Trumpet Judgments of Revelation
The Book of Revelation describes three waves of God’s judgment of earth’s inhabitants, each wave progressively worsening. The judgments begin with the seven seal judgments, continue to the trumpet judgments, and end with the bowl judgments. In a previous post, we discussed the first six judgments: First seal (Rev 6:1-2) white horse, antichrist comes to conquer Second Seal (Rev 6:3-4) red horse, open warfare breaks out Third Seal (Rev 6:5-6) black horse, world famine Fourth Seal (Rev 6:7-8) death to ¼ of earth Fifth Seal (Rev 6:9-11) martyrdom, believer call for vengeance Sixth Seal (Rev 6:12-17) physical disturbances, earthquake, sun blacked out, etc Here we will discuss the seven judgments of Revelation. These trumpets are sounded by seven angels and warn of the Lord’s judgment of earth during the second half of the Tribulation. The first four announce the divine destruction of the earth’s ecosystem, and the final three involve the demonic devastation of the earth’s inhabitants. Let’s take a look. When the Lamb breaks the seventh seal, Heaven is silent for about half an hour. This hushed expectancy is in striking contrast to the loud worship described in Revelation 5:9-14 and 7:9-12. We are not told why Heaven is silent, but with the breaking of the seventh seal, God’s plan for His judgment of the wicked is fully revealed for the first time, which invokes awe and anticipation of what God is about to do. After the seventh seal is broken, John sees that seven trumpets are given to the seven angels who stand before God. In ancient Israel, trumpets were used for many reasons, including to gather God’s people (Numbers 10:2), to announce war (Numbers 10:9), and as a warning of judgment (Ezekiel 33:3). Trumpets are also connected with the Great Day of the Lord, the Great Tribulation (Zephaniah 1:14-16 and Zechariah 9:14). Recall that at Jericho before the walls fell, “seven blasts on seven trumpets by seven priests after a sevenfold march on the seventh day, signaled judgment. Here, seven blasts on seven trumpets by seven angels during the seven-year tribulation signals judgment (MacArthur Sermon Divine Destruction of Earth’s Ecology). Next, John sees another angel standing at the altar, holding a golden censer. This angel was given incense to add to the prayers of all of the saints, including the prayers of the martyrs who cried out in Revelation 6:9-11, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” God was about to answer the martyrs’ prayers: they would have to wait no longer. The angel filled the censer with fire from the altar and threw it to the earth, causing thunder, lightning, and an earthquake on the earth. It was time for the trumpet judgments to begin. First Four Trumpet Judgments The first four trumpets announce the divine destruction of the earth’s ecosystem. Just as God used the pagan gods to judge Egypt during the time of Moses, God will use the earth, sun, moon, and stars, the created things that people have worshiped from the time of Babylon, to judge the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth. With the first trumpet come hail and fire, mixed with blood. As a result, one-third of the earth will be burnt, including one-third of the trees and one-third of the green grass (Revelation 8:7-8). This could describe a devastating volcanic eruption resulting from the earthquake that occurs when the angel throws fire to the earth. Hail and fire would mean losing crops and vegetation, which would cause the loss of food for both people and animals. Also, there will be a shortage of wood for construction. When the second trumpet sounded, “something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea.” One-third of the sea became blood, one-third of the creatures died, and a third of the ships were destroyed (Revelation 8:8-9). Most likely, this will be a meteor or an asteroid. Whatever the natural phenomenon, its plummet into the sea will affect coastal lands, and with the destruction of one-third of the ships, the flow of goods and commerce will be impacted. Also, with the death of one-third of the creatures in the sea, the food chain will be dramatically affected. When the third trumpet sounds, a great star named Wormwood falls from Heaven, burning like a torch and falling on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters (Revelation 8:10-11). This star may be a comet since it leaves a fiery trail behind it. The waters become wormwood which is a bitter, poisonous substance. In Jeremiah 9:15, speaking of the judgment of Israel, God says, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.” This is a preview of what will happen with the third trumpet blast during the Tribulation. With the second blast, the seas are affected, but this time the freshwater supply is impacted, leaving the water supply undrinkable and poisoned. People cannot survive long without fresh water. When the fourth trumpet sounds, there is some celestial event that leaves a third of the sun, moon, and stars darkened so that there would only be natural light one-third of the day and of the night. (Revelation 8:12). This would result in darkness and extreme cold. Fifth Trumpet Judgment – The First Woe If it seems like things couldn’t get much worse, the eagle quickly dispels that notion when he says, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the three angels who are about to sound.” (Revelation 8:13) With the following three trumpet judgments, which the eagles call “woes,” God was about to release “hell” on earth, literally. When the fifth angel sounds the trumpet, John sees a “star from Heaven which had fallen to earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit…” (Revelation 9:1-2). From the use of the pronouns “him” and
Work
Who do you work for? Typically, when we hear this question we answer with the name of our company. However, the real answer should be what’s buried in our hearts. Let me share a real story with you that will help explain. I’ve worked at the same company for almost ten years. I’ve had three different bosses, titles, and various responsibilities. I’ve also had three VP’s, all of who have wanted to make changes and leave their mark. I’ve worked hard and smart. I tried to become a great people leader, to build a team that is unified, that works together, having team-first attitudes, and simultaneously building quality programs we could all be proud of.. While doing this I’ve had a prize I was aiming for, a title I’ve strived for. And every so often it would seem just within grasp and then “Poof! Gone again.” A few years ago, the “poof” moment came again but hit a little harder. The VP made changes. Our department was reorg’d. My role changed. Significantly. It was presented as an opportunity for me, even being told: “I should be excited.” To say the least, that viewpoint vastly differed than mine. Let me be real with you and share: I cried the entire day. I came home and cried at the unfairness of it, shouted at how hard I had worked, telling my husband I felt I had been stripped of every piece of hard work over the last several years. Throughout the entire evening, I battled between feeling wronged and the ridiculousness of my reaction. The absurdity that I would let something at work wreck me so much when there are real issues in life. At one point in the midnight hours, I was drafting my resignation letter in my head, while saying, “God if it’s not your best I don’t want it” and yet recognizing my words and actions didn’t match my words. At some point I resolved with a more heartfelt prayer to the effect of “Lord, tomorrow is a new day, please give me a word that shines light on this situation. Help me be focused on You above all else.” The next morning when I sat in my prayer chair this is a summary of the devotional I read. “The Enemy’s Plan Against You” For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:16 There was a 3-pronged attack Satan tried against Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11. Physical gratification – (make us crave something to the point we are preoccupied. Sex, food, drugs, alcohol) Matthew 4:3-4 Materialism – (make us want to acquire things to the point we lust for more and more stuff) Matthew 4:8-10 Boastfulness- (make us boast about what we have or do. Keeping us distracted by status and significance) Matthew 4:5-7 Ouch. Is this what I’ve been doing? Have I been so concerned with elevating myself to something the world calls worthy? Have I been working for the approval of others? Was having the title more important than what it should be? Back to the original question, “Who do I work for?” My answer should have been Jesus. I say “should have” been because the truth is, I wasn’t. I was working for a lot of other reasons…for myself/pride, for others/approval of others, for the glory of title/self-worth. I felt deeply frustrated, hurt, and unsure. Which doing good work and feeling those emotions in and of itself isn’t bad but allowing those desires and emotions to be more important than Christ, and allowing my emotions to rule my words and actions is. My focus veered off of God, and became “why me?” Ever done that? Instead of pausing, praying, and asking “God what can I learn here and use for Your glory?”, I let my emotions run wild at least for a time. But God… comfort came in the intimate word He gave to me, clearly showing up with His living word and truth. So, while I processed my hurt and questions, I ultimately clung to what He shared finally understanding… It’s a matter of surrender. It’s a matter of trusting the Lord with it all. To surrender everything, to trust Him with all things, including my work. Psalm 90:17 And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish the work of our hands for us, yes establish the work of our hands. Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. Lord, thank you for showing up so clearly in the Word. Thank you for caring and being in the details. Help me remember it’s not the world I want approval from but You alone. Help me stay focused in my everyday life, including my job, to serve an audience of One. Lord, help me answer the question “Who do I work for?” as Jesus, no matter the job or task. May my work be pleasing to You and focused on being the salt and light wherever you place me. In Jesus Name. Amen. This week’s playlist: All About You Tauren Wells Letting Go Ryan Proudfoot Rejoice Andrew Ripp Written April 2, 2019
Who & What
Who do you believe yourself to be? What truth do you need to believe about yourself? Your belief or God’s? Your truth or God’s? Which is it?
The Great Harlot: Fate of Religion During Tribulation
The Church has been raptured, leaving behind all the counterfeit religions, including the apostate church. The religions left behind will culminate into one false religion, which will wield massive power and control over the world. But as we forge ahead to Revelation 13, we discover the fate of false religion during the Tribulation. False Religion Throughout the Book of Revelation, several chapters are considered interludes; they don’t necessarily fit neatly into the Revelation timeline, but they give us valuable information to understand better what is happening. Revelation 17 is one of those interludes, and the events it speaks of occur during the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation. Many think the events of Revelation 17 occur chronologically between Revelation 5 and 6. We will discuss them here. After the Church’s rapture, many who have professed their faith outwardly in Jesus but inwardly are far from Him will be left behind. As a result, an apostate church will emerge and grow in power and influence. Revelation 17 describes this false religious system and its fall. In Chapter 17, we are introduced to a harlot named “Babylon the Great.” By looking at the chapter’s context, we can conclude that the woman is not a literal woman but a symbol of religious idolatry and apostasy. Babylon is mentioned 287 times in Scripture and is associated with idolatry, blasphemy, and the persecution of God’s people. We know that ancient Babylon is the birthplace of false religions, beginning with the Tower of Babel. At Babel, the people of earth substituted their wisdom for God’s wisdom and rebelled against Him, worshiping their own achievements instead of Him. From Babylon emerged all kinds of false religions, ranging from the worship of idols to the worship of systems to the worship of men. Paul in Romans 1 sums up the birth of false religion like this: “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” As we read on, we find out other details about this woman. First, she is described as a great harlot (v.1). Throughout the Bible, prostitution symbolizes spiritual adultery or religious apostasy. We see this use in Jeremiah 3:6-9, where Israel is referred to as a harlot and is accused of committing adultery with stones and trees (idols). We also are told that the harlot sits on many waters, which the angel interprets for us in v. 15 as “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” This symbolizes that she has power over many nations and is universal in character. Next, we find out that “the kings of the earth committed acts of adultery with her. (v. 2).” This means that political leaders ally themselves with her, using her to gain power and control. At. In verse 18, we are told by the angel that the woman is the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth. Some believe the “great city” is a literal city, most likely Rome. Others think this is not a reference to a literal city but refers to the religious system established by man, not God. Whether a city or a religious system as a whole, we are told that her influence extends beyond the kings to the masses who are being made drunk on her immorality (v. 2). This religious system will appear attractive and spiritual; it will lure the masses in. Then, we see the harlot sitting on a scarlet beast which is the antichrist (v. 3). “Her position, that of riding the beast, indicates on the one hand that she is supported by the political power of the beast and on the other that she is in a dominant role and at least outwardly controls and directs the beast (Walvoord). She is dressed in purple and scarlet, the colors of royalty, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls (v. 4). All of these adornments are meant to lure the nations into her grasp. She has a name written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and the Abominations of the Earth.” Roman prostitutes often wore headbands with their names imprinted on them. This reminds us that despite her allure, she is not what as she appears. From her title, we can conclude that she embodies all false religions and their evils, lies, and deceits, culminating in a powerful, unified religious system. Next, we see the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and the witnesses of Jesus (v. 6). False religion has killed millions of saints throughout history. “False religion is always the worst enemy of true religion” (Walvoord). Think about the religious persecutions in the early church and the inquisitions that killed hundreds of thousands of protestants during the Middle Ages. Add to this the continuing persecution of Christians today and the persecutions that will happen at the hands of this post-Rapture religious system. The blood on the harlot’s hands will not go unavenged, however. The Fate of the Harlot In Revelation 17 v. 8, we learn more about the beast (the antichrist) the harlot was riding on. We are told that the beast has “seven heads and ten horns (v. 3).” In verses 9 and 10, we find out that the beast’s seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. Some believe that the seven mountains refer to Rome since Rome sits on 7 hills. Interestingly, in 1st Peter 5:13, Peter refers to Rome as Babylon. Still, others conclude that the seven mountains represent the seven kings and their seven kingdoms described in v. 10. They believe that these seven kingdoms are
Life
Life. It’s made up of rollercoasters and winding roads. There are rarely straight paths. No matter where life takes me, One goes with me. And His name is Jesus.
Comparison
I’m not sure exactly how or when it happens but during at least one chapter in our lives most of us have compared ourselves in one form or another to someone else. Measuring ourselves in comparison with others is not what God wants for us.