Transcript Book of Revelation: Chapter 8 - Harrodsburg Church of Christ

Book of Revelation:
Chapter 8
The Seventh Seal—
Seven Angels with
Seven Trumpets
Revelation 8:1
“When He opened the
seventh seal, there
was silence in heaven
for about half an
hour.”
Revelation 8:2
“And I saw the seven
angels who stand
before God, and to
them were given
seven trumpets.”
“Silence” in Heaven
• Silence in heaven for “half an hour” as the
seventh seal is opened.
• What is the meaning of this “silence?”
• “Calm before the storm?”
• “Silence” increases the tension.
• Impact on the judgments that are coming
– “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all
the earth keep silence before Him.“
{Habakkuk 2:20}
Seven Angels—Seven Trumpets
• Angels standing “ready” to carry forth His
message.
• Each is given a trumpet.
• Purpose of “trumpets?”
– Assemble (Numbers 10:3)
– To move (Numbers 10:5)
– Alarm for war (Numbers 10:9)
– Times of festivity (Numbers 10:10)
Seven Angels—Seven Trumpets
• Purpose of “trumpets?”
– To call the wicked to repent?
– Used as a warning and call to judgment:
• 7 seals—introduce judgments
• 7 trumpets—announce judgment
• 7 bowls of wrath—judgment
Revelation 8:3
“For the vision is yet for
an appointed time; but at
the end it will speak, and
it will not lie. Though it
tarries, wait for it;
because it will surely
come, it will not tarry.”
Revelation 8:4
“Behold the proud, his
soul is not upright in
him; but the just shall
live by his faith.”
Revelation 8:5
“Indeed, because he transgresses
by wine, he is a proud man, and he
does not stay at home. Because he
enlarges his desire as hell, and he
is like death, and cannot be
satisfied, he gathers to himself all
nations and heaps up for himself
all peoples.”
Another Angel
• God’s awareness and prayers of the saints
• Angel was given a great quantity of “incense” to
add to the prayers of the saints.
• “Censer” was a firepan in which hot coals from the
altar were placed. Grains of incense were burned
on the coals to produce a sweet smell before the
Lord.
– Leviticus 16:12,13
Altar of Incense
• This scene preceding the sounding of the first
trumpet symbolizes the prayers of the saints
ascending, like incense, unto God.
• Incense might represents the Savior’s intercession
in heaven for the saints.
– Hebrews 7:25
– Romans 8:26,27
• Ingredients needed for the prayers to come before
God’s throne!
Sounds in Heaven
• The censer that offered the incense is filled with fire
taken from the altar.
• Fire strikes the earth, causing peals of thunder,
lightning, and an earthquake—all symbolical of
God’s response.
• All this expresses certainty that God hears and
answers the prayers of the saints.
• God always warns first—then comes judgment!
Revelation 8:5
“So the seven angels
who had the seven
trumpets prepared
themselves to sound.”
Revelation 8:7
“The first angel sounded: And
hail and fire followed, mingled
with blood, and they were
thrown to the earth. And a
third of the trees were burned
up, and all green grass was
burned up.”
First Angel/Trumpet
• Angels prepare to sound the trumpets (vs.6)
• The first four trumpets affect the areas of nature,
(natural calamity); whereas, the next two pronounce
woes upon mankind.
• First trumpet—land disaster
– Hail and fire mixed with blood—Judgment
– Only 1/3 affected—judgment is not FINAL
– Exodus 9:22ff; Joel 2:30
Revelation 8:8
“Then 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.”
Revelation 8:9
“And a third of the living
creatures in the sea died,
and a third of the ships
were destroyed.”
Second Angel/Trumpet
• Second trumpet—maritime disaster
– Great mountain burning with fire—Judgment (Micah
1:2-4)
– Thrown into the sea
– Became like blood
– 1/3 of the living creatures in the sea died
– 1/3 of the ships were destroyed.
– Commerce and industry will be affected
Revelation 8:10
“Then 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 water.”
Revelation 8:11
“The name of the star is
Wormwood. A third of the
waters became
wormwood, and many
men died from the water,
because it was made
bitter.”
Third Angel/Trumpet
• Third trumpet land/water (inland water)
disaster
– Great star fell from heaven, burning like a
torch (blazing torch falls into water)
– Name of the star is Wormwood
– 1/3 of the rivers and springs of water
– 1/3 of the waters became Wormwood.
– Many men died because the water became
bitter
Third Angel/Trumpet
• Wormwood is a bitter plant mentioned in
the Old Testament, usually with divine
chastisement against idolatry.
– Deuteronomy 29:18; Jeremiah 9:15; 23:15
• Wormwood in the fresh waters symbolizes
the bitterness and sorrow men will suffer
because of their idolatries and sins.
• Not everyone, but many, will die!
Revelation 8:12
“Then the fourth angel
sounded: And a third of the
sun was struck, a third of the
moon, and a third of the stars,
so that a third of them were
darkened. A third of the day
did not shine, and likewise the
night.”
Revelation 8:13
“And I looked, and I heard an
angel flying through the midst
of heaven, saying with a loud
voice, ‘Woe, woe, woe to the
inhabitants of the earth,
because of the remaining
blasts of the trumpet of the
three angels who are about to
sound!’”
Fourth Angel/Trumpet
• Fourth trumpet—abnormal functioning of the
heavenly bodies
• Darkness upon the earth—sun, moon, and stars
are darkened; no light!
• The land is in darkness 1/3 of the day
• Imagery of darkened heavenly bodies was familiar
to the first-century Christians—served as a warning
to those who did not serve the Lord. (Joel 2:10;
3:15; Amos 5:8; Micah 3:6)
Interval—Eagle Flying
in Mid-Heaven
• The eagle—a bird of prey
• “Mid-heaven” is literally the highest point,
the place the sun reaches at meridian.
• Three woes—because the three
remaining trumpets are still to come…
• The worst is yet to come!
• Will more directly affect mankind!