Rev 8:6 - 13
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So its important to remember where we are in the progression of the Revelation. The book has its own outline, you might remember, it is in Chapter 1:19. John is told to write the things which you have seen, which are the things in Ch 1, John is then told to write the things which are, which are the things in? Chapters 2 & 3, which is the Church Age. Finally, John is told to write the things which take place after this, which is Meta Tauta, (our favorite Greek phrase). Meaning the things that take place after the Church age, Chapters 4-22.
In chapter 4 we see John be called up to Heaven through a door in heaven, picture of the rapture of the church in our view, and there we see the church until chapter 19 when Jesus returns. The word church is not even mentioned after chapter 3.
So tonight we find ourselves in the Great Tribulation about to learn about the second set of judgments called the Trumpet judgments.
Last week we studied the first 5 verses of chapter. We began with a half hour of silence in Heaven as the time has finally come for the wrath of God to be poured out on the earth. The prayers of the saints are brought to God and the angel takes the Holy Fire from the altar and violently hurls it at the earth. Resulting in peals of thunder and lightning, followed by an earthquake. Not man made things.
Have you ever experienced thunder and lightning very close to its origination or seen lightning hit?
So let’s pick up in ch 8 v 1 for context. BTW I am reading from the NASB, and we will begin our study with v 6.
1 When the Lamb broke 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 seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 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 creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 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 waters.
11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
As we move into these judgments, we will notice the heat being turned up and each one becomes more supernatural.
Lets look closely at V6 -7, the first trumpet;
6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
Remember we learned last week that the 7 angels may be referring to the 7 spirits before throne or the may be according to Jewish tradition, the seven angels of the presence. Their names were Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Sariel, Gabriel and Remiel (Tobit 12:15).
So the trumpet sounds and see hail and fire mixed with blood thrown to the earth. This results in 1/3 of earth, trees and green grass are burned up.
HERE we have a picture of the elemental forces of nature hurled in judgment against the world. At each blast on the trumpet, a different part of the world is attacked; the destruction that follows is not total, for this is only the prelude to the end. First, the blast of destruction falls on the earth (verse 7); then it falls on the sea (verses 8–9); then it falls on the fresh-water rivers and springs (verses 10–11); then it falls on the heavenly bodies (verse 12). The tide of destruction is let loose on every part of the created universe. Barclay.
Its hard for me to imagine what this will be like. Maybe it this will be some kind of volcanic upheaval?! The blood being the red hot lava and the hail volcanic rock. Others see this as an asteroid.
We see parallels to the plagues on Egypt in Exodus. References to the Egyptian plagues suggests that in Revelation we have the final exodus of God’s people from the bondage of the world.
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
14 “For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
15 “For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth.
16 “But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.
17 “Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go.
18 “Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.
19 “Now therefore send, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.” ’ ”
20 The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses;
21 but he who paid no regard to the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”
23 Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
24 So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25 The hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field.
Some would ask should we take a literal view of these judgments? In our view we have no indication that these judgments are allegorical. These things will literally happen.
Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Chapter 8
It is very possible that these trumpet judgments that include flowing blood, pelting hail, and consuming fire describe what would happen in a nuclear holocaust. Keep in mind, history verifies that weapon systems have never been developed that have not been used. Therefore, it would be an aberration of history if all of the countries that presently have nuclear weapons—including Russia, France, England, Israel, India, China, the U.S., and a host of others—failed to use them.
Now on to V8 – 9 Second trumpet
8 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 creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
What is this? Where is it coming from? This could be a meteor or perhaps another volcanic upheaval in the oceans.
We are told that it is something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, thrown into the sea this results in 1/3 sea turned to blood, 1/3 sea creatures die, 1/3 ships destroyed.
Again, we see a parallel in the exodus story,
20 So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.
21 The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt.
· Note: the Atlantic Ocean equals 1/3 of the total oceans and contains 1/3 of the ships.
Now we get to the 3rd trumpet, V10 – 11;
10 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 waters.
11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
Here a Great Star, blazing like a torch, fell on the fresh water. The star is named wormwood. The result is 1/3 water becomes bitter and many people die.
The Revelation of John, Volume 2 Letting Loose the Elements (Revelation 8:7–12)
Wormwood is a general name for the class of plants known as artemisia whose characteristic is a bitter taste. They are not really poisonous in the sense of being fatal
In the US we are blessed with good water and have no idea what it would be like to have no drinkable water. In a large part of the world this is a huge issue.
Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Chapter 8
Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not—the Russian word for “wormwood” is “cherynobyl.”
Obviously this “great star” sounds like a meteor or asteroid. we have a video on this specifically;
youtube video - The Wormwood Prophecy, 9 minutes
Now that we are all excited lets look at V12 the Fourth Trumpet
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
Here 1/3 of the sun and moon and stars go dark and 1/3 day and night are with out light.
Just this week it has been reported that our sun is having great solar flares the biggest in the last 250 years which could result in power and communication blackouts. It was reported to be starting today and last for days. We shall see.
This idea of darkness is reported in several passages in the Old and New Testaments.
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.”
22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.
· See also;
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
31 “The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood
Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
15 A day of wrath is that day,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
The final verse of the chapter, v13 brings more warning;
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
Here we have an eagle flying (some think this should be an angel) its flying in air (literally- mid heaven) crying woe, woe , woe.
In scripture things are said in triplicate for emphasis. Note the warning is to the inhabitants of the earth, earth dwellers. Remember this is a specific term used in Revelation describing the unsaved.
· The next trumpets would be worse
11 “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’
God purposes for all is that they would repent and turn to Him. What should our attitude be towards those who hate God and us?
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