Rev 10, The middle of the tribulation. The middle of the 6th Trumpet. The middle of the 2nd woe. The little scroll.

• Middle of the tribulation
• Difficult to determine the order


Rev 10:1-11 (ESV) Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2  He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." 5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, "Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey." 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings."



• Let's look at this mighty angel and makes some observations about the description
• This is the second of three "mighty angels" in Revelation (in the bible) [Rev 5:2; 10:1; 18:21]
• The first strong angel appears when the scroll with seven seals is in the hand of him who was seated on the throne, asking who is worthy to break the seals
• The second mighty angel appears carrying a little scroll with the declaration of seven thunders (unknown), and that God's mystery will be fulfilled
• The words of the thunders are withheld from us
• Thunders usually are a warning of an impending storm
• The third mighty angel takes a stones, a great millstone, and throws it into the sea symbolizing the throwing down of Babylon
• Robed in a cloud (emblem of God)
• Rainbow above his head (rainbow is both a symbol of God's mercy (to his people) and his last judgment on the earth (to his foes))
• Face like the sun (incredible brightness -- God's glory)
• Legs like fiery pillars (God led the nation with a pillar of fire during the Exodus)
• His feet are on both the land and the sea (emphasizes God's control over land and sea)
• He has a roar of a lion (the lion often refers to a king)
• We are Introduced to the "seventh" angel
• The seventh angel is going to sound the seventh trumpet
• The seventh trumpet contains the bowl judgments, the remaining judgements
• This will finish God's judgment (plural "days" (verse 7) tells us that it extends over a period of time)
• The focus now shifts to this second scroll, called the little scroll
• The key to its contents is found in verse 11, it is prophecy
• Typically, people enjoy hearing prophecy (sells a lot of books) and it is sweet, but in the end the experience is bitter
• We end chapter ten in a calm before the storm
• The mystery, the eight of the NT is the end of the Satanic mysteries of the man of sin
• APPLICATION: There is a certain excitement to look into the future to see the things that will take place (that's the sweetness of prophecy). But prophecy should also burden us with a desire to tell as many people as possible about Jesus (the effect of the sourness)


• Look ahead (middle)
• Temporary cessation of Judgments
• The second world wide war of the tribulation
• The Antichrist is killed
• Satan is cast down to earth
• The resurrection of the Antichrist
• Three kings are killed, seven submit (the Antichrist becomes the eighth horn)
• Destruction of Ecclesiastical Babylon
• 7 Mid tribulation announcement
• The failure of the counterfeit trinity's attempt to usurp God's authority
• Proclamation of political Babylon's fall
• Results of the approaching last seven judgments
• A final call to heed the gospel
• (3) Words of assurance, encouragement, and comfort  to the post-rapture saints
• The death of the two witnesses
• The worship of the Antichrist
• The False Prophet and 666
• The seven year covenant is broken
• The abomination of desolation is set up
• World-wide persecution of Jews
• 7th Trumpet (third woe) sounds declaring Messiah's kingship
• In heaven
• Judgment seat of Messiah
• The marriage of the lamb

Rev 9, The beginning of the three woes

Rev 9:1-12 (ESV) And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.  2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

7  In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

12  The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.



• The fifth trumpet is the first woe
• John is evidently having some difficulty describing things in chapter 9. He uses "as" and "like" more than any other chapter in the bible
• We see another star falling. This most certainly is an angel, possibly fallen
• At this point fallen angels can still traverse to Heaven
• The fact that he has a key, would suggest a good angel
• The "abyss" or literally "bottomless pit" is the abode of Satan, some demons, and the beast. It is also a preliminary prison for some of the inhabitants
• In Revelation, smoke usually symbolizes judgment, doom, and torment (although it also has connection with holy things) (Constable)
• This is also the third blackout so far (verse 2)
• The fact that they are told not to harm to grass means that this takes place at least a season after the first trumpet judgment
• There are three views of the locusts
1. Literal. Difficulty is with the sting of the scorpion
2. Literal in description, that is a modern machine of war
3. Third, would be demons assuming the characteristics of locusts. This would fit with the command, to protect those with the seal
• The creatures' job is to torment (for five months)
• The creatures have a leader, a fallen angel (which tends to support the third theory), Abaddon or Apollyon, both of which means destroyer
• This is probably not Satan but some other demon (Satan is introduced more dramatically later on in the book)
• Why?
• Certainly, as we saw earlier in the worldwide revival, there is mercy in giving people time to repent
• But in this case, one of the main purposes of the tribulation, wrath against unbelievers
• I'm sure people were happy when the five months finally ended, but the reprieve is short


Rev 9:13-21 (ESV) Then the sixth angel blew 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, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.



• This is the sixth trumpet blast and the second woe
• The 200M army has various interpretations
• There were 70M in WWII combined
• China has the capability to put 200M men in the field. In church history, this has often been taken literally. Clearly, what John is describing can be viewed as modern war equipment
• But, there is an argument that they are demons
• They seemed to be under the command of the four angels
• They are bound near Euphrates, which is near Babylon
• Their description does hot match humans
• The result
• 1/3 of mankind killed which when taken together probably means half of the world's population has already died
• Men did not repent
• Not of the work of their hands
• Not of idolatry
• Not of murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, or theft
• APPLICATION: Never tire of repentance. Evaluate your life and witness -- do we struggle with idolatry, our accomplishments, evil?

Rev 8, The beginning of the Trumpet Blasts

Rev 8:1-6 (ESV) When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.



• Setting? We are back in heaven
• What is the seventh seal?
• The seventh seal contains the seven trumpets
• Remember that the seventh seal is held back until all the Jewish tribulations saints are sealed (only mentions the sealing of the 144K -- God protects these saints and / or designates these saints for special service)
• Why the silence in heaven? (Note: This is the only use of 30 minutes anywhere in the bible)
• The scripture does not say
• Could be a sense of awe
• It could be the listening of the prayers
• I think it is the solemnity of the event
• God is finally judging the whole earth
• The creation itself and the people are being judged
• What is significant about the trumpets in Israel?
• A key item in Israelite history
• Used in ceremonial processions
• Assembled the Israelites for war, journeys, and special feasts
• Announced a new year in Israel
• Announced divine judgment in the day of the Lord and the coming of the day of the Lord
• APPLICATION: Announcing a new phase that is coming
• What is significant about the incense?
• It is usually associated with prayer
• The tabernacle had an altar of incense right before the wall separating the most holy place from the holy of holies
• This is the prayers of the saints mentioned in seal 5. The trumpet judgments are the answers to those prayers. The adding of prayers to the smoke (throughout time) would represent additional prayers (tribulation saints)
• The final symbolism is using the censor to cast fire down upon the earth. This would confirm the thought that the seven trumpet judgments represent the answers to the prayers of the saints
• APPLICATION: Our prayers are not lost unless of course they are things outside of God's will. They will be answered, although not always in our timeframe but in God's time frame


Rev 8:7 (ESV) The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.


• Many of the judgments have a similarity to the literal judgments during the Exodus
• The first trumpet judgment is against the trees and grass
• Blood-red rain was witnessed in Italy and Southern Europe in 1901. It was the mixture of rain and air particles of fine red sand from the Saraha (Swete) -- so it could happen again
• The grass will grow back and we will see another judgment later on
• Remember we have already seen some amazing judgments and people are recognizing God's hand, but most refuse to repent. One of the purposes of judgment is to get people to repent.
• APPLICATION: In the Christian's life, God uses discipline (hard times) to get Christians to repent, although he also uses hard times to help Christians grow and finally he just works through hard times which are just a natural part of a world in rebellion (Rom 11:28)


Land hit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=r7W-GG-5JAU
Stop at 2:33
Rev 8:8-9 (ESV) The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.


• The second trumpet judgment is against the sea
• Apparently the only chemical difference between sea water and blood is an iron molecue
• An asteroid rich in iron could cause such a phenomena
• But it could also be that God changes the water into real blood, as he did in Egypt
• Since 1/3 of the fish die, the affect must not be worldwide to the same degree (and also seems to argue against real blood)
• The destruction of only 1/3 of the ships suggest that the resulting tidal wave is localized to one side of the earth (Most likely the Atlantic Ocean)


Water hit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JWSZWfj6Cq8


Growth between 1992 and 2012
https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saXZlc2NpZW5jZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA3Mi8xMDgvb3JpZ2luYWwvc2hpcHMxLmpwZz8xNDE2MzI0NDk1\


Actual number of ships detected in study
https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saXZlc2NpZW5jZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA3Mi8xMDcvb3JpZ2luYWwvc2hpcHMyLmpwZz8xNDE2MzI0Mzk3


Rev 8:10-11 (ESV) The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.


• When star has been used symbolically in the bible it refers to an angel. It could also be literal where the object looks like a star (or more specifically a meteor crashing through the atmosphere)
• This fallen angel or meteor destroys 1/3 of the sweet water (or fresh water)
• It could be that an ocean hit spreads salt water of a third of the fresh water in the world
• The name, wormwood, means bitter
• It is also the name of a bitter herb that is fatally poisonous to some people (Constable)


Rev 8:12-13 (ESV) The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!"



• The literal interpretation is of some darkness or reduced intensity from these light sources
• The question is whether the light is blocked out completely for 1/3 of the time or over 1/3 of the earth or if the effect is a 1/3 reduction
• What might be the consequences of less light reaching the earth?
• Possibly mini-ice age
• Unknown weather phenomena
• One thing different occurs in this passage
• An eagle warns of the last three trumpet blasts
• The last three are different from the first four
• The first four attacked the earth and indirectly affected people
• The last three directly affect people