Things Which Shall Be Part II

By Pastor Tim Hitchcock

 

Introduction:

--In Revelation 1: 19, John gave the outline for the Revelation.  We have begun the final point. Last week, we looked at part I (Revelation 4: 1-8:1).  These chapters deal with the seven seal judgments.

-- At the close of the church age (chapter three) the church was raptured to heaven.  The antichrist was revealed on earth as the first seal judgment.  God began to judge the nations of the world for the abuse that His saints have endured.  These judgments concluded with thirty minutes of silence in heaven--like the eye of the hurricane (Revelation 8: 1).

--This week we want to look at the seven trumpet judgments beginning in verse two of Revelation 8.

 

I.) Chapter 8:

--Then John saw God give seven angels seven trumpets (vs.2).  Still another angel followed and moved to the altar to offer sacrifice to God (vs.3-5).  The offering consisted of incense and the prayers of the saints.  These are not just any prayers.  Rather they represent the hundreds of millions of ones offered by the martyrs crying out to God for justice to be done.  Hence the censer was filled with fire from the altar and cast to earth as a great judgment consisting of voices, thundering, lightning, and an earthquake.

--Then the first angel sounded the first trumpet (vs.6-7).  This judgment consists of hail and fire mingled with blood.  The ungodly have spilled the blood of the saints.  So this is only just and fair.  Great forest and grass fires sweep the earth.  A third part of the trees and all green grass is burned up.

--After this, the second angel sounded (vs. 8-9).  A great volcanic eruption causes a great mountain to fall into the sea.

--The death and destruction is so great that a third part of the sea becomes blood.  One third of creatures in the sea die and one third of ship are destroyed.

--The third angel sounded (vs.10-11).  A meteorite or comet strikes the earth and contaminates the water supply.  A third of the rivers and wells become unfit to drink and many men die from the poisoned water.

--Then the fourth angel sounded (vs. 12).  The sun, moon, and stars are affected.  Light shining on the earth is darkened by a third.  The rebels on the earth rejected the light of the gospel.  So God removes light from them.

--The chapter concludes with John seeing an angel flying through heaven (vs.13).  The angel cries out, "Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of earth."  The three judgments yet to come make the first four appear as nothing.

 

II.) Chapter Nine:

--The fifth angel sounded (vs.1-11).  An angel comes to earth with the key to the bottomless pit.  He opens the gate of hell and unlooses demons on the earth like a swarm of locusts (see Joel 2).  For five months they torment anyone on earth who does not have the seal of God in their forehead.  The torment will be so severe that people will try suicide, but God will not allow them to die.  The locusts will be led by the devil himself.  He is the Appollyon or destroyer.

--This ends the first woe (vs.13). There are two more to go.

--Then the sixth angel sounded (vs.14-21).  The sleeping giant awakes from his sleep.  Four angels bound up at the Euphrates River and prepared by God for a specific moment in time are unloosed.  They begin to draw the army of the east towards the Promised Land.  It is two hundred million strong and kills one third of men as it moves toward the Euphrates.

--In spite of this horrible judgment and the others that God has done, men do not repent.  They continue on in their ungodly ways, worshipping demons and idols, murdering, and using dope (sorceries is the Greek word pharmaceia from which we get our word pharmacy), and fornicating, and stealing.  (Sounds like today, doesn't it?)

 

III.) Chapter Ten:

--John saw still another angel (vs. 1-3).  This angel stands with one foot in the sea and one on the land.  He has in his hand a little book and cries out with loud voice that causes seven thundering voices to be heard.

--John was about to record the message when he was stopped (vs. 4).  This message will not be revealed until the moment it occurs.  There is no doubt it is a message of judgment (vs. 5-7).  The angel announces that there will be no more delay (II Peter 3: 9) and the mystery will be revealed when the seventh angel sounds the trumpet.

--Then the voice from heaven spoke again to John (vs. 8-11).  John was told to take the book and eat it.  It was like honey in his mouth but bitter in his stomach.  The Word of God is like honey (Psalm 19: 10).  It is sweet to the taste, but the judgments are very bitter indeed.  If we do not listen and heed, we will suffer the consequences.

IV.) Chapter Eleven:

--Verse one is said to be the most difficult in Revelation.  Most of the confusion arises because many people think that God is finished with Israel.  If we properly understand that the church is raptured at the close of chapter three and that the Tribulation is Daniel's Seventieth Week for Israel, then the measuring is of the temple of Israel (vs. 1-3)

--This measuring speaks of judgment.  God is preparing Israel to receive their Messiah.  The first three and one half years of the Tribulation are a time of false peace for Israel.  At the beginning of the Tribulation the antichrist will enter into a peace treaty with Israel.  Half way through, he will break the treaty and turn against them.  During the final three and a half years, God will raise up two witnesses to prophesy.

--God will protect these witnesses during their ministry (vs. 4-6).  Who are they?  The miracles performed in verse six speak of Elijah and Moses.

--Toward the end of their ministry, the antichrist will make war with them (vs. 7-13).  He will overcome and kill them.

--Their dead bodies will not be buried and will simply be allowed to rot in the streets of Jerusalem.  They will lie there three and a half days and the world will celebrate like it is Christmas time.  They did not want to hear the message and did not appreciate the judgments.  There is no repentance.

--Then suddenly the two witnesses come back to life!  Great fear comes on the world, but no repenting.  The witnesses ascended into heaven even as Christ and the church.  They disappear into the clouds.  There is a great earthquake.  A tenth of the city falls and seven thousand die.

--Two woes are down (vs.14).  One remains and comes quickly.

--The seventh angel sounded (vs. 15-18).  We are half way through the Tribulation and the final countdown begins.  Christ is coming to establish His reign and put down this rebellion.  He shall reign forever and ever and we, who know Christ as Savior, will worship God. 

--Our worship shall consist of giving thanks to God for taking charge of this godless world and reigning over it.  The nations are angry and growing angrier day by day.  They shake their fist at God and spit in His face.  But the wrath of God is coming.  He will reward his saints and destroy those who destroy the world.

 

Conclusion:

--The final scene is of the temple of God in heaven (vs. 19).  The Ark of the Covenant speaks of the covenant God made with His people Israel.  He will fulfill His promises to them just as He fulfills them to us.  The persecution of Israel will soon come to an end.  God will judge the nations for their abuse of His people.  The lightning, and voices, and thunder, and earthquake, and hail speak of the power of Almighty God to do as He has said. 

--The real question for us is where will we be when all of this takes place?  Will we be in heaven worshipping at His feet? That is quite frankly the only safe place to be.

Next Week: Revelation 12-14