Revelation 8 & 9

 

The Book of Revelation

 

YouTube Video link: https://youtu.be/_HK6PG2U3GY

 

We are continuing to study the breaking of seven seals on a scroll in the hands of the Lord Jesus.

 

In Chapters 8 and 9, we witness God's wrath as the final seal is opened and seven trumpets are blown. In His mercy, God gives us a solemn warning and reveals what will happen at this time. These words are a strong admonition for those who have hardened their hearts to turn to the Lord before this "great and terrible day of the Lord" (Joel 2:31). You would think that solemn warnings of death and destruction would be listened to, but that is not always the case—some people are entrenched in their stubborn pride. Take, for instance, the case of a man who chose not to listen to the geologists and their recording instruments examining his land:

 

On March 27, 1980, a series of small earthquakes brought Mount St. Helens, a dormant volcano in Skamania County, Washington State, in the Northwest of the USA, to life. The mountain had been dormant since its last period of activity in the 1840s and 1850s. Geologists studying the rumbling and earthquakes warned the residents that magma might be moving below the volcano. For nearly two months, all in the area were informed that Mount St. Helens could blow.

 

A man by the name of Harry R. Truman refused to hear the warnings of impending destruction. He had built up a million-dollar business by renting out 100 boats he had on fifty-four acres of land beside Spirit Lake at the foot of the volcano. He didn't believe the area could be destroyed, so he stayed and ignored the warnings, thus becoming the focus of national media because of his stubbornness.

 

Perhaps he thought that he would see slow-moving rivers of lava come down. However, it was not to be. The searing blast came at 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980, traveling at around 300 mph. People estimate that Harry Truman perhaps had time to turn his head before being buried under 150 feet of landslide and mudflows. His life ended because of his stubbornness in refusing to listen to the warnings of impending destruction. Each of us must take to heart the warnings of what God has said will happen before they take place and sweep us along in the destruction.

 

This writer believes that the events taking place during the opening of the first six seals of the Book of Revelation are not the wrath of God but consequences on Earth due to the departure by many of Earth's inhabitants from all moral standards. Living apart from God’s laws results in natural consequences, especially as it pertains to the abuse of God’s creation. Natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes are often referred to as “acts of God.” All humanity is subject to the natural deterioration of the fallen world. Genesis 3:17-19 refers to a curse on creation which was a result of the fall of humanity. We have all been subject to the brutal effects of the fall. When the Lord broke the sixth seal of the scroll, we saw cosmic signs in the sky and the worldwide movement of the Earth's crust: “Every mountain and island was removed from its place” (Revelation 6:14), and those who have hardened their hearts to the Lord begin to seek a place to hide from the wrath of the Lamb that is now about to be poured out upon them (Revelation 6:15-17). There is no Scriptural evidence of God’s wrath poured out before the cosmic signs in the sky. In fact, the Antichrist sits in the temple of God proclaiming himself as a god (2 Thessalonians 2:4) and makes war against the saints, the elect of God, those who refuse to take his mark and worship him: “It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation” (Revelation 13:7).

 

Twice in Revelation 13:7, we read of an it being given power. Are we talking about AI under the control of the Antichrist here? Why does Scripture call it an it and not a he? Whatever it is, it is making war on the saints, which proves to this writer’s mind that the people of God are still present on Earth at the time of the cosmic signs. It is my opinion that the cosmic signs herald the wrath of God. Both Matthew (24:29-31) and Mark (13:24-27) record Jesus telling us that, after the cosmic signs, i.e., the sun darkened, the moon not giving its light, the movement of the stars, the world would see Him coming in great glory in the sky. At that time, He would send forth His angels to gather His elect (those who belong to Christ).

 

In chapter seven of the Book of Revelation, we read about the sealing of 144,000, specifically from the nation of Israel. This writer believes these individuals are Jewish Messianic believers from the land of Israel; God shows His people that He has not forgotten the promises He gave Israel that He will bring forth a remnant from the tribes of Israel (Isaiah 10:20; Romans 11:5). The seal speaks of ownership, deliverance, and salvation (Ezekiel 9:4-6; Ephesians 1:13). Along with them are also seen a great multitude of Gentiles (non-Jews) who have responded to the Gospel from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue. These individuals seen in heaven are robed in white, symbolizing purity and righteousness, not as a result of their own works, but as a result of the Lamb's (Jesus) blood shed for them (Revelation 7:14). Those before the throne of God are believers in Christ caught up (raptured) by the angels to heaven. The Apostle John writes of a silence in heaven that takes place after the gathering of the elect of God and the breaking of the seventh seal of the scroll.

 

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

 

Have you ever been to a stadium where many thousands of people are brought to silence as people pay their respects to a famous person who has died? What we now see is complete silence by all the multitude standing before the throne as they take in the gravity of what is about to take place on Earth:

 

¹When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

 

If you belong to Christ, this is a scene you will someday observe. How do you interpret the silence as Jesus opens the seventh and last seal on the scroll in His hands? What do you think is the purpose of this silence?

 

After the scene of loud worship and praise in Revelation chapter seven, there is now a solemn silence as all eyes focus on Jesus as He breaks the last seal and opens the scroll. The multitude of people standing before the throne are all aware that everything is about to change because the Lord Jesus is going to bring justice to the Earth. This solemn pause and silence is the only response to the looming judgment we are about to see. This theme runs throughout the Old Testament. The psalmist declares: “You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still” (Psalm 76:8). In the book of Zephaniah, the prophet warns, “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zephaniah 1:7). Let’s carry on reading what takes place after the silence:

 

²And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. ⁵Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the Earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake (Revelation 8:2-5).

 

As everyone watches, seven mighty angels step forward. In the original Greek text, the definite article tells us that these angels are specific angels, known in Christian and Jewish texts and tradition as the seven angels of the presence. They are thought to be the angels who stand before God and serve Him directly. Luke's Gospel tells of one of the Presence Angels, Gabriel, who appeared to Zechariah the priest, the father of John the Baptist: “The angel answered, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news’” (Luke 1:19).

 

Standing in God's presence is a position of high honor, and here we read of seven archangels who come close to the throne and are given seven trumpets. Another angel comes before the golden altar of incense before God with a golden censer, a covered incense burner hanging on golden chains.[1] He was given much incense to offer to symbolize prayer and supplication to God for justice. These prayers are likely similar to the prayers we read about at the opening of the fifth seal: "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" (Revelation 6:10). The prayers of God’s people for justice are now acted upon by God. The judgment of God is only now taking place at the opening of the seventh seal.

 

The solemn silence is finished as the hot coals from the censer are thrown to the Earth, bringing “peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake” (v. 5).

 

What is the role of the angel with the censer? What does this speak to you about the prayers of the saints?

 

The Trumpets

 

⁶Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. ⁷The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the Earth. A third of the Earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. ⁸The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, ⁹a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. ¹⁰The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— ¹¹the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter (Revelation 8:6-11).

 

Trumpets were sounded in Israel as an alarm call as well as a call to battle, as in Gideon's war with the Amalekites (Judges 7:16). Trumpets were also used when Joshua blew trumpets, bringing Jericho's walls down (Joshua 6:20). A trumpet was also sounded when kings came on the scene, and at the sound of the seven loud trumpet blasts, the King of Kings is about to make war on those who hate Him. Paul the Apostle wrote: ⁷“This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. ⁸He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). The blazing fire (v. 7) about which Paul spoke is now taking place at the opening of the seventh seal. A third of the Earth, a third of the trees, and all the green grass are burned (v. 7).

 

When the second trumpet sounds, something that looks like a huge mountain, perhaps an asteroid, hits the sea, with coastal cities bearing the brunt of the tsunami it creates. At the sound of the third trumpet, a third of all freshwater, i.e., the rivers, lakes, and springs, is poisoned. Could this be nuclear fallout on a third of the Earth? We don't know what continents or nations are included in this judgment, but this is only the prelude; it is hard to imagine things getting much worse, but they do.

 

¹²The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, 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 turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. ¹³As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” (Revelation 8:12-13).

 

When the fourth angel sounds his trumpet, the light of the sun, moon, and stars is diminished by thirty-three percent, likely causing havoc on all food production. John hears an eagle proclaim woe to the inhabitants of Earth for that which is yet to come. In the Hebrew language, when one desires to emphasize something, they say it twice, which is why you will often read Jesus saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you..." (John 5:24), but in this passage of Scripture, we have great emphasis by three woes pronounced together. Things are going to get worse. Let’s move on to chapter nine:

 

The Fifth Trumpet

 

¹Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to Earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss. ²The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. ³And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the Earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the Earth. ⁴They were told not to harm the grass of the Earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion. ⁶In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them (Revelation 9:1-6).

 

At the sound of the fifth trumpet, a star falls from heaven. Angels are often symbolized as stars (Revelation 1:20), so this is likely an angel opening the Abyss' pit. The result of the Abyss being opened brings great darkness to the Earth's atmosphere (v. 2). To the Apostle John, looking at the creatures that come forth, he describes them as locusts with the sting of scorpions that bring pain to all who have taken sides with the Antichrist and rejected the Gospel. John writes that people will seek death, but death will escape them. How can a man seek to die but be unable?

 

This inability to die could be the result of those who upload their conscious self into a computer, popularized by the movie Transcendence with actor Johnny Depp. This plan by elites is also known as Transhumanism[2] or Human 2.0[3], i.e., a plan by elites to overcome death by becoming part of the growing number who want to overcome the weakness of humanity with the aid of technology. This is not fiction, but a very real idea which has funded research behind it. Please read the links provided at the bottom of the page.[4] Transhumanism could be one explanation for why some could not die. It may be that they have tampered with their humanity.

 

⁷And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads, and faces like the faces of men. ⁸They had hair like that of women, and teeth like those of lions. ⁹They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. ¹⁰They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months. ¹¹They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon. ¹²The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow (Revelation 9:7-12).

 

Apollyon or Abaddon is likely a ruling evil angel controlling demons from a place under the Earth in Hades. He is released to cause chaos and disorder to all the Earth.

 

The Sixth Trumpet

 

¹³Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God ¹⁴saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river the Euphrates." ¹⁵So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. ¹⁷Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. ¹⁸A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. ¹⁹For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm (Revelation 9:13-19).

 

With the sounding of the sixth trumpet, four angels bound at the River Euphrates are released to kill a third of the remaining people who survived the first five trumpet judgments. Some believe that the two hundred million mounted troops are humans, but it seems to this writer that from their description, these creatures may have been created by fusing the DNA of animals with humans,[5] either that or demonic hordes. The angels who release the riders and horses have been bound up till now. We do not know if they are good or evil angels; we are told that they are released to act at the command of God. They have been bound up until this point, restrained at the river Euphrates, having been prepared to act at this precise time.

 

²⁰Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. ²¹Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft (Revelation 9:20-21).

 

After these terrible tragedies and deaths all over the Earth, why do we twice read that they would not repent? Why do some people set their will against God and harden their hearts the way that Pharaoh did during the ten plagues that God brought upon Egypt in Moses’ time?

 

The fact that they "still would not repent" (Rev. 9:20-21) seems to indicate that the people left on Earth could still repent if they chose to but refuse the opportunity. There may be people on Earth at this time who are not believers but did not take the mark of the Beast. Even today, some see the signs of the times and have withdrawn from society and gone "off the grid" but have still not surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. We are looking at a time when some will not repent because of the way they have chosen to live up until this time and have damaged their conscience to the point that they no longer have sensitivity to good and evil. Jack Weltman writes about a seared conscience:

 

If we suppress the conviction of the Spirit of God and resist Him and keep on sinning, after a time, the conscience becomes so seared or burnt that we cannot hear the Spirit speak to our conscience anymore. That's because God has given every one of us His light, so even with “their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or defending them” (Romans 2:15), they simply suppress this knowledge (Rom 1:18), and eventually, the conscience cannot hear what the Spirit of God is telling them. The more a person suppresses (ignores) the voice of the Spirit, the harder it is for the Spirit of God to speak to them about their sin. If this continues, the conscience will become like a callous on a hand... it will not feel anything anymore. Paul wrote to Timothy that “the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their conscience as with a branding iron" (1 Timothy 4: 1-2).

 

With such terror taking place on Earth, John is astounded to tell us twice that there is no repentance among the Earth's inhabitants. He writes first about the rest of humanity's unrepentant state, that they held on to the works of their hands, their labor, and that they refused to stop their worship of demons and false idols. John then writes that they would not repent of the murder of believers during the persecution that takes place in the second half of the seven years. They wouldn't change their minds or habits of sorcery and drugs, for the Greek word, pharmakeía, translated as sorcery in verse 21 (from pharmakeuō, "administer drugs"), means drug-related sorcery.[6] The Lord also brings up the abomination of sexual sins and theft. Sexual immorality refers to sexual acts outside of the confines of marriage.

 

In our beginning illustration, we saw that Harry Truman resisted the many warnings of danger from the rumblings under Mount St. Helens. Why did Mr. Harry R. Truman refuse to take action and leave the vicinity when the warning came? Perhaps he thought he would have time and that the lava would flow slowly enough or that the warnings of impending doom for those who stayed in the area were lies or, at best, an exaggeration of what could potentially happen if the volcano erupted. This man obviously thought he was in control. Whatever it was that kept him from taking action, greed, pride, ignorance, or stubbornness, it cost him his life. The loss of his life was needless because he had been warned but refused the truth that could have saved him.

 

 At the trumpet judgments, many will refuse to listen to reason and will not change their minds or the direction of their lives. Their destruction will be complete, and God is vindicated in their judgment. Have you wondered about the evil in this world today and how it seems that so many innocent people suffer while people who do evil in this world continue to thrive? Does it make you angry that people in this world suffer needlessly and starve while the majority of the wealth is held by a small margin of the Earth's inhabitants? If it makes you angry to see the suffering and injustice in our world and the destruction of God’s creation, how much more do you think these things anger the Lord of Hosts? He sees all things. We cannot comprehend the amount of sorrow He has witnessed. If we could understand this, we would be amazed at His mercy. When He comes again, He will come in His majesty and power to make all things new. 

 

You may have come across this message on the Internet. Do not think it is a coincidence. There are no coincidences with God. The Lord has led you to consider the direction of your life at this moment in time. I implore you through the written word. Do not wait another minute. Get your life right with God now. God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Here is a typical prayer you could pray:

 

Prayer: Father, I now come to You, believing that You have a plan for my life. Thank You for loving me and sending Your Son into the world to pay the penalty for my sin, which has kept me so long from enjoying Your presence. I repent and turn away from sin and ask Christ to come and live in me as I give Him control of my life. Thank You, Father, for the gift of eternal life. Amen!

 

Keith Thomas
www.groupbiblestudy.com
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Email: keiththomas@groupbiblestudy.com
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