Page 1 of 13 Pages THE BOOK OF REVELATION CHAPTER 8 The Sounding of the 7 Trumpets Revelation 8:1-13 1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Silence can be tremendous thing in a large crowd of people (pause 15 seconds). This appears to be a hesitation by God before the more severe judgments come. As this seventh seal is opened, 7 trumpet judgments begin. After the 7 trumpet judgments are finished, then comes 7 vial judgments. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Revelation 4, and Ezekiel 1, We have seen the 4 cherubim, they are the highest order of created beings. They are before the throne. Satan used to be one of the Cherubim. Next comes the Archangels, they are the next highest order of angels. We have seen two of them, Gabriel and Michael. Verse 2 here tells us that apparently there are 7 who stand before God Gabriel said to Zechariah, John the Baptists father, I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God Michael is called The great prince. In the apocryphal books of Enoch and Tobet there are 7 angels. 1. Gabriel 2. Michael 3. Raphael 4. Uriel 5. Sarakiel 6. Raguel 7. Phanuel.] To these 7 angels are given the 7 trumpets 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. And he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. It is possible this Angel is Jesus. Jesus is now our mediator, acting as our high priest. Notice what the Angel is doing: Ministering at the altar. The earthly Tabernacle is a model of the one in heaven. Page 1 of 13 Pages
Page 2 of 13 Pages Hebrews 8:1-5 1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. In the old testament the high priest would go into the temple and offer before the Lord, sacrifices for the people. The priest would go into the temple daily and take the little incense burners with coals from the altar and offer them. The smoke of the incense would rise before the altar which was called the mercy seat, outside of the holy of holies. We see Jesus here offering with incense, our prayers upon the golden altar before the throne. He is offering our prayers upon the altar. Revelation chapter 5, Jesus took the scroll, which is The title deed to the earth. One of the elders took the little golden bowls filled with the odors, which are the prayers of the saints and offered them before God. Then the church starts singing Worthy is the lamb to take the scroll Revelation 5:7-10 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. Page 2 of 13 Pages
Page 3 of 13 Pages Our prayers are often refereed to as the Sweet smelling savor to God, they ascend to god and are sweet to his smell. We see again the prayers of the saints being offered to God. This could be the prayers of those who are under the altar in chapter 6. They cried How long, o lord, before you avenge our blood. Revelation 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Now the Lord begins to pour out a series of judgments for those who are asking in prayer to be avenged. Have you ever prayed, Lord how long until you return to judge all of this madness? It should give great comfort to us to know that 24/7 Jesus is there in Heaven interceding for us, praying for us, making sure that we are blessed and protected constantly, until the day that He comes for us. When Jesus is interceding for us, it is at the Temple that is in heaven. When the Lord gave the instructions to Moses on how to build the Tabernacle, He told him to make sure that he built the Tabernacle to the exact specifications that the Lord was giving to him. This was because the Tabernacle here on earth was a copy or a replica of the true temple that is in heaven. Exodus 25:8-9 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. The Book of Hebrews, chapter 9, details the Tabernacle and what every piece of furniture, every color, every item means to us Hebrews 9 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Verse 2, refers to The First part of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle has different sections in it. I want to show you what each of the sections of the Tabernacle are called, and what they mean, in detail. Page 3 of 13 Pages
Page 4 of 13 Pages Verse 2 refers to that place in the Tabernacle called The First Part, where the Lampstand, Table and Showbread are located Hebrews 9 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; This diagram shows the Tabernacle from above, with the First Part highlighted in RED. This part of the Tabernacle is also called: The Inner Court It is an area just before you go into the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant is located. Holy Of Holies Inner Court Inside of this Inner Court, are 3 pieces of furniture: 1. Lampstand 2. Incense Table 3. Table of the Showbread Altar of Incense Table of Bread Lampstand Inner Court Page 4 of 13 Pages
Page 5 of 13 Pages Hebrews 9 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Altar of Incense (Prayer) Table of Bread (Fellowship) Holy Of Holies (God s Presence) Ark (Mercy Seat) Lampstand (Light) Inner Court (Heaven) Outer Court (Earth) The Second Veil, is a large Curtain that separates the Inner Court from the Holy of Holies This Veil is indicated by the Red Line in the drawing. This Veil Looks like this: Inside of the Holy of Holies, are the articles That Verses 3 and 4 refer to: 1. The Golden Censer 2. The Ark of the Covenant Inside of the Ark of the Covenant are: 1. The Pot that contained the Manna from the Desert they ate everyday. 2. Aaron the High Priest's Rod or Staff, 3. The Tablets of the Covenant, otherwise known as The 10 Commandments. Page 5 of 13 Pages
Page 6 of 13 Pages 4. Over the top of the Box called The Ark of the Covenant, are the 2 Angels, or Cherubim. So, when you put all of these things together, it looks like this: Altar of Incense Table of Bread Laver Altar One Entrance Holy Of Holies (The Throne) Red: Sacrifice Blue: Righteousness Purple: Royalty Ark Lampstand Inner Court (Heaven) Outer Court (Earth) The amazing thing is that Each one of these individual Rooms in the Tabernacle have a very special meaning for us. The entire outer part of the Tabernacle itself, represents EARTH The Inner Court Represents HEAVEN The Holy of Holies, represents THE THRONE of GOD Then, in the Outer court we also see 1. The Laver, where the Priests Washed themselves before entering the Inner Court. 2. The Altar, where the animal was sacrificed. 3. The One Entrance into the entire Tabernacle. I am going to walk you through the Tabernacle now as it would look to you, if you had come to the Tabernacle with your own animal to sacrifice, and show you what each of the items here mean to you today. Remember, we are coming to the Tabernacle with an animal because of our sin, and our desire to do something about the sin. We want it removed, and we want our Guilt taken away, so we can Worship the Lord here. Page 6 of 13 Pages
The Book of Revelation Commentary by Pastor Rob Robinson Page 7 of 13 Pages All of us know that when we have blown it in our life and committed sin, we really do not want to come to Church, or the Lord, we want to stay away. So, the Sacrifice that we are going to bring here to the Tabernacle serves as a wonderful way to have the sin removed, and our guilt. Now lets look at the entire picture of the Tabernacle together at once, and I will explain what each of these things mean to you this morning IN YOUR OWN LIFE. Remember that the items of the Tabernacle tell the story of what Jesus has done for you. What the outer Border Looks Like Altar of Incense Table of Bread (Prayer) (Fellowship) Laver (Washing) Altar (Sacrifice) One Entrance Holy Of Holies Red: Sacrifice Blue: Righteousness Purple: Royalty (God s Presence) Ark (Mercy Seat) Lampstand (Light) Inner Court (Heaven) Outer Court (Earth) Revelation 8 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. Just before the beginning of the trumpet judgments we see an awesome display of thunder, lightening, and earthquakes. In the Old Testament, Thunder, Lighting are a picture of Gods Presence. Copyright 2000-2004 No Portion of this Document may be Duplicated Without Written Approval From Teach The Word Ministries Inc. Page 7 of 13 Pages
Page 8 of 13 Pages Exodus 20:18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Revelation 8 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. Now, there are many times in this part of the study of the Book of Revelation where we see things from the atmosphere and space, falling to the earth. Someone asked me last week how I knew that the Stars falling from the sky were Meteors or Asteroids. Revelation 6:13-14 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place It is important that we all understand that no one on the earth really knows what these objects are. The best any of us can do is to give a calculated, intelligent GUESS. When we sit under a night sky and watch a meteor show, we call them Shooting Stars. They are not actual stars, it is just a name that is used to describe the action of the meteor hitting the upper atmosphere and incurring the friction, that causes the light in the sky. Also, when we see in the Book of Revelation, objects falling from the sky that have certain effects, it is not a reach to speculate intelligently, that they are either meteors or asteroids. When the Stars fall, the sky recedes like a scroll, what we would expect from the impact of a massive object hitting and exploding on the earth. Mountains and Islands moved out of their place, would also be the effects of massive objects contacting the earth. So, again here in chapter 8, we see the continuation fo what verse 7 describes as Objects being Throne to the earth, and a third of the trees were burned up and all the green grass was burned up In our solar system we have an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. There are at least 40,000 Asteroids from a few feet across to several miles across. Most of the Asteroids in this belt average about 1/2 a mile across. Page 8 of 13 Pages
Page 9 of 13 Pages Many of the scientists and astronomers are very concerned about some of these large ateroids that make orbits that bring them near the earth. Outside of Tucson there is the Kit telescope on kit mountain. One of their main research jobs is to plot and search for asteroids that are a danger to the earth. There are currently 2,000 asteroids that are in an orbit that threatens the earth. There are another 2,000 which have the future possibility of making contact with the earth. On May 19, 1996, a small Asteroid (between 300 and 900 feet wide) passed 280,000 miles from earth, which is a bit farther out than the moon. If it had hit the earth, it could have destroyed the entire United States., with an explosion larger than that of any hydrogen bomb ever tested. You can rest assured that when the Asteroid hit the earth, with the force larger than any Hydrogen bomb ever created, The Sky would recede like a scroll, and the mountains and Islands would move This asteroid was discovered only four days before it passed by earth. In January 2002, an asteroid about 1000 feet wide passed by earth missing it by less than 400,000 miles. Now, the Moon is just 238,607 miles from the earth, so this 1,000 mile wide Asteroid was not much farther away than our own moon! In March 2002, asteroid 2002 EM7 came within 300,000 miles of earth, a bit farther out than the moon, and it was about 200 feet wide. This one really gave the astronomers a scare because it was detected 4 days after it passed by earth, because it had come from the sun's direction, and therefore was coming from a direction where they cannot be seen because of the sun's brightness. July 2002, it was announced that asteroid 2002 NT7, detected on July 9 in New Mexico, could strike earth on Feb. 1, 2019. Although once there is more data on its orbit, it could turn out that it will not hit earth. This asteroid has an orbital period around the sun of 837 days and is 1.2 miles wide, giving it enough kinetic energy to be a doomsday asteroid. This asteroid is large enough to wipe out most of mankind. A very dangerous asteroid about a half-mile wide (2002 NY40) passes by earth at 330,000 miles out on August 18, 2002, a bit farther out than the distance earth is from the moon. If it did strike earth it would not be an ELE Extinction Level Event (ELE), but the impact and explosion could cause a major decrease in the human population and giant tidal waves that would swamp the coasts of the earth's continents. Page 9 of 13 Pages
Page 10 of 13 Pages There are probably a lot of similar small asteroids that will pass close to earth, but they are unknown now and will likely only be noticed as they get close to earth. Scientists have discussed various ways to redirect the course of these asteroids. 1. Send a nuclear missile. Bad Idea, because it breaks up the asteroid into hundred of small pieces that will still come into Earths atmosphere. 2. Send a shuttle to the asteroid and attach a rocket engine to the asteroid and propel it into space. Scientists are concerned because an asteroid of 1 kilometer, (3,2080 feet), hitting the earth would do more than an all out nuclear war. We discussed previously, the earth s polar axis. The Earth rotates on it s Axis at 23.5 Degrees. There is evidence on the earth that in the past, the earth has shifted from it s axis of 23.5 degrees. The northern area, north of the North Pole, in the arctic circle was not the arctic circle in the past. It was not always frozen with ice. There were Mastodons, that have been found in the Arctic Region with tropical vegetation in their stomachs? Scientist believe this type of Quick freeze might have been due to a polar axis shift. http://www.blavatsky.net/science/atlantis/emails/suddenness.htm These frozen mammoths have been found in a wide area - some 3,000 miles from Siberia to Alaska. Many people on this I guess are aware that undigested buttercups have been found in the stomachs of the mammoths. Lets consider the buttercups first. They grow in a warmer climate than Siberia. We have also found in their stomachs undigested grasses that are known to grow ONLY in more moderate climates. Of course a problem develops. To freeze a mammoth so fast that it does not rot and instead its stomach contents still remain undigested requires a VERY fast freeze. How could it have happened? One of the most famous pieces of evidenc for past Meteor contact with earth, is our own Meteor crater outside Winslow is 3 miles in diameter and 522 feet deep. In a blinding flash, a huge iron-nickel meteorite or dense cluster of meteorites, estimated to have been about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, struck the rocky plain with an explosive force greater than twenty million tons of TNT. Page 10 of 13 Pages
Page 11 of 13 Pages Traveling at supersonic speed, this impact generated immensely powerful shock waves in the meteorite, the rock and the surrounding atmosphere. In the air, shock waves swept across the level plain devastating all in the meteor's path for a radius of several miles. In the ground, as the meteorite penetrated the rocky plain, pressures rose to over twenty million pounds per square inch, and both iron and rock experienced limited vaporization and extensive melting. Beyond the affected region, an enormous volume of rock underwent complete fragmentation and ejection. The result of these violent conditions was the excavation of a giant bowl shaped cavity. In less than a few seconds, a crater was carved into this once flat rocky plain. During its formation, over 175 million tons of limestone and sandstone were abruptly thrown out to form a continuous blanket of debris surrounding the crater for a distance of over a mile. Large blocks of limestone, the size of small houses were heaved onto the rim. Flat lying beds of rock in the crater walls were overturned in fractions of a second and uplifted permanently 150 feet. Fragments of rock and iron-nickel, some as large as a few feet across, were thrown several miles away. This crater is believed to be from an asteroid just 150 feet across, large enough to push the earth into a polar axis shift. If you have a ball spinning quickly and you hit it with force, you can stop the spin of the ball or cause the ball to flip over. These mastodons lived 1,600 miles from the polar ice, but in an instant were frozen solid in 80 below zero cold. The chances this year of an asteroid impacting the earth are 1 in 3 million. Every second we have over 1,800 small meteorites coming into the earth s atmosphere, we call them Shooting stars The events we see in The book of Revelation could be as a result of an asteroid impact. In Revelation Chapter 6 it said that The stars are going to fall like a fig tree dropping it s figs when she is shaken by a mighty wind. Revelation 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Page 11 of 13 Pages
Page 12 of 13 Pages What we are seeing now is nothing compared to what will happen during the tribulation period. A third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up Remember 3 1/2 years of drought have passed. All of the grass and trees are dry. They would burn with any hint of a spark. Revelation 8 8 Then 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. Looks like the appearance of a great asteroid that looks like a mountain burning, that went into the sea. The result is that 1/3 rd of the sea becomes as blood. The dust and debris could have turned the sea red, like a red tide. Same as 1st Egyptian plague (Ex 7:19-21; Ps 105:29; cf. Jer 51:25; (Mt 21:21). More than 3/4 earth s surface is ocean. [Atlantic = 1/3?] Judgments in Revelation very similar to the 10 plagues of Egypt Revelation 8 9 And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 1/3 Of The Ships Are Destroyed, Perhaps By The After Effects Of Tidal Waves 10 Then 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 water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter. Wormwood could also be translated, Hemlock which is a bitter, poisonous substance. 1/3 third of the waters became bitter and poisonous. Russian word for Wormwood = Chernobyl? (Stedman) National Geographic Society lists about 100 principal rivers. U.S. Geological Survey: 30 large rivers in U.S 12 Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. If a meteor shower did hit the earth, they would disintegrate as they impacted the earth s atmosphere. The resulting dust could cause the light from the sun and moon and stars to be filtered through the dust. When mount saint Helen s erupted, it became dark at noon time around the cities in Washington. Page 12 of 13 Pages
Page 13 of 13 Pages Revelation 8 13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" (NKJ) The Greek word here for Angel is not the same Greek word we have seen in the past as describing angels Angelos which is a messenger. It is the Greek word Ahicos which is translated Eagle. Some translations do say eagle We will talk more about these three woes in future chapters. Page 13 of 13 Pages