The Sounding of the Trumpets
Notes
Transcript
Handout
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Last week, we focused on the opening of the 7th seal. What we found was much different from the opening of the 5th or 6th seal. Upon the opening of the 7th seal, we find silence. 30 long excruciating minutes of silence.
Silence before the storm.
The angels and the redeemed saints stop their shouts of praise and cease their songs of joys.
There are no divine pronouncements from the throne.
Heaven sits in total silence.
The Preparation of the Trumpets
The Preparation of the Trumpets
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
7 Angels or celestial beings are summoned before God and are presented with 7 Trumpets to carry out the judgments of God.
7 - the number of completeness representing the full, complete power of God in judicial judgment.
They are standing before God.
Angels have distinctions among their ranks. They are distributed into various orders and ranks, but all from the archangel down to the least are servants of the Almighty God. They have no redemptive relationship. They are servants, created to serve and worship God. They will never rise out of that position nor do they desire to rise out of that position.
They are privileged to “stand before the presence of God.”
They stand, a posture of service; but standing in the presence of God.
Oh how we need people today that need to be available to serve.
These 7 angels receive their trumpets and prepare to sound.
Trumpets were used, as now, for various purposes; to summon an assembly; to muster the hosts for battle, to inspire and animate troops in conflict. Here, they are given the privilege and opportunity to announce a series of important events producing great changes in the world.
Trumpets are important to us as Christians today. We are to be listening for the sound of the trumpet.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Trumpets for the Jews, Trumpets for the Christian, and Trumpets for the end times.
These trumpets are not for work or worship but rather for war in character, God will release His divine judgment upon the wicked ones who dwell on the earth.
Now that we are prepared, Why do are these trumpets being blown.
The Prayers behind the Trumpets
The Prayers behind the Trumpets
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.
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.
Does God hear the cries of His people?
God never forgets the prayers of His people.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
I don’t know if you realize this or not, but when you pray the model prayer, “Thy kingdom come”, you are essentially praying for God’s judgment on earth.
Another angel, an 8th angel, as opposed to the 7 angels standing with trumpets prepared.
stands at the altar having a golden censer - again we see the language of the worship of the Temple of the Old Testament.
The Temple Pictured:
The Temple Pictured:
God has a temple in Heaven.
4 The Lord is in his holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men.
The tabernacle, built by Moses and the Temple built later by Solomon, were little replicas of the spiritual reality in Heaven.
Our worship sends up prayers and adoration to the throne of God in the Temple of God. There is ongoing worship and services being conducted in heaven.
We saw this in Rev 7:15 the martyred saints serving in the heavenly temple.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
The Golden Censer’s Picked up:
The Golden Censer’s Picked up:
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.
A censer was a container used for carrying live coals of fire in which incense was burned.1 The device functioned as a portable vessel that priests employed in temple worship, particularly during daily rituals and the Day of Atonement.
The physical design and materials varied depending on the censer’s function. Daily censers were made of brass2, while those used in the Temple were “of pure gold.”1 Daily censers had a base or stand to allow placement on the golden altar, whereas those employed on the Day of Atonement were probably furnished with a handle.2
The censer played a central role in priestly duties. The priest filled the censer with live coal from the sacred fire on the altar of burnt-offering, and having carried it into the sanctuary, threw upon the burning coals the sweet incense, which sent up a cloud of smoke, filling the apartment with fragrance.3
In Temple worship, the use of the censer and the right to burn incense were jealously guarded prerogatives of the priests, the sons of Aaron.1 When King Uzziah unlawfully entered the Temple and presumed to take a censer in his hand and burn incense on the altar, he was stricken with leprosy as punishment.1
The censer was used in the purification ritual on the Day of Atonement.1 On that occasion, the high priest took a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, along with his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and brought it within the veil. (Lev 16:12–13)
1 Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., in Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995). [See here, here, here, here, here.]
2 John M’Clintock and James Strong, “Censer (1),” in Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1891), 2:181.
3 M. G. Easton, in Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893), 132.
12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
The Much Incense Perfuming:
The Much Incense Perfuming:
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.
We saw also in
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
However, these prayers were turned in Praise.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
the golden vials full of odours, where the prayers of the saints.
Prayers go up to the throne of God. God loves when we pray. God hears our prayers. And God responds to our prayers.
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 saints mentioned here are from Revelation 7, those that have died because of the gospel of Jesus Christ and those sealed by God living and going through hell on earth under the mighty hand of the rider of the white horse of Revelation, the Anti-christ. The Beast.
The Censer filled with coal from the altar and the incense of the prayers of the martyrs are used for Intercession.
If you cannot offer any other sacrifice to God, then you should at least be able to offer the perfume of prayer.
The prayers of the martyred saints of Rev 6:9-11 that were told to wait are now about to be answered. Which leads to the 2nd purpose of the Censer.
The Censer filled with coal and cast into the earth is used for Judgment.
The Golden Censer Propelled:
The Golden Censer Propelled:
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.
The censer which held incense for the worship of God is now filled with fire from the altar, and this fire is cast upon the earth.
The regular order has been reversed.
In the first coming of Jesus Christ, God’s wrath was exercised upon Jesus Christ when He hung on the cross because our sins were upon Him.
Now, God’s wrath falls upon earth and all who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus cannot bear the sins of those who reject His sacrifice.
First, they will bear this judgment in their bodies on earth as God pours out His wrath.
Second, after death they will stand before the Great White Throne Judgment, and be cast body and soul into the lake of fire.
The Prelude Perceived:
The Prelude Perceived:
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.
Please, do not make this symbolic. We have no problem believing the 10 plagues on Egypt as being literal and there is not reason not to take these as literal also. Especially since God did not give a key or explain the symbolism.
Remember Exodus 1-11.
Aaron and Moses took their rod and staff and waved it over the waters of Egypt. This act turned the waters into blood.
Moses stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt and as a result, there came up frogs that covered the land. These frogs were real and a menace to Egypt.
Aaron stretched out his rod and smote the dust of the earth, as a result lice appeared throughout the land of Egypt.
And we could go on and on, but you go back and read it. Everytime an act was performed and the act brought forth real, actual judgments.
The same is happening here in Revelation. The angels, blow their trumpet, performing an act which brings about literal results upon the earth.
When the censer and coal is poured out on the earth, 4 things happen.
Voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. We will see the same thing happen when the 7th trumpet is blown
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
with the addition of hail.
Again we will see this with the 7th Vial in Rev 16:17-18
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
These are the signs and instruments of God’s judgments upon His enemies.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
The time has come for the action of the great day to be hurried to its completion.
There is no hurry, but careful preparation by the angels, indicating the serious nature of the situation. They are deliberately adjusting themselves, preparing for the part they will take in the work of judgment.
The Playing of the Trumpets
The Playing of the Trumpets
Again, I want you to notice these 7 trumpet judgments follow the same pattern as the Seals before and Vials after.
Video of the blowing of the first 4 Trumpets
The 1st 4 are concerned with the realm of nature, the earth and things on it, while the last 3 emphasize mainly heavenly or the demonic realm.
2nd of all, notice the first four trumpets affect 1/3 of the objects involved, with a few exceptions, aligning with the 1/3 characterized of God’s judment on Jersualem in Ezekiel 5:2
2 Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
First Trumpet: Upon the Earth
First Trumpet: Upon the Earth
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
First = in order, indicating the first in the series of events to follow.
The elemental forces of nature are hurled against the world.
At each blast of the trumpet, a different part of the world is attacked; the destruction is partial and not total destruction, for this is not yet the end, but the prelude to the end.
The Reaction: Hail and Fire Mingled with Blood
The Reaction: Hail and Fire Mingled with Blood
Hail and fire, mingled with blood. Again, no symbolization.
But rather a fulfillment of Joel 2:30-31
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
Again, if the plagues of Egypt are real, why not the Trumpets and the Vials.
5 out of the 9 plagues will be repeated during the Great tribulation period.
22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
The difference between then and now is that then, Israel escaped, now they will suffer.
Then the judgment was directed at Pharoah and Egypt, now they are directed toward Israel and the world.
Fire, Hail, and blood are all symbols of judgment also.
The purpose of judgment is to teach men that those things upon which we depend as our primary source of life, health, and happiness are after all dependent upon a supernatural creator and sustainer.
Without the church or the Holy Spirit, men will revert right back to their paganism of the past. They will become pantheistic, God is in everything, in their explanation of the universe, denying the existence of a God who is transcendent, before, above, outside, and seperate from His creation, and identifying God with the creation. God in these first 3 trumpets is destroying this ideology.
The earth speaks of government and people. These judgments are not in heaven, but rather upon the earth.
Cast = irresistible power behind. This hail and fire is not just falling upon the earth but is being propelled toward earth.
The Result: 1/3 trees and all grass burnt.
The Result: 1/3 trees and all grass burnt.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Why a third of the trees but all of the grass?
Trees have deep roots and can withstand the fire and hail however, grass has very shallow roots and is easily scorched.
Second Trumpet: Into the Sea, salt water
Second Trumpet: Into the Sea, salt water
The Reaction: Great Mountain burning with Fire
The Reaction: Great Mountain burning with Fire
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
The Result: 1/3 of sea becomes blood, 1/3 of sea life die, 1/3 of ships destroyed.
The Result: 1/3 of sea becomes blood, 1/3 of sea life die, 1/3 of ships destroyed.
Why a third part of the ships?
At any given time, 2/3 of the world’s ships are at sea and 1/3 of the world’s ships are at port or dry dock.
Tsunamis are not even noticed by the ships at sea because they are long low waves. However when confined to shores, they reign death, havoc, destruction on the coasts and ports up to a half mile inland.
Third Trumpet: Upon Freshwater
Third Trumpet: Upon Freshwater
The Reaction: A Great Star: Wormwood
The Reaction: A Great Star: Wormwood
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
The Result: 1/3 waters become bitter, Many men die
The Result: 1/3 waters become bitter, Many men die
Fourth Trumpet: The Heavenly Bodies Darkened
Fourth Trumpet: The Heavenly Bodies Darkened
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
These first four trumpets are intended for the environment that man relies upon and even worships.
However, the last 3 trumpets will be upon man. Therefore, they are led by a cry of “Woe” to the inhabiters of the earth.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
Again, will God enjoy doing this? Will He find pleasure in this?
Absolutely not. However, there will be absolutely nothing restraining the curse of sin and the groanings and travail of the earth and creation.
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
Our wicked world is on a collision course with the HOLY JUSTICE of God.
However, you do not have to experience the wrath of God. You can accept His offer of grace coupled with mercy He offered through His Son Jesus Christ upon the Cross of Salvation. All you have to do is REPENT and BELIEVE.
What is your spiritual condition this morning? What is your eternal standing before God.
Are you Saved? Are you Serving?
