Contents
III. The Church in Tribulation (8:2-11:18)
A. Setting: Angels & Altars (8:2-6)
B. The Sounding of the 7 Trumpets (8:7-11:18)
| 8:2 | And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. | III. The Church in Tribulation
(8:2-11:18) Introduction and Setting
A. The Setting: The 7 Angelic trumpeters at the altar and the prayers of the Church (8:2-6) Vs. 2: 7 angels = the archangels trumpet = a symbol of God's intervention in human history. (see Isa. 27:12-13) In those days this was a ram's horn. |
| 8:3 | 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. | Vs. 3: censer -- a censer is a sort of
ball with holes poked in it held by a long chain. Inside the ball is burning
incense. The ball is swung to make smoke come out of the holes in the ball.
This smoke is a symbol of the prayers of the faithful rising to God.
The censer is still used in Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Greek Orthodox worship services. |
| 8:4 | And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. | * |
| 8:5 | 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. | Vs. 5: Once the prayers have ascended to God, the censer is used in a new way: "to hurl fire from the alter..... on the earth". This dual use of the censer means the prayers of God's people move him to bring the End. |
| 8:6 | And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. | * |
| 8:7 | 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. | B. The 7 Trumpets Introduction
Scene 1: A Shower of Bloody Hail and Fire (8:7) "blood and fire" = signs of the day of YHWH (Joel 2:19) Note: hail and fire - one of the plagues that fell on Egypt (Ex. 9:24). This disaster can be understood as both a judgment upon the oppressors of God's people and as a sign that God's people will soon be delivered from oppression. (Remember: for John the Church is the New Israel and its redemption is the new Exodus). "a third" = in part/some/enough to restrict human life without causing complete destruction |
| 8:8 | 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; | Scene 2: A mountain
cast into the Sea (8:8-9)
Vs. 8: "something like a great mountain" (see Jeremiah 51:24, 25, 42) "sea became blood" (see Ex. 9:4) -- this is another of the plagues that fell on Egypt and can be understood the same as 8:7. "a third" = the same meaning as in Vs. 7. |
| 8:9 | 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. | * |
| 8:10 | 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; | Scene 3: A Star falls on rivers and springs (8:10-11) |
| 8:11 | 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. | Vs. 11: "Wormwood" -- although wormwood was not a poison, it was very bitter. John is not concerned with the question of how people could die after drinking non-poisonous wormwood. In Jeremiah 9:15 & 23:15 this bitter plant is seen as a symbol of divine punishment. See also Deuteronomy 29:17-18 and the reference to wormwood as the fruit of Israel's idolatry. |
| 8:12 | 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. | Scene 4: Heavenly bodies
darkened while an Eagle Announces 3 woes (8:12-13)
Vs. 12: This is very curious. When part ("1/3") of the sun, moon and stars is darkened, they do not shine less brightly but instead shine for a shorter period of time. This again is a reflection of an Egyptian plague (Ex. 10:21-23). |
| 8:13 | 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! | Vs. 13: The Eagle = a reference to God's
words to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Ex.
19:4): "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I carried you
on eagles wings and brought you here to me." So this eagle would be seen
by John's Church as a reminder that the plagues they are not enduring are
only the birth pangs of God' s new age.
Note: In Greek, the word for eagle is often used for vulture. This eagle is probably intended to be seen by non-Christians' eyes as the vulture hovering over a dying beast (this age). This is an obvious symbol of doom -- and a premonition that the coming plagues may be worse than the 4 that have just happened. Note: Each of the previous 4 disasters has had a parallel in the Exodus. For John's readers this parallel would be obvious and a source of real comfort and the heavenly trumpet blasts as God's way of saying to the Pharaoh of the New Egypt (Domitian) "Let my people go". And at the same time John is saying to Christians, "Hold your heads high because your rescue is at hand |
| 9:1 | And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. | Scene 5: (Woe #1): Pit
of the abyss and locusts (9:1-12)
Vs. 1: "a star fallen from heaven" -- a wicked angel cast out of heaven to wreak destruction on the wicked yet even this wicked angel is serving as an agent of God's will. Perhaps Satan? "given the key" - we later learn (20:1) that he keeps the key. "the bottomless pit" - this is not Hades or Sheol (which were explained earlier) this is one of John's 2 Hells (or Gehenna, as the Gospels refers to it). *John has 2 Hells: 1) The bottom1ess pit which is the temporary prison of fallen angels, demons, the beast, false prophets and Satan (11:7, 17:6; 20:1-3) 2) The lake of fire and brimstone which is the final and unending place of punishment of the fallen angels, etc. and also of people whose names are not written in the Book of Life. (19:20; 20:10; 20:14-15) The name for this second Hell is perdition (17:8,11). |
| 9:2 | And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. | * |
| 9:3 | And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. | Vs. 3: "the locusts" -- remember that
Locusts were also one of the Egyptian plagues. (and part of the message
of Joel 1)
Yet this vision carries more of a message to persecuted Christians than the previous four. Although these locusts are demonic (they don't hurt plants but people, their tail is a scorpion's tail). THEY HAVE HUMAN FACES. In this vision, evil is shown to have a human face -- something the persecuted Christians saw every day. The point of giving these locusts human faces is to say: One of the places from which evil comes is out of human choices. |
| 9:4 | And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. | Vs. 4: Alongside this horror, Christians are consoled: this terror will not hurt them. Even in the midst of the horrors there will still be the church of Jesus Christ. Christ is still preserving the church and making the time endurable. |
| 9:5 | And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. | Vs. 5: "five months" - Locust invasions in the ancient world lasted from spring until early autumn (5 months) Satan's power is limited. |
| 9:6 | And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. | Vs. 6: a description of the complete despair of those who are to be alienated from God. It is sad to note that the complete disintegration of life lived apart from God does not automatically lead to repentance and the experience of redemption. |
| 9:7 | And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. | Vs. 7: "crowns of gold" -- this is conquering horde |
| 9:8 | And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. | * |
| 9:9 | And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. | Vs. 9: "iron breastplates" - armor |
| 9:10 | And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. | * |
| 9:11 | And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. | Vs. 11: "the angel of the bottomless pit"
- the fallen angel-star that was given the key.
"Abaddon" - In Hebrew "abaddon", means "destruction". "Apollyon" - In Greek "apollyon", means "the destroyer". One of the symbols of the Greek god and the Emperor Donition thought he was Apollo. Apollo was the locust incarnate. Donitian is seen by John as not simply a false god but as a leader of the forces of Evil. (Please remember that many of those persecuting Christians also worshipped Apollo). Note: These locusts are representatives of God's wrath against the enemies of his people. |
| 9:12 | One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. | * |
| 9:13 | And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, | Scene 6: (Woe #2): The
6th Trumpet (9:13 - 11:14)
Part 1: Four Angels Released (9:13-15) |
| 9:14 | Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. | Vs. 14: "Release the 4 Angels bound at the
Euphrates" = an assurance that the apparent chaos of the End is completely
under God's control and planned out.
The river Euphrates was the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. On the other side were the Parthians, who had already invaded the Roman Empire and caused great destruction in John's day. But for the Jew, the Euphrates also signalled the border across which 1st the Assyrians , then the Babylonians, and then the Persians had come and conquered. |
| 9:15 | And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. | * |
| 9:16 | And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. | Part 2: The horsemen
Vs. 16: The "storm" is an invasion of 200,000,000 (two hundred million) horsemen who roam the earth with deathly power. |
| 9:17 | And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. | Vs. 17: John's concern here is not with any
invasion by genuine Parthians. These are demonic invaders straight
from the jaws of Hell. (Their serpent-like tail - See Rev.
12:9; and the fire, smoke and sulfur which they breathe, show them
to be Satan's messengers.)
The point in all this is that the forces of evil have an immense reserve army and so are constantly finding reinforcements. Nothing on earth can hope to stand secure against these attacks EXCEPT by participating in God's final victory by coming under the Lordship of Christ. John is here making reference to Ezekiel's invasion of Gog from the land of Magog (Ezek. 38-39). But while Ezekiel (along with Jeremiah and others) thought this would be an invasion by Israel's historic enemies to the North, John's vision sees this as an invasion of demonic powers directed against the Romans for trying to find security in anything other than God. |
| 9:18 | By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. | * |
| 9:19 | For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. | * |
| 9:20 | And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: | Vs. 20 & 21: These are two of the saddest verses in scripture. We either worship the one, true God, or gods of our own making. John reluctantly records that, in spite of all God's efforts to batter his way through human pride, they did not repent. |
| 9:21 | Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. | * |
| 10:1 | And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: | Part 3: The Angel with
the Little Scroll (10:1-11)
Vs. 1: "Another mighty angel" -- (possibly Cabriel) In all of Revelation only 3 are called "mighty": a) the one who calls for someone to open the scroll (5:2) b) this one (10:1) c) the one with the millstone (18:21) Vs. 1: The description of the angel gives us some clues of what to expect from him (her/it?) cloud & pillar of fire - Remember that these are what God used to lead Israel through the wilderness during the Exodus. This is the angel who is to lead the New Israel (the church) through the darkness of its exodus to the promised land. rainbow - a sign of divine mercy (Rev. 4:3) |
| 10:2 | And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, | Vs. 2: "The little scroll" - this contains the gospel of God's mercy as it particularly affects his people at this time on earth. (The great scroll contained the purposes of God for all history.)"right foot on the sea and left foot on the land" -- This is not only a very large angel; he has a very important message for the church; that what he is today is important for all the earth. |
| 10:3 | And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. | Vs. 3: "The 7 Thunders" = The important
message aimed particularly at the Church.
John is told not to write it down. We can never imagine that we know the whole story of what is happening in the world or of what is going to happen in the End time. God has resources and plans of which we know nothing except that they exist. This is John's warning to the church: not to attempt to speculate about when the End will come. (Christ himself warned against this sort of speculation in Luke 17:22-24 and other places.) |
| 10:4 | And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. | * |
| 10:5 | And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, | * |
| 10:6 | And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: | * |
| 10:7 | But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. | * |
| 10:8 | And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. | Vs. 8-10: This is a reflection of Ezek.
3:2-3. However, Ezekiel was told to eat the scroll so he could make
its message part of himself and be able to speak it. John is told
to eat the scroll -- but forbidden to speak.
Although he is forbidden to speak, by the fact that he has "eaten the book", the Church would know that his message in the Revelation was commissioned by God and an expression of God's intention. |
| 10:9 | And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. | * |
| 10:10 | And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. | * |
| 10:11 | And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. | Vs. 11: John is to continue to speak God's message of repentance. |
| 11:1 | And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. | Part 4: The
Two Witnesses (Rev. 11:1-14) Footnote
"42 months" = 31/2 years. Remember that 31/2 was one of those symbolic numbers in the ancient world; 31/2 is the symbol of incompleteness. "41 months" means that the duration of the power of worldly evil will be limited, not complete. At this point we can figure out what verses 1 and 2 mean: "the holy city" = The Community of Christians on earth "the Temple" = Gods "house of living stones" (1 Cor 3:16; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:20; 1 Pet 2:5) Namely: The Christians themselves. "the nations" = Godless paganism "the outer court" = the body of the Christian "the inner court" = the Christian's inner life of faith "trampling" = the period of martyrdom "42 months" = a limited or incomplete time |
| 11:2 | But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. | |
| 11:3 | And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. | Vs. 3: This is a reference to Daniel 7:25, and 12:7. Daniel uses this 31/2year period to estimate the duration of the persecution of the Jews under the tyrant, Antiochus Epiphanies. John uses this same image to show that a limited time of persecution is at hand. Sackcloth calls for repentance. |
| 11:4 | These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. | 11:4-14: The Two Witnesses
Vs. 4: The object of measuring the temple was to ensure that God's 2 witnesses (vs.3) should have free rein to complete their testimony. The 2 olive trees are a reference to Zechariah 4:14, which refers to the anointed King and the anointed priest. What this means for John is that the Church is to assume the royal and priestly functions of Christ in the world (see Deuteronomy 19:15). This idea is reinforced by the 2 lamps. As in 1:20, they represent a portion of the church in all parts of the world. |
| 11:5 | And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. | Vs. 5: Their words will be a torment to the inhabitants of the world. |
| 11:6 | These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. | Vs. 6: Like Elijah and Moses, the Christian Church is called to use all their resources as a means of bringing about repentance. |
| 11:7 | And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. | Vs. 7: "testimony" = legal testimony
"the beast" = the one responsible for their deaths. John is here reminding the Christian who might begin to think the Romans are right and he is wrong that the real one causing his death is the Beast. (More on the beast later.) "rising from the bottomless pit" - Remember that this is the Gehenna Hell, not the Perdition Hell. Daniel's 4 beasts (Dan 7:1ff) were seen to rise out of the "great sea" (another word for bottomless pit). For Daniel, these beasts = the 4 empires to which Jerusalem had been made subject: Babylon, Assyria, Persia and Greece. For John, the Biblical History of the Beast begins with the first Babylon and is to come to an end in the latter-day Babylon of Rome. Note: Whenever nations lay claim to despotic power and refuse to acknowledge that they are responsible to God for the use to which they put it, the monster has risen from the abyss. |
| 11:8 | And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. | Vs. 8: See? I told you John has no use for the historic, earthly Jerusalem. With this reference to the crucifixion of Christ, Johns readers would have remembered our lord's lament over Jerusa1em (Mat 23:37) and would have thought of the "contemporary city" that was killing God's messengers: Rome. (See also Rev 16:19; 17:18; 18:10, 16, 18, 19, 21 -- in each of these places John is using Jerusalem as a code word for Rome. |
| 11:9 | And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. | Vs. 9 & 10 "3 1/2 days"
-- an indeterminate but incomplete short time
"men from the peoples.. nations" - the inhabitants of the earth (the godless pagans) "gaze...refuse...tomb" - the bodies of the martyrs are kept on display for all the world to gloat over |
| 11:10 | And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. | |
| 11:11 | Vs. 1l: Just as the martyrs have died like Christ,
so they too will have their Easter day - after a short but indeterminate
period of death (31/2 days).
This is the Resurrection. This is not any "first resurrection" unless YOU don't understand the major divisions of the book. This is THE resurrection -- but seen from a certain perspective. |
|
| 11:12 | And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. | Vs. 12: And in the full sight of their killers they are taken into heaven in a cloud (Remember what happened to Elijah?) |
| 11:13 | And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. | Vs. 13: In the vision of the 6th seal John tells
of an earthquake. Here it is again in the vision of the 6th trumpet.
But the earthquake here is a direct consequence of the death of the martyrs. And this earthquake has the effect of "scaring the hell" out of some of the "godless pagans" and making them believers. Knowing that their deaths will be the cause of redemption for others gives Christians of John's day further reason to die for their Lord. And here again the point is made that God limits the destruction so that people will have one last chance to "repent and be saved". And for Revelation there is no question but that this is a genuine repentance. (See Rev 14:7, 15:4, 16:9) |
| 11:14 | The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. | Conclusion: So what would the persecuted
church in John's day have heard in the "6th Trumpet"? A Great message
of consolation. Indeed, they will be slaughtered - but their slaughter
will be redemptive and they will also receive a reward.
Having just read scene 6, you might enjoy taking a good look at the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". Note the parallels between that hymn and this section. The "consolation and strength" is of the same sort. |
| 11:15 | And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. | Scene 7: The 7th Trumpet
(woe #3) "Worship in Heaven 11:15-18
Vs. 15 The first 6 trumpets sounded the alarm calling people to repentance in the face of the destruction that is to come, while this last trumpet is a jubilant fanfare proclaiming the enthronement of King of Kings. Up to this point, God has ruled over a rebellious world. Now God rules an obedient people. |
| 11:16 | And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, | * |
| 11:17 | Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. | Vs. 17-18: The Psalm sung here is a re-working of Psalm 2 (referred to back in Rev. 2:26-28). You will remember from previous reading that this is one of the two enthronement Psalms that early Christians used so much in reference to Christ. At long last God's enthronement is visible to the martyrs. |
| 11:18 | And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. | Vs. 18: The day of judgement has arrived
and it holds absolutely no terrors either for the martyrs or whoever else
pays homage to God (however belated). The martyrs are not jealous of those
who come late to the vineyard (Mt
20).
"the destroyers of the earth" - it will be the purpose of the next division to say who these destroyers are. Funny thing about vs. 18: it is speaking of the judgment in the past tense. How can this be? In the second major division, John brought us through the scroll of human destiny and history right up through the tribulation and the end of history to Judgment Day. |