Trumpets 1-4
Notes
Transcript
Revelation 8:1–5 (ESV)
When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
The Lamb—still the only one that is worthy.
Recap the first 6 seals
Four horsemen of God’s judgment
5th seal—the souls of the martyrs under the altar crying out for God’s wrath against those who have persecuted and tormented them.
6th seal—Trembling of the Earth; Shaking out of Celestial Bodies; Removal of Mountains and Islands; Dread of All Humanity…ALL OF HUMANITY crying out…
Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Last week—the 144,000 and the great multitude sealed for protection during the day of the Lord.
John says that there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Dispute over whether this is a literal 30 minutes or if it’s a period of time like “hour” // “Day”
Why silence? Up to this point there’s been a lot of noise and clamor of worship, chaos, praise, etc.
This is an anticipation of the coming wrath. It’s about to get much worse.
Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Who are these 7 angels standing before God? Have we seen them before? Are they the 7 angels (spirits) of Revelation 1:4
John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
Are they the 7 angels of the 7 churches?
Most likely not. They are definitely angels whose explicit purpose is to carry out the will of God and serve Him—what is meant by “standing before God” // ready to serve and do His bidding.
According to Jewish rabbinical tradition (extra biblical) there are 7 specific angels who stand before God’s throne:
Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Sariel, Gabriel, Ramiel
We can’t know 100%
Given 7 trumpets:
Shofar
Symbolized four things in the OT
A call to war
God’s Presence (Sinai)
Coming judgment of the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:1)
Call to Repentance (Ezekiel 33:1-6)
And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.
An 8th angel—separate from the 7—one that has a specific/almost priestly role.
Stands at the altar with a golden censer…
Same altar as we saw a couple of weeks ago where the souls of the martyred saints dwell.
Incense altar—no burnt offering altar in heaven because the once-and-for-all sacrifice has been made.
Incense = prayer
Prayers of the saints
The imprecatory prayers from chapter 6—crying out for justice
Prayers of those going through the Great Tribulation and persecution
Another “reason” for the silence—so that God can “hear” the prayers of His people. Not that He is limited by noise but symbolizing an intense/singular focus.
Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Watch what’s happening—Divine collaboration—God is answering the prayers of His people.
Revelation 8:6–7 (ESV)
Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Terrible judgments now coming from the throne.
Hail and fire mixed with blood.
Parallels to the plagues of Egypt and Exodus. This one parallels to the 7th plague (hail on all of the crops in the land of Egypt). We’ll talk about why in a bit.
The restraint God commanded the angels to have in 7:3 is now lifted.
But—1/3 of the trees were burned up and ALL grass.
Revelation 8:8–9 (ESV)
The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Something “like” a great mountain. Not necessarily a specific or literal mountain but “like” one.
This fiery mountain like object is thrown into the sea with 1/3 of the sea becoming blood, 1/3 of sea creatures dying, and 1/3 of ships destroyed.
Think about the destruction this would cause to the economy.
Mt. Vesuvius - AD 79
Reminiscent of the first plague.
I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.
The mountains quake before him;
the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
the world and all who dwell in it.
Revelation 8:10–11 (ESV)
The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.
Great star falls from heaven blazing like a torch — a meteor?
1/3 of rivers and springs of water—affecting the water/drinking systems of the earth.
Wormwood—bitter and poisonous
Parallel to the bitter waters of the Exodus
Revelation 8:12–13 (ESV)
The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.
Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”
A parallel to the 9th Egyptian plague
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
The eagl
4 TRUTHS FROM THE FIRST FOUR TRUMPETS OF JUDGMENT
YHWH alone is God.
God responds to the prayers of His people.
There is order in what seems to be chaos.
Even in judgment, God is merciful.