Revelation | Chapter 8

Revelation 8:1-13

“The silence of the Lamb”

Vs. 1-6 Preparation for judgment

Vs. 7-13 Judging what we worship

Intro

The 7th chapter dealt with the question of those on earth seeking to flee from the wrath of the Lamb (Who is able to stand). The wrath, as seen in the natural consequences of a world without the preserving influence of the Holy Spirit was suspended until this chapter (8) where the opening of the seals continues with the 7th seal which will introduce seven trumpets. As brief as this chapter is, it nonetheless contains some revealing information concerning the nature of the Lord with respect to His judgment upon those who reject His love and truth. 

In the little three-chapter book of Habakkuk (One who embraces), the prophet wrote to the nation of Judah who was on its deathbed because of its hard heartedness. For this reason God told the Prophet that He was going to use the Babylonians to discipline them, which breaks Habakkuk’s heart. In brokenness Habakkuk, true to his name, chooses to embrace the Lord even though he can’t fully grasp what the Lord is doing. In chapter 3:2 he prays, “O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.” It is this remembrance of mercy in the midst of His wrath that balances His Love with His Holiness visible in this passage. 

Vs. 1-6 Preparation for judgment

Vs. 1 In the 7th chapter there was praise offered for the redeemer but here we see silence at the coming of wrath but the silence is not from the inhabitance of earth but rather from heaven. Thus we see praise offered at salvation yet silence with the coming of wrath even though it is just. In Ezekiel 33:11 the Lord warns Israel by saying, “As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn; turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” In Hebrews we are told that “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son”.

 And what were the words spoken through the Son to mankind? Well John answered this in his gospel 1:14 that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” Paul foresaw a time when even those in the church would no longer listen as “they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Tim 4:3-4)  God has not ceased speaking to the world even during the tribulation but the world’s rejection of the gospel has forced Him to speak with actions instead of words. 

I have found that God will always use the least means possible to speak to me and it is the hardness of my heart that directs His intensity! Oh God keep my heart broken and pliable in your hands I pray!

Vs. 2 So in preparation to God’s judgment we first read of silence and now in this verse the angelic kingdom is prepared. We can not be sure of who these seven angels are but an interesting verse comes to mind with reference to one of them as we are told in Luke 1:19, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.” They are given trumpets but why trumpets?

Well in Numbers 10:1-10 we find that trumpets were used for three things in Jewish life:

Num. Vs. 2-8 “for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps.” So we see that they were to be used to call the people together specifically for moving. It is clear by the silence that God is calling His people together especially as we see the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar.

Num. Vs. 9 “When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets”: To announce a pending war as an alarm. Clearly God is announcing war against those who oppress the truth.

Num. Vs. 10 “Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God:” To announce special times of blessings. Oh could this be described as a time of special blessing? Well from this chapter to chapter 11:15 there is nothing but God’s judgment upon the earth but at the end of it we read that the 7th angel proclaims, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” The special time is not the judgment but what follows it is a time when the “kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord”. 

Vs. 3-4 Much effort has been made to identify this angel or messenger some even try to make it Jesus, the reason for this is we are told in Heb 7:25 that “He always lives to make intercession for them” and here we see this angel offering the prayers of all the saints before the throne. I’m not so ready to make that interpretation as John has been very forthright in this unveiling to identify Jesus and this would be very obscure. 

What we do see is the prayers of all the saints offered with “much incense” and the smoke of that “incense” ascending before God. In the O.T. the priest would take incense and offer it upon the altar of incense then smoke would fill the temple going into the Holy of Holies where it would cover the Ark of the Covenant where the mercy seat was. The Jews understood this to mean that God heard and answered the prayer of the people based upon His mercy. The vision offered by the prayers of all the saints that “His kingdom come” is that the fulfillment of those prayers is at hand! (11:15) What a comfort it is to realize that the cries of our heart are a fragrant incense before He who sits upon the throne! So often we are reluctant to pray feeling as though our prayers are not important or too important to bring to our Lord, but He desires them and sees them as a sweet smelling aroma. 

Vs. 5-6 The preparation is not over and God is ready to speak through His actions. 

We are told in scripture that God speaks:

• Through His creation

• Through our conscience

• Through the witness of His people

• Through His Word

But there is another way in, which He will speak and that is through His judgments and here they are supernatural. These judgments will intensify and then give way to the bowl judgments of chapter 16. 

Vs. 7-13 Judging what we worship

Vs. 7 In this section we are given the first four trumpets and again their effect is upon the environment. In Rom. 1:18-23 we are told that God’s attributes were clearly revealed through His creation but instead of worshiping the creator mankind chose to worship the creation. It is for this reason we are told in Rom. 1:18, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness”. The similarity between this trumpet and the 7th plague of Exodus 9:18-26 “hail and fire” is the same. We are also reminded of the prophecy of Joel in 2:30 where we are told that “God will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.” 

The target of this trumpet is the vegetation of the earth as 1/3 of it is burned up which would further affect the food supply as we already saw famine, which was because of economic greed in 6:5-6. All of these remind us of Gen. 2:15 where we are told that “God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” it seems as though since mankind failed in this God uses that which he has chosen to worship above Him to judge mankind. 

Vs. 8-9 It does not say that this trumpet unleashed a “great mountain burning with fire” only that it was like that. This too reminds us of the plagues of Exodus only this deals with the 2nd plague of 7:19-21 of water turning into blood. 

The target here is the seas and we are told that it will impact three areas: 

Vs. 8b “And a third of the sea became blood”: Perhaps this is because the 2nd part of this is 1/3 of living creatures in the sea die.  

Vs. 9a “And a third of the living creatures in the sea died”: The ecological balance that is brought forth by the sea and its life would be tremendous.  

Vs. 9b “And a third of the ships were destroyed”: Three fourths of the world’s surface is water, much of this is sea. In 1981 there were 24,867 merchant ships carrying their cargo all over the world. Now imagine 8, 289 of these ships destroyed and the effect this would have upon the world. 

Vs. 10-11 The third trumpet again strikes the water only this time it affects the fresh or drinking water supply. The word “Wormwood” means undrinkable or bitter waters. The National Geographic lists around 100 principal rivers in the world and the U.S. department of geology lists 30 principal rivers in the United States. But the reality is most of us get our water from underground wells tapping into the water table. Still imagine the effects of 1/3 of them being so polluted as to become undrinkable? 

Vs. 12-13 Up to this 4th trumpet the effects of the blasts from the trumpets only affected 1/3 of the world at a time here the entire world will realize its effects. This of course also reminds us of the 9th plague of Exodus 10:21-23 of darkness  over the world. The severity of the next three judgments is noted by the sending of an angel to proclaim three woes over the earth. 

There are always three responses to such things as this by mankind:

• 2 Peter 3:4 Unbelief

• 2 Thess. 3:13 and Heb. 10:24-25 Indifference

• 2 Peter 3:11-14 Anticipation