Note: I used many sources to study this book, one of my favorites is Revelation: God’s Word for the Biblically-Inept by Daymond Duck and some out of different study bibles.
Title: The Seventh seal and the four judgements
Text: Revelation 8
What happened in our previous chapter? Who opens the trumpets?
Chapter 6: six seals Chapter 7: intermission; sealing of the saints
Chapter 8: seventh seal
Pattern: 4 then 3, it gets worse
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Why do you think that there was silence in heaven? What could silence heaven?
Maybe a great judgement and amazement at what will happen
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Here we see seven angels with seven trumpets? These all in the last of the seven seals. Zephaniah gives seven different names for the tribulation period. Some other names you may recognize in the Bible is, Jacob’s trouble Jer. 30:7, Seventieth-Week Dan 9:24-27, Lord’s Vengeance Is 34:8,
Two known arch-angels Gabriel Luke 1:19, and Michael Dan 10:13
Trumpets are mentioned about 100 times in scripture. 1) giving the Law at Sinai (Ex 19:16) 2) calling of the congregation of Israel, also to announce the wilderness march in Numbers (Lev 25:9) 3) the conquest of Canaan (Joshua 6 13X) 4) sounding of warning by prophets Is 58:1; Jer 4:5; Ez 33:3 etc) Here we see it is used to announce the ;lagues of judgement. Use for a signal of war.
God is going to go to war against a rebellious man. Why? for their own good and to give them a chance. How do you fight a war with God.
Another use of a trumpet
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 AV)
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Here we see a part that was used in the Jewish worship system. A censer with incense was used. It represtented prayers unto the Lord. We know of the spice of frankincense that was given to Jesus. It was a symbol that he died for our sins. 1 Pt. 2:24
Ps 141:1 LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. 2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. (Psalms 141:2 AV)
What do saints pray for? Rev. 6:10 tells us of one prayer.
What happens to our prayers? Do you think that God stores them up?
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth:
Notice the prayers being answered.
and there were voices, and thundering, and lightning, and an earthquake.
voices-God calling out instructions
thundering-the approach of a coming storm
lightning-the storm
earthquake-the earth’s response to the pressure, more and more do we hear about the faulk lines of earthquakes. We hear about the vulnerability of our nation. Just think one major disaster could change our whole world
Who is this angel? Who could it be?
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. (Revelation 7:1 AV)
1st judgement see Exodus 9:24-25 against goddess Isis
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.
Purpose of the judgements
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21
Hail-sudden judgement from God (Is 28:2,17) Fire-God's wrath (Dt 32:22)
blood-death (Ez 14:19)
I believe these can be taken literally. As you will notice the similarity between these and the plagues of Egypt you will see that both are literal.
2nd judgement see Exodus 7:20-21 against goddess Hika
8 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;
9 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.
What do you think a great mountain burning could be? Did you get to see the Haley's comet?
3rd judgement Exodus 7:20-21 against goddess
10 And 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;
11 And 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.
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. (Jeremiah 9:15 AV)
wormwood is a symbol of suffering and divine chastisement. Here we see that it is death. Bitter death. The waters of this world mean death. This is what Jesus was trying to tell the woman at the well. She could drink of the water but it would only lead to death unless she got some of God's water.
Mt 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
4th judgement see Exodus 10:22-23
12 And 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.
And 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! (Revelation 8:13 AV)
So if we think the judgements that we just saw was bad, wait until you see the next three.
As we saw with the four horsemen the four judgements are separate. We see here as we end this chapter that these four judgements are broken. We will see a difference in the next chapter. Even as to the nature and place of it.
Man can never say that God does not warn them of the coming judgement. God warned Adam and Eve. God warned those in Noah's days. God warned the Israelites. God warns us today. Oh if we would only listen when his judgements come.
and drink.
