We carry on with our Revelation series and here we get to some things where we have to remember that Jesus is Lord. Do not forget that. But in these chapters there not a lot to give you as a takeaway for daily life; there’s some tough births coming up. Today I thank God I am saved!
Blow the Trumpets!
There are a series of escalating judgements in Revelation: seals, trumpets, bowls. The trumpet and bowl judgments touch on the same areas. It seems that these overlap.
The seal judgments now over, the trumpet judgments are about to begin. These will be followed by the bowl judgments, culminating in the destruction of Babylon and Christ’s return to earth.
The following summary illustrates:
The Trumpets The Judgment The Bowls
1. 8:1–7 The earth 16:1–2
2. 8:8–9 The sea 16:3
3. 8:10–11 The rivers 16:4–7
4. 8:12–13 The heavens 16:8–9
5. 9:1–2 Mankind—torment 16:10–11
6. 9:13–21 An army 16:12–16
7. 11:15–19 Angry nations 16:17–21
The trumpet judgments are released during the first half of the tribulation, and the bowl judgments during the last half, which is also called “the wrath of God”(Rev. 14:10; 15:7).
The trumpet judgments parallel the plagues that God sent on the land of Egypt. And why
not? After all, the whole world will be saying, as did
Pharaoh, “Who is the Lord that we should serve Him?”
The opening of the seventh seal, and the blowing of the first six trumpets, brought about three dramatic results.
Preparing (8:1–6)
This preparation involves two factors: silence (Rev. 8:1) and incense (Rev. 8:2–6).
The hosts in heaven had just worshipped the Father and the Lamb with a tremendous volume of praise (Rev. 7:10–12). But when the Lamb opened the seventh seal, heaven was silent for about thirty minutes.
John does not tell us what caused the silence, but several possibilities exist. The scroll had now been opened completely, and perhaps even turned over, and all of heaven could see God’s glorious plan unfolding.
Perhaps the heavenly hosts were simply awestruck at what they saw.
Zephaniah 1:7: Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.(Note also 14–18, especially v. 16, “A day of the trumpet”).
Habakkuk 2:20: The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.
During this silence, the seven angels were given
trumpets, significant to John, because he was a Jew and understood the place of trumpets in Israel’s national life.
In the OT trumpets held a significant place in the people’s lives:
- they called me people together (Num. 10:1–8);
- they announced war (Num. 10:9);
- they announced special times (Num. 10:10).
- the trumpet sounded at Mount Sinai when the law was given (Ex. 19:16–19),
- trumpets were blown when the king was anointed and enthroned (1 Kings 1:34, 39).
- remember the trumpets at the conquest of Jericho (Josh. 6:13–16).
The voice of the Lord Jesus Christ sounded to John like a trumpet (Rev. 1:10). The voice of a trumpet summoned John to heaven (Rev. 4:1).
The trumpet sounds at the rapture of the church given in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.
Sounding seven trumpets by seen angels in Chapters 8-9 would announce a declaration of war, as well as
the fact that God’s anointed King was enthroned in glory and about to judge His enemies (Ps. 2:1–5).
The awesome silence was followed by the actions of
a special angel at the golden altar in heaven (see Rev.
9:13; 14:18; 16:7). In the tabernacle and temple, the
golden altar stood before the veil and was used for
burning incense (Ex. 30:1–10).
Burning incense on this altar was a picture of prayer ascending to God (Ps. 141:2).
For centuries, God’s people have been praying, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done!” and now those prayers are about to be answered.
The tribulation martyrs prayed for God to vindicate them (Rev. 6:9–11), a common plea of David in the Psalms (see Ps. 7; 26; 35; 52; 55; and 58 for example). These “imprecatory psalms” are not expressions of selfish personal vengeance, but rather cries for God to uphold His holy law and vindicate His people.
On the great day of Atonement, the high priest would put incense on the coals in the censer and, with the blood of the sacrifice, enter the Holy of Holies (Lev. 16:11–14). But in this scene, the angel put the incense on the altar (presented the prayers before God) and then cast the coals from the altar to the earth! The parallel in Ezekiel 10 indicates that this symbolised God’s judgment, and the effects described in Revelation 8:5 confirm this. A storm is about to begin (see Rev. 4:5; 11:19; 16:18)!
Like it or not, the prayers of God’s people are involved in the judgments that He sends. The throne and the altar are related.
The purpose of prayer, is not to get our will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth—even if that will involves judgment. True prayer is serious, so we had better not move the altar too far from the throne!
Devastating (8:7–13)
The first four trumpet judgments are “natural” in that they affect the land, the saltwater, the fresh water, and the heavenly bodies. The fifth and sixth judgments involve the release of demonic forces that first torment, and then kill. The last of the trumpet judgments (Rev. 11:15–19) creates a crisis among all the nations of the world.
- Devastation of vegetation (v. 7). “Hail and fire mixed with blood” reminds us of the seventh plague that God sent against Egypt (Ex. 9:18–26: hail). The prophet Joel also prophesied “blood and fire” in the last days (Joel 2:30).
The target for this judgment is green vegetation, the trees and the grass, one third of which is burned up.
One can well imagine how this would affect not only
the balance of nature, but also the food supply.
- Devastation of the seas (vv. 8–9). Turning water into blood reminds us of the first Egyptian plague (Ex. 7:19–21: water into blood).
Note that John did not say that an actual burning mountain was cast out of heaven, but that the fiery object was like a great mountain. Possibly an asteroid? We cannot be sure.
A triple judgment resulted:
- a third part of the saltwater turned to blood,
- a third part of the marine life died,
- a third of the ships were destroyed.
This will be an ecological and an economic disaster of unprecedented proportions.
The pollution of the water and the death of so many creatures would greatly affect the balance of life in the oceans.
- Devastation of fresh water (vv. 10–11). God’s wrath next reaches inland and touches the rivers and fountains of water (wells and sources of the rivers), making the fresh water taste bitter.
The word means “undrinkable,” and in the Old Testament was synonymous with sorrow and disaster. Jeremiah, “the Weeping Prophet,” often used it (Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Lam. 3:15, 19 ), and so did Amos (Amos 5:7, Moses warned that idolatry would bring sorrow to Israel, like a root producing wormwood (Deut. 29:18). Solomon warned that immorality might seem pleasant, but in the end, it produces bitterness like wormwood (Prov.5:4). (KJV and NKJV; modern translations tend to use the word bitter for clarity).
Is this literally a star? It it likely referring to an angelic being of some description.
- Devastation is in the heavens (vv. 12–13). The judgments from the first three trumpets affected only a third part of the land and waters, but this fourth judgment affects the entire world. Why? Because it gets to the very source of the earth’s life and energy, the sun.
With one third less sunlight on the earth, there will be one third less energy available to support life.
This judgment parallels the ninth plague in Egypt
(Ex. 10:21–23), which lasted three days.
Amos 5:18: Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light.
The vast changes in temperatures that will occur and these will affect human health and food growth.
It is possible that this particular judgment is temporary, for the fourth bowl judgment will reverse it, and the sun’s power will be intensified (Rev. 16:8–9). Both extremes are hazardous to human life.
Then at the close of the tribulation, the sun and moon will be darkened again to announce the Saviour’s return (Matt. 24:29–30; see also Luke 21:25–28).
At this point, a remarkable messenger will appear in the sky, proclaiming woe to the earth’s inhabitants.
Could this be the eagle-like living creature that John saw worshipping before the throne (Rev. 4:7–8)? We cannot say for sure, but it is a possibility.
The three “woes” in Revelation 8:13 refer to the judgments yet to come when the remaining three angels blow their trumpets. It is as though the messenger cried, “If you think this has been terrible, just wait! The worst is yet to come!”
The phrase “inhabitants of the earth” is found twelve times in Revelation (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10 [twice]; 12:12; 13:8, 12, 14; 14:6; 17:2, 8). It means much more than “people who live on the earth,” for that is where all living people live. Instead, it refers to a kind of people: those who live for the earth and the things of the earth. These are just the opposite of people who have their citizenship in heaven (Phil. 3:18–21).
Releasing (9:1–21)
Releasing means setting free. What is released is frightening!
Revelation 9 describes two frightening armies that are liberated at just the right time and permitted to judge mankind.
Some scholars find this the most difficult chapter to understand for it is when things get serious!
- The army from the pit (1–12). 1–12). The Abyss. Luke makes it clear that this “Abyss” is the abode of the demons (Luke 8:31), and John states that Satan will be temporarily “jailed” there during our Lord’s reign on the earth (Rev. 20:1–3). The Antichrist (i.e., “the beast”) will ascend out of this pit (Rev. 11:7; 17:8).
The fearsome army described here is already imprisoned, waiting for the hour of freedom.
This fallen star is a person, the king over the beings in the pit (Rev. 9:11). He does not have complete authority, for the key to the pit had to be given to him before he could loose his army.
This “star” is probablySatan and the army, his demons (Eph. 6:10ff.). One of the names for Satan is Lucifer, which means “brightness”; he also is compared to the “morning star” (Isa.14:12–14). Jesus said to His disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).
When the Abyss was opened, smoke emerged as though the door of a furnace had been left ajar. Jesus compared hell to a furnace of fire (Matt 13:42, 50).
It is what came out of the smoke that truly terrorised humanity: an army of demons, compared to locusts. The eighth plague in Egypt was a devastating swarm of locusts (Ex. 10:1–20).
These are not literal locusts, because locusts do not have scorpion-like stings in their tails. These creatures do not devour the green vegetation; in fact, they are prohibited from doing so.
This demonic army is given the assignment of tormenting all who have not been protected by the seal of God. The 144,000 men from the tribes of Israel would therefore escape this painful judgment (Rev. 7:1–8). In fact, it is likely that all who have trusted the Lord will be sealed in some special way and protected from torment. So this is part of God’s judgement on the unbelieving world.
The normal lifespan of the locust is about five
months, and this is the length of time that the judgment will last. These demons will sting people and thus create such pain that their victims will actually want to die, but death will flee from
them (Jer. 8:3).
Reading the detailed description of these creatures (7-11), we realise that John is not writing about ordinary locusts. Yet, despite its obvious symbolism, it aptly portrays a powerful enemy armed for battle. It is unnecessary to try to “spiritualise” these symbols, or to interpret them in light of modern means of warfare. John is heaping image upon image to force us to feel the horror of this judgment.
Be thankful that Jesus Christ holds the keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:18). God has His timetable for all these events, and nothing will happen too soon or too late (2 Thess. 2:6; note also Rev. 9:15).
- The army from the East (13–21). It was at the golden altar of incense that the angel offered the prayers of the saints (Rev. 8:3–5); now from this same altar a voice speaks, commanding that four angels be loosed.
These angels are apparently wicked, because no holy angel would be bound. Each angel is in charge of part of the vast army that follows them at their liberation, an army of 200 million beings (16)! John doesn’t stand there and count, he ‘hears’ their number.
The army is released at a precise time, for a special purpose: to kill (not just torment) a third of the world’s population.
Since a fourth of humanity has already been killed (Rev. 6:8), this means that half of the world’s population will be dead by the time the sixth trumpet judgment is completed. These are devastating events that John is seeing!
Reminder: where are you when all this is happening? You know it was the love of God that drew me into the Kingdom, and that is the grace period we are living in! But a time will come when it will be the fear of the Lord that will bring people into the Kingdom!
Quote: “While it looks like everything is out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who has not surrendered authority.” - A.W. Tozer
PAUSE TO PRAY FOR UNSAVED LOVED ONES.
You’d think that the combination of five months of torment and then death (from fire, smoke, and brimstone) would bring men and women to their knees in repentance, but no.
People who survive will continue to worship the demonic that was now attacking them. They continue to worship their own idols, probably their own wealth. They continue with murder, sexual immorality, stealing and ‘magic arts’. Anything but Jesus!
These judgments are not remedial but retributive: God is upholding His holy law and vindicating His suffering people (Rev. 6:9–11).
Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Wrapping this up:
We have covered about three-and-a-half years of this seven-year period (Dan. 9:27). During this time, Antichrist began his career as a peacemaker and a special friend to Israel, but now, his true character will be revealed.
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Blog Bonus:
9: 13-21: Are we to identify this as a literal army, moving in conquest across the globe? Probably not. The description cannot fit modern equipment. To say that this is a literal army, and to point to some nation (such
as China) that claims to have 200 million soldiers, is to miss the point John is seeking to convey.
Further, the make up of their armour: fiery red, dark blue and yellow as sulphur. And their breath is fire, smoke and sulphur. These are the same elements that make ups the fiery lake in Revelation 19 where they will eventually be cast by Jesus (19:20; 21:8).This interplay of these things is only preparing us for the might of the sword of Jesus(19:15).These armies look powerful but singular, Jesus is more powerful!
Why they are bound at the Euphrates River is not explained, though that area is the cradle of civilisation (Gen. 2:14), not to mention one of the boundaries for Israel (Gen. 15:18).
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