The Seventh Seal
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
We are picking back up in Revelation chapter 8. And we are going to move from the seventh seal into the first four trumpet judgements.
Review Questions:
QUESTION: Who are the 144,000?
QUESTION: Was this a literal number or a symbolic representation?
QUESTION: What are they sealed with?
QUESTION: Why are they sealed?
QUESTION: What did we say the 144,000 were. (The Lord’s…Army).
Revelation 8:1 “When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”
There are interludes between 6th and 7th judgements
Remember the interlude is a parenthetical chapters
John seeing another vision before continuing on in the primary vision
Last week the interlude between the 6th and 7th seal was the sealing of the 144,000.
In chapter 10 there is another interlude between the 6th and 7th trumpet judgement.
The reason for the interludes is because each time the intensity of the judgments increase
Then a silence in heaven when the seventh seal was broken
Why the silence?
The silence symbolizes the anticipation of all the heavenly hosts who are about to witness God’s final act to bring this age to close
The background likely comes from Zephaniah 1:7 “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.”
It’s like the entire heavenly crowd is awestruck or breathless as they prepare to witness the close of history
Application
This reminds me that the right response we should have to God’s interaction in our lives is awestruck wonder.
I am in no doubt that God does things all throughout our lives. Some little, some big, some we realize, some we do not.
But when we know God has don something, it should bring us to a place os silence and wonder that the God of this world, who sits on heaven’s throne would reach down into our lives and rearrange things for our benefit.
Let us never lose that wonder of God. Never take for granted even the slightest thing God does in your life. Maybe its a word from a sermon, or your Bible study, or a circumstance that you know is from God. Never take for granted answered prayers, even if the answer is NO!
We should live in the awestruck wonder of God.
Revelation 8:2–5 “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”
First we have the silence in heaven as the heavenly hosts see God’s plan to end this age. And right after that John sees the incense again, the prayers of the saints.
QUESTION: What do you think the connection is? (Hint: there is Scripture in the gospels that explain this).
ANSWER Matthew 6:9–10 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”
Jesus told us to pray in this way
Exalt the name of God
Pray for the Kingdom of God to come
And that is exactly what we see in Rev 8
Application
One thing I picked up from this is to pray for God’s Kingdom to come
It’s amazing how easy it is to miss important details in one part of Scripture until we see them in a different way in another part of Scripture
I want my prayers to be in that incense of “all the saints” who pray for God’s Kingdom to come
Again another verse about our prayers being part of God’s plan
Prayer is one of the “rules” by which God rules the universes
God certainly hears our prayers and acts on them, but in His time not ours.
How long have people prayed for God’s Kingdom to Come? Thousands of years.
Over an dover and over
This is a reminder that we are to pray like the persistent widow
Luke 18:1–8 “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?””
The first four Trumpet Judgements
The judgement coming that will close out this age come in cycles.
The first cycle was the seal judgements. This was almost a preliminary kind of judgement before the scroll was unrolled.
The second cycle is the trumpet judgements. The next cycle will be the bowl judgements.
Revelation 8:6–7 “And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”
Seven Trumpets:
Trumpets have two purposes in Scripture:
To summon the assembly of God’s people together.
Numbers 10:2–3 ““Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out. “When both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting.”
QUESTION: What will happen when Christ comes to receive His people?
A trumpet blast
1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
In time of war
Numbers 10:9 ““When you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies.”
Just as God would come to aid of his people in times of war, so they symbolize God’s involvement in the punishment of sin upon the earth.
God will judge the world, because the world is hostile toward God.
The way of the world, the world’s system is against God, its very nature, and the men who follow the ways of the world will receive the wrath of God
This is a great storm that will come upon the earth
hail, fire, mixed with blood
blood being the color of the storm not literal blood
Result: 1/3 of the earth’s vegetation is burned up
Why does God destroy the vegetation of the earth?
Because vegetation directly affects humanity
1/3 of fruit trees
1/3 of crops
1/3 of hay to feed cows
1/3 of the earths surface burned would severely affect lives on earth
Revelation 8:8–9 “The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.”
This is a great mass (like a mountain) thrown into the sea
It could be symbolic of something
Some think this refers to a major volcanic eruption
Some think possibly a meteorite
I think it would be more like a meteorite (something like a great mountain thrown into the sea)
Can you imagine the devastation of a meteorite being thrown into the sea?
Tsunami
Mass destruction of ships
The result of this:
1/3 of the life in the sea was destroyed
1/3 of the ships were destroyed
We could imagine tsunami waves destroying ships
blood killing the fish and animals of the sea
Revelation 8:10–11 “The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.”
This is another divine judgement sent from nature except this one affects the freshwater
This is another fallen star or meteorite that comes to earth and affects the streams and rivers
The word wormwood means “undrinkable”
Many people died because of the poison water
How could one fallen star affect 1/3 of the waters?
The Amazon river is 4,000 miles long
The Mississippi is 3710 miles long
Just imagine if one of these major rivers were polluted, and then all their tributaries would be polluted
One commentator thinks this star when it falls will will break into pieces and affect many major bodies of water
Revelation 8:12 “The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.”
The sun and moon “were struck”
This 4th trumpet affects the suns, the very source of life on earth
This means bitter cold
This means no energy
Solar panels no good
Cold winter that much colder
Revelation 8:13 “Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!””
Now an angel gives the three woes to those who dwell on the earth
Because the next three judgements will intensify
The phrase “those who live on the earth”
This refers NOT just to people who dwell on the earth, BUT to those who live in opposition to God
It is a warning and promise that God will judge the ungodly