Merciful Judgment
Notes
Transcript
Revelation 8:7-9:21
First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck
7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck
8 Then 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 living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck
10 Then 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 water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck
12 Then the fourth angel sounded: 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 were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
Fifth Trumpet: The Locusts from the Bottomless Pit
9 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Introduction:
As we look into this section of Revelation today, there is one overlooked thing I want to talk about - regardless of what people in the world think and say, God is merciful even in judgment.
The first four trumpet judgments exclusively inflict natural things and not mankind. It is as though God is warning the inhabitants of the earth that His judgment is impending.
He then begins to afflict mankind directly, but as we shall see, not without much mercy.
I. The Judgment is Portioned.
I. The Judgment is Portioned.
1/3 of the trees burned up
1/3 of the sea became blood
1/3 of the sea creatures died
1/3 of the ships are destroyed
1/3 of the rivers and streams are poisoned by the wormwood
1/3 of the Sun, Moon,and the day id destroyed
1/3 of mankind killed
Why not just do it all in one colossal explosion and end mankind forever? Some think it’s because God is sadistic and just wants mankind to suffer the maximum and longest pain.
But really, it’s because He is merciful!
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
II. The Punishment is not unto Death.
II. The Punishment is not unto Death.
The stinging locusts have the power to torture mankind for five months, but not to kill him.
Mankind will desire death and seek it out, but will be supernaturally prevented.
God is maximizing the judgment but mercifully preventing mankind from ending his own life sending himself to an everlasting destruction and pain.
Everyday people in this world ignorantly seek death, thinking they ar ending their pain and suffering.
How sad that we have the answers for them and yet people still seek death without Christ.
III. The desired Result is Repentance.
III. The desired Result is Repentance.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God gives opportunity for man to repent.
God wants man to repent
God will not compromise for man to repent
Conclusion:
If God’s mercy is extended so that man would repent, does it not also make sense that His mercy toward us, the body of Christ, is extended so that we may repent of our own sinfulness and share in a richer relationship with Him?