The First Four Trumpets Trusting God Amid the Chaos
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The Bible was written, and Revelation was written to give you, dear Christian, the grit to stay faithful amid the chaos and storm of life today, as well as for a future generation to endure the greatest trials to ever come upon the earth.
Like uncounted other occurrences of the past, our present crisis has many people speculating about the end of days and the timing of Christ’s return. That was true of the world wars, localized wars, earthquakes, plagues, and societal collapse in places around the globe since the resurrection of Christ and indeed, long before that. This is what makes Revelation so abundantly relevant to our position today. There is always a crisis, and God’s grace is always being extended through it.
Remember our Lord said there will be wars, rumors of the same, earthquakes, famines, etc. But that the end was not yet near. At the end, Christ will come with blazing glory. Until the end, dear church these things are written so that you will know to lift up your heads with confidence in the conquering King Jesus. They are written to strengthen your faith against the winds of doubt, fear, and worry. These are written to tune your heart and mind to the same frequency as God’s who longs amid all things for the salvation of the Lost.
Lets begin directly with Revelation 8:6-12
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. 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. 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. 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 imagery is terrifying enough that we might wonder how any could survive? Indeed, they are meant to draw mankind’s attention. Remember that the primary Bible Text of the early church formed the background for the imagery in the book of Revelation. Additionally, the book itself teaches you with stars, lampstands, and such in the first chapter that it communicates what it communicates in symbols.
So let’s try to unpack the first four trumpets. The stage is set, The curtain is up, and the angels are prepared to sound.
The First Trumpet: Hail, Fire, and Blood
The First Trumpet: Hail, Fire, and Blood
John sees the first angel sound his trumpet and there came Hail and fire, mixed with blood. Now… where else in scripture do you see hail, fire and blood? The plagues of Egypt. Even as the prophet Micah indicated when he said:
“As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles.” Nations will see and be ashamed Of all their might. They will put their hand on their mouth, Their ears will be deaf.
All the way back in Exodus 9 we read about the seventh plague on Egypt, the plague of hail. (See Exodus 9:18-35; Ps. 105:32; 148:8; Rev. 8:7).
In the plague of Hail, “…the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth”. It was sufficient to destroy the currently growing crops, as well as to kill field workers and animals left outside.
This week I read about hailstones as big as oranges and coconuts, all the way to the largest hailstone recorded thus far: a block of ice 7 inches in diameter that weighed 1.5 pounds which would have fallen at roughly 128 mph![2] <That’s a lot of damage meme image/>
Fire and Blood
Fire falling from heaven is sometimes a potential description of lightning (e.g. Job 1:16) and at other times could mean actual fire (e.g. Genesis 19:24). A violent global hailstorm like that is entirely unprecedented. But see what the image is pointing to, it is the result that seems to be the main focus.
In Joshua 10 God again uses hailstones against the enemies of Israel to give them victory (Joshua 10:11).
As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
In both Exodus and in Joshua, God is fighting for his people. The plagues against Egypt showed Egypt the futility of their idols. While in both Isaiah and Ezekiel God proclaims that he will use hailstones to break down the falsehoods that people have built up (Isaiah 30:30; Ezek 13:11-13; 38:22).
Moreover Ezekiel 38 Speaks of this day as well:
With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone. I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.” ’
I think, in light of the command in of Revelation 7 to hold back the winds and not harm the earth until the sealing of God’s people, it is possible that at this first trumpet - as it was with the Hailstorm of Exodus (Exodus 9:26) that God’s people will be miraculously protected as God begins to mete out judgement against those who persecute his people - in answer to the prayers of the saints beneath the altar.
Before we move on briefly note The extent of the judgments and the repetition of the fraction: 1/3. We will seek to understand it at the end.
1/3 of the earth was burned up1/3 of the trees were burned upall the green grass was burned up
Like the hailstorm in Exodus, the plague here destroys the foundation of the food stability of the world. The self-sufficiency of mankind is destabilized as the animals we eat would die from a lack of grass to eat.
In other words what will be the result of these plagues, and even this first trumpet? God will be demonstrating to the world that He is God by removing the illusion of self-sufficiency. How will they respond?
The Second Trumpet:
The Second Trumpet:
Starting in verse 8, the second angel sounds the trumpet and something like a great burning mountain is thrown into the sea. 1/3 of the sea becomes blood. 1/3 of the sea creatures die. 1/3 of the ships are destroyed.
I read this and my mind screams “meteorite”. That may explain what John saw, but I have to ask the question as to why John didn’t say Meteorite? “Falling Stars” are not new. The Greek Language has words for it. And the third trumpet is going to use a similar description So… why the symbolic language especially when it seems to us to be so clear cut? Because symbolism is the language of The Revelation. Rather than trying to figure out which outer space chunk is going to fall into the Pacific ocean we need to consider the results.
Something like a burning mountain is an image that carries both judgement as well as power. Fire is often in scripture connected with the power and judgement of God. For example:
· The flaming sword that blocked the return entrance to Eden for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:24).
· Or consider the tongues of fire over the disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3).
What about the mountain? In Jeremiah 51, at the height of Babylonian power, Jeremiah speaks an oracle from God about Babylon’s guaranteed destruction. In the midst of the passage God declares to Babylon: “I am against you O destroying mountain...” The kingdom is equated to a mountain.
“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys the whole earth,” declares the Lord, “And I will stretch out My hand against you, And roll you down from the crags, And I will make you a burnt out mountain.
Or In Daniel’s second chapter as he interprets the Babylonian king’s dream - the prophet notes that the king saw “a stone cut out of the mountain without hands....” (Daniel 2:45) That stone is Jesus, whom God brings from the earth (the mountain) and who eventually grows to become a mountain that fills the whole earth - the mountain, described by Daniel as a kingdom which will never be destroyed.
The image of a flaming mountain points to a destroyed or destroying kingdom as God’s judgement. And as Babylon often serves in the Old Testament as the representative of an evil kingdom it seems the most evil kingdom of all: the kingdom of the Antichrist is likely viewed not only as falling itself but also as falling to destroy the gentile nations of the earth represented as the “seas” (e.g. Daniel 7:3).
Again, look at the scope of the judgement here, 1/3 of the sea is turned to blood. We easily remember the Nile being turned to blood in the first plague on Egypt (Exodus 7:20) . While the destruction of 1/3 of the ships - in John’s day in particular would have indicated the endangerment and potential collapse of international trade, since much of it was done by boat.
What is God doing in the second trumpet? Just as in the first, God is systematically stripping away the security and power of the nations to do business. In much the same way as our own present crisis is revealing the tenuous nature of wealth as well as the fragility of international and internal trade. There is a reason why, for example, truckers are considered essential. If the trucks stop rolling and the trains stop moving or the boats stop sailing: many will die.
The illusion of self-sufficiency is collapsing. The first leg of mankind’s support system is burned. The second is broken. It is a harbinger of more to come.
The Third Trumpet:
The Third Trumpet:
Verse 10 introduces the third angel who sounds his trumpet and now John sees a great star fall from heaven burning like a torch, and it falls on 1/3 of the rivers and springs of fresh water. The star has a name, which is wormwood, and now 1/3 of the waters become wormwood and many men died from the waters because they were made bitter.
As God removes the legs of the Environment and commerce, he also removes the leg of provision.
There is a moment in the Exodus story that helps us with this. It is something of a reverse story actually.
Turn quickly to Exodus 15:22-26.
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”
God has led Israel, and they are thirsty. They have arrived at bitter waters (Marah) and when Moses cries out to God, God shows him a tree. They cast it in and the waters become sweet. It is clearly miraculous. (Moreover it is an image of the cleansing of the Cross to restore to good that which was evil.) God provides good water for His thirsty people so they would learn to trust Him (Deuteronomy 1:31-32 & Numbers 14:11).
Now reverse the story. God turns the good water bitter by casting a burning great star into the waters and they turn bitter. Thus God is removing the good provision he has given.
I understand that there is a desire to interpret all these things literally. But in doing so we miss the Old Testament connection which was understood by the first century Church which used the OT as their scriptures.
We expect a meteor; but Revelation 12 will describe what we often call fallen angels as “Stars” that are swept from the sky by the tail of the dragon, revealed as Satan the deceiver. And in the first chapter of Revelation the seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches. It certainly isn’t mandatory, but it is consistent to understand this great star as a mighty angel. Perhaps none other than Lucifer who is embodied in the antichrist; and who in Isaiah 14:12 is referred to as “the Star of the Morning.”
“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!
What is being displayed here? Again the image given is that the star, named wormwood (a bitter herb) falls upon 1/3 of the fresh water in the form of Rivers and springs. Nothing but oxygen is more necessary to the survival of human life than water. But the image here is that 1/3 of the fresh water is poisoned. God has used this image before.
In the book of the Prophet Jeremiah we read in Jeremiah 9:13-15 concerning the people of Israel who had walked away from God’s law - which they were covenanted into...
therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.
And again in Jeremiah 23:15 about the many false prophets.
“Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, ‘Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’ ”
In both instances the poisonous waters that God says they will drink points symbolically to their judgement and death at the hands of Babylon.
The third trumpet, like the first two removes the safety net that mankind trusts in. The food chain is under siege, the shipping and commerce is disrupted and now 1/3 of the fresh water is poisoned and many die.
Can you see how as we read in Exodus 15:26 that God’s intention is becoming clear. If you give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God… none of the diseases placed on the Egyptians will be placed upon you. How then will God treat an unrepentant world but by the plagues of judgement.
We do not need to be right now in the midst of a seven year tribulation to see the pain and suffering around us and to know that the God who is sovereign is using all things to call all men to himself. Will they come?
The Fourth Trumpet: Darkness
The Fourth Trumpet: Darkness
Verse 12 brings us to the fourth trumpet. The fourth angel sounds and 1/3 of anything shiny in the sky day or night is darkened. 1/3 of the day and 1/3 of the night.
We are tempted perhaps to speculate the how. It’s a dust cloud, or regular clouds, or they actually start to burn out for real. Can I suggest that since we are not told the how then the mechanism of the darkening is not the point?
Let your minds wander back to the Exodus once again and the plagues that fell upon Egypt as Pharaoh stubbornly refused to yield to God. The ninth plague was darkness, a darkness so pervasive it was palpable.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.
If you remember just a few years ago when everyone got special paper glasses so they could stare at a solar eclipse - do you remember the moment when the sun was blocked? There was a slight dip in temperature as I recall it. Lengthen the time and if this is to be taken literally than we are seeing further global disaster on the weather patterns.
But again I would point to the Biblical and Spiritual importance of such a darkness. Consider the placement of the plague of darkness on the Egyptians. It was ninth. The tenth plague was death.
From the darkening on the Egyptians to the darkening on the day that Jesus was crucified for our sin; darkness symbolizes estrangement from God, the removal if you will, of his protection. But in Egypt, once again take note: the people of God were protected. The land of Goshen had light.
One last thought as you consider the fourth trumpet. Why did God create the sun, moon, and stars? According to Genesis 1:14-19, God created them on the fourth day to help us to measure the seasons and years. I wonder if this is a none to subtle way for God to say that time is up! Judgement is coming.
The Scope of the Four Trumpets
The Scope of the Four Trumpets
Each of these first four trumpets repeatedly measure their damage as 1/3 of … something.
1/3 of the earth is burned up
1/3 of the trees are burned up (And all the grass!)
1/3 of the sea becomes blood
1/3 of the sea creatures die
1/3 of the ships are destroyed
1/3 of the rivers become bitter through wormwood
1/3 of the waters become wormwood
1/3 of the sun,
1/3 moon,
1/3 and stars are darkened so that
1/3 of the day or
1/3 of the night has no light.
In fact TWELVE times we read that 1/3, 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 is affected. Remember that numbers in the book of Revelation are about meaning - not about math.
There are twelve tribes of Israel and twelve apostles - 12 seems to be a good number to represent being representative. These are representative judgments. But they are not complete. As horrible as it may be - it is measured. It is hard to contemplate 1/3 of the planet being destroyed and still to call it measured.[3]
Most importantly I think is the usage of God using the term 1/3 as an indicator of measured judgement in Ezekiel 5:2, 12 (see also Revelation 9:15,18; 12:4; 14:9). In Ezekiel, subsequent thirds are destroyed in judgement until only a believing remnant is left for rescue.
Why then are the trumpet judgments so terrible and yet so measured?
Straighten up O Christian and hear this: The idea of 1/3 the “stuff of earth” being destroyed is a measured attempt, as if the alarm is getting louder, to call people to repentance.
This is the recurring call and point of Revelation.
Stand firm O Church, I am calling the world to repentance.
Come to Jesus comes the whisper. Will they come?
Come to Jesus comes the conversational tone. Will they come?
Come to Jesus comes the shout. Will they come?
Come to Jesus comes the loudspeaker’s proclamation. Will they come?
Will you?
Will you turn away from rebellion against God and surrender to Jesus? Will you accept his sacrifice for your cleansing and humble yourself before God to live for Him?
Before the trumpets blow. Before the seals are broken. Before the current Crisis ends, the alarm bells are ringing, God’s offer is extended: Turn and come.
Amen.
[1] Tenney, Merrill Interpreting Revelation, p74
[2] https://www.baranidesign.com/faq-articles/2020/2/20/what-impact-energy-from-hail-stone-should-meteorological-instruments-be-able-to-survive
[3] If you trace the brief phrase “a third” through the scriptures there is a tenuous connection to “enough”. ((Genesis 29:34; Exodus 37:21; 1 Samuel 3:8; 1 Kings 18:34; 1 Samuel 19:21; 2 Kings 1:13; Matthew 21:35, 26:44; Mark 14:41; Luke 20:12, 23:22; John 21:17).