Series: Victorious!
“Bear Witness Boldly”
Revelation 8-11
Open
Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 8-11. We’ve got a lot to cover this morning and I want to get right to it. I wish I could spend a lot more time in this section of Revelation to give you more details but time constraints keep me from it. We’re just going to hit the highlights. And before we get started, I need to give you some important reminders.
Number one, Revelation is an unveiling. That’s what the title of the book means in the original language. God pulls back the curtain so that those of us on the earthly side of things can see what’s happening on the heavenly side of things.
Second, the style of writing used in this book is heavily dependent on the use of progressive parallelism – recapitulation, restatement, repetition. The easiest way to illustrate progressive parallelism is to think of the use of instant replay in broadcast sports.
We’ve taken instant replay to an almost absurd level. A contested call on the field or court or a spectacular play can be broken down frame by frame. We see it from every conceivable camera angle. Was he inbounds? Did his knee touch the ground before he broke the plan of the goal? Did the player commit an egregious foul? We see the play over and over again.
That’s what God does for us in Revelation. We see the same events from different angles. Last week, we looked at the opening of the seven seals. Today we look at the blowing of seven trumpets. In two more weeks, we’ll be looking at seven bowls being poured out. Each of these sections of the book of Revelation talk about the same basic things only they give us a view from a different angle. The seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls are given as being chronological – they don’t follow each other in sequence. They are actually how things are happening altogether. Each of the three “sevens of judgment” is narrating the same sequence of events (not three different sequences).
The theme of this section of Revelation is that we, the church, are called to witness boldly for Christ no matter what is going on around us. The majority of the people in the seven churches to whom Revelation was originally written were undergoing horrible persecution. They were tortured and ridiculed. They lost their businesses, had family members shun them, and were generally treated as second class citizens. Yet, God says, “Don’t give up! I’m working and so should you as well.”
There is a humorous bumper sticker that’s been around for quite a few years. It reads: “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” That’s our job as the church. We need to get busy at witnessing. When Jesus returns, what is he going to find that you’re doing? So today, we look at six things from this section of Revelation that should motivate us to get busy and bear witness boldly to our culture.
Prayer is Powerful
We move from the seven seals to the seven trumpets. Our angle of vision is changed. We’re seeing the kingdom of God and the work of God from a different point of view. But before John tells us about about the trumpets, he talks about the power of prayer.
Rev. 8:2-5 – And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another 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. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then 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.
This is not the first time in Revelation where the prayers of the saints are mentioned. In Rev. 5:8, it describes the four creatures and the 24 elders holding bowls of gold filled with incense which John calls “are the prayers of God’s people.”
In context, these are prayers from God’s people to God himself and they are prayers which come before him for strength and spiritual nourishment. These are prayers of dependence: God, we need you. Life is hard. Things are bad. How long, O Lord, will you allow this evil to go on?
God treasures our prayers. They are not left to float around in eternity unanswered. He keeps them in treasured vessels. He is storing them up for a special time amd season. The message to the church is, “Don’t give up!” God hears your cry and he will answer your pleas in his time. Before God does anything, he wants to hear from his people.
And oh, how powerful are the prayers of the saints. God’s judgment is brought to bear not just because of his righteousness and his justice. Our prayers for help, our prayers for relief, our prayers for justice move God to act.
Notice that God doesn’t destroy all evildoers just yet. He has a plan. He has a purpose. He wants everyone to have chance after chance to choose to follow him. The prayers of the saints are just a [art in his plan but we can rest assured that he hears our prayers and treats them as being special.
In light of the theme of this section of Revelation, don’t forget to pray for your loved ones, your neighbors, your enemies that they would come to know Jesus. Sometimes we just want God to come in and make everything right again. We’re tired of the mess that this world is in and we’re ready for it to be over. The effects of the 7 trumpets are, at least in part, brought about by the prayers of the saints.
Did you ever consider that if God carried out his final plans at this time, you would have family members and friends who face eternity without Jesus? If their final judgment happened right now, they’d spent eternity in hell? You pray for them – fervently and faithfully because prayer is powerful.
Sin Brings Suffering
John moves from prayer to the seven trumpets of judgment. In the minds of the people of the 1st century, trumpets were not brass. They were ram’s horns. In the Bible, trumpets were used for important things. They were used in worship. They were used in battle. They were used to warn the inhabitants of a city of impending danger. Here, the trumpets announce that things are moving from bad to worse.
God originally created everything to be perfect. But sin brought imperfection. We set in motion a cycler of disease, despair, and disillusionment when we allowed the work of the devil to infest our world. And look what has happened over the centuries
Rev. 8:6-12 – Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
7 The 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. 8 The 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, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 The 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— 11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. 12 The 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!”
So we see the similarity between the opening of the first four seals in Chapter 6 with the first four trumpets of Chapter 8, The first four seals released the four horsemen of defeat, death, disease, and hunger. These first four trumpets announce death and destruction as well. The message is: unless you repent, you get more and more of the same.
One special note here on the third trumpet. It describes a great star falling from the sky. Elsewhere in scripture, stars are used as symbols of angels or messengers (angel means messenger). When we see this, our minds should jump to Isaiah 14 which describes an angel falling from heaven. This is most likely a reference to Satan who was originally an angel that led a rebellion against God and one-third of the angels followed him. More on that here in just a bit.
Notice that between the sounding of the fourth and fifth trumpets, there is special warning given by a great eagle. The warning has three woes based on the trumpet blasts of the remaining three angels.
Rev. 9:1-12 – The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer). 12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.”
You look at some of these descriptions of things in Revelation and you say, “What was John smoking when he wrote this book?” John wasn’t smoking anything. The message of Revelation is not so much a message written in words but a message drawn in pictures. The picture is not pretty.
This passage depicts the work of the devil and his demons in the world. We heard just a few minutes ago that the star is called Wormwood. The word here in the original language is apsinth – absinthe in English. It’s a plant from which a bitter oil is extracted that is highly toxic to the nervous system. The name “wormwood” comes from the fact that the oil was used medicinally to kill intestinal worms.
This star, this angel is headed in the wrong direction – falling from heaven. He opens the Abyss – the deepest and darkest part. We learn that nothing good comes from there. Out of the Abyss come what seem to be locusts on steroids.
Locusts are considered the most destructive of all insects. Locusts can travel in swarms so thick they can darken the sky. Locusts travel in large swarms. The largest recorded swarm in modern history is recorded at 4 miles long. In 1866, locusts descended on the country of Algiers and left no living species of plant behind in their wake and over 200,000 people starved to death in the three months that followed.
Locusts are bad news! But John says these locusts, they have a tail like a scorpions. John goes on to say these creatures have human faces with long hair on their heads and they are skilled at riding horses.
How do we know this is Satan and his demons? Jesus refers to the devil as the one who came to steal, kill, and destroy. The names Abaddon/Apollyon mean “destroyer.” The devil and his minions are destructive. The work of sin is destructive to everything God desires for his creation. The first woe is simply this: Satan is doing everything he can to destroy God’s people.
But there is a word of hope here. Locusts typically don’t live more than five months. And in the grand scheme of God, Satan and the demon army he leads that wreaks havoc around the globe really do have a short life span. They’re behind addictions and divorce and pornography and abortion and abuse and suicide, but they will face the biggest bug zapper you’ve ever seen!
Rev. 9:13-19 – The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number. 17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
Here are four more angels who bring destruction. They are not under Satan’s control. They’re under God’s control.
It’s bad enough to find yourself under demonic attack but it’s even worse to be in a face-off against God. But that’s where unbelievers find themselves.
Jn. 3:16-18 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Don’t misunderstand. God’s punishment is still redemptive. He’s calling them to repentance. 2 Pet. 3:9 – The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Suffering Doesn’t Always Produce Repentance
You would think with all of the suffering in the world people would turn to God. You’d think that not being able to find hope or help in this world would drive people toward the One who is the source of hope and help. But it doesn’t.
Rev. 9:20-21 – The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
God is using world events to move people in the direction of repentance. But God wants to use something else to reach people. He wants to use the witness of his people to a lost and dying world to draw them to him.
Scripture is Essential
Heb. 4:12 – For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Is. 55:11 – so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
We have to rely on the power of scripture. Our words are not as effective as God’s words. We need his word to accomplish his purposes.
Rev. 10:1-11 – Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ ” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
How is the word of God both sweet and sour? It’s sweet because it’s the message of the love, grace, and mercy of God. One of the songs we sing has the line: There will never be a sweeter story.
But it can also be sour because there are some things in the word of God that are hard to digest. Parts of God’s word can be difficult to digest. There are some tough truths to live out. There are some commands that are not easy to obey. There are some things we don’t like. I bet that if God told you that you could take the parts of the Bible you don’t like, I’m sure you’d be able to pick at least and maybe more.
There are parts of God’s word that are counterintuitive – they go against our sin nature. There are parts of God’s word that are counter-cultural –they run against the grain of our society. They don’t like it when we say Jesus is the only way. They don’t like it when we say the Bible is the only word of God. They don’t like when we say that a sexual relationship is between a man and a woman who are husband and wife.
But here’s the thing: We are given the gospel to ingest it and then share it. The more the word of God is within us the more it comes out of us.
Witnessing is Tough
Flip Wilson once quipped: “I’m a Jehovah’s Bystander. They invited me to be a Witness, but I didn’t want to get involved.” But as Christians, we have to understand that witnessing about God’s Son is not an invitation. It’s a command.
Matt. 28:18-20 – Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” You got into the ministry when you got out of the baptistery.
We are never promised that our witness for Christ will be easy. We are promised that it will be difficult and will produce heartache, trouble, and persecution.
Rev. 11:1-14 – I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
Who are the two witnesses? Don’t know for sure but think that 11:4 is a clue. They’re called “the two olive trees and the two lampstands.”
The Olive tree – symbol of Israel. The Lampstand – symbol of church. These witnesses have the power of Moses “to turn water into blood.” They also have the power of Elijah “to shut up the sky.” Here is what God is telling the church: You have the same power as the prophets of old.
What is the role of a prophet? To carry God’s message; to be His witnesses before others. But the life of a prophet is tough. Suffering, hardship, and persecution all come with the job.
When that person at your job is being a major jerk and you want to punch him in the face, God is saying, “Can I get a witness?” When your neighbor is challenging you and attacking you for your faith and you want to retaliate, God is saying, “Can I get a witness?” When that family member is making fun of your faith and you want to rip them to shreds, God is saying, “Can I get a witness?”
We need to be like one lady, who when asked about her job, said, “I’m a missionary . . . cleverly disguised as a grocery store clerk.”
Time is Short
There’s a story about a preacher and youth minister who are working hard at putting up a sign in the churchyard that reads: “The end is near. Turn yourselves around” People driving by make rude gestures at these men. Some roll down their windows and say, “Religious bigots! Don’t judge us! Keep your nose in your own business.” After awhile, the youth minister says, “I told you the sign ought to say, “Bridge out ahead.”
This is the third woe: the end is near. Just like at the end of the opening of the scrolls on the seal, we see the end of time. Those who have refused God’s message are condemned but all who receive God’s message are joyous safe and secure.
Rev. 11:15-19 – The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” 19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.
Close
Here’s a summary of what we learned today. The legal witness of God (in whatever form it takes), will have the power of two of the greatest figures of biblical history. Their word will go forth perpetually as a light to God’s people and a consuming fire for his enemies. The bottom line is that the preaching of the gospel through the church will be powerful in our world.
Yet know that Satan will not sit still long. He rises from the Abyss and attacks the witnesses of God. They lay slain in the street as people from all over the earth gawk at their bodies with delight. They lay there for 3 ½ days (very short time in comparison to 3 ½ years – 1,260 days).
Just when it looks like the devil wins, God intervenes. He raises the witnesses back to life and punish all who oppose him. There is a final battle, the second woe. The seventh trumpet is blown signaling the final judgment.
It’s a parable of the church. Its message is pretty simple. The gospel is preached with victory and power. Satan opposes it with cruel and lethal forced. God intervenes, crushing all his enemies, and ushering in the final judgment. The kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of Christ and he shall reign forever and ever and we along with him. The question for us all is: which kingdom do you live in?
(This series is developed from a variety of resources. The primary resource is “Victorious – A Devotional Study of Revelation” by Matt Proctor. Other resources include “Revelation for Everyone’ by N.T. Wright, “Breaking the Code” by Bruce Metzger, “The Book of Revelation – An Introduction and Commentary” by Homer Hailey, “Worthy is the lamb” by Ray Summers, and “Reversed Thunder” by Eugene Peterson.)
