Revelation Chapter 8                                     Lesson 19

Opening of the Trumpet Judgments

Intro:

 

All the judgments, seal, trumpets and bowl are all connected. They telescope from one to the other.

 

The sequence of Revelation.

-  In ch 4-5 the vision of the Throne

-  In ch 6-18 we find unfolded the wrath of the Lamb

-  In 19:1-21 the Return of the Lamb

-   In chapter 20-22  Reign of the Lamb

 

8:1  Opening of the Seventh Seal!  

 

The scene here is in Heaven! 

-  The Lamb, Jesus Christ, opens the 7th seal

 

Result = GREAT SILENCE for about half an hour!

 

 

The implication of the Silence in Heaven!

- Praise and worship is halted

- They sense very vividly the awesomeness of what is about to take place

- What they are anticipating is the vindication of the Holiness of God

 

8:2 & 6 The Seven Angels who administer the trumpet judgments

 

"who stand before God."

 

- Their responsibility here:  Seven trumpets were given to them.

 

He knew that the purpose of the trumpet:

- It was used to announce every important event in Israel;

- It was very significant in their daily function.  Num. 10:1-10

- It was used to convene the people; special events/feasts.

- It was sounded at Mt Sinai at the giving of the Law Ex 19:16-19

- It was blown when it was time to move camp.

- It was also used to call them to battle, to go to war!

- It was also used as a warning of danger.  Ezk 33:1-7.

 

- One thing that we should note is that none of these trumpets are to be associated with any other trumpet in NT

- 1 Cor 15:52, 1 Ths  4:16  

 

But before they begin we have a short parenthesis; focus shifts during this silence to another angel.

 

8:3-5 Prayers of the Saints Answered! 

- To understand the imagery here we need to go back to the tabernacle

 

 

 

 

 

 

- The golden altar had nothing to do with sacrifices but with worship

- Incense was put on this altar and lit. morning and evening

 

- The sequence here makes an important statement related to the significance for us as far as worship is concerned. 

 

Another thing it says is that He is particular about where you get your fire for worship

 

Point is where did they get their motive for worship?

 

 

>  vs:3;  "that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."

 

 

- And its all about to come to fulfillment; God is about to answer all of those prayers.

 

> In vs:4 we see the smoke rise to God.

- As believers we know that in the person of Christ we have salvation and therefore freedom from the judgment of God because He already bore our judgment on the cross; depicted by brazen altar;  redemption price has been paid.

 

Now in vs:5 judgment descends;  man having rejected God's gracious offer of salvation feels the weight of His judgment. 

 

 

- The clear implication here is that the response of judgment is related to the prayers of the saints being answered.

 

The Seven (6) Trumpet Judgments!  8:7 - 9:21

Some observations as we begin!

1.  These are clearly supernatural judgments;  demonstrates that the source is clearly from God;  should get peoples attention, but doesn't.

 

2. Verse 13 makes an announcement between the 4th and the 5th.

 

3. There is a similarity between the first 4 trumpets and some of the plagues of Egypt.

 

                                        Revelation                                                  Egypt

 Trumpet #1       8:7 hail and fire w/blood                 Plague #7  Ex 9:23-24 = hail and fire

                                judgment of vegetation                                     extent = Ex 9:25

                                                                                                    vegetation and all unprotected

                                                                                                           men and animals

                                limited to 1/3 the earth                                       focus of = Egypt

 

 

Trumpet  #2                 Rev 8:8-9                               Plague #1         Ex 7:20-21 

                              1/3 of the sea became                                    extent = the Nile River

                                        blood     

                                 marine judgment

 

 Trumpet #3               Rev 8:10-11                             Plague #1           Ex 7:24 

                                 drinking water                                                  no drinking water

                                (much larger scale)                                       judgment of hydrosphere

 

 Trumpet #4                 Rev 8:12                                Plague #9            Ex 10:21-23

                              darkness impacts                                               Darkness which can be felt

                                  whole earth

 

 

Clearly there is a correspondence between these judgments and those poured out on Egypt!   Why the parallel? What's the significance?

#1 In both cases God is getting ready to bring Israel into a place of promise.

First out of Egypt into the promised land of Canaan!

In the Tribulation its out of the final Diaspora into fulfillment of the Davidic and the Land Covenant.

 

#2 Both those living in Egypt and those living in the tribulation had been recipients of divine revelation.

 

#3 The judgments in Egypt were real literal judgments which had impact for generations; These in Rev. are just as real and literal; the terms here are not symbolic, no indication of that in context.

 

As we approach these trumpet judgments, there is a line of thinking that we must guard against, that the Word of God warns us about, and if we fall into this line of thinking the rest of Revelation will become a closed book to us.

 

- The trap we need to be careful of falling into is thinking that:

If something has not ever happened, it will not or cannot happen!