Revelation 8.6-13-The First Four Trumpet Judgments (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday June 19, 2024

The Day of the Lord Series: Revelation 8:6-13-The First Four Trumpet Judgments

Lesson # 28

Revelation 8:6-7 records the first of the seven trumpet judgments and is directed at the earth and results in a third of the inhabitants of planet earth being killed.

Revelation 8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. 7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. (NIV84)

The blowing of the first trumpet results in hail and fire being cast to the earth mingled with blood.

Consequently, a third of the earth is burned up meaning that the trees and the grass are burned up as well as various crops of the earth like wheat, barley, rice, and corn.

The destruction of pasture land would also devastate the meat and milk industries.

Of course, this would result in a devastating world-wide famine.

This first trumpet judgment reminds us of the seventh plague that God sent against Egypt (Exodus 9:18-26).

The prophet Joel also predicted that “blood and fire” would take place during the day of the Lord (Joel 2:30).

Revelation 8:8-9 records the second of the seven trumpet judgments and is directed at the sea and results in a third of the sea becoming blood and a third of aquatic life dying and a third of the ships being destroyed.

Revelation 8: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, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. (NIV84)

The statement “and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea” refers to an asteroid hitting one of the oceans on the earth since an asteroid is literally a huge mountain hurling through space and when it hits the earth’s atmosphere it would burn.

This would result in tremendous earthquakes and tsunamis bringing tremendous devastation to the earth.

Evidently sea life is killed by the change in the water and the ships are destroyed by the impact of the burning object, probably by both the shock waves and tidal waves, whatever the cause.

Revelation 8:10-11 records the third of the seven trumpet judgments, which involves a large star called “Wormwood” falling upon the rivers and springs of water making them bitter.

Revelation 8:10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. (NIV84)

This star enters the earth’s atmosphere and begins to burn and break up affecting a very large area of land and especially the lakes, rivers and streams.

This will cause a chemical change making the waters bitter.

The star is called “wormwood.”

The Bible teaches that God numbers His stars and gives them names (cf. Is.40:26).

Isaiah 40:26, “Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing.” (NASB95)

“Wormwood” was a type of wood growing in Palestine that had a very strong and bitter taste and is mentioned only seven times in the Old Testament where it represents sorrow and bitter judgment (Deuteronomy 29:18; Proverbs 5:4; Jeremiah 9:15; 23:15; Lamentations 3:15, 19; Amos 5:7).

In Revelation 8:11, the star is called “wormwood” because of the effect the star has on the water.

It makes the water like wormwood, i.e., bitter, but it appears that while the wormwood in Palestine is not poisonous, this star will poison the water because those who drink this water die.

Thus one-third of the fresh water supply of the earth is made unfit for human consumption.

If ecologists are worried today about water pollution, what will they think when this trumpet judgment takes place?

Not only would people be affected by this in that they would die if they drank the water but also fish and other creatures that live in these waters will be adversely affected, not to mention the vegetation by these rivers.

Revelation 8:12-13 records the fourth of the seven trumpet judgments that is directed at the sun, moon and stars of the stellar universe, which results in a third of them being darkened so that the day would not shine for a third of it and the night in the same way.

Revelation 8:12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. 13 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 blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” (NIV84)

The first three trumpet judgments affected only a third part of the land and various bodies of water on the earth.

However, the fourth judgment will affect the entire earth because this judgment is directed at the source of the earth’s life and energy, namely, the sun.

With one third less sunlight on the earth, there will be obviously one third less energy available to support life systems of man and nature.

This judgment parallels the ninth plague executed against Egypt (Exodus 10:21-23), which lasted three days.

In Revelation 8:13, the triple “woe” announcement by the eagle indicates that the remaining trumpet judgments will be far more severe in character than the previous four.

As the ass spoke to Balaam, so this eagle, by the power of God, will speak from heaven as it flies about the earth like a flying sound-truck giving warning of the coming last three trumpets.

The first four trumpets seem to serve not only as judgments, but as warnings of the last three trumpets since they are far worse.

This is supported by the effects of the fourth on the heavens which the Lord referred to as “great signs in the heavens” (Luke 21:11), and by the warning of the eagle flying in heaven.

Then, by the cry of the eagle, “Woe, woe, woe,” these last three trumpets are designated as woes because of their severity.

As bad as the first four will be, these last three will be even worse.

It is as if the eagle is saying, “you think the last four judgments were rough, wait to go through the last three!”