Revelation 8

Questions to ask in Revelation Eight:

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 find 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 mid-heaven, 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!”

  1. What does this portion of Scripture reveal about Jesus? – It does show that Jesus uses others but never loses charge of his sovereignty.
  2. What does this portion of Scripture reveal about the church? We are not really mentioned in this passage.
  3. What does this portion of Scripture reveal about the world? All the things that mankind has looked to for wisdom (earth, ocean, skies) will fail him during his time of greatest need. This parallels the series of judgments against Pharaoh’s Egypt.  All the ten plagues were about some god that they worshipped.
  4. What does this portion of Scripture reveal about the Evil One? This is a judgment or redemption of the world.  And remember, in order to for the document – the scroll – to be opened, all the seals must be broken.
  5. Can you see Christ’s Mercy towards humanity in the passage? There is the announcement of the eagle.
  6. Can you see Christ’s judgment of disobedience? That this judgment is not just about mankind, but creation is also fallen and needs to be judged.

Thoughts:

After the pause of Chapter Seven, the seventh and final seal is broken on the scroll.  At that point, there was silence in have for about half an hour.  A quick review: • the first seal was a white horse and temporary peace; • the second seal was a red horse and a horseman representing war and bloodshed. • the third seal was a black horse representing global famine; • the fourth seal was a pale green horse representing pestilence and death; • the fifth seal was the prayers of martyrs ascending before the throne of God as incense from the golden altar; • the sixth seal was a total eclipse of sun and moon – the sun turning black and the moon blood red.

  1. The final Seal (seventh) is broken and there is silence. For half an hour.  Note that things change in heaven (it was noisy, now it’s silent) and that time progresses (half an hour).  If this is like labor pains, it is as though the entire delivery room heard the call – One Last push and we’ll delivery this little one. We are so close to the “birthing” of a new world, that everyone stops and watches in silence.  This is the final seal, the final push, the final official step to Christ taking full possession of his (and ours) inheritance.
    1. There are seven angels – standing. (Note Luke 1:19, how Gabriel identifies himself as the one who stands in the presence of God).
    2. Each angel is given a trumpet – and each trumpet will have different elements. Appears to be taken literally, not spiritually.
      1. First Trumpet – (impacted Earth’s surface) hail and fire, mixed with blood. 1/3 of the earth is burned. 57 million square miles X .33 = 18 million square miles.  (USA has 3.7 million square miles.) North America – USA, Canada, Mexico and a few others – 9.54 million square miles.  South America 6.8 million square miles.  Australia 2.97 million square miles.   Estimates for trees – Three Trillion.  3,400,000,000,000. (LA times 2015.09.02).   Did you see any video about the fires in Southern CA?
      2. Second Trumpet – (impacts oceans) Mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. There are ± 28,000 different types of fish. Each year 2,700 billion fish are caught.  They don’t guess in terms of number, but in terms of weight.  10,000 million tons is one estimate I found.  Over 90 % of the world’s trade is transported by sea.  (Much of mankind believes we walked out of the ocean)
  • Third Trumpet – (Impacts Rivers and lakes.) and great star falls to the earth and the springs of water were impacted. People became poisoned by Wormwood.
  1. Fourth Trumpet – (Impacts the heavens, Sun, Moon and stars) – not sure how that would work. Life would be insupportable if the sun shined at 1/3 its present amount.  Notice that all the elements that mankind looks to for wisdom will be put into play and under confusion.  Mother Earth, the ocean, nature, and astrology.
  1. The announcement of the eagle – you haven’t seen anything yet. Do you really think God is going to use an Eagle to announce this?  I mean really, can God make an eagle talk?
    1. A Donkey speaks – Numbers 22:27-29 – When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.”
    2. Nature can speak – Luke 19:39-41 – 39 – Some of the Pharisees [a]in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”
  • The Serpent spoke – Genesis 3:1 – Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from [a]any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”
  1. God can use an eagle
  1. Notes and quotes
    1. The first four trumpets take seven verses, the last three take fifty verses.
    2. They are not to be taken symbolically, they are to be taken literally.
    3. Not only will their source of life be taken, but their god will be destroyed for their god is the creation.
    4. John MacArthur – “What that means, I don’t know.” (Meaning we don’t know all there is to know about this.) – quoted about the sea becoming blood.
    5. “Though sentenced against an evil work be not executed speedily, it will be executed at last. Jezebel may flourish in her iniquities for many years, but finally the horses trample her body in the streets and the dogs gnaw and crunch her royal bones. Long was the old world left to drive its crimes, jeer at Noah, fling defiance in the face of God, but soon the earth breaks down beneath their feet and their lifeless bodies are dashed upon each other amid the waves of a world ocean. The trampled law of God will assert its rightful honor and Christ will not endure the smittings, taunts and wrongs of Pilate’s Hall forever. And when these trumpets once give their blast, the vibration will run through the universe and everything created for human blessedness shall turn into a source of disaster to them who know not God and obey not the gospel of Christ.” Joseph Seiss.