APOCALYPSE SOON Rev 8-10

The Seven Trumpets

Guernica pic

The Cry of the Saints 8v1-5 3Another angel, …was given much incense to

offer, with the prayers of all the saints….. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.

God responds to the cry of suffering Church. Plagues heralded by 7 angels with 7 trumpets -

more severe than the seals, but not as totally devastating as the plagues of the 7 bowls

Approach – futurist - these events described are due to take place immediately prior to the return of Christ.

But also - measure of idealist - prophetic foreshadowing in events which are taking place.

The Seven Trumpets 1st Trumpet: Scorched Earth

Fiery bloody Hail - 1/3 earth burned, 1/3 trees , all the grass

2nd Trumpet: Polluted Sea And something like a huge mountain, all ablaze,

was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.  

3rd Trumpet : Poisoned Water Great star falls from the sky and poisons a third of

the worlds water supply - many people die   The name of the star is Wormwood. - a bitter plant

The Seven Trumpets

Pic of chernobyl

The Seven Trumpets

4th Trumpet: Partial Darkness 1/3 sunlight blocked 1/3 moonlight 1/3 starlight

4 plagues affect the environment– but ultimate cause is supernatural – God allows these.

Reference to plagues on Pharoah’s Egypt – river turned to blood (Ex 7v 20) 3 days of darkness Ex 10.

In Rev we see the final Exodus of God’s people from bondage of a world controlled by hostile powers .

The Seven Trumpets

5th Trumpet : The Locusts from the Abyss 91The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star

that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.

Abyss = Bottomless OT Septuagint = Abyss describes the primeval deep

Out of Abyss comes locusts - but not normal locusts - Armour, human faces, stings like scorpions - power to torment unbelievers for 5 months

but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. – could not harm believers.

The Seven Trumpets

11They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. - Destroyer

Probably the Star of v1 , Satan himself Jesus Lk 10 v18 "I saw Satan fall like

lightning from heaven. Is 14v12 12How you have fallen from heaven,

O morning star, son of the dawn

The Seven Trumpets

6th Trumpet: Invaders from the East 13The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I

heard a voice coming from the hornsB of the golden altar that is before God. 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

Hearts of Stone 9v20-21 20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these

plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Parallels with the Plagues of Egypt - Pharoah’s heart was hardened.

Chapter 10 - Mighty angel swears a mighty oath "There will be no more delay! 7But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." (c.f. Daniel 10.5f)

The patience of God with unrepentant mankind is finally exhausted .

The Trumpet Sounds ?

Does the trumpet sound for our modern secular society ?

Environmental disaster Global warming and its accompanying effects Deforestation Pollution

Desertification ( 1.2 bn people & 1/3 of land at risk)

Rising sea level Flooding of low-level land

Drought ( in 10 yrs 1.8 bn absolute water scarcity 2/3 world pop. water stress)

Flooding in UK

De-forestation (1/2 worlds tropical forests have gone; 80% by 2030)

Pollution

The Trumpet Sounds ?

Does the trumpet sound for our modern secular society ?

Environmental disaster Global warming and its accompanying effects Deforestation Pollution

Natural Disasters

The Trumpet Sounds ?

Does the trumpet sound for our modern secular society ?

Environmental disaster Global warming and its accompanying effects Deforestation Pollution

Natural Disasters Small-scale individual `disasters ‘

C.S Lewis ` God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains’

The Trumpet Sounds ?

So many refuse to repent of IdolatryMurder False Religion & ScientismSexual immoralityCrime

The Rallying Call

Our response Watch and pray – be ready for the return

of Christ - don’t be deceived into the ways of the world - stand firm in the faith

Make use of every opportunity to preach the Gospel - Paul says in Eph 5 15Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.