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2022-08-07

Revelation: The Lamb Opens the Seventh Seal

(Revelation 8:1, NIV)

“When he opened the seventh seal,

there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

I. Introduction

     In Revelation chapter 5 we saw the Lamb [Jesus] holding a scroll with seven seals on it.  In chapter 6 we watched as the Lamb opened six of the seven seals.  The opening of each seal revealed a particular role Jesus will play in the unfolding drama of human history.  In chapter 7 we learned of two brief interludes between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals, the second of which depicts glorified believers around the throne in heaven who have been raptured out of ‘great tribulation.’

     In chapter 8 we will see the Lamb open the seventh seal on the scroll.  When He does so, there is a sudden thirty-minute span of silence in heaven.  John wrote, “When he [the Lamb] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” (Revelation 8:1, NIV).  This ‘silence’ is likely the result of the wonder of God fulfilling His plan to rescue believers from eternal death and get them to heaven where they are experiencing eternal life to its fullest degree around His throne.  Evidently, the thought is so magnificent that the numberless multitude of redeemed believers are silent, and the countless myriads of angels are silent as well!

     Then the action begins…

II.  Seven Angels Are Given Seven Trumpets

     The opening of the seventh seal brings the appearance of seven angels who are given seven trumpets.  John wrote, “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God [These are evidently seven specific angels who have been summoned to ‘stand before God’ awaiting an assignment from Him to launch specific forms of judgment on the Christ rejecting population of planet Earth after the rapture, during the final 3 ½ years of ‘The Tribulation Period], and seven trumpets were given to them.” (Revelation 8:2, NIV).  In ancient history, ‘trumpets’ were used by armies as a communication system.  Certain blasts of the ‘trumpets’ signaled strategic military commands to the soldiers.  As we shall see, when each angel sounds his ‘trumpet’ it signals the arrival of a specific form of judgment to begin.

     The next scene in John’s vision depicts the appearance of yet another angel who is evidently sent by God to answer the prayers of God’s people throughout the ages who are now in heaven.  The specific prayers that are answered at this point are prayers God to take vengeance on their unbelieving enemies.  John wrote, “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar [Evidently, the throne room of God and the Lamb in heaven has many of the same furnishing as the Tabernacle and later the Temple of the Old Testament]. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne [In the Tabernacle of the Old Testament, priests burned incense as a visual aid to represent the fact that the prayers of God’s people rise upward into His presence, just as the aromatic smoke of incense rose upward from the golden incense alter.] The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” (Revelation 8:3-4, NIV).

     The next scene in John’s vision is a warning of coming judgment on the post-rapture population of Earth during the final 3 ½ years of ‘The Tribulation Period.’  John wrote, “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 lightening and an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:5, NIV).  Thunderstorms and earthquakes have been viewed throughout ancient history as expressions of God’s judgment.

     This scene obviously reveals Jesus [the God of the Old Testament living in human flesh in the New Testament] answering the prayers of His people for vengeance against their enemies by judging them. Jesus said, “…the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father…” (John 5:22-23a, NIV).  These scenes of judgment depict Jesus as the ‘Judge’ in the drama of human history!  After all, the Revelation is, as John put it, “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Revelation 1:1a, KJV).

III.  The First Four Angels Sound Their Trumpets

     Immediately after the scene depicting the coming judgment of the Lamb on the inhabitants of Earth, the angels prepare to sound their trumpets.  John wrote, “Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.” (Revelation 8:6, NIV).  As we shall see, with the sounding of each angel’s trumpet a new phase of the Lamb’s judgment is unleashed on the population of planet Earth.

     Angel #1.  When the first angel sounded his trumpet, judgment was heaped on mankind in the form of—not a natural disaster, but—a supernatural disaster, destroying 1/3 of Earth’s vegetation.  John wrote, “The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood [A hailstorm would be a natural disaster, but a hailstorm including ‘fire mixed with blood’ would be a supernatural disaster], and it was hurled down on 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.” (Revelation 8:7, NIV).  When 1/3 of the vegetation on the planet is destroyed, one third of our oxygen supply will be eliminated, because plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.  With 1/3 of our oxygen supply diminished, there will be widespread respiratory distress.

     Angel #2.  When the second angel sounded his trumpet, judgment was unleashed that destroyed 1/3 of Earth’s sea-life and 1/3 of mankind’s shipping capacity which would plunge the global economy into chaos.  John wrote, “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 [judgment on the planet’s salt-water oceans], a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (Revelation 8:8-9, NIV).  Think of the stench and the potential of disease that would develop as millions of tons of sea-life washed ashore along the beaches of every coastal nation on the planet!

     Angel #3.  When the third angel sounded his trumpet, judgment in the form of the poisoning of 1/3 of Earth’s fresh water supplies was unleashed, causing widespread human death due to the consumption of contaminated water.  John wrote, “The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch [It would have looked much like a meteorite], fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water [man’s fresh water supplies]—the name of the star is Wormwood [In ancient literature, ‘Wormwood’ referred to a poisonous plant, the oil from which was used to kill intestinal worms in people and animals.  However, ingesting more than just a few drops was fatal.]. A third of the waters turned bitter [poisonous], and many people died from the water that had become bitter.” (Revelation 8:10-11, NIV).

     Angel #4.  When the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, Earth’s population is judged when the Lamb diminishes 1/3 of the light shining from the sun and the stars.  John wrote, “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 [The sun and the stars produce only 2/3 of the light energy they normally produce.]. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. [The amount of light shining on Earth during both the day and night is reduced by 1/3].” (Revelation 8:12, NIV).  This judgment will produce drastic, cataclysmic changes to Earth’s weather, energy consumption, agriculture, and human health.  One third less sunlight will mean widespread vitamin D deficiencies which will result in loss of bone density in humans that will cause the skeletal system of people to deteriorate.

IV.  Conclusion

     Revelation chapter 8 closes with a scene during which John is warned that as severe as the first six seal judgments and the first four trumpet judgments have been, there coming three trumpet judgments will be even more severe.  John wrote, “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair [The Greek word translated ‘eagle’ literally refers to a carrion vulture, which makes sense considering the vast numbers of people and animals that will die during the previous judgments.] call out in a loud voice: ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth [The Greek word translated ‘Woe’ literally means ‘cursed.’ So at this point, the Lamb warns of a triple-curse that is coming.], because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!’” (Revelation 8:13, NIV).

     As severe as the coming judgments may be for unbelievers on Earth, their judgment in ‘the lake of fire’ will be unimaginably worse!  John described the environment in ‘the lake of fire’ when he wrote, “…the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur…They will be tormented [A Greek word describing unbearable pain.] day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10a…10c, NIV).

     The only way to avoid these horrific judgments on Earth and the unimaginable torment of ‘the lake of fire’ is to believe in Jesus—to believe what we call ‘The Jesus Story.’ He said, “…God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him [whoever believes ‘The Jesus Story] shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV).      



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