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FAITH Baptist Church
1401 Shaw Avenue, Niles, Ohio 44446
(330) 652-8151
10:00 a.m. Sunday School
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6:30 p.m. Evening Worship
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CHAPTER 8
VERSE 1: (Chapter 8)
The SEALS Resumed
The SEVENTH SEAL = seven trumpets
"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."
First, we are told that "He had opened the seventh seal". Remember, it is only the Lamb of God Who is worthy to open the Seals. We learned this in Chapter 5 of Revelation. So we now continue with Jesus, the Lamb, opening the Seventh Seal.
When this Seventh Seal is opened there will be "silence in heaven". The definition of silence is "the absence of sound". There will be no sound whatsoever. This silence will take place in heaven. The earth may still be noisy and busy, but in heaven you wouldn't even hear a pin drop. Have you ever been somewhere where you may be talking away, then you suddenly realize no one else is talking? Have you ever come home and house was unusually quiet? You knew something was wrong because it was so quiet. Some people may get very quiet when they are angry, especially before they 'blow up". This type of silence is going to be felt as it builds up in intensity in Heaven during this half an hour ... which will seem very long. Try being totally quiet for half an hour.
Those in Heaven know about the wrath of God. We are told about the wrath of God in Romans 1:18-19: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them." Jeremiah 10:10b states: "at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation." Hebrews 10:31 states that: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
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Facts about God's wrath has been written out in the Old and New Testament for thousands of years. God has revealed this to us in His Word. It is our responsibility to pick up the Bible and read about it. If you can't read, get an audio Bible. Romans 1:20 says there is no excuse.
Everyone in Heaven has fear of Almighty God. They know God, they abide with Him. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." Everyone in Heaven knows that God's wrath is His holy love in action against sin. Sin was never allowed in the Garden of Eden. That was why Adam and Eve were put out from the Garden of Eden by God. Sin will not be allowed to exist in the new earth that God is going to create. God will punish and annihilate all sin. That is what the Tribulation Period is all about.
VERSE 2: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL
SEVEN ANGELS before God
"And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets."
Here John is telling us that he saw "the seven angels which stood before God". These are extra special angels because they stand before God's throne. Notice again the number seven. We studied this in earlier verses. Seven is one of God's special numbers. It stands for perfection and completion. Here are seven of God's perfect angels ready to complete the Seventh Seal. Each of these seven angels will be given a trumpet. There will be seven trumpets that each angel will sound when told to do so by God.
VERSE 3: (Chapter 8)
GOLDEN CENSER
"And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."
As the seven angels stand with their trumpets ready to sound, another angel approaches and stands at the altar of God. An altar is a structure on which a sacrifice is made, usually a lamb (Numbers 6:14). The altar also was a place where people could flee to for refuge (1 Kings 1:51). Jesus is the Lamb of God, sacrificed on the altar of the cross for the atonement of our sins. The Lord Jesus is also our refuge: "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble" (Psalm 9:9).
There are three main altars mentioned in the Bible.
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1) Altar of Burnt Offerings = sacrifice of the lamb (Numbers 6:14)
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2) Altar of Incense = sweet incense morning & evening (Exodus 30:7)
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3) The Table of Shew-Bread = Exodus 25:30. Jesus is our Bread (John 6:48)
This angel is standing at the altar and he is holding a gold censer. A censer is a vessel that was used to hold the coals of fire taken from the Altar of Burnt Offering. Then in the upper part of the vessel was put sweet spices. Frankincense and myrrh were the main spices. The three wise men had presented to Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the most precious of all gifts.
The censer was a symbol used to show intercession to God. Jesus is the gold vessel that gave His life a sacrifice upon the altar making the sweet smell of atonement to the Father for our sins. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8:34). The censer also shows, that because Christ makes intercession for us, our prayers can now approach the throne of Almighty God.
Let's go on to the next part of this verse: "and there was given unto him much incense". Everything Jesus did pleased His Father. When Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan, God the Father publicly announced how much His Son pleased Him. "And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mark 1:11). Jesus pleased His Father most of all by laying down His own life on the cross for us. These things that Jesus did are the "much incense" that is being poured out before the throne of God. The incense ascends up off the hot coals of sacrifice held in the gold vessel of Christ unto the Father on His throne.
Now let's look at the last part of this verse: "... that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne". The prayers of us saints are not in the censer. The censer does not refer to us or contain us. The censer represents Christ and His sacrifice for us. 1 Timothy 2:5-6: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." Our prayers are kept up in Heaven. Our prayers are recorded in Heaven. "Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?" (Psalm 56:8). What actually is happening here is that the censer, representing that Christ had died for mankind, is brought before the throne of Almighty God and, with the sweet smell of the incense smoke, our prayers will ascend up with the smoke before God on His throne. Notice the word "with". Our prayers are "with" the smoke. It is not the smoke itself. It is mingled with the smoke as it rises. Maybe some of our prayers, that are ascending with the smoke to the Father, are prayers for our loved ones.
The next verse helps to clarify about our prayers being mingled with the smoke and where our prayers are actually kept.
VERSE 4: (Chapter 8)
INCENSE with PRAYERS
"And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand."
Picture in your mind's eye this heavenly scene. You have an angel standing before the throne of God in front of the altar. There are the four beasts by the throne. The throne is also surrounded by those ten thousands times thousands of angels, AND the twenty-four elders are around the throne. We see the elders in Chapter 5, verse 8: "...having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which ARE THE PRAYERS of the saints." Look what the twenty-four elders have in their hands! They are holding our prayers! The Lord has kept all our prayers in vials (containers) which He gave to the twenty-four elders to hold as an offering.
Now the event takes place in Verse 4 of Chapter 8. The angel is holding the golden censer representing Christ's sacrifice. The twenty-four elders are holding in their hands all our prayers contained in the 'golden vials'. The incense from the golden censer and the odours from the golden vials are all offered together upon the golden altar to our Heavenly Father. The incense and our prayers are all mingled together as the offering to God our Father.
In the next verse, we are going to read what this angel does with the censer and how the judgments on earth continue.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 8)
CENSER filled with fire
"And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake."
The angel will release the incense from the censer and it will be mingled with our prayers. The angel will then take the censer and fill it with fire from off of the golden altar that is before the throne of God. The Father will smell the sweet incense of His son. He will hear the earnest prayers of all the hurting saints. Then He will prepare to answer. His answer will be sent to the earth.
Fire is frequently spoken of in the Bible in connection with the presence of God. For example, as in the burning bush (Exodus 3;2-4), and in the pillar of fire that led the children of Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21, 22). Fire is also used throughout the Bible in regards to purification. I Peter 1:7 says: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ". Thirdly, fire is used in judgment. We are told this in 2 Peter 3:7: "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
The censer that is cast to the earth filled with the fire from God also has three implications. First, it is to show that the fire is from God. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God made and owns everything. He created all of mankind. He has never deserted mankind. God has tried to lead the world through His Word, the Bible. People just need to pick up God's Word and read it, then God will lead them through their 'wilderness'. Luke 24:32: "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?" But most people will not acknowledge God's 'fire', His Word, even though He has tried to lead them.
Secondly, people who do get saved, who do ask Jesus to come into their hearts, will be purified. In other words, cleaned up. When God puts His Holy Spirit into our hearts, our life is changed. We want to do things to please God. Bad habits seem to fall off as we yield ourselves to the Lord and read His Word. 2 Corinthians 5:17 proves this: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." If you think you are a 'Christian' but nothing has changed in your life, than you need to read Hebrews 12:7-8.
Thirdly, fire is used for judgment. Many people believe that because God loves everybody, He will just let everybody enter into Heaven. God does love everybody, but He is also a Holy God and cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). God hates sin. Isaiah 59:2 states: "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear." God has told us this from the very beginning in Genesis 6:6-7: "And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them." God did destroy man. This happened around B.C. 2353. God destroyed all mankind with a flood. God destroyed everyone except eight people. Those eight people were Noah and his family. Coming soon, God will again take His wrath out upon the evil that has filled the earth. He will destroy evil and sin once and for all. This is told to us in 2 Peter 3:10: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." This will be God's Judgment Day. It is going to happen at the end of the Tribulation Period. The Bible tells us in Jude 14-15: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." Like Hebrews 10:31 states: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
As this censer, that is filled with the fire of God's judgment, is cast into the earth, look what happens.
As this angel takes the golden censer and fills it with fire from the altar, he throws it "into the earth". When this angel does this, there are "voices, and thunderings, and lightenings, and an earthquake".
The "voices" are found back in Revelation 5:11: "the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands". And this is what the "voices" will be saying: "with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation 5:12).
Then there will be "thunderings and lightenings". Thunder represents divine power. 1 Samuel 2:10 states: "The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth". God also uses lightening to show His power: "Bow Thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightening, and scatter them: shoot out Thine arrows, and destroy them" (Psalm 144:5-6).
Then comes an earthquake. The scripture here do not say earthquakes, it says "an earthquake". Singular. One. This is going to be a massive earthquake such as the earth has never felt before. There is an account in the Bible about a massive earthquake that split the earth wide open. It happened around B.C. 1490, and is found in Numbers 16:1-49. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram conspired against Moses and Aaron. This angered the Lord. The Lord caused a great earthquake to open up a great crater that swallowed up Korah and all that appertained unto him. Dathan, Abiram, with all of their families fell alive down into the great abyss. The earthquake written about here in Revelation will be much greater than this one mentioned in Numbers.
Nahum 1:5-8: "The mountains quake at Him and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him. The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue His enemies."
VERSE 6: (Chapter 8)
SEVEN ANGELS prepare TRUMPETS
"And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound."
As the golden censer is being hurled into the earth, the seven angels prepare to sound the trumpets of God's indignation and wrath. Six seals have already been opened. The seventh seal contains these seven trumpets ready to sound at God's command. The world has already gone through war, famine, earthquakes, meteors, and much sufferings. Matthew 11:20 says: "Then began He (Jesus) to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not". Even though this passage took place when Jesus walked on the earth, the Lord is still trying to get mankind to repent. Because the world has refused to repent and get right with God, these seven trumpets will sound out God's judgment upon them.
The first trumpet will now sound ...
VERSE 7: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL
The FIRST TRUMPET = hail, fire, and blood
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"And the first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up."
The first angel sounds his trumpet. Then "hail and fire mingled with blood" will be cast into the earth. This will not be the first time that hail and fire has hit the earth. Exodus 9 tells us about the judgment of God upon Pharaoh in Egypt around B.C. 1491. Pharaoh refused to let the people of Israel go free. So, "...the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation" (Exodus 9:23-24).
The Lord had also sent hail mingled with fire to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah around B.C. 1898. "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven" (Genesis 19:24). The story of Sodom and Gomorrah was made into a movie in 1963.
Our verse continues to inform us about what happens when the "hail and fire mingled with blood" will be cast into the earth. It says: "...the third part of trees was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up". This is pretty easy to understand but very hard to picture. One third of all the trees on the face of the earth will be burnt up. Trees help our air quality and produce oxygen. They shade us from the scorching sun. The wood is used in building homes, etc. Animals rely on trees also. One third of all the trees will be destroyed. If someone has nine fruit trees, three of them will be destroyed. There will only be six left. Put that on a major scale across the face of the whole earth. It will be catastrophic!
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God also tells us in this verse that "all the green grass was burnt up". This verse does not say 'one third', it says 'all the green grass'. This is total. ALL green grass will be burnt up. Every country, every nation, will experience all the grass being burnt up. There will be no pastures for the animals to graze in. Many animals will die of starvation. We studied in Revelation 6:5-6 about the great famine during the Tribulation. The burning up of the trees and grass will escalate this famine. People will be dying. People will see their families die. They will see their friends die, and yet they still will not repent and turn to God.
VERSE 8: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The SECOND TRUMPET = great fire 'mountain'
"And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood:"
Now the second angel will lift his trumpet and sound it. As the second trumpet is blown, a huge mountain-size meteor will fall from space and land in the sea. Notice that this verse says "as it were a great mountain". It is not a literal mountain; however, it is the size of a great mountain. The largest mountain on our earth is Mount Everest. It stretches across three countries: Nepal, China, and Tibet in southern Asia. It stretches over 29,000 feet wide. The height of Mount Everet is said to be over 26,000 feet high. Everyone will see this GREAT massive rock formation falling toward the earth. There will be panic.
Not only is this a great mountain of solid rock, it will be on fire. This massive, flaming, mountain of rock will hit the earth. It will land in a sea. It will cause so much destruction to the animal life in the sea and to the people in ships ... like our Navy, Marines, fishermen, oil drillers, etc..., that the sea will be filled with blood. It will become a literal sea of blood.
The next verse tells us a little bit more about this destruction.
VERSE 9: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The SECOND TRUMPET continues
"And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed."
This verse tells us exactly what will happen when this fiery mountain of rock lands in the sea. It will cause one third of all the living marine life to die. It will also destroy one third of all the ships in the sea. This will definitely affect the water supply, food supply, merchandise, and military. The effects of this judgment will be felt worldwide.
VERSE 10: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The THIRD TRUMPET = fiery star
"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters:"
The third angel now sounds his trumpet. When the third angel gives the signal, "a great star from heaven" falls to the earth. Notice that this is a 'great star', not a tiny one. It is huge, and it is on fire. It will not be as big as the "great mountain" that was cast into the sea. It is only compared to as "burning as it were a lamp". It will be burning bright as it hits the earth. It will have a powerful, destructive impact.
This "great star" will fall "upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters". These waters are our fresh water supply. Fountains are a source of flowing water. Springs flowing down from mountains or underground springs are all flowing sources of water, also called fountains.
We are told of the destruction that this "lamp" will cause in the very next verse.
VERSE 11: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The THIRD TRUMPET continues
"And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."
This "great star" that falls from heaven will destroy one third of all the fresh water supplies. It will ruin one third of all rivers and all fountains. There will be a horrible, worldwide drought. Whatever chemicals are in this burning ball that will fall to the earth will poison one third of all the rivers and fountains. The Bible calls this "great star" 'Wormwood' because of the extreme poison it produces.
Wormwood is a plant that is known for it's extreme bitterness. The word Wormwood means 'curse'. When this burning 'lamp' lands in the rivers and fountains, it will live up to its name. It will cause many people to die because the waters will be poisoned by Wormwood.
VERSE 12: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The FOURTH TRUMPET = one third of day/night
"And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise."
When the fourth angel shall sound, one third of the sun will be blackened out. One third part of the moon and stars shall also be blackened out. This will cause our 24 hour day to be turned into a 16 hour day. This will have a profound affect on all life. Crops will not get all the sunlight they need. Food will become even scarcer. Days will be colder. Wintertime may hit all-time lows.
Nighttime will be cold. One third of the moon will not be seen. The moon keeps the earth stabilized on it's axis. The tilt of the earth's orbit causes seasonal changes. The moon also affects the tides of oceans. The weather on earth will be affected greatly for the worse.
However, as this seems to be another hard blow to the earth, God uses this forth angel to have mercy on the earth. Jesus said in His own words in Matthew 24:22: "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." As an act of mercy, God has shortened the 24 hour day into a 16 hour day.
VERSE 13: (Chapter 8)
ANGEL'S WARNINGS
"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!"
God is still revealing to us about what is going to take place. Very few verses in the Bible end with an exclamation (!) mark. An exclamation point is a signal that expresses intensity and urgency on what is to follow. John witnesses an angel that is "flying through the midst of heaven". This angel is shouting out a warning with a very loud voice for all of heaven to hear.
This angel is shouting: "Woe, woe, woe". The Bible refers to woe as an exclamation of judgment. It is anguish, grief, and trouble. This angel is telling us that if the first four trumpets were difficult for people to live through, it is going to be even worse when the last three trumpets sound. The warnings will be sounded. Will people on earth repent? Will people turn to God?