

Revelation 8:3-4 “3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.”

The altar speaks of sacrifice

The incense speaks of worship

The smoke speaks of prayer

These are all interconnected!

In the OT a priest would:

Take fire from the altar (where sacrifice for sin was made)

The fire would then be used to light the incense placed in a censer (A sweet fragrance reminiscent of worship)

And the smoke of the burning incense would ascend to heaven before God representing the prayers of believers.

You say, “What in the world does this have to do with MY prayers?

Everything!

Every time you pray today God stores your prayers away

I want to be specific here, these prayers are prayers for justice, and vengeance, and wrath

You say, “Pastor, we’re not supposed to pray that way!”

Not today, no.

Today we are to love our enemies and pray for their salvation

But…When we see pure evil on the rise…and church it is on the rise today....we are to pray for God to stop it!

Do you think it was wrong in 1945 to pray for the end of Hitler’s reign?

Is it wrong today to pray that evil be stopped?

You say, “Pastor, I’ve been praying for the evil in the world, but it just keeps coming!”

DON’T STOP PRAYING THAT WAY!

Christian, how long have you prayed for abortion to come to an end?

The SCOTUS delivered a death blow to Roe just last year, and

next month, NC is one step closer to a heartbeat bill, cutting abortion from 20-12 weeks!

We’re talking about a future day, when God will begin to execute His holy wrath on a world that chose evil over His Son. Christian this will be in direct response to your prayers .

Prayer is the reason for the judgment

Revelation 8:5-6 “5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”

What a day that is going to be when God in His holy wrath answers every prayer ever prayed to bring an end to the evil that engulfs our world!

Notice the censer is cast “into” the earth

This indicates that it is thrown down with mighty force

Church, God is taking this seriously, so should we

When the censer containing the prayers of the saints are cast into the earth, lightnings and thunderings and earthquakes ensue

All of this speaks of God’s judgment

The silence is shattered, and the wrath of God has begun.

What is our responsibility? To keep praying.

Church…keep praying. This is the situation, the “why”. Next week we will look at the “what” as the trumpets begin to sound there will be devastation like never before.

Listen, if the rapture happened today the church would be gone and the tribulation period would begin. I believe it is close. I believe it could happen today. My friend if you are not 100% sure you are saved, then I beg you, make sure of that before you leave here today.

Christian, if you are know you are saved, then I encourage you to pray! Pray for your lost loved ones, pray for our community, pray for our nation....we are under an evil influence, but there is still hope. “How do you know there is hope preacher?” Becasue we’re still here, and the tribulation has not yet begun. Pray church, pray. **Let’s pray**

With your heads bowed and eyes no one looking around…if the rapture took place right now, how many of you can say beyond any doubt that you know you’d be gone and be in heaven?

Not everyone could raise their hand for whatever reason. I want you to know that right now you can have full assurance you would be with Christ. “How can I have this assurance?” By realizing your need…that you are a sinner and that Christ died for you. By believing that He died in your place was buried and rose again so that you could be saved. Is there one today that would say by a raised hand, “That’s me. I’m a sinner, and I believe Jesus died for me. Right here, right now, I am asking Jesus to forgive me and save me.” Would you raise your hand?

Devastation 7-13