Read Revelation 8:7–13
Questions from the Scripture text: Who does what to his trumpet in Revelation 8:7? What appear? Where are they thrown (cf. Revelation 8:5)? What happens to the trees? How many of them? Who does what to his trumpet in Revelation 8:8? What was thrown where? With what effect? Upon how much of it? And what secondary effects (Revelation 8:9)? Upon how many of them? Who does what to his trumpet in Revelation 8:10? What falls? In what condition? Upon what does it fall? How many of them? What is its name (Revelation 8:11)? What happens to the water? How much of it? With what secondary effect? Who does what to his trumpet in Revelation 8:12? What happens to what three things? How many of them? With what effect? What does John now see in Revelation 8:13? Doing what? Speaking with what sort of voice? Announcing what? To whom? Because of what?
What should we take away from the blasting of the trumpets? Revelation 8:7–13 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the trumpets sound the alarm for the coming judgment of God, and against reliance upon prosperity and power that must surely be destroyed.
The visions now move from seals to trumpets. The nature of a seal is to authenticate and confirm the decision of the king. It implies especially the determined certainty of what occurs, and the king’s sovereignty over all of it. With trumpets, the emphasis is upon announcement, alarm, warning.
So, there are those events that characterize the entire time between the two comings of Christ, concerning which believers may have comfort and confidence, because they occur by the decree of God and under the sovereignty of God. Throughout this time, the wickedness of men and brokenness of the creation remind us that this is a world under curse. And, now, the trumpets are teaching us that there are those extraordinary acts of God in history that are alarms from God to warn us of the judgment to come.
Some mistake all of the trumpets for the final trumpet (cf. Revelation 11:15, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Matthew 24:30–31). But the Lord gives as the content of the trumpets examples of ways that His judgment has already invaded history as a declaration of Himself and warning against wicked, self-sufficient and self-satisfied men. Most notably, the hail, the destruction of the vegetation, the water becoming blood with the fish dying, and the darkness all hearken back to the plagues of Egypt. The casting of a mountain into the sea has indicated great calamity (cf. Psalm 46:2). The drinking of bitter water has indicated judgments, especially against churches (cf. Jeremiah 9:15–16; Lamentations 3:15). Sun/moon/stars are the first authorities in the Bible (cf. Genesis 1:16), and their falling down has indicated the humbling of authorities (cf. Genesis 37:9). To someone who knows his Bible, the first four trumpets are using images and events we already know to refer to the breakings-into-history of God’s judgments.
So, the ordinary experience of the brokenness of creation is associated with the ¼ destruction in the seals, and the breakings in of judgment are associated with the ⅓ destruction in the trumpets, and the last day of the last trumpet is associated with the complete destruction in the bowls.
But for now, in these four trumpets, we learn that God, in His great patience is not only waiting for all of the elect to be gathered in (as we saw in the first and fifth seals). He is also giving fair warning—repeatedly invading history with such acts of judgment as sound the alarm to those in danger of His wrath.
And in the devastating of the resources and powers of this world, the trumpets remind us not to grow dependent upon earthly prosperity or powers, which are all to be devastated anyway. Rather, we are to enjoy God’s good gifts as those who enjoy Him, and to employ God’s good gifts as those who depend upon Him and serve Him. For, at the last, believers shall enjoy and serve the Lord in prosperity and power that we cannot imagine in this world.
What comforts do you have, that are good gifts from God? How are you guarding yourself against enjoying them in a way that does not enjoy Him? What authorities has God placed over you for your good? How are you guarding yourself against depending upon them in a way that does not depend upon Him? What use do you make of the judgments of God that have invaded history and continue to do so; how are you taking them as warnings for yourself? How are you employing them as warnings for others?
Sample prayer: Lord, we confess that all mankind deserves the fullness of Your wrath. We confess that we deserve for the entire creation to be destroyed, and for us to die in bitterness. So, we praise You for the patience in which You have not yet done this. And we thank You for the goodness in which You break into history with devastations that are like trumpets, sounding an alarm. Grant that our alarm would drive us to Christ. Make us to enjoy earthly things, and to employ earthly things, as temporary trusts from You. Grant that we would enjoy You Yourself in all things, and that we would only depend upon them in a way that ultimately depends upon You, we ask through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP46 “God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength” or TPH389 “Great God, What Do I See and Hear?”
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