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REVELATION, Chapter 8 
These HORSEMEN of the APOCALYPSE are LOOSE - NOW!

The first 4 seals showed the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse
storming over the face of the earth. These 4 horsemen represent
the havoc that will be put upon the earth by the antichrist. 

They show him gaining control of the world through war,
famine, and economic controls. 

The fifth seal showed the martyrs who were killed by the
antichrist while he gained control of the earth and the economy.

The sixth seal showed the rumbling of God's judgment being
prepared and simply says "the great day of His wrath is come," 
being the threshold of the great tribulation.

The seal judgments are the events that happen before the 
"great tribulation" or the wrath of God itself takes place.

Christ calls the first 3 years the beginning of sorrows
Matthew 24:1-14. This is beginning of the tribulation and
where the first 6 seals take place.

Christ called the most terrible events of the last days
the great tribulation.  Matthew 24:15-28.

Now the last 3« years of the tribulation will be the last 3
trumpets and the 7 bowls.

Now it is time for the seventh seal to be broken. When it is 
broken there is preparation for judgment.

Verse 1
When the seventh seal is broken nothing happens. There is a space
of half an hour when there is a stillness, no one speaking or
moving. The silence is a silence of reverence before God,
fearing what might be coming next.

Verse 2
The opening of this seventh seal introduces the seven trumpet
judgments, sent by God upon the earth. The trumpet judgments are
partial judgments while the judgments of the seven bowls are more
severe. John now see's seven angels "who stand before God" ready 
to do his will. The Bible doesn't give their identify, but they had
already been selected to receive the seven trumpets, which now God
hands to them. Trumpets always symbolize God intervention in human
history. 

God is getting ready to move against the godless and evil society
of earth. These judgments are to fall on the unbelievers who have 
followed the antichrist, and those who have the mark of the beast.
These trumpets are thought to be the silver trumpets like those
used in the tabernacle and in the temple. These same type of
trumpets were also used in battle.

Verses 3-4
Another angel comes and stands at the altar holding a golden censer.
Not one of the seven.

This angel is given much incense that he might offer it with the
prayers of all the saints. Some are in heaven and some still on the
earth. Believers will be crying out to God day and night for 
deliverance, justice, asking God to deal with or remove them from
the persecution of the antichrist and his government. The cloud of
sweet smelling smoke that arises when the angel pours the incense
on the altar symbolizes God's acceptance of the prayers. Now these
prayers of all the saints, prayers which may have been stored up 
throughout the church age, are about to be fulfilled. God has not
forgotten.

God in some sense stores up our prayers. Although the Lord may not
answer all our prayers immediately, He does not cast them aside, 
but keeps them for the proper time of fulfillment.

GOD's WRATH


OUR PRAYERS are ALWAYS BEFORE GOD's THRONE!

Verse 5
The angel takes the censor fills it with fire from the altar,
and he mixes it in with the prayers of the suffering saints.
Their prayers for vindication and justice and the fire of God's
holy wrath are mixed together, then cast it out onto the earth.
The day is coming when the justice of God will strike out in
wrath against the ungodly and evil of the earth.

The voices in this verse seem to be the voices of the people who
are still on earth at the time of these happenings.
There have been things happening all along and the people are
crying out, some to God to save them, and others are blaspheming
the name of God.

There will have been an enormous increase in violent
thunderstorms, with their thunderings andlightnings.
Also an enormous increase in earthquakes. And now, the judgment
of God is about to fall on the ungodly of the world.

At this time there are still going to be some tribulation saints
alive and on earth, do you think they will have to go thru the
wrath of God? Yes there will be some. But also remember that the
144,000 that preach the gospel will see millions saved.
Revelation 14:13

Verse 6
The prayers of the saints have been offered, the earth has been
warned by the storms and earthquake now the time of fulfillment
has come. The seven angels lift their trumpets to sound them
waiting for God to give each one the signal.

This is the beginning of the wrath of God on a world that has
killed innocent people, cursed God, rejected and denied Jesus
Christ as the Messiah. Against a world that has killed millions
of believers who refused to deny Jesus Christ and to accept the
mark of the antichrist.

The next 7 verses are partial judgments poured out on the this
sinful world, and only 1/3 of the world is affected. Also there
is no indication that the church is present or even in view
during these plagues. Some seem to think all of these things are
symbolic, but one commentary said we should study them in
connection with the plagues of Egypt, where Moses performed the
symbolic act of waving his rod over the waters of Egypt, which
physically turned to blood.

The act of blowing the trumpet is symbolic. So why should the
result on earth be less physical than the event in Moses day.
Exodus chapters 7-11

No one suggests that what happened in Egypt was not literal in its
form of judgment on the rebellious Egyptians, so we can conclude
that the same thing applies during the Tribulation period and that
the trumpet judgments introduce physical judgment upon the earth.
Taken from Revelation Illustrated and made Plain by Tim LaHaye).

Revelation 8
Verse  7 - TRUMPET JUDGMENTS


Revelation Illustrated.com

TRUMPET #1 - 1/3 of earth's green destroyed

The blast of the first trumpet judgment, is that of a fierce
storm. There will be violent storm someplace on the earth,
a storm more violent than any storm ever seen before. The storm
will rain hail that looks like fire mingled with blood. The storm
will be so strong that its winds will carry it across 1/3 of the
earth strong enough to destroy and devastate 1/3 of the vegetation
(grass and trees). 

Crops & food supplies will be destroyed for both man and animals.
And since these will be destroyed there will be a lack of seed &
the ability to plant again. There will be a shortage of food. The
land will become dry and desert like because of the destruction
of the grass and trees. This fire will be different than any
ordinary forest or grass fire, it will be a supernatural fire.

This judgment will be a warning: people must repent or even worse
judgments will come. This judgment will be similar to the plague
on Egypt by Moses. (Exodus 9:23-24). The mention of blood reminds
of Joel's prophecy. Joel 2:30-31 - And I will shew wonders in the
heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke,
the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

Verses 8-9 - TRUMPET #2 - ASTEROID - 1/3 of FISH DIE

The second angel blows his trumpet and something like a huge
flaming mountain appears. This burning mass materializes in the
heavens and then is thrown down, but this time into the sea.
Some think it might be a meteor or an asteroid.

An Asteroid; starlike or star shaped. Similar to the aster flower.
A meteor. is metallic mass.

Which ever it might be it is ignited when it hits the earth's
atmosphere. God directs it and it falls into the sea at his
timing. Because of this 1/3 of the sea becomes blood. When this
happens 1/3 of the fish, whales, and other sea creatures die.
A third of all the ships are destroyed. It is not stated but the
destruction of the ships must bring a great loss of human life as
well. It is also not stated what sea is destroyed but speculation
says the Mediterranean. Why? Tim LaHaye says 
since this is the permanent home of the U.S. Sixth Fleet,
plus representative fleets from many other countries of the world
there would be an ample supply of ships.

He goes on to say that Revelation 18 indicates that Babylon will
be rebuilt and become the commercial center of the world, there
would be no doubt be several hundred ships on the "sea"
when the meteorite falls.

Once again the shortage of sea life for food, devastation to the
fishing industry and businesses, interruption of shipping trade,
financial loss of destroyed ships and cargo. Commerce and food
supplies crippled. And that is not going to just affect that
area, it will affect the whole world.

Verses  10-11 TRUMPET #3 - METEOR FALLS


At the sounding of the third trumpet is the signal for a great
star to fall from heaven. It's also burning, having the
appearance of a torch streaming through the sky. It doesn't seem
to affect the land but it poisons natural, fresh water sources.

(Rivers, Springs.) The Greek word for "Star" is planet or meteor.
Before men become aware of it, many will die from drinking the
water. The star doesn't make the water merely bitter but poisonous

Because of the bitter taste of the water, the star is called 
wormwood. Wormwood is a plant that is very bitter. The wormwood
plant does not cause death, but this verse indicated that the
drinking water is the source probably of something in the liquid
in the star. 
(ASIDE:  CHERNOBYL interpreted mean 'wormwood')

If a third of the waters become bitter and people die will see
another third of the people die. What we see is people not dying
all at once, but a third at a time. By 1/3 of the sea creatures,
trees, ships, waters, and human beings, killed this should let the
people who remain know that these are not just natural disasters,
but true acts of God, divine warnings which should make them cry
out to God for forgiveness. The sad part is that many people who

in the past have rejected the gospel will be so deceived by the
antichrist and still refuse to repent.

Verse  12 - TRUMPET #4 - 1/3 DARKNESS
Now the fourth trumpet is sounding. One third of the sun, moon,
and stars will be darkened.

Day and night will seem to be reversed. There will be 16 hours of
darkness and 8 hours of daylight. You say how do you know that.
There are 24 hours in a day.  24 divided by 1/3 = 8

The Bible doesn't say anything about the affects of the darkness,
but undoubtedly it would cause a drop in the earth's temperature
and upset the ordinary course of the winds and the weather.
By this time nothing will ordinary. Everything will be chaos.
The world has not come to an end yet, so there is still time 
to repent. Being a holy God he must judge, 
and his will is not that any should perish. 

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

WOE! * WOE! * WOE!

Verse  13
Man's rebellion against God strangely enough gets progressively
worse, and yet he persists in his stubborn self-will against God.
The warning of verse 13 sounded by a special angel, threatens that
worse things are yet to come. This angel's three fold cry of 
woe, woe, woe, is to warn that the next 3 trumpet judgments will
be much more intense and devastating than those that proceeded.
The fifth and sixth judgments will involve horrible demonic
forces. This will be the beginning of the last 3« years of the
tribulation. Yet if there is anyone who will turn to Jesus in
repentance, they can still be saved.


Page updated Jan 2007