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THREEFOLD WOE (REVELATION 8)
I lived in an environmentally friendly housing estate. We have recycling bins for paper, plastic and cans for a while. Later, to my delight, a glass bottle bin was added. I was not a recycling fan but my wife did not want to waste anything, so now it is a habit for me. When visitors come to my home, I often go through the trash bag to pick up objects that could be recycled.
I have to change my habits even for small things. For example, I used to buy a pack of six small packs of milk, which I tear open one and keep five for freshness. Later I decided to change because it was very troublesome for me to recycle small paper packs, so I bought a bigger pack of milk, which is easier to drain of its milk stain for the pack to dry and recycle. I tried to wipe or wash plastic containers for recycling purposes.
Before the swimming pools were reopened in April 2021 after the virus scare, I used to take a walk up a hill to the reservoir and picked up the trash as I go, of which the top things people left behind were cigarette butts, tissues and wrappers.
The opening of the seventh seal in the eight chapter of Revelation threatened the earth, her environment and existence. The first four seals for the four horses were introduced by the four living creatures/beasts saying “Come,” and the last two with one response from the martyrs – “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (6:10) and the sixth response from the inhabitants of the earth who cried in the imperative facing an earthquake, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” (6:16) The seventh seal has no way out with “Woe, woe, woe!”
Seal 1 Seal 2 Seal 3 Seal 4 Seal 5 Seal 6 Seal 7
6:2
white horse 6:4
red horse
6:5
black horse
6:8 pale horse
6:11
white robe 6:12
black sun 8:3
golden censer
6:1
first living creature:
“Come!"
6:3
second living creature: "Come!"
6:5
third living creature: “Come!"
6:7
Fourth living creature : “Come!"
6:10
The slain: “How long, Sovereign Lord?”
6:16
The kings of the earth… "Fall on us and hide us
8:13
Loud voice: “Woe, woe, woe”
6:2 In order to (hina) conquer 6:4 in order to (hina) slay “each other” 6:6 Do not DAMAGE (VS imperative) the oil and the wine 6:8 to kill (infinitive) 6:11
to (hina) wait/rest a little longer
6:16
Fall on us (VM)
6:16 hide (VM) us 6: 17 For the great day of their wrath has come 8:6
to (hina) sound
8:12
(hina) turned dark.
8:12
SHONE not
VS imperative)
After the first six seals were introduced, what impact would the opening of the seventh seal have on earth? How severe can it get? How are we as believers do our part?
Mediate Prayerfully
1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 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 the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, 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.
I became more consistent in prayer the last ten years or more in Hong Kong. It started with praying for lost souls when I exercise. In my daily prayers are family and friends who are unbelievers, pastors in my zone, young people, seminary students and unsaved neighbors. Three years ago I called my former pastor in Singapore the last time I was there, “Rev. Chang, Come share the gospel to my mother!” Praise the Lord, she accepted Christ after many years of no-response.
Next, an unbelieving neighbor on my prayer list for left for Canada while unsaved. I asked myself, “Now what?” A year later, he texted me and said, “Pastor, my kids got to know your former pastor Holy Wong and they are attending church.” Soon, he was baptized.
Two months ago, I met Doris’ childhood classmate who urged us to live in our island to keep her daughter company. I told her I was still praying for her husband’s salvation. She said, “Oh, you didn’t know Calvin was baptized six years ago!” Not by accident, he accepted Christ half a year before my prayer warrior wife passed away.
The opening of the seventh seal was followed by the sound of seven trumpets, but there was nothing the seven angels in verse 2 and another angel in verse 3 could do but to delay and defer patiently for the most unassuming and unassertive people to act – almost insignificant and invisible. Who? The saints, in their prayer. Saints especially make their presence felt in the last days, as many as 25 times in the book, compared to 8 times at most in other books. Before the angels could unleash their blaring, booming and blasting sound at full blast, believers must pray pro-actively, persistently and pointedly. The phrase “prayer of the saints” occurs in verses 3 and 4, with the adjective “all” the saints in verse 3 – not one and only, but one another; each one, every one and evermore.
In chapter four 24 elders were introduced (Rev 4:4) and in chapter 7 (Rev 7:40), the children of Israel. The chief leaders and the children of Israel were there, but not the church of God. The saints (v 3) and their prayers have an important, indispensable and irreplaceable role in God’s coming. The seven angels with seven trumpets were ready to sound but they could not without the prayers of the saints in support. The “saints,” whose were mentioned and referenced a few chapters ago (Rev 5:8), but the saints really made their presence felt in chapter 8. Trumpets were meant to cause a scene, thunder a sound and make a splash. It was a noisy, numbing and nerve-wrecking moment with all standing at attention, in anticipation and with alarm, but they are useless by themselves without prayer as fuel and for firewood because last days trumpets are powered by prayer, productive in prayer and proven by prayer. Prayers of the saints (v 3) is a weapon which is much neglected today. Our role at the end of the day and the last days is to pray – to be constant, consistent and committed in prayer. There is not much saints can do in the last days but in prayer we join with all the saints to deter, defy and defeat the enemy. Saints are not helpless, harmless and humiliated in the last days.
Marvel Powerlessly
6 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 upon 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.
I was sick last week from the cold weather. It started on Monday when I felt faint waking in the morning. I tried to sleep it off but it did not work. My chiropractor rubbed my shoulders in the afternoon and said that would take care of my problem. It worked until I laid down at night when the dizzy spell came again.
The next day, I saw a doctor who told me as he shone a light in my eyes that he could not see a line inside my eyes to detect a stroke, but said he would surely see the stroke if I had a stroke! It puzzled me to no end until I could not sleep at night and sneezed. Then I remembered I sneezed as much as a bagful of tissues a few days before I was dizzy. The internet confirmed that sneezing causes vertigo.
Can you imagine what weather would be like if the sun, moon and stars do not align? If it is hot and cold, staying home all the time.
Onto the seven angels:
V 7 The FIRST angel = hail and fire mixed with blood. a third of the TREES were burned up, and all the green GRASS was burned up. Forest fires
Unproductive
Scorched
V 8 The SECOND angel = a huge mountain. 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. Falling rocks
Uncharted
Sank
Vv 10-11 The THIRD angel = a great star. A third of the WATERS turned bitter, and many PEOPLE died from the waters that had become bitter. Food safety
Undrinkable
Sickened
V 12 The FOURTH angel =
a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars.
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. Fault lines
Unlivable
Struck
The first trumpet brought hail (winds) and fire mingled with blood, resulting in the harm of tree and grass life. A third of the trees plus all grass burning makes for a smelly, suffocating and scorched earth. Wikipedia says there are around 12,000 species of grasses. Without grass, there would be no forests, fauna and flora, nor would there be food for cows, sheep and livestock. The fire would scorch, singe and scar plants, pastures and pitches.
The second trumpet brought damage to the sea, which is 71% of the earth. Without the sea or ships, there would be no shipment, seafood or seafaring. When sea life is harmed, temperature is heating, transportation is hindered and travel is halted. The sea would be red, roasted and rotten in smell.
The third trumpet in verses 10-11 refer to smaller pools of water – the rivers and fountains. Bitter can also mean violent – the waters would be unhygienic, unsafe and undrinkable
The fourth is sun, moon and stars. Here's the top five things we would miss without it.
Without the sun, there would be:
no vegetation on earth, because every plant needs light to live and grow.
no solar system.
no life on Earth
no flower
no clouds, and without the clouds there would be no rain.
no water cycle, which means no clouds, no rain—no weather. And without the Sun's heat, the world's oceans would be frozen!
no wind
NO HEAT for the atmosphere to trap!!
no gravity.
no weather.
no water cycle, which means no clouds, no rain—no weather!”
What Would Happen If There Were No Moon?
1. Nights would be much, much darker.
2. A day on earth would only last six to twelve hours and there could be more than a thousand days in one year!
3. The size of ocean tides would be about one-third as high as they are now.
4. There would be no lunar eclipses to block the sun.
5. The tilt of our earth's axis would vary over time, creating some very wild weather.
https://www.insidescience.org/video/what-would-happen-if-there-were-no-moon
Moreover, stars are responsible for the manufacture and distribution of heavy elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen,
https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
Stars are made mostly of hydrogen and helium that produce light and heat from the churning nuclear forges inside their cores. They are the building blocks of galaxies, of which there are billions in the universe. It’s impossible to know how many stars exist, but astronomers estimate that in our Milky Way galaxy alone, there are about 300 billion.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/stars
The nearest star to Earth is the Sun (Wikipedia)
Mourn Personally
13 As 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!"
Do you know the Merriam-Webster 2021’s word of the year? It is vaccine. I think it has been a year of viruses, variants and volatility. On the same track, what was last year’s word of the year? Covid for some and lockdown for others. 2022 is not a difficult year to predict:
NY Times says:
1. Weak companies will die
2. Habits will change
3. Politics will shape the economy
Forbes:
1. Inflation Hits 15%,
2. Fossil Fuels Boom
3. A Hypersonic Cold War Starts
https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwilliams1/2021/12/02/inflation-hits-15-fossil-fuels-boom-and-a-hypersonic-cold-war-starts-here-are-the-predictions-for-2022/?sh=49aadf263fbb
CEOs for NBC:
1. More volatility
2. No end to Covid
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/02/ceos-across-economy-agree-on-one-big-2022-prediction-more-volatility.html
This is the only three-fold repetition of “woe” in the Bible (v 13), more than the twice it is recorded in Revelation 18 (18:10, 16) and Ezekiel 16:23. The three-fold repetition of a word is rare and occurs three times in the Old Testament for “Holy, holy, holy” in Isaiah (Isa 6:3) and “the temple of the Lord” (Jer 7:4) and “earth” (Jer 22:20) in Jeremiah.
It is woe multiplied and maximized, intense, immense and infinite, extreme and excessive.
Dictionary.com says “woe” is:
Noun: grievous distress, affliction, or trouble:
Interjection: an exclamation of grief, distress, or lamentation.: a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief (Webster’s)
Here are some acronyms, only the first not mine:
What on earth?
Here is mine (Yap):
Wrath on exhibition
World on edge
Wrongdoers on examination
Worst of everything (Yap)
Warning of extinction
Conclusion: Saints are known for five things in Revelation: (1) their prayers (vv 3-4), (2) their patience, (3) their faith (13:10) (4) their blood (Rev 16:6) and (5) and their righteousness (19:8), but the most is for their prayers (vv 3-4). Are you enlisted in service, enabled by prayer, emboldened in faith, enduring in Christ, equipped for work, engaged in ministry?
Does Christ’s coming mean judgment or joy to you? Condemnation or celebration? Worry or worship? Pain or praise?
