Woe, Woe, Woe,

Lot's of food for thought in this one tonight. Without doubt no man knows when these the final days will take place, but what is for sure is, they will take place!

Revelation 8
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water – the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, 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 turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in mid-air call out in a loud voice: ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!’

Ok. lets have a look and see if we can figure out what John is telling us here.

Cencer?

To begin we need to understand what the 'cencer' is that we read about in verse 3-5? Well, it's simply a metal dish or pan used by a priest in the earthly Temple to carry burning coals from the bronze alter to the golden alter of incense, but here in our text John 'sees' the heavenly original!

Then we read in verse 4 that the angel offers much incense with the prayers of the saints. So 'incense' = 'prayers'.

In Rev 5:8 we see the same link, incense=prayers

Revelation 5:8
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

In Rev 6:10 the maartyrs had just prayed

They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?

Here in verse 5, God's answer to those prayers begins,

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

The fire that once burned to raise the smoke of intercessionary prayers now becomes a fire of judgement on the world. In other words, intercession ends and punishment begins!

Thunder, lighning and earthquake immediately follow, echoing Mt Sinai in Exodus 19: 16-18

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.

and also that of Ezekiel's throne vision in Ezekiel 1 (look it up!) These verses mark the presence of God in judgement!

There is also comfort to be found here as we also see that God never forgets our prayers and our cries for justice! No prayer is forgotten or goes unheard and when God finally acts, judgement proceeds from the very alter that had been a place of mercy!

The trumpets-judgements begin!

Trumpet 1 (Verse 7)

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Hail and fire mixed with blood target a third of the earths vegetation! which is similar to the seventh plague on Egypt found in Exodus 9: 23-25. A limited but terrifying judgement on the land. Possibly the result of a cosmic hailstorm who can say for sure, but figuratively it means the withering of the world's greenery, its natural and economic vitality. Thankfully the judgement is limited to 'a third', which reveals God's mercy is still restrained from total destruction, which urges repentence!

Trumpet 2. (verse 8)

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood,

Something like a great burning mountain is thrown into the sea. What could this be? possibly an asteroid from space or closer to home, the result of a super volcano! we can only speculate, but what is for sure is that the blazing mountain targets a third of the worlds oceans, marine life and maratime commerce and naval power!

Symbolically, in this judgement, God topples whatever empire is functioning as the world's great mountain!

Trumpet 3 (verse 10-11)

a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

Wormwood falls on the rivers, and a third of all fresh water turns bitter! Wormwood is a plant that makes water bitter or poisoned (Jer 9: 15)

In this the world life sustaining resourse of water is corrupted or poisoned! This judgement may literally means our drinking water or it may mean the poisoning of the worlds moral and spiritual springs brought about by false teachings, heresy or ideological bitterness. Goodbess knows there's lots of it about at the moment with liberaism and pluralism on the rise everwhere!

Trumpet 4 (verse 12)

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, 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 turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

In this judement a third of the sun moon and stars, lose their light! We find an equivalene in the 9th plague on Egypt and in the apocayptic text of Isaiah 13:10.

Physically the most likely meaning here is that God dims the governing lights of our world. It may be by volcanic ash in the atmosphere, But theologically, it signals a lose of guidance and hope. Political and religious leadership collapses with humanity left in spiritual twilight. Again the fraction one-third applies, meaning this is a warning, it's not the final destruction! There is still time left and the opportunity to repent!

Why only a third?

John repeats the one-third fraction to highlight two truths,

1. the judgement plagues are real and devestating, and

2. they are still partial, designed to bring the world to its knees but also to invite repentance before the 'bowls' of chapter 16 bring total judgements.

What can we take away from this text?

Prayer is never wasted nor forgotten, it piles up on the alter until it is time for God to act!

Atonement ignored becomes judement incurred, for the same alter furnishes both mercy and wrath!

God's judgements are measured (one-third) but increase in severity, yet leaving space for repentance at each stage.

In Rev 8 John shows us that God takes the very coals that once shielded sinners but because the world refused his grace, which is the Cross of Christ, he hurls them down on the world as a series of limited but intensifying warnings that will not cease until the world either repents or ultimately it is made new!

Have a great week, and God bless,

Trev.