Study In Revelation16 The Final Seal Is Broken Series

Study In Revelation 16

The Final Seal is broken, The Trumpet Judgments begin

Rev. 8: 1-13

When the 7th seal is broken there is absolute silence. No one is speaking, no one is moving; not even Jesus. You sort of wonder if every eye is on God at this moment. He hasn’t said a word and after all that we’ve seen up to this point one can only wonder, “can it get any worse?”

We’re told that the silence lasted for half an hour. Can you imagine the suspense and anticipation that was in the air? The action starts in verse two.

Vs. 2-4 The instruments of justice and judgment are passed out

There are seven angels who suddenly appear before the throne.

These seven angels are, each, given a Banjo Flute Trumpet

They stand before the throne and God Himself hands them the trumpet.

This tells us that The angels are responsible for the coming judgments These judgments are coming directly from God

Trumpets always symbolize Gods’ intervention into human history and God is about to move against the evil and the godless of the earth. We must understand at this point that God is not going to punish His own. These judgments are for those who have turned against Him and His kingdom.

The second instrument that is handed out is the prayers of all of the saints. These are not just the prayers of all of the saints in heaven nor are they the prayers of all of the saints on earth. They are the combined prayers of ALL of the saints, in heaven and on the earth. We need to remember what is happening right now. Many are being slaughtered because of their faith. The savage persecution by the antichrist has taken the lives of millions of God’s own. There is a cry for justice, day and night from the saints, both in heaven and on the earth.

V. 5 The signs of the coming judgment

The angel takes fire from the altar. When the angel takes the fire from the altar of God, where does he put it?

In his pocket  He gives it to the seven with the trumpets He mixes it with prayers of the saints

Why did he mix it with the prayers of the saints?

 So it would make more smoke To burn up the prayers so no one could hear them Cast them to the earth.

There is coming a day when God is going to judge the evil and on that day He will avenge His name and all those who have stood with Him.

The angel cast down to the earth, the fire and prayers of all the saints. When he does something happens

1. There are voices

2. There is thundering and lightning

3. There is an earthquake

The people of the earth must know that something is about to happen but maybe wonder “What now?”

Imagine if you were minding your own business and suddenly you hear the voices of millions upon millions of people and severe thunder and lighting then a violent earthquake. What would that do to you?

Well they know that something is about to happen.

Little do they know, God is about to launch the great tribulation.

V. 6 The angels get ready

What are they getting ready for? They are getting ready to sound the trumpet blast that will launch their judgment on the earth.

Who is the judgment for? Only those who curse and deny Christ Every human who is left on the earth

v.7 The first trumpet sounds

When the first trumpet sounds we see a terrible storm.

What is in this storm? Some say hail fire mingled with what looks like blood.

Remember what Revelation 6: 12-14 says

“And I beheld when he opened the sixth seal, and, lo there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven [meteorites] fell unto the earth, even a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

Some believe the storm will rain down hail that looks like fire mingled with blood. The reddish color will no doubt be caused from the tremendous amount of sand that is blown up into the atmosphere by the most violent storm in history.

If a third of the trees and all of the green grass is burned up there must really be fire coming from somewhere.

Hail and fire were viewed by Jews and pagans as a “warning of divine judgment.”

Some speculate that this could be caused by volcanic eruptions. “The masses of water vapor blown skyward might well condense in the intense updrafts as hailstones, and showers of burning lava might well be ‘cast upon the earth with them.’