As we prepare to hear God’s word, let us go before the Lord in prayer. This prayer flows from Psalm 119, the section entitled Ayin.
Father, our eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise. Lord, deal with us, your servants, according to your steadfast love. And teach us your statutes. We are your servants and we desire understanding that we might know your testimonies. Father, we call on you.
It is time for you, the Lord, to act, for your law has been broken. And we desire that you would work into our hearts a love for your commandments above gold, even above fine gold. We desire that we would consider all your precepts to be right and that we would grow in our hatred of every false way. And so, Father, we come before you this morning to your word, and we ask that you would soften our hearts and unstop our ears that we might hear you this morning. Through Christ our Lord, we pray.
Amen. If you want to follow along using the pew Bibles, you can find this on 1032, and of course the scriptures are in your bulletin. And so with scriptures in your hand, let us attune our hearts to the Lord. This is God’s holy and inerrant word. When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
‘And I saw the 7 angels who stand before God, and the 7 trumpets were given to him. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints rose before God, from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth. And there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashings of lightning, and an earthquake.
Now the 7 angels who had the 7 trumpets prepared to blow them. The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
The third angel blew his trumpet, And a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. The name of the star was Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water because it had been made bitter. And the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. And then I looked and I saw an eagle. I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead.
Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth. At the blast of the other trumpets that the 3 angels are about to blow. The word of the Lord. Let me pray for the preaching of God’s word. Father, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stands forever.
Amen. Every military member knows the sound of reveille, where the silence of slumber is shattered by the piercing trumpet, rousing the warrior to his morning duties. In our text this morning, it is the silence of the seventh seal in John’s vision. It is likewise shattered by the peal of the first trumpet. Yet in between the silence and the trumpet blast is a brief and glorious scene in which the prayers of the saints are heard by God, who then responds in merciful judgment upon the unbelievers.
As we prepare to move through chapter 8, we would be wise to remind ourselves once again of its place in the book of Revelation. There is wisdom in setting a passage in its context. I appreciated Sinclair Ferguson’s comments. He was although writing on the apocalyptic writings of Daniel, they’re applicable here as well. And he reminds us that we must be first looking to God.
What can we learn from God as he reveals himself to us? He notes, miss this and you miss everything. Revelation indeed itself reminds us that in its reading and in its study, the Christian will be blessed. And so keeping the whole picture in mind will aid us in receiving that blessing. So let’s briefly back up and recap.
These heavenly scenes have begun in chapter 4, where we see God firmly and calmly on his throne. He is surrounded by worshiping, or beings that represent all of creation, as well as all of the believers of the Old and New Testament Church of God. Chapter 5 shows us that to this throne are brought scrolls, and the question arises even in lament, who is worthy to open the scrolls? And the answer comes in the form of the root of David, the lion of the tribe of Judah who has conquered. Jesus, the lamb who was slain, can open the scrolls.
And as he opens these scrolls, as he breaks the seals in chapter 6, judgment is poured out upon the earth. And we’re given a glimpse of what the church has and will have to suffer, culminating in that sixth seal in which the cry goes up that the great day of the wrath has come and who can stand? Stand? Chapter 7 answers that question by reminding us all that we who are sealed by the Lord and for the Lord will stand. What a gift of encouragement that God has given us, even as we undergo persecution in living in a world and a culture so opposed to his good and righteous rule.
Living for Christ, living counterculturally will cost you. But as Pastor Jake reminded last Sunday, chapter 7 concludes with that beautiful reminder of the Lamb who sits on the throne and the fact that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. That Lamb will be our shepherd and he will guide us to streams of living water. It is the glorious praise of that Lamb that ends chapter 7 and leads us to chapter 8, which begins, when the Lamb, that same Lamb, when the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Pastor Jake told me this could be the shortest, simplest sermon I’ve ever preached if I ended right there.
But I won’t.
Can you imagine for a moment what John must have been thinking leading up to the opening of that seventh seal? He’s been watching seal after seal be broken and terrifying creatures and devastating consequences, what would he then have felt prior to that seventh seal, that climactic seal, that final seal was opened? And then silence. Was this the calm before the storm? Was this a long countdown before an explosion?
What are we to make of the silence? New Testament scholar Vern Poythress suggests that, quote, “Silence most naturally indicates heaven standing in awe in the presence of God,” end quote. He cites passages like Habakkuk 2:20 that reads, “The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.” Or the command in Zephaniah 1:7, “Be silent before the Lord God.” ‘For the day of the Lord is near.’ There are others that see that the seventh seal was empty, and therefore they can fill it with the content of the seven trumpets, and then the seven bowls, and then the seven plagues. I appreciate though New Testament scholar G.K. Beale, he rejects that understanding, affirms Paul’s Poythras, but goes even further to suggest that in this silence, there are multiple meanings that are conveyed.
He affirms the use of Zephaniah 1:7, which itself is speaking of the great day of the Lord. But Beale sees also the silence as the Lord’s response, indeed, a terrible response, to quote the shrieking cries of terror by the ungodly in response to their imminent judgment. Pastor Lloyd preached through that in chapter 6, verses 12 to 17. And there, instead of turning to the Lord in repentance, they turned away from the Lord and they called on the mountains to bury them. To hide them from the Lord.
Beale further suggests that silence is also used here to indicate that God has heard the prayers of his people. And indeed, this is where the scene in chapter 8 next takes us. John in verse 2 sees in the silence another angel bringing a golden censer And we see that to this angel is given much incense to offer with the prayers of the saints on that golden altar before the throne. John in verse 4 shows this, the combination of incense, which has long been understood through the Old Testament as, as a savory and a pleasing aroma. And he shows this combination of the incense and the prayers rising before God.
It’s a picture of effective prayer, and it’s worth some consideration. Many commentators note that the immediate context of the prayers being given are likely those same prayers that are often offered up to our Lord in chapter 6, verse 10, where the people of God cry out, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, ‘How long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell in the land?’ To those saints, they were told to rest a little longer. They were given white robes to wear in comfort. And here now in chapter 8, it appears that the time is ripe for judgment. Our prayers are brought before the Lord by this angel in verse 3.
And the angel is given incense to offer with the prayers of the suffering church. And the aid of the prayers, and the aid rather of the incense, those prayers received as an offering to the Lord. These are formed together as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Your heavenly Father hears your prayers. For prayers to be effective, they must be in accordance with the will of God.
Symbolically, this is shown here as I, I’ve mentioned by the aid of the incense to the prayers, it is received by God. Romans 8:26 reminds us of this in a different way. It tells us that the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. If you’ve been walking with the Lord for any time, you know that there have been times in which you come before him and you have no idea how to pray as you ought. And with heartfelt groaning, the Spirit takes your prayers, adding, as it were, incense to them before the Lord.
Be encouraged, brothers and sisters. In your prayers, the Holy Spirit intercedes for you taking those heartfelt prayers, taking your broken prayers and making them acceptable to your heavenly Father. It’s a few verses later in that same chapter in Romans, now Romans 8:34, where we read that Jesus himself, who is at the right hand of God, is interceding for us. And so your heavenly Father hears your prayers and Christ himself, our great high priest is interceding for you. And so take courage and continue to bring your petitions before the Lord.
I don’t know if you know this, but there is a group of women here falling under the women’s ministry umbrella that are dedicated and determined to pray regularly for every woman in this church. Ladies, if you desire to be a part of that significant ministry effort, that incredible prayer support, please reach out to Sonny May or contact the church office. But to the women of Faith Covenant, know that you are being prayed for regularly, and take courage and bring your petitions before our Lord. Your prayers, your petitions that flow out of a full heart that longs for true justice and real redemption, they rise up before your heavenly Father as a sweet savor. Prayer is a serious weapon.
Dennis Johnson remarks on this powerful imagery that, quote, the Christian’s prayers are integral to the downfall of the gospel’s enemy. Because of the seriousness of prayer, because of its effective nature, we ought not take prayer lightly. I recently read an article about a sports figure that just had to call off his wedding because— can you believe this— the bride insisted on a monogamous relationship. She felt it would be healthier for the two children they already had out of wedlock, and she is not wrong. But that was too much of an ask, and so he tweeted out to the wedding guests that their Italian wedding was to be canceled.
And in this tweet, he ended by saying, “Your prayers are appreciated.” And I wondered exactly What should I pray for?
His repentance? His salvation? Hers? Maybe those two dear daughters who might now grow up without a father. Is it a favorable financial settlement?
I’m guessing that he simply meant, we’re hurting. We’re hurting. He was grasping at a shadow of an idea. Of what would be good and right and beautiful, that there would be a God out there that we could pray to, some remnant in our post-Christian culture. But prayer is not a greeting, it’s not a throwaway line.
And yet, if an unbeliever asks you to pray for them, it may be the perfect opportunity to ask. What exactly would you like me to pray for? It may be that God is giving you this as an opportunity to engage in a gospel conversation with them. And certainly, if you are praying for someone about something that they’ve asked you to, then they’ve already given you the invitation for a follow-up. And take it.
Take it as a gift. From the Lord. Prayer for the Christian is a discipline in which we can hallow our God’s name in praise, we can call for his kingdom to come, we can petition for ours and others’ daily needs, we can plead for our own forgiveness as well as those around us, and we can do all of this in the power of his Spirit. And God hears our prayers. And he is an active listener.
He responds in action. We see this in verse 5 of our text as the angel who has delivered the prayers now fills the golden censer with fire from the altar, and he throws it down onto the earth.
And that silence is broken by peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. And then the blast of the first trumpet. The Puritan Samuel Lee, writing in the 1600s, notes, quote, “Our prayer is like the continual blowing of silver trumpets,” end quote. Throughout scripture, trumpets play multiple roles. In Leviticus 23:24, for instance, trumpets are used to call people to remembrance.
Of course, you know the story of Jericho in Joshua 6:4, where the trumpets sound triumph in battle, even prophetically triumph in battle. In 1 Kings 1:34, they announce a coronation. In Jeremiah 4:5, they declare a warning. And here in Revelation chapter 8, the 7 trumpets will be sounded, the first 4 in chapter 8, chapter 8 and the rest to continue, will be sounded, each bringing both the warning as well as judgment to an unbelieving world. Before we look at the specific 4 trumpets, we ought to notice that we are continuing this pattern of 7.
We’ve seen this pattern of 7 since the very beginning, but here, even in the glimpses of heaven, there are 7 seals broken, now 7 trumpets. Soon 7 bowls and 7 plagues. 7, of course, the number of completion. And, and as you look at each of these repetitions of 7, you will notice both some similarities as well as some differences. The differences have led some to see these as sequential or, and chronological events.
So after the 7 seals and all that they entail, then comes the 7 judgments of the trumpet and so on. I think more accurately though is sets of 7 cycles, the repeating of this pattern. The judgment of the seals, the judgment in the trumpets are showing the same relative timeframe. The judgments are just looked at from a slightly different angle or focus. In the first of the four seals, the riders are commanded to bring calamity, and yet in these first four trumpets, it looks like they describe those calamities.
In chapter 6 and chapter 7, the focus is on the beleaguered church, and here, here in chapter 8, the focus is on the judgment of unbelievers. We’ll see again in chapter 16 that these 4 first trumpets look a lot like the first 4 bowls of wrath as well.
But more importantly than sequential or cycles, look to God. If you miss him, you’ll miss everything. You may also notice when you look at these 4 trumpets that They impact the four major regions of creation: dry land, sea, fresh water, and sky. And as we look at the specific trumpets, we’re told in the first trumpet blast that hail and fire is mixed with blood and they’re thrown down on the earth. Now, this devastating hailstorm might be reminiscent to you of the seventh plague in Egypt.
You could read in Exodus 9:19 23, for instance, that the Lord sent thunder and hail and fire ran down to the earth. Verse 25 says that hail struck down everything that was in the field, every plant of the field and every tree of the field. And here in Revelation 8, we are told that one-third of the earth is burned up. One-third of the trees and the grasses are burned up. It seems that agriculture is wasted.
In verse 8, the second trumpet is blown, and here something like a, a great mountain burning with fire is thrown into the sea, and it turns the sea into blood. That could turn our attention to the first plague with a river running to blood, destroying the fish. Indeed, Jeremiah 51:25 the Lord declares that he is against the destroying mountain which destroys the earth. And in verse 42, we read of Babylon being submerged by tumultuous waves, and a third of the ships are destroyed. And so trade, fishing, commerce, they seem to be wasted away as well.
Now, the third trumpet in verse 10 shows a great star named Wormwood falling from heaven. Wormwood, simply the word for bitterness. And when it strikes, a third of the drinking water becomes bitter, and many people died from it.
It might be easy, although terrifying, to envision hail, fire, and rain in our atomic age. It might also be somewhat easy to envision a mountain burning with fire as a volcanic eruption turned on its side. But this name “star falling to earth” is harder to imagine. One thing, though, is still clear: that God is in control because only a third of the drinking waters are affected. In fact, we see this again and again.
God God is in control, and his judgment here is limited. The fourth trumpet evokes the ninth plague of darkness in Egypt. A third of the sun, a third of the moon, a third of the stars are struck out. When we think of Egypt, that plague lasted for 3 days, and it was a thick darkness, thick enough to be felt. Difficult to understand.
How can a third of the sun be put out? But it’s what one writer notes, that’s precisely what struck the Egyptians as well. They couldn’t understand how this happened and had to admit God was at work. You see, throughout these first four trumpets, God has been at work, and in every case he has mercifully limited the devastation to a third. The majority of mankind, the majority of their produce, the majority of their commerce, the majority of their drinking water, the majority of their light still survives.
This is a mercy from God showing that these judgments also are to serve as a warning and to call people to repent. This is a pattern that we’ve seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments. God has shown his patience, and his judgments delivered are delivered that the nations might know that he is the Lord, and they might repent and turn from their sinful ways and repent and find life. Perhaps this is you this morning, not really knowing the Lord, not really being in relationship with him. Unfortunately, we will learn in just a few chapters, chapter 9, verse 20 actually, that these people did not repent of their works.
They did not repent of their idolatry nor of their murder nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts. And that might describe you as well, something like that. And if you’re burdened by those sins, know that Christ can forgive you. And not just forgive you, Christ can free you from the power of those sins. Hear the warning that comes.
Hear the warning from these trumpets while there is still time. Michael Wilcox comments that the seals showed a suffering church pleading for mercy, and these trumpets show the wicked world being offered mercy. Think of our God who did not spare his own son but delivered him up as the lamb who was slain for our forgiveness. I think also that this God, this chapter shows that he will also not spare even his own once-perfect creation to get our attention to his glory and his beauty and his mercy and call us to receive his mercy again. There’s a call to repentance.
That’s what this warning serves. Repent while there is still time. Because as the echoes of the fourth trumpet die away, verse 13 shows us an eagle in flight crying out in a loud voice, woe, woe, Woe!
These three woes are a preliminary warning to all who would hear regarding the remaining three trumpets, which will increase in terror on an unbelieving world. But the woes can also serve as a reminder to one who has been sealed in Christ. He has given us a great spiritual weapon in prayer, in which we can plead the eternal throne that he might open the eyes of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, that they too might see the glory of the Lord, that they might be sealed by him, that they might bear his name, receive his mercy, so that they too can join us us in greeting the coming of our Lord with great joy. Let me pray. Father, indeed the same event
Discaimer: This sermon text was generated by an automated transcription service.