Rev. #29~ 8:12-13+9:1-2 TRUMPETS 4-5~ 10-31-09
Today we’ll continue our study of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We have already seen and talked about the 7 sealed judgments and now a new series of judgments worse than the seals. The 7 trumpets of judgments.
With The 2nd series of judgments, the 7 angles are sounding their trumpets, as each trumpet is sounded the more stressful it becomes for the earth dwellers, imagine all these things are coming on the earth dwellers and there’s no end in sight, these trumpet judgments are not over after a few minutes, they are steadily becoming worse and worse as each new trumpet compounds in severity.
We have already talked about the 1st 3 trumpet judgments, lets read again verses 7-11 to do with the 1st 3 and then we’ll move on to where we’re at today, and that is verse 12.
8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
The entire earth is being bombarded with “hail and fire mingled with blood” as 1/3 rd of all vegetation is destroyed with fire.
8And 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; 9And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
Here we’re told that 1/3rd of all the water that are in the seas and oceans turn into blood when this Hugh Meteorite object hits the water, and that 1/3rd of all life in the sea die, and it seems as when this Meteorite object hits the sea that it causes gigantic Tsunamis as 1/3rd of all ships are destroyed.
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10And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
Well here we’re told that God has a special star for this particular mission, its name is “WORMWOOD” and as it is traveling across the skies of the earth it is dropping its poisonous particles into the drinking water of all the earth, and the 1/3 part of all drinking water has become poisonous to any and all that drink it, they die.
Ø Later on as we read about the “BOWL JUDGMENTS” we’ll read that all water becomes literal BLOOD.
Revelation 16:3-4 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
4And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.—not as it were blood, but became blood.
I believe this verse just as much as I do “JN. 3:16” .
With each series of judgments it becomes worse and worse.
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Ø And now lets take up where we left off last time with the 4th angel about to sound his trumpet.
12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
We saw that the first three trumpet judgments was against the land, sea, rivers, and fountains of water, but this fourth trumpet is directed against the heavens.
Let me remind us that it was on the fourth day that God created and made visible to the Earth the sun, the moon and the stars.
So now the fourth trumpet judgment is aimed at these heavenly bodies.
Luke 21:25-26 And there shall be signs** in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity**;{a feeling of hopelessness} the sea and the waves roaring; 26Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven** shall be shaken.
{the powers of heaven} are to do with their ability to cast light.
This passage in Luke teaches us that these very literal occurrences are signs.
This will be a supernatural act of God, but one with a message of a moral or spiritual purpose, To demonstrate the truth of God as the Creator and Sovereign of the universe.
In the last days, man, in his humanism, will have rejected the truth of creation and the authority of God. So now God acts supernaturally in that part of His creation, which clearly declares His glory—the sun, the moon, and the stars.
12-b and the third part of the sun was smitten—
“Smitten” means “to strike or smite.” The point is that God strikes one-third of the light-bearing bodies of the universe which hinders their light-giving capacity in some way.
The statement, “so as the third part of them was darkened” directs our attention on both God’s purpose or design and the result.
This could possible refer to an eclipse that will begin and occur daily from this point on in the Tribulation.
And then we see the result.
12-c- so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
It seems that the daylight hours are reduced by one-third and even the light of the night from the moon and stars will also be eclipsed for one-third of the night.
One writer said that this means the day & night cycle is changed from a 24-hour day to a 16-hour day, because its 1/3rd.
Whatever, they are unexplainable apart from the omnipotence of God.
Matt. 24:29 tell us that “powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
“Powers” refers to the stars, or the heavenly bodies, because of their light-giving capacity.
“Shaken” means “to agitate, to shake, cause to move to and fro.”
The stars have always been obedient and consistent in their orbit, but at this time will be moving out of their orbit. Just think how frightening all this will appear to the earth dwellers as they will see all these things as their happening.
Luke 21:26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,** and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:--this will cause many to have heart attacks.
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13And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
Here in verse 13 we find another angel, he is not among the 7 that sounds their trumpets of judgment, this particular angel is flying through the midst of heaven, flying through the atmosphere, that is the air we breath and where the planes fly, and as he is flying through the midst of heaven he is making it known that these last 3 trumpets that are about to sound are far more severe than the preceding four, the last 4 were directed mainly toward the “land, seas, trees, drinking water, moon, stars and the sun, but these “woe” trumpet judgments are directed primarily on man.
The last three trumpets will be especially severe, as announced by the threefold repetition of Woe, woe, woe. They will be directed toward the inhabiters of the earth that is, the unbelievers still alive on earth, the earth dwellers.
The last three trumpets are separated from the first four; they are “woe” judgments.
Notice, John observes an angel (the NIV interprets this as an eagle, and almost all commentators that I read behind also says,{eagle).
But I guess I’m from the old school, I refuse to change what it says.
John hears the angel [not eagle] announce that three woes are yet ahead for the inhabitants of the earth. These latter three will bring greater calamities upon the earth and especially its inhabitants than the first four trumpets.
The last 3 trumpet judgments are directed at man.
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Ø Now lets read about the 5th angle as he sounds his trumpet of judgment here in chapter 9:.-- Chapter 9 describes the first two woes, trumpets five and six. The last woe trumpet is found in 11:15–18.
In Rev.9: Satan, the king of the fallen angels or demons, is given the power and authority by God to open the abyss and release these demons on earth as part and instruments of God’s divine wrath.
Let me say that as we read we’ll notice the words {as} and {like} many times.
In this chapter there are more occurrences of the words ’as’ and ’like’ than in any other chapter in the Bible. Listen as I read the 5th trumpet and 1st “woe” judgment. Vs.1-12
1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him** was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2And he** opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
I want us to notice in Verse 2. “And he opened …” –SATAN-
Notice, here we see Satan’s character—cruel, vicious, and hurtful to the core. As soon as the opportunity is presented, he takes advantage of it.
He doesn’t need to be coaxed. All he needs is the opportunity—the removal of the restraining hand of God.
He is the Adversary, let me remind you that the Devil is not in hell as we are reading and studying together today, he never has been in hell, as “the adversary,” he is walking about like a roaring lion always in search of someone to devour.
1st pet. 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:-
All the demons including Satan will be bound and thrown into the abyss at the end of the Tribulation for 1,000 years Rev.20:1-3.
Satan will be released from his prison at the end of the 1,000 years, and he will come out to deceive the nations. Some will follow him but the King of kings will quickly defeat him and cast him with his demon hosts into the lake of fire forever Rev. 20:7-10
Let me say that our atmosphere and the world we live in even now are full of demonic forces and activity, but they are hidden to the world.
Many do not really believe in a real devil or in demons. Many may be blind to their existence now, but not so in the future.
Ø We see on the TV a lot of times these television shows that say that they are searching for ghosts, I’m sure you have saw them to, {paranormal this and that} so they say.
They say they are trying to contact a person that has died in a particular building or home, because others have witnessed strange happenings there.
Let me say that these people that do such as this are dabbling in demonic activity and just don’t realize it.
Listen, when a saved person passes on he or she goes immediately to be with the Lord, and he want be back at this time, he wouldn’t come back even if he could. Paul said
2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
The lost sinner when he dies goes immediately to hell and he’s not coming back.
Luke 16:22 -the rich man also died, and was buried; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,--
We don’t have to worry about these people that are dead, it’s the ones that are alive we better watch a lot of times.
“The bottomless pit” is the long shaft (or pit or well) of the abyss.
Ø -------Here is my interpretation of “the bottomless pit”
We all know about gravity, listen, when we step on our bathroom scales to check our weight, the center of the earth is pulling us down on the scales, {gravitational pull} and what ever the scales revile is what we call our weight.
We believe according to the Bible, that “hell” is in the center of the earth, the reason we read, “bottomless pit” is because in the very center of the earth there would be no gravitational pull, it would be as though it was bottomless, much as we might think of as just dangling in the air. That’s only a thought, food for thought.
“I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth.”
We have already seen one star in chapter 8:10, named “wormwood”
But we believe that this “STAR” is a reference to Satan himself. Lets notice that in verses 1 and 2 to do with this STAR, it refers to “him and he”
This star not only acts with intelligence, but he is given a “key” which he uses and an ordinary star couldn’t do this.
This “key” speaks of power and authority, of coarse God is allowing him this power in order to accomplish Gods plan.
So we believe that this star is Satan. Let me read to us some reasons to see this STAR as Satan.
Isa. 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, {O Lucifer}, which means morning-star
son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!—by the way this is the only place in the Bible we read “LUCIFER”
Luke 10:18 Jesus said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven-
That sounds like a falling star does it not?
Rev. 12:7–9 John will state later that Satan was put out of heaven and cast to the earth
So we believe this “star” is Satan.
