Let the Trumpets Begin to Sound pt. 2
What in the World is Going on? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Last week we merely scraped the surface of the trumpet judgments. We saw the opening of the seventh seal, and the silence that followed in the revelation of the awfulness that is about to come.
We saw the seven angels relieve the trumpets and an eighth angel with a golden censer in his hand. Read these verses with me…Revelation 8:3-6
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. 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. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Let it be known that the word “another” means that this angel is of the same “rank” as the others, but instead of a trumpet, he has a golden censer filled with incense that he casts, “…into the earth...” That is an interesting choice of words, “into the earth”, not “onto” or “unto”, but “into”. The word “cast” means to throw with violence...
Imagine watching an outfielder in the last game of the World Series picking up a ground ball. Do you think he’s going to underhand toss that ball to the infield? NO! He is going to throw that ball with all the force he can to make the play!
that is the idea here! The angel throws the censer to the earth to announce the next set of judgments.
Last week I said we would answer two important questions about the wrath of God, “Why He is judging” and “what that judgment entails”. The “why” is that He will hold men accountable for their sin of rejecting His Son.
Church, there are no innocent people. God will one day hold every person accountable for their sin. And if they do not turn to Him now, while they have the chance, they will one day endure the seven trumpets of God.
“What will these trumpets be like?”
When the trumpets sound God’s wrath will begin. This will be a time of...
Devastation
Devastation
Let me remind you that things are “bad” already!
The tribulation has begun. The antichrist has set his sights on Israel and convincing them he is on their side. The world is in turmoil: War, disease, famine, inflation, and death like never before seen. You’re thinking, “How could it possibly get any worse?”
Let me point out, that everything I have just mentioned are phenomena that, to one degree or another, have existed on earth since the fall of man. If these events were as “bad as it got”, then men would simply ignore any supernatural involvement. But when the trumpets begin to sound…that’s a different story! Let’s look at the impact, just the first four trumpets will have on earth.
First Trumpet
First Trumpet
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.
I would love to hear how the climate change experts explain this one! This crowd that thinks humanity is what’s wrong with the earth, that there are too many people to sustain our ecological systems, the same crowd that pushes abortion as “population control”....what will their excuse be in the days following the rapture when, to them at least, the population of the earth will be greatly decreased and still there are unexplainable disasters taking place?
Notice that the first trumpet brings three things with “hail and fire mingled with blood”. The word “mingled” means mixed and it seems to indicate that these three will be mixed together.
I’ve seen hail, I’ve seen fire, and I’ve seen blood, but I’ve never seen hailstones that burn and leave a bloody residue in their wake…there is no explaining this apart from a supernatural act of Almighty God. Why would God do this? Because He said He would. Ezek. 38:22
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Let’s not forget, God has already done this before Exodus 9:23-25
23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
When the first trumpet blows it will destroy 1/3 of the world’s vegetation. The word grass is broad term meaning, grass, but also hay. The word tree, one commentator said, refers to fruit trees. Let me remind you that inflation and famine were already at records never before seen or experienced. Couple this with the first trumpet and imagine the impact the loss 1/3 of the fruit trees and imagine what the loss of 1/3 of they worlds hay and grazing fields would do the food supply.
This is not God trying to get their attention, this is God pouring out His wrath on an unsaved, Christ-rejecting world. This is just the first trumpet! Notice the impact of the...
Second Trumpet
Second Trumpet
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.
The first trumpet impacted and affected the land and the food supply there, the second trumpet ushers in what is described as “mountain burning with fire” but must refer to some stellar body such as a large meteor seen catching fire as it breaches earth’s atmosphere and impacts now, the sea.
The word sea, some have suggested refers ONLY to the Mediterranean Sea, but that would make this a “local event” affecting only a small portion of the world. I disagree. I see this burning mountain making impact in one of the oceans, causing devastation on the seas in general.
Already with the first trumpet there has been a loss of 1/3 of the grazing and trees, now we see the loss of 1/3 of sea creatures, and 1/3 of the ships of the sea.
Did you realize that today, out of 8 billion people, 3.1 billion of those rely on the ocean as their primary source of protein (food). Imagine the impact this will have on the food chain!
Today there are just over 104,000 ships on the sea. 50,000 (just under 1/2) are cargo ships. Another good portion of these are commercial fishing ships (the numbers are only an estimation, but its close to 70,000). Imagine losing 1/3 of all the ships (31,000) what impact that would have on the supply chain (a time of sickness there would be no way to get life saving medicine where it’s needed) a time of famine (there the food supply takes a significant hit).
The impact is so devastating that it turns the sea to blood. Most likely the meteor will be super heated and will boil the waters, killing the creatures in it, causing tidal waves that will destroy the ships.
These trumpets do not signal wake up call, they signal the righteous judgment of God. One and two are done, now look at the...
Third Trumpet
Third Trumpet
Revelation 8:10–11 (KJV 1900)
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.
Again we see a meteor or some other stellar body make impact, this time not on the sea, but on the earth itself. This object impacts the earth with such force that it buries itself into the crust and leaks something, possibly radioactive material, into the fresh water supply.
The “fountains of waters” refers to their source.
This impact happens at the source of the waters. Rivers and wells will be contaminated. 1/3 of the population will die because of this judgment.
You say, “That’s not fair! God must be unloving if He will do such a horrendous thing as this!”
My friends I want you to know that since June 24, 1973 this country alone has killed 63 million innocent children and if that by itself is not enough to justify the wrath of a holy God, then let us not forget the fact that there are no innocent people!
One last trumpet in chapter 8, notice the...
Fourth Trumpet
Fourth Trumpet
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.
Notice here as well a similarity in Exodus 10:21-22
21 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:
God supernaturally dims the sun, dims the moon, and dims the stars. How is this explained? Notice the last phrase in verse 12, “the day shone not for a third part of it”. Literally God shortens the days. We go from a 24 hour day to a 16 hour day. God, evidently speeds up the earth’s rotation.
The nights will be longer than the daytime hours. Remember the tribulation is a seven year period, those years are based on “days” not “hours”. Why would God cause time to speed up like this? I must be honest, I asked myself that same question. Then I realized that if this is the case, that God speeds up the rotation of the earth and “SHORTENS” the days, that helps us better understand another verse in an important prophetic chapter
Matthew 24:22 (KJV 1900)
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
The word “shortened” means “abridged”. Jesus was not saying that God would cut days off His judgment in the tribulation, but rather that the the days would be abridged. This is an act of grace even at a time when God is executing His wrath on the earth.
Why? Because Jesus reminds us that even during this awful time, there will still be people being saved, responding to the message of grace given by the two witnesses in Jerusalem and the ministry of the 144,000. For their sakes, God will speed the days up so that they will be spared. Let it be known today that God is good.
Conclusion:
The first four trumpets have blown and devastation has followed. If you’re like me, when you read chapter 8 you say to yourself, “It can’t possibly get any worse than this!” Read Rev. 8:13
13 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!
We have only heard four of seven trumpets blow. There are three more to sound, and yes, it can get worse, much worse.
As bad as the tribulation is going to be, the good news is no one has to endure one second of it. If you know Jesus as your Savior you WILL NOT go into the tribulation period, you will be raptured out before it even begins.
Listen, if the rapture happened today and you have not trusted Jesus as your Savior, then you would go into the tribulation and you would not have any means of escaping it. Do you really want to risk that? Heads bowed, eyes closed as we pray I invite Todd and Gwen to come...
You say, “Pastor, I know I’m saved, I know I’m going to heaven and I have Bible reasons to prove it” would you raise your hand?
If you do not have the certainty that you are saved, your not for sure that if you died today you’d be in heaven, then today is the day to take care of that. Would you be honest with yourself and honest with God today? Would you, by raising your hand, say “Pastor, I’m not sure that if I died today I’d go to heaven. I have never trusted Jesus as my Savior. Would you pray for me?” If that is you this morning would you just raise your hand, you’re not sure you’re saved. Anyone like that today?