Revelation Chapter 8 Charles

 

Brief Introduction...

 

The opening of the seventh seal introduces the seven angels blowing seven trumpets.

 

Please remember that everything from chapter 4 onwards is future... "the things that shall be after." ☆ Revelation 1:19...

 

We are living in the present, the Church age, and in one sense these things we are about to read, do not concern us... and will not affect us. Mind you, our concern should be for the unsaved.

 

We do not have to be frightened about what we are reading here in Revelation. 

As a child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit to be delivered to Christ when the Church goes out of the world (the Rapture) before the Great Tribulation Period. 

 

This is what the Bible calls "the blessed hope" of the Church. ☆ Titus 2:13...

 

An interesting summary of the 7 seals, trumpets, personalities, vials (bowls)...

 

▪ During the seven seals we see the judgment which is the result of man's wilful activity.

▪ During the seven trumpets, to which we are coming in this chapter, we see the judgment which is the direct activity of God.

▪ When we come to the seven personalities, we will see the judgment which is the result of Satan's fight against God.

▪ During the seven bowls (vials) of wrath, we will see the final judgment of the Great Tribulation, which is the direct activity of God because of man's and Satan's rebellion... God will judge both.

 

From now on more symbols will be used, and let us remember that a symbol is a symbol of a fact. 

The symbols used are symbols of the reality which is coming.

Plain language could not make it clear to our minds how terrible and tragic the Great Tribulation will be... and so the Holy Spirit uses symbols.

 

The key to understanding the symbols used in Revelation is supplied. The Scriptures will furnish the explanation, and you do not need to draw upon your imagination. I've tried it and it doesn't work... you can go off on so many tangents.

 

The Book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible. 

A working knowledge of the sixty-five books preceding it is the basic requirement for an understanding of its vivid language. 

 

Do not interpret Revelation by itself... remember there are sixty-five books before it... inspired and written by the Holy Spirit.

All sixty six books are inter-related. Revelation is a culmination of all that's happened in the previous 65 books. 

 

Revelation is the epilogue.

 

Know the Word to interpret the Word!

 

The book of Revelation should be a comfort (not an enigma) to every believer, knowing that God is going to judge this world that is running out of control today.

God is going to judge it, and He is going to judge it rightly and justly. 

 

7 ☆ Revelation 8:1...

"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."

 

The Lamb opens the seventh seal and something amazing happens. There's a deathly silence in Heaven for half an hour.

 

This is a very solemn scene. The Lord Jesus Christ orders a halt on all fronts: heaven, hell, and earth.

Nothing can move without His permission.

He is in total control. 

For a brief moment, there is a lull in judgement activity... there is a heavenly hush so to speak. 

It is the calm before the storm!

 

☆ Revelation 8:2...

"And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets."

 

John sees seven angels standing before the LORD... and each one was given a trumpet.

 

In the Old Testament, the trumpets sounded the alarm which moved Israel on the wilderness march. There were seven blowings of the trumpets to move Israel out.

 

The seven trumpets of Revelation will likewise have the positive effect of "moving Israel" into the land of Palestine. 

It will take these seven trumpets to get all of Israel back into that land.

 

☆ Revelation 8:3...

"And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer... and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."

 

Another angel arrived on the scene and stood at the altar. In his hand was a golden censer. He was given a lot of incense so that he could offer it with all the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar that was in front of the throne. 

 

The golden altar is where prayer is offered. Incense is a likened to prayer and is a type of prayer. Incense speaks of the value of Christ's name and work in prayer.

 

Even though we aren't given the information in this verse, the Angel has taken coals of fire from the Brazen Altar and placed them in his Golden Censer, which came with the prayers of the Saints. 

 

For our prayers to be effective in Heaven, they must always be mixed with the intercessory work of Christ.

 

☆ Hebrews 7:25-26....

"Therefore, because He always lives to intercede for them, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him.

We need such a high priest... one who is holy, innocent, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens."

 

☆ Revelation 8:4...

"And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand."

 

These prayers will be answered because of Christ.

 

And...knowing our prayers come "up before God," at least if we pray according to the will of God, should inspire every Saint to a greater prayer life.

 

☆ Revelation 8:5...

"And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake."

 

The prayers ascended as incense, and... now we have the answer coming down... fire is cast to the earth! 

The censer is hurled upon the earth after the angel fills it with fire of the altar.

 

The Tribulation saints had prayed, "Oh, God, avenge us!"

 

The people of the earth, having rejected the death of Christ for the judgement of their sins, must now bear the judgement for their own sins.

God had made a way (Jesus Who is the truth, the life and the way) but it has been rejected. 

 

"Thunders"... speaks of the approaching storm of God's judgements...

 

"Voices"... reveals the intelligent actions of God... what is taking place is not a haphazard series of unrelated events...

 

"Lightnings"... speaks of the awesome power of God...

 

"Earthquake"... speaks of earth's response (groanings) to the severe pressure placed on it during the Great Tribulation...

 

☆ Revelation 8:6...

"And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound."

 

The half hour of silence is over.

 

The Prayers of the saints have been heard.

 

The angels come to attention... and the trumpets are about to sound!

 

Divine wrath is about to be visited upon rebellious men.

The plagues about to happen are literal plagues.

 

☆ Revelation 8:7...

1 "The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up."

 

When the first trumpet sounded... hail, fire mixed with blood were thrown onto the earth.

This is a direct judgement of God.

 

A third of the trees was burnt up and... all green grass was burnt up. 

This will have a huge impact on the earth. Interestingly plant life was first created... here it is the first to be destroyed. 

 

What takes place will be literal, and will also be a fulfillment of the Prophecy of Joel. 

 

☆ Joel 2:30-31...

"And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come."

 

This is similar to the seventh plague upon Egypt...  

☆ Exodus 9:22-25...

 

This is judgement time folks. God is not playing around. He means business. People have had their chance... and yet... even in the midst of all this terrible turmoil and chaos... people still have the opportunity to repent. 

 

The God of creation is the Judge. He is all powerful. He spoke creation into being.

The laws of nature, physics, chemistry are in His control.

With God nothing is impossible.

For hail, blood and fire to be cast on the earth is simple for God to perform.

 

☆ Revelation 8:8-9...

2 "And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood. And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed."

 

The second trumpet sounds and... note what was cast into the sea... Not a great mountain burning with fire, but something like a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea. Whatever it was, John was comparing this thing to the size of a mountain burning with fire. 

 

This literal mass falls into the literal sea, one-third becomes literal blood, and one-third of all the literal living creatures in the literal sea die a literal death. Also, one-third of the literal ships of all literal nations are literally destroyed.

 

The effect is more important than the cause.

 

Food for thought:

We can not keep this judgement from coming to earth, but we can get the Word of God out and reduce the population that will be left on the earth so that fewer people will go through that terrible time.

 

☆ Revelation 8:10...

3 "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

 

The third trumpet sounded and a huge star from heaven... burning as bright as a lamp... fell upon a third part of the earth's rivers and fountains of waters... springs.

What John saw was a shooting star... a meteorite. The majority of meteorites burn up to nothingness in the earth's atmosphere.  However this one does not.   

 

☆ Revelation 8:11...

"And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."

 

This shooting star has a name... "Wormwood."

"Wormwood"... Gr. 'apsinthos'... as a type of bitterness... figuratively, calamity. And what happens here is a calamity. 

 

This star contaminated (fouled, poisoned) the waters.

In fact a third part of the waters became wormwood... bitter waters... poisoned waters!

The result?

Many people died from drinking this water.

 

Where would a meteorite have to fall on this earth to contaminate a 1/3 of the rivers?

 

Some interesting facts...

Russia has the most rivers in the world... 36.

United States of America  has 26 rivers...

China 24 rivers...

Brazil 22 rivers...

Canada 13 rivers...

 

If this shooting star is to take our 1/3 of the world's rivers... which geographical place would be the most likely candidate. This is just a thought though...

 

☆ Revelation 8:12...

4 "And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise."

 

The fourth trumpet sounds... and we have the sun, moon and star light being compromised.

Each is diminished by 1/3.

This would be both very frightening and quite spooky... instilling much fear in the people.

Ever experienced a solar eclipse... partial or full? 

 

The Lord Jesus indicated that in the Great Tribulation there would be special signs in these heavenly bodies...

 

☆ Luke 21:25...

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring..."

 

☆ Revelation 8:13...

"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!"

 

John sees and hears another angel flying through heaven.

This angel announces that a peculiar intensity of woe and judgement is coming on the earth.

 

The last three trumpets are different from the previous four... they being "woe" trumpets.

"Woe" = a primary exclamation of grief.

 

The 3 WOES are intertwined with the last 3 trumpets.

 

Selah!