Revelation 8:1-9

Revelation chapter 8. When he had opened the seven seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censor. There was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. The angel took the censor, filled it with fire from fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth, or the land. There were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake. The seven angels, which had the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth, and the third part of trees was burned up, and all the green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire. It was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood. The third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life died. The third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven burning as it were a lamp. It fell upon the third part of the rivers, upon the fountains of waters. In the name of the star is wormwood. The third part of the waters became wormwood, and men died of the waters because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, the third part of the moon, the third part of the star, so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld and heard, heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven saying with a loud voice, woe, whoa, whoa, whoa to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound. Thank God blessed to us his sacred and holy word. The Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, has taken the seven sealed book. From God, the Lord of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, has taken the seven sealed book, from God, the Lord of God, father who sits upon the throne in chapter five. He is presently opening the outer seals of the book, so that the content of the book can be known and revealed to us. Perhaps we can look at the seals, the opening of these seals as the title page of a book. Giving a general indication of the content of the book itself. In other words, the chapter headings of various large sections and so forth. Just a general idea. Now, Jesus Christ has opened the first six seals in chapter six. Seals one to four, we saw the four horsemen. We had conquest, we had bloodshed, we had famine, and we had death being revealed to us. Note all this related to apostate Israel. The same type of book we said was spoken of with regard to Israel in the book of Ezekiel’s chapter two and first part of chapter three. Lamentations, mornings, and woes against Israel. The fifth seal was that of the martyrs who were crying for, for vengeance and crying out for judgment upon Israel to avenge these saints. The sixth seal, we said, was the cosmic collapse in relation to Israel, the darkening of the sun and the moon and the stars, speaking of the collapse of the nation, just like Egypt and Edom and Babylon is revealed in the Old Testament, Ezekiel 32, Isaiah 34, and Isaiah 13. and then we saw a brief interlude where Jesus Christ provides for his people in relationship to the judgment that’s going to be poured out. That’s Chapter 7. The sealing of the 144,000 were the Jewish converts. We saw that in Chapter 7, 1 to 8. And then there was this innumerable multitude of Gentile converts that’s mentioned in Chapter 7. 7, verses 9 to 17. The 144,000 are a preserved remnant among the Israelites who are preserved during the coming Holocaust. The innumerable multitude, many of them martyrs, as we see revealed to us, are enjoying the blessings of heaven. And that’s how we ended chapter 7. In chapter 8, Jesus Christ resumed. opening the seals. And we have the 7th seal going to be open. The 7th seal issues forth the 7 trumpet judgments. Now the contents of the book are going to be revealed in detail. We’ve got the title page. Now we get the detail. And this is where we begin this morning. We see the 7th seal issues forth the trumpet judgments. Now we have the prelude of the trumpet judgments in verses 1 to 6. There’s a brief silence in heaven. We can contrast this with the voices of the angelic beings and the redeemed saints of the prior scene in verses chapters 4 and 5, and even in chapter 7, where they’re praising God. But now the Lord. silence. This stillness is the silence of dreadful suspense. Here, a solemnness prior to the horrible storm of judgment that is about to be unleashed as the seven-sealed book is now opened up. In addition to half an hour, in addition to half an hour, I think may be related to the time required for a priest to enter into the holy place and burn incense upon the altar. Remember we study this in the book of Luke chapter 1 when Zacharias went in to burn the incense on the golden altar. And while he’s in there, the people are outside praying and Edershine tells us there’s total silence in the temple. for the space of about 30 minutes while he does this offering of the incense. And that might be related here to what is taking place here in verses 3 and 4, where the incense is offered. You have before you a scene from the heavenly temple that’s similar to the earthly temple. Now, in the earthly temple. book of Hebrews, if you look at chapter 8 with me, verse 5, it’s interesting that we have the scriptures revealing to us that the earthly tabernacle was actually patterned after a heavenly tabernacle. Look at Hebrews 8.5. We be here about here, the priest, who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. As Moses was admonish, of God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for see, saith he, that thou makest all things according to the pattern show to thee in the mount. And then, if you would, chapter 9 and verse 23 of Hebrews, it says here, it was necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves would better sacrifices than these, the blood of bulls and goats and so forth. Christ is the one who brings his blood into the heavenly tabernacle or temple of heaven. So what we find here in verses 3 and 4 and the whole issue of the incense being burnt is a sort of a picture of what would take place here. on earth, but it’s portraying to us something greater than what we have here on earth. Because what we have in this particular portrayal before the opening of the seventh seal and the unleashing of the judgments and the intensification of the previous mentioned judgment is the fact that this is an answer to the prayers of the saints. you notice if the incense is mixed here with the prayers of the people of God. We’re going to find that Revelation often has overlapping visions. There are the same themes which are looked at from a different perspective. And so we find here the opening here of the seals and the trumpets are about the sound. and so we find the prayers are offered up. But before the trumpet sound here, we find this scene with the incense being burnt and the prayers of the offering of the saints being lifted up to heaven. Now, in Israel, the trumpet was often used for rallying the troops for war or alerting the nation to the danger of enemy troops or in an enemy invasion. The use of the trumpet here suggests that God himself is rallying his heavenly forces to make wage war in Israel. So the imagery of these seven trumpets may be recalling to us. We may think back about the city of Jericho, how they blew the trumpets. One of the one time every day for seven days and the seventh day they do them seven times and then the city falls and collapses. We have another great city that’s going to come under divine curse. And that is Jerusalem. So some of the trumpet judgments here will resemble the plagues of Egypt, which you recall in chapter 11, we find that Jerusalem is also mentioned as Edom and Sodom and Egypt. excuse me, Sodom and Egypt in chapter 11 as portraying them. Well, the sense are used in offering up the prayers of the saints along with the incense makes these prayers acceptable, pleasing, a pleasing smell, if you would, before the Lord. So here we have a vivid picture of the power of the prayers of the saints. The judgments are about the fall, but they’re going to fall in reference to the prayers of the saints. So we have a holy God hearing the prayers of the martyrs and no doubt his people still on this earth and judgment is about to fall. The prayers of the saints are mentioned in chapter 5 of Revelation, verse 8, chapter 6, verses 9 through 11. In chapter 6, you remember the prayers of the martyrs under the altar. We’re crying out for God to take vengeance, and here we have the vengeance about to be meted out, so it’s connected again with the prayers. And using the sensor, the angel here, after offering up the prayers, takes some fire from off of the incense altar, evidently, and he cast it down upon the earth. And we read here about God’s visitation of judgment. voices, thunderinges, lightnings, and an earthquake. Now, if you hold your place here and you look at the book of Psalms chapter 18 moment, here in reference to the prayer of David, and really he is portraying our Lord, but in reference here to this prayer, notice how the Lord comes down in judgment and spares, and spares him. He said, in my distress, I called upon the Lord, cried under my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even under his ears. Ungodly men made him afraid, as we see in verse 4. He needs a deliverer. He’s being under attack. And so he prays. So here, his prayers are hurt, just like in verse 6, just like in our Revelation chapter 8, the prayers go up, and then what happens? The earth shook, verse 7 here, and trembled, and the foundation of the hills also moved and were shaken because he was wroth. Here’s the earthquake of verse 7, compared to the earthquake in verse 5 of Revelation, chapter 8. and there went up a smoke out of his nostrils and fire out of his mouth devired coals his mouth devoured, his mouth devoured, coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also and came down, and darkness was under his feet. He rode upon a chair and did fly. He did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness’s secret place. The pavilion round about him were dark. Water, the pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before him, his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. So here we have the fire coming out that’s mentioned in Revelation 8. And then also, the Lord also thundered in the heavens. And the highest gave his voice, hailstones and caustones and holds the fire. He sent out his arrows and scattered them. He shot out lightnings and discomforted them. Then the channels of waters were seen and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke. O Lord, at the blast of thy nostrils, he sent from above, he took me, and he drew me out of many waters. Here we have the thunder and storm and so forth that’s mentioned in Revelation. 8.5 as well. So it seems to be this language is the idea of God’s divine intervention on behalf of his people in this language that’s being used. Josephus, in his book 4, Chapter 4, paragraph 5, tells of a huge storm in the night with great violence and very strong winds striking the land the largest downpours of rain, continual lightnings, terrible thunderings, an earthquake accompanied this storm, clear indication of divine disfavor foreshadowing the great calamities coming upon Israel. So now we’re ready for the trumpet blast to sound. So this is the prelude to the seven trumpets. Any questions on this section? here. All right, the first four trumpets take up the rest of this chapter. The first trumpet is mentioned in verse 7. And the first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood. They were cast upon the earth, and the third part of the trees were burnt up, and all the green grass was burn up. The first judgment destroys here a large part of the vegetation of the land of Israel. Josephus provide some insight as to how this was fulfilled. Book 3, chapter 4, paragraph 1, we read this. Nor did the Romans, out of anger they bore at this attempt, leave off either by night or by day burning the places in the plain, or stealing away the cattle that were in the country, killing whatsoever appeared capable of fighting perpetually, and leading the weaker people as slaves into captivity. So that Galilee was all over, filled with fire and blood, nor was it exempted from any kind of misery or calamity. Here is the idea of fire and blood. Also, we find in his wars, book six, chapter one, paragraph one, this about the vegetation. Now the Romans, although they were greatly distressed in getting together their materials, raised their banks in one and twenty days, after they had cut down all the trees that were in the country that adjoined to the city. And that for 90 furlongs round about, as I have already related. And truly, the view is, the very view itself of the country was a melancholy thing. For those places which were before adorned with trees and pleasant gardens were now become a desolate country every way, and its trees were all cut down, nor could any foreigner that had formerly seen Judea in the most beautiful suburbs of the city, and now saw it as a desert, but lament, and mourned sadly, It’s so great a change for the war had laid all the signs of beauty quite waste. And we see the chopping down of all the trees here. And so I take this in a more literal fashion here that they actually did chop the trees down and remove them in order to attack Jerusalem and various cities and so forth. So the burning of the galley and the area around the bout there, the chopping down of the trees and so forth, I think gives us an indication of what’s taking place. Now, the second trough, any questions on the first trumpet? The second trumpet, we see the sea smit. 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. Mountains in scripture are often representative of nations or kingdoms. Israel is often identified as a nation, a nation of God, and so. forth. Thou shall bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, Exodus 15, 17, and so forth. Now as you read this about this mountain being cast into the sea, does it remind you of anything? Well, it reminds me of Matthew’s gospel. Was that what you were thinking of? Let’s look at that passage in Matthew chapter 21 in a minute, verses 18 to 22. Now in the morning is he, Jesus. returned into the city hungered. And when he saw a fig tree on the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only. Said unto, let no fruit grow on the bee, henceforth forever, and presently the fig tree with it away. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, how soon is the fig tree withered away? Jesus answered and said unto them, verily I say unto you, if you have faith, and doubt not, you shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if you shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, be cast into the sea, it shall be cast into the sea, it shall be done. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. Now I don’t know that literally we as Christians would ask for a mountain, to be cast into a sea. But consider that Jesus has just spoken about the curse on the barren fig tree, which indicates a judgment on spiritually fruitless Israel, which has rejected him. And then he says, in verse 21, this mountain, I think referring to Israel, that he’s continuing his thought about Israel, so that this prayer is for the destruction of the enemy of God’s people apostate Israel. We put this together with the heavenly scene of the prayers of the saints and the martyrs pleading with God to meet out vengeance in Revelation chapter 8 on their persecutors. And what does this lead to? It leads to God’s fire, falling down. upon the land and thus the burning mountain is cast into the sea and is seen I think is Israel now with this in mind if we see this as a part of the destruction of Israel and in particular relates to the sea we see the destroying of ships turning of seas and the water’s in the water’s in the water’s It reminds you of the fighting around the various bodies of water in the land Israel. Again, Josephus provides some historical background for all of this. I have a couple lengthy sections that I’d like to read that I think would help us to understand this. The first comes from his book three. Chapter 9 verses 2 and 3 Because the adjoining region had been laid waste in the war it was not capable of supporting them. They determined to go off to sea. They also built themselves a great many piratical ships and turned pilots upon the sea near to Syria and Phoenicia and Egypt. In other words, the Mediterranean Sea, they built pirate ships there, and made those seas unnavigable to all men. Now, as those people of Joppa were floating about in the sea, in their boats, in the morning there fell a violent wind upon them, it is called by those who sail there the black north wind, and there dashed their ships one against another, and some of them against the rocks and carried many of them by force while they strove against the opposite waves into the main sea. For the shore was so rocky and had so many of the enemy upon it that they were afraid to come to land. Nay, the waves rose so very high that they drowned them, nor was there any place whether they could fly, nor any way to save themselves, nor any way to save themselves, while they were thrust out of the sea by the violence of the wind. If they stayed where they were, and out of the city by the violence of the Romans, and much lamentation there was when the ships were dashed against one another, and a terrible noise when they were broken to pieces, and some of the multitude that were in there were covered with the waves and so perished. And a great many were embarrassed. but with shipwrecks. But some of them thought that they would die by their own swords was lighter than by the sea, so they killed themselves before they were drowned. Although the greatest part of them were carried by the waste, dashed to pieces against the abrupt parts of the rocks, insomuch that the sea was bloody a long way, and the maritime parts were full of dead bodies, but the Romans came upon those they were. were carried to this shore and destroyed them. The second section here is from his wars, book 3, chapter 10, paragraph 9, a different section, but this is on the Sea of Galilee and some of the lakes and so forth. But now when the vessels were gotten ready, Vespasian put upon shipboard, put upon shipboard, as many of his forces as he thought sufficient to be too hard for those that were upon the lake and set sail after them. Now, those that were driven into the lake could neither fly to the land, where all was in their enemy’s hand, and in the war against them, nor could they fight upon the level by the sea, for their ships were small and fitted only for, for piracy, they were too weak to fight with Vespasian’s vessels, and the mariners that were with them were so few, that they were afraid to come near the Romans, who attacked them in great numbers. However, as they sailed round about the vessels, and sometimes as they came near them, they threw stones at the Romans when they were a good way off, or came closer and fought them. Yet they, yet did they receive the greatest harm themselves in both cases. As for the stones, they threw at the Romans. They only made a sound one after another, for they threw them against such as were in their armor, and while the Roman darts could reach the Jews themselves, and they ventured to come near the Romans, they became sufferers themselves before they could do any harm to the other, and were drunken. they and their ships together. As for those that endeavored to come to an actual fight, the Romans ran many of them through with their long poles. Sometimes the Romans leaped into their ships with swords in their hands and slew them. And when some of them met the vessels, the Romans caught them by the middle and destroyed at once their ships and themselves who were taken in them. and for such as were drowning in the sea, if they lifted their heads above the water, they were either killed by darts or arrows, or caught by the vessels, but if in the desperate case they were in, they attempted to swim to their enemies, the Romans cut off either their heads or their hands, and indeed they were destroyed after various manners elsewhere, till the rest being put to flight, were forced to get upon the land, while vassers encompassed them about on the sea. But as many of those were repulsed while when they were getting ashore, they were killed by darts upon the lake, and the Romans leaped out of their vessels and destroyed a great many more upon the land. One might see the lake all bloody and full of dead bodies, for not one of them escaped. And a terrible stink. And a very sad sight there was on the following days over that country. As for the shores, they were full of shipwrecks and of dead bodies all swelled, and as the dead bodies were inflamed by the sun, putrefied, they corrupted the air in so much that the misery was not only the object of commiseration of the Jews, but to those that hated them and had been the authors of their misery. This was the… upshot of the sea fight. It’s a lengthy passage, but we see here the seas being bloodied and so forth. This is the second trumpet. Any questions about that? I’m going to stop, I think, at this point, and if you have any questions at this point? And if you have any questions at all on this whole section? And we’ll pick up next week with third trumpet judgment.