December 4, 2016
Evening Service

In Chapter 6 we saw the first 6 of the 7 seals to be opened.  Each one contained a different form of the wrath of God.  They included war, famine and great natural disasters.  Chapter 7 revealed to us that there seemed to be a slight pause before the opening of the final 7^th seal.  This time allowed those chosen servants of God to be sealed.  We reviewed Ephesians Chapter 1 where it is revealed all believers are chosen and sealed with the Holy Spirit assuring our eternal life.  We then received a brief (3 verse) description of heaven.

Revelation 7:15-17

 

Revelation 8:1 And when He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven for about half an hour.

·         The sixth seal opened with a great tempest of thunder, lightning and an earthquake.  The silence following the opening of this seal seems to be a reverent anticipation of what events will follow.

·         We have all been there; the doctor walks into the room and you have no idea what he is going to say.  There is this moment of anticipation that time slows down to the point that you can even hear yourself breathing.  What will he say?  What is going to happen?  Such is the case here, yet on a much greater scale in that it is God who is entering the room about to speak.

 

Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels who stood before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

·         The seventh seal is now broken and it reveals the seven trumpet judgements which in turn will reveal the seven bowl judgements later on.

 

Revelation 8:3-5 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer. And much incense was given to him, so that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints on the golden altar before the throne.  (4)  And the smoke of the incense mixed with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God from the angel's hand.  (5)  And the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar, and cast it into the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.

·         An incense burner filled with live coals was used in the Temple worship.  Incense was poured on the coals and the sweet smelling smoke ascended upward to represent the saints’ prayers ascending to God.

·         This could be the point that God will answer the prayers of the many slain believers who cried out “How long until You judge those who have done this to us.”

 

 

 

Revelation 8:6-12  And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.  (7)  The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were cast on the earth. And the third part of trees was burned up, and all green grass was burned up.  (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 in the sea, those having souls, died; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.  (10)  And the third angel sounded, and a great star burning like a lamp fell from the heaven, and it fell on the third part of the rivers and on the fountains of waters.  (11)  And the name of the star is called Wormwood, and a third part of the waters became wormwood. And many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.  (12)  And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was stricken, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day did not appear for a third part of it and the night also.

·         The true understanding of all of these judgements is really impossible for us to speculate.  We can understand that the land, sea, water, and the sky are affected by the trumpet judgements.  There is now another warning given.

 

Revelation 8:13 And I saw and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, for the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels being about to sound!”

·         Habakkuk used the image of an eagle to represent swift and sudden destruction.  The eagle here warns of the terrors that are yet to come.

 

 

Revelation 9:1-12  And the fifth angel sounded. And I saw a star fall from the heaven to the earth, and it was given the key of the abyss.  (2)  And it opened the bottomless pit. And there arose a smoke out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.  (3)  And out of the smoke came forth locusts onto the earth. And authority was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have authority.  (4)  And they were commanded not to hurt the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads.  (5)  And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months. And their torment was like a scorpion's torment when he stings a man.  (6)  And in those days men will seek death and will not find it. And they will long to die, and death will flee from them.  (7)  And the shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle. And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.  (8)  And they had hairs like the hairs of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.  (9)  And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron. And the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.  (10)  And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. And their authority was to hurt men five months.  (11)  And they had a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in Greek his name is Apollyon.  (12)  The first woe is past. Behold, after these things yet come two woes.

 

·         These locusts or demon are released from the bottomless pit.  They are given specific orders to harm those without the seal of God upon them, not to kill them but only torment, and only for a period five months.  Even these demons of Satan himself, still must and do answer to the limitations God places upon them.

Revelation 9:13-21 And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet. And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,  (14)  saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Loose the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”  (15)  And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, in order to slay the third part of men.  (16)  And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. And I heard their number.  (17)  And so I saw the horses in the vision, and those sitting on them, having breastplates of fire, even dusky red and brimstone. And the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.  (18)  By these three the third part of men was killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone which issued out of their mouths.  (19)  For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails were like serpents with heads, and with them they do harm.  (20)  And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands that they should not worship demons, and golden, and silver, and bronze, and stone, and wooden idols (which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk).  (21)  And they did not repent of their murders, or their sorceries, or their fornication, or their thefts.

·         Despite this impressive display of judgement from God, repentance is still not attained.  The people are so hard hearted even this terrible plague does not drive them to call out to God in repentance.  This condition is not one that happens suddenly it is a journey.  It resemble our journey towards God, but they choose to go in the opposite direction.

·         A person allows a sinful thought to remain in their heart for a time and before long that thought becomes an action (sin).  If they continue in that sin, it will take deep root in their lives and eventually have total control of them.  The result is that repentance is never again even brought to their mind and they find themselves separated from God forever.  That it is so important for us to be open and honest about our sins and bring them into the light to be forgiven before they can take root in our lives.  It is just like weeds in our garden; the sooner we deal with them the better it is for all.

 

1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  (9)  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (10)  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

·         We must admit we have sinned and acknowledge we need help.  We do this by confessing our sin and trusting our Savior to forgive us and cleanse us from it. 

·         When we ignore our sin, leaving in unconfessed or even denying that it is sin, we create a barrier between us and God and we walk down a path that leads to the scene we just read.

 

Heavenly Father, may we always have the courage to seek your face in time of failure and ask for Your forgiveness and may You be faithful to Your word and make us clean again.