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