Revelation 8:6-17

Revelation 8.6-13 T

SLIDE 2  ⁶Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

Remember angels are messengers of God and he sends them out to pronounce    judgments.

⁷1ST angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And 1/3 of the earth was burned up, and 1/3 of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

·        What could burn tree and grass?
A severe electrical storm has been known to start forest fires.

·        What would the result of this devastation?
Pasture land destroyed-animals would starve. No milk, meat, wool. This summer my grass was so dry that it crunched when you walked on it.

SLIDE 3 ⁸2ND angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and 1/3 of the sea became blood.⁹1/3 of the living creatures in the sea died, and 1/3 of the ships were destroyed.

John said something large as a mountain was burning with fire and thrown into the sea. Some writers think this is a meteor. If we look at the Mediterranean Sea in Israel that would not have a world impact, so we will assume it means all salt water.

What fraction of the sea become blood? Does this sound like another time in the OT? Exodus 7:19-21

What living things died? What sea creatures would affect our food supply?

What else was destroyed? How would that affect our military, transportation, importing of goods?

 SLIDE 4¹⁰3RD angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on 1/3 of the rivers and on the springs of water.¹¹The name of the star is Wormwood. 1/3 of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

A great star is definitely a meteor. Wasn’t there a meteor shower this week?

The God who created heaven and earth definitely can send a great star to earth?

What fraction was destroyed? Do you see the pattern?

This time what was destroyed? Does the name wormwood mean anything to you? Was there another time in history when the water became bitter? Too bitter to drink?

Exodus15:²²Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.²³ When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.

Jeremiah 9:13And the LORD says: "Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it,¹⁴but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. ¹⁵Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink.

Remember when Pastor Allen taught from Hosea. Not only were the people punished but the all nature mourned. Hosea 4:3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. Isaiah 24:4, Jeremiah 4:28; Joel1:10,18; Zephaniah 2:3; Ezekiel 38:20. All these prophets of the OT prophesied the truth of God’s promises.

SLIDE 5¹²4TH angel blew his trumpet, and 1/3 of the sun was struck, and 1/3 of the moon, and 1/3 of the stars, so that 1/3 of their light might be darkened, and 1/3 of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise 1/3 of the night.

For the God who created the heaven and the earth this is a small task.

 Genesis1: ¹⁶                And God made the two great lights---the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night---and the stars.¹⁷And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.¹⁹      And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Imagine what would happen with 1/3 of the sun, moon, and stars be darkened and kept from shining. What things come to mind when there is not enough light?

Jesus taught about Dark and Light. Those who do evil hate the light. The gospel of John says Jesus is the light of the World. In heaven we will have no need for sun or moon for Christ is the light. In our Christian walk we are to be the light to others.

*The People in the Dark Room   If you are sitting in a dark room with no windows, you can't see the objects in the room.  Even though the objects are there, you aren't aware of them because you're in darkness.  However, if someone turns on the light switch,  the things previously hidden from your eyes are now obvious. 

Don't get angry at people in spiritual darkness for not being able to see what's obvious to you.  Instead, bring them some spiritual light. (Matt. 5:14-16) --Kent Crockett                     

SLIDE 6 Chart compare Exodus Plague with Seals and Trumpets       

plague	EXODUS	REVELATION
1	bloody river, 7:14	7th seal  1/3 seas became blood 8:8
		3rd trumpet 1/3 water bitter 8:11
2,3,4	frogs, 8:1, lice, 8:16
	flies, 8:20
5	livestock struck, 9:1	1st trumpet1/3 earth, trees, grass      No food for animals famine 8:7
6	boils, 9:8	4th seal  6:7 pestilence
7	hail, 9:13	7th seal Hail and fire 8:7
8	locusts 10:1	5th Locust to sting but not kill  9:5
9	painful darkness, 10:21	4th trumpet  Darkness     1/3 Sun, Moon, & Stars  8:12
10	firstborn struck, 11:1	6th trumpet   1/3 mankind killed 9:18

KJV ¹³ And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven ESV and others say eagle

 SLIDE 7 ¹³Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!"

Ezekiel 16:23“‘And it came to pass after all thy wickedness (Woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord God),

99 times in the bible men would say “woe is he” or “woe to them”. 33 times in the New Testament Jesus says “woe”12 in Matthew and 13 in Luke, mainly woe to the scribes and Pharisees.

Revelation 8:1-5

SLIDE 1 Review tribulation views

SLIDE 2 How do you handle waiting? (in the doctor’s office, in traffic, in the speedy checkout at the grocery store.) Patience (longsuffering) is one of the Spirit’s fruit. Afraid I need to cultivate that gift and allow God to control my emotions. Our LORD has many qualities and characteristics. Slow to anger is shown in His delay to kill all unbelievers.

·        Exodus 34:6 "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;

·        Several psalms: Psalms 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

·        Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.                                                                                                              

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

SLIDE 3 REVELATION 8:1-5                                                                                  

Revelation 8: When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Heaven is a place of worship, praise, joy and song. Heaven is described as a place alive with sounds from angels, elders, the redeemed throbbing with excitement. Something extraordinary is about to happen?

SLIDE 4 How do you deal with silence? My friend and I can be in a room or sit for a manicure without filling our time with talk. My son and I are the same way, comfortable without words

*But if you are meeting a client or a new friend for lunch or how about teacher conference: a long silence produces anxiety. If you email a friend an apology and they do not respond quickly it causes concern. There are indeed words of wisdom to pray before you speak, and pause to give others time to speak. Sometimes silence is golden. Good lesson.       

SLIDE 5 Imagine standing before a powerful Holy God waiting during 30 minutes of silence. Two of my favorite verses come from Psalms.

·        Job 6:24 “Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray.”

·        Psalms 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

·        Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God

·        Psalm 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

·        Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near;

GOD WILL LEAVE NO SIN UNPUNISHED.

SLIDE 6 Why trumpets: slide with Scriptures for use of trumpets

·         Leviticus 23:24- Feast of the Trumpets

·         Numbers 10:2- Call people to assemble

·         Numbers 31:6 -Alarm; Call to war

·         Joshua 6:4-24- Walls of Jericho fall down

·         Judges 7:18- 'For the LORD and for Gideon.” War

·         1 Chronicles 13- Rejoicing, celebrating

·         1 Chronicles 16- Blow before Ark of the Covenant

·         2 Chronicles 7- Instruments for music

·         Psalms 98 -Joyful noise before Lord

·        2 Samuel 2:28- Halting the battle               

SLIDE 7 When the Lamb opens the seventh seal; the seven trumpet judgments begin. What is the purpose you think the Lord might be using the trumpets? 

Remember the reasons for trumpets in the Old Testaments

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.

Revelation 8:2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.                

Why are there 7 angels? God’s name of Yahweh Saoboth is translated “God of the angels.” It is God who controls our lives and in doing so He has the power to utilize the talents of His angels to deliver messages, execute His judgments  and any other assignment God deems to be appropriate. 

 God does work through angels and it is God who makes the decision to direct an angel to do His bidding, not an angel’s decision to act independent from God: Angels carry out God’s judgment; Angels serve God; Angels praise God; Angels are messengers; Angels protect God’s people; Angels encourage people.             

SLIDE 9³And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne

SLIDE 10⁴and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

SLIDE 11Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

SLIDE 12 ⁵Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth,

Levitcus 6: 12 The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out

One reason the ongoing fire was so important is that it was started directly by God:

“Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown” (Leviticus 9:24).

The fire on the altar, therefore, served as a constant reminder of God’s power. It was a gift from heaven. No other source of fire was acceptable to God (see Numbers 3:4).
This fire also represented God’s presence. “God is a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24). The Shekinah glory was visible in the fire at the altar of burnt offering. This ongoing presence of God reminded the Israelites that salvation is of the Lord. The atonement made at the burnt offering could only be made through Him. gotquestions.org

Has the fires on the altars in America gone out? Altars without fire is like going to Church without God showing up. We end up having performances of personalities on display rather than offering ourselves as living sacrifices on altars of fire.

Nowhere is this clearer than with the Angel of Judgement—or, more precisely, with angels carrying out God's judgement. It is an angel who bars the way back to the garden

of Eden in Genesis (OT),chapter 3; an angel who announces Sodom 's destruction in Genesis, chapter 19; angels who do much of the carrying out of God's judgement both now and in the future, as the book of Revelation (NT) makes clear. Copyright © 2015 Church On the Net.

SLIDE 13and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. GOD WILL LEAVE NO SIN UNPUNISHED.