Discovering Revelation Part 22
Discovering Revelation Part 22
Revelation 8:2-6
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
• This group of Angels is a special grouping of Angels!
• Most scholars believe that Gabriel is part of this group!
Luke 1:19
The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
• Seraphim also stand before God!
Isaiah 6:1-2
1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
• However, these 7 Angels are under different orders for their mission and service to God!
Seven Trumpets- Let’s talk about them! Interesting!
• These seven trumpets have a special meaning for Israel!
• This is where the Old Testament knowledge comes into play!
• In the Book of Numbers Moses was given instructions by God for the making of two Trumpets!
• Two Silver Trumpets! Think about 2 being the Numbers of witnesses!
• The Lord ha said in a number of occasions that the in the mouth of two witnesses
Deuteronomy 17:6
On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. Duet 19:15, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19!
• Now, These two trumpets were used on the wilderness March of Israel in a two fold manner!
• They were used for the calling of the assembly, and they were used to start the procession moving in the wilderness March!
Numbers 10:2
“Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.
• When Israel entered the land , the trumpets were used for two more purposes!
Numbers 10:9-10
9 When you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and be saved from your enemies. 10 Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your God.”
• A single trumpet was blown on the wilderness March to assemble the leaders.
Numbers 10:4
Yet if only one is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you.
• This single trumpet I believe corresponds with “the last trumpet”
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
• There are some who assume that the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 is the seventh trumpet of Revelation when there is no relation at all!
• Listen to Paul again in 1 Thessalonians 4:16!
1 Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
• The shout is the Voice of The Lord Jesus!
• In other words His voice is that LIKE that of an archangel!
• The Trumpet of God is still His voice!
• And His voice will sound like a trumpet!
• We see that also in Revelation 1:10 when John says,
Revelation 1:10
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,
• John turned and saw the Glorified Christ Jesus!
• The glorified Jesus will call His own out of the earth!
• So when Paul speaks of the last trumpet!
• the trumpet of God, (shall sound) and the dead in Christ will rise first.
• He means the call of the Lord Jesus!
• It is the last call of the church, and it is therefore called “the last trumpet”
• But the Old Testament type of it is a calling of the leaders from out of the children of Israel!
• One trumpet is blown, and it has no relation to the movement of the children of Israel on the wilderness march.
• However, these trumpets did sound the alarm to move the Israelites on the wilderness March!
• This alarm was sounded and each division of Israel moved in order!
• The tribes were divided into four groups of 3 tribes! Each which camped of the 4 sides of the Tabernacle!
• Also, there were 3 Separate families of Levi who carried the articles of furniture of the tabernacle!
• Kohath, Gershon, and Merari.
• So we see four and three make seven! There were seven blast of the trumpets to move Israel out!
• When the first trumpet was blown the arch of the covenant was moved first! Kohathites carried!
• Then the tribe of Judah with two other tribes under the banner of Judah and so forth till all were moving on the March!
• Every man knew his place and stayed within his station!
• There was no disorder in the camp!
• It took 7 Trumpets to move them out!
Now, the Seven Trumpets of Revelation will have that positive effect of moving Israel into the land of Palestine!
• I think it will take these 7 Trumpets of judgment to get all of Israel back into that land!
• Then the fulfillment of that prophecy!
• It will be fulfilled in the Great Tribulation with the blowing of the seven trumpets!
• As they were on the wilderness March! Amazing right!
• After the seventh trumpet, Israel is identified for us in Chapter 12 as the special object of gods protection! Always were always will be!
• So, an understanding of the trumpets, therefore , will prevent us from identifying “the last trumpet” of the church with the seven trumpets of Revelation!
• Interestingly, as the trumpets of Israel were blown at the walls of Jericho, so the walls of this world’s opposition to God will come crashing down during the great Tribulation!
• Jesus will out down the last vestige of rebellion against Himself and against God plus establish His Kingdom upon this earth!
• This is a Book of Triumph and Victory for Our God! Amen?
• At the end you and I will sing to His eternal glory! Forever and forever!
• Verse 3,
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.
• Ok, “Another Angel” this is not Christ as some people presume!
• Remember the Lord Jesus is no longer positioned as intercessor of the church!
• In Chapter 4-5 remember we saw that shift away from that position when the church was Raptured and He was given the seven-sealed scroll! Amen?
• He is in charge of everything from then on in Revelation!
• Jesus is in Heaven with the Church! Not as an intercessor for us! No!
• This is so cool that you and I will be with Jesus in Heaven.
• Judgment has come! He holds the Book to the seven seals!
• He will direct every activity from His heavenly Throne!
• The Angel here is true is just another Angel! Not Jesus!
• I know in the OT He appeared as the Angel of the Lord!
• But now He would not be identified as an Angel! He is Judge and soon to be King!
• He is in His glorified Body!
• You and I will see Him as He is someday soon!
• Remember the Golden altar was a place of Prayer for the Martyred Saints!
• Incense is likened to prayer and is a type of prayer! A sacrifice of Prayer! You burn it the smoke is sweet smelling!
Psalms 141:2
2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.
• Incense speaks of the value of Christ name and work in prayer!
• We must “Ask in His Name”
• Think about this what part of a prayer do you really hone in on! I promise you most importantly when someone ends it “in Jesus name” Amen? You may forget everything else because you are praying or day dreaming but when Jesus name is mentioned at the end there ought to be a hearty “in Jesus name Amen!”
• Therefore it is important to end in His name!
• It’s interesting that the Angel was given incense!
• Christ had no need of anything when He prayed!
• The prayers of the Saints which were offered under the fifteen seal Rev 6:9 are now at this time being answered!
• Because of the person and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ!
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
• Prayer is always going to be answered because of Christ!
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.
• The High Priest of Israel carried the censer with him into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood on the mercy above the Arc of the Covenant.
• Here we see the opposite why because the censer is hurled down among the earth!
• Prayers ascended as incense, and now we have the answer coming down to earth! Judgment! Look out!
• The Tribulation Saints prayed “ Oh God avenge us! “
• The people of the earth have rejected the Gospel message for their sins!
• Now they must bear the judgment for there own sins!
• The Great Tribulation is going to get underway!
• “Thunders” denotes the approach of the coming fierce storm upon the earth!
• The “Voices” reveals this is Gods intended direction and not the purposeless working of natural forces! God is in Charge!
• The “Lightnings” follow the thunder. This is not a reversal of natural order. Remember we see light waves must faster then we hear thunder!
• Actually thunder always comes first we just don’t hear it till after that fast light of lightning flashes!
• And finally the “earthquake” is this old earths response to such intense pressure which is place upon it during the judgment of this Great Tribulation period!
6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
• Here is a that solemn moment in heaven!
• The half hour we talked about last week!
• The prayers of all the saints have been heard!
• The order is issued to prepare to blow!
• The angels come to attention!
• At the blowing of the trumpets divine wrath unheard of comes to earth!
• Visited upon rebellious men and women, young men and young women!
• The blowing of these trumpets does not introduce symbols or secrets! No
• The blowing of these trumpets bring plagues real literal plagues upon the earth!
• We will not evaporate the meaning of the scripture by calling it symbols.
• That would be just as bad as denying the inspiration of the Word of God!
• I’ve always said God says what He means and means what He says!
• Amen my next meeting we will begin with these here trumpets just hold on to your hats! Amen!
Jesus said,
Romans 10:5-11
5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. 6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
• Paul quoted Moses on both sides of the issue here. In Lv 18:5 (cp. Gl 3:12) obedience to the law brings life, but not one of us can ever keep the law and gain righteousness (as implied by Paul’s citation of Moses in v. 6).
• Faith-based righteousness is from Christ.
• He is accessible.
• He died for us and was raised from the dead.
• Moses pointed out that God’s revelation was accessible, and Paul quoted his words to show that Christ is accessible.
• Listen “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” Paul is shouting this here! Amen! Be Saved today!
• Let’s pray!