Revelation 8-9

Revelation 8-9

The Trumpets of God’s Judgment

We are witnessing the Great Tribulation

Overview

• Seal 1: Military conquest
• Seal 2: Civil warfare
• Seal 3: Gap between rich and poor
• Seal 4: Death
• Seal 5: Martyrdom
• Seal 6: Natural Disasters announce the Day of the Lord
• Seal 7: The Trumpets

Revelation 8:1, 3-4

• Silence in heaven is very rare
• Heaven pauses for our prayers.
• An angel brings incense to offer with our prayers
• The offering is made on the golden altar (Lev. 16:12 and Numbers 16:46)
• Unanswered prayer? (Rev. 6:10?)

Revelation 8:5

• The answer to the prayer of the saints is immediate!!
• Thunder, lightning and earthquake announce that a great move of God is about to occur.
• HB Swete “The prayers of the saints return to the earth in wrath”

Revelation 8:2, 6

• The seven angels are traditionally called the “angels of the presence” and are archangels.
• They are “before the Lord”
• The seven trumpets symbolise God’s perfect intervention (Joel 2:1; Zeph. 1:16; Zech. 9:14)
• A trumpet blast is:

–      A warning alarm

–      A fanfare to announce a king

–      A summons to battle

Revelation 8:7-12 : THE ELEMENTS UNLEASHED

• The elemental forces of nature are being unleashed against the earth in judgment!
• Each trumpet affects a different part of the world.
• The destruction is only partial for this is only a prelude to the END.
• Trumpet 1: Hail, fire and blood: 1/3 of earth and trees burnt + all grass
• Trumpet 2: Enormous volcanic disaster: 1/3 of sea turned to blood; 1/3 fish die; 1/3 ships destroyed
• Trumpet 3: A meteor: Contamination of 1/3 of earth’s water supply.
• Trumpet 4: 1/3 of sun, moon and stars struck: Darkness for 1/3 of day and night

Revelation 8:13

• An eagle announces “Woe”!
• As if what has just happened is not bad enough, nature announces that the worst is still to come!

Revelation 9:1-2 (Trumpet 5) : WOE #1: UNLOCKING THE ABYSS

• The star represents an angelic being
• The Abyss / bottomless pit idea developed in Scripture:

–      Genesis 1:6-9 it was the storehouse for extra water which in 7:11 burst forth!

–      God’s enemies were to be banished to the Abyss (Is. 24:21-22)

–      The Abyss is the demonic prison (2 Peter 2:4; Luke 8:31; Jude v6)

Revelation 9:3, 7-10 : UNLOCKING THE ABYSS

• Out of the smoke demonic beings swoop down to torment humanity.
• They are like locusts
• Their heads look like horses
• Tails like scorpions
• Golden, Crown-like coverings
• Human faces
• Women’s hair
• Lions’ teeth

Revelation 9:4-6 : UNLOCKING THE ABYSS

• They could only harm “un-sealed” humans
• They tormented for 5 months but did not kill
• Their victims will long to die (Job 3:21; Jeremiah 8:3)

Revelation 9:11 : UNLOCKING THE ABYSS

• The demonic king of this legion is “Abaddon” / “Apollyon” = “Destruction / Destroyer”

Revelation 9:13-17, 19 : WOE #2 : Angels of Punishment

• Jewish Tradition  believed there were angels of punishment
• The angels used a mighty army / were manifested as a mighty army:

–      200 000 000 horses and riders

–      Breastplates of red, blue and yellow

–      Breathing fire, smoke and sulphur

–      Tails like snakes

Revelation 9:18, 20-21

• 1/3 of the remaining humanity was killed.
• The aim of the punishment had been repentance and salvation … But humanity refused.

 

This is the 1^st half of the Great Tribulation