“THE LAST THREE TRUMPETS” (REV. 9)

INTRODUCTION:

1. Two weeks ago we looked at Rev. 8.

2. With the passing of 14 days, it may be wise to refresh our memories.

3. I am going to briefly highlight Rev. 6-8.

A. In Rev. 6 we read about a scroll (book) with 7 seals.

B. These seals were opened one by one and John saw things happen.

C. Rev. 8 describes what happened when the final seal was opened.

4. As soon as this seal was opened, there was silence.

5. I compared this to the silence before the coming of a tornado.

A. After the 7th seal was opened, we were introduced to 7 trumpets.

B. These trumpets describe judgments.

6. Angels are pictured as carrying out these judgments.

7. I argued that these judgments were inflicted upon Rome.

8. The first judgment is in Rev. 8:7 – one third of the earth was burned.

9. Judgment number two is in V. 8-9 – a mountain was cast into the sea.

10. Judgment number three occurs in verse 10 – drinking water was affected.

11. This caused many men to die according to verse 11.

12. The final judgment in Rev. 8 is given in verse 12 – heavenly bodies were affected (sun, moon and

stars).

I. JOHN SAW SERIOUS JUDGMENT COMING. AS I HAVE MAINTAINED, I CONSIDER THIS JUDGMENT TO HAVE BEEN UPON THE ROMAN EMPIRE THAT HAD VICIOUSLY PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS.

A. As I said a little while ago, the judgments are pictured by 7 trumpets.

B. I have highlighted 4 of these 7 judgments.

C. At the end of Chapter 8 John says this – READ V. 13.

D. John said, “There are three more judgments to come.”

E. John used the words, “Woe, woe, woe” to describe the remaining punishments.

F. In other words, what had been experienced was horrible … very bad.

G. Though severe punishment had been described, the worst was yet to come.

H. Tonight we deal with judgments that are described by “woe, woe, woe”.

I. Here is a fact that we can mark down about these final 3 judgments: the first 4 types of punishment basically affected man’s environment; the final 3 judgments deal with man directly.

J. God is not attacking where men live; God is attacking men.

(1) The best way to explain this is to read the text. READ Rev. 9:1-12.

(2) Do we understand why John said at the end of Rev. 8, “Woe, woe, woe … the worst is yet to come.”?

(3) He was not kidding or underestimating the last 3 judgments.

K. What can be said about these 12 verses?

(1) I am not going to try to pick apart everything piece by piece ... that would be better done in a Bible class.

(2) My goal is to give the “big picture”.

L. Verse 1 says that a star (“messenger”, 1:20) came from heaven.

(1) Some suggest that this star/messenger was Satan. Maybe.

(2) This is by no means the only explanation but there is support for this, especially in light of Lk. 10:18.

(3) Support for this being Satan may also come from Rev. 22:16.

(4) This “star” may be in contrast to the “bright and morning star”.

(5) The identity of this “star” (messenger) is of limited importance.

(6) What this messenger did is significant.

(7) This being opened up a pit. It was a special pit.

(8) It is generally agreed that this pit was filled with evil.

(9) This is the devil’s home – the place where demons reside.

(10) This is where evil is in its strongest and purest form.

(11) This pit should not be understood as hell but rather where satanic forces are being held to

judgment.

M. Smoke came out of this pit. Smoke blocks out light (Verse 2B).

N. Smoke pollutes; defiles; corrupts our environment.

O. Out of this pit also came some hideous creatures.

(1) These creatures had scorpion-like power. (V. 3)

(2) Scorpions are not pleasant creatures.

(3) They are members of the spider family.

(4) At the front of their bodies are 2 pincer-like claws.

(5) A tail curves above the body.

(6) Stingers inject poison into victims. The stings are very painful though rarely fatal.

(7) These scorpions were not going to harm the earth. (V. 4)

(8) They would harm the unsaved (those without the seal).

(9) This pain would last for “5 months” – an extended period of time.

(10) Continual torment would come to the unsaved.

(11) How bad would the pain be?

(12) Men would desire death (V. 5) but would not find it.

P. The description of the locusts shows why the pain would be so awful.

(1) The locusts would have human faces – indicates intelligence. (V. 7)

(2) The meaning of “as a woman’s hair” is disputed.

(3) Perhaps John was trying to describe a sinister combination.

(4) These creatures would have destructive power with a soft and innocent appearance.

Q. I would summarize this entire picture by a few words, namely:

(1) John pictures rottenness from the devil’s home.

(2) Rome was going to experience internal decadence (decay).

(3) Her morality would erode and collapse.

(4) She would have corrupt leaders and rulers.

(5) The spirit of rottenness would come from within and rot the whole Roman Empire.

(6) Rome would be eaten up by internal problems.

(7) God was going to use nature/natural disasters (Rev. 8) and internal decay.

(8) Internal decay, as far as I can tell, is symbolized with locusts.

(9) Since moral filth is what Satan is good at, he and his forces are pictured as being behind the movement.

R. My understanding of the first 12 verses is that corruption from within the Roman Empire would

destroy it.

S. This type of attack is one of the worst that a nation can experience.

T. Internal decay is very difficult to defeat.

II. THINGS WOULD GET SO BAD, AND THINGS DID GET SO BAD, THAT MANY JUST WANTED TO DIE.

A. This is judgment number five. There are two more to cover.

B. The next punishment is also stated in this chapter.

C. The final judgment (number seven) is not mentioned until Rev. 11.

D. Two weeks ago someone asked me, “Why didn’t you cover all 7 judgments?”

E. There is too much material, plus it stretched out in this book.

F. Let’s now look at judgment number six. It is not pleasant.

G. This material is found in the remainder of this chapter. READ V. 12-21.

(1) The “altar” John describes appeared earlier in this book.

(2) We read about it in Rev. 6:9-10 and 8:3-4.

(3) Prayers for vindication were being offered at this altar.

(4) John indicates that those prayers were heard and are being answered.

(5) This is one more signal that what John describes is not for us … not for our generation.

(6) We have one more indication that Revelation is not for our future.

H. The Euphrates River was a boundary line for the Roman Empire.

I. This river marked the eastern border.

(1) On the other side of this boundary were the Parthians.

(2) History tells us these people were vicious.

(3) In 53 BC these people had defeated Roman armies.

(4) Rome suffered another defeat by them in 62 AD.

(5) These people made Rome nervous.

(6) In this chapter, God said that some troops numbered 200 million.

(7) This equals a cavalry troop 1 mile wide and 85 miles long.

(8) This image is designed to present a force that would scare any army.

J. I am proposing that John is picturing this Eastern army.

K. The previous judgment in this chapter said Rome was in trouble.

L. She was going to decay from the inside.

M. As the nation came apart internally, there would be outside forces that would also come to bear on

her destruction.

N. Christians were being told not only what was going to happen to Rome but that God would be the

one behind the judgment.

(1) It should be clear to all that this chapter is not literal.

(2) In the current judgment we are looking at, the horses have heads like lions. (V. 17)

(3) It is said that the horses’ tails sting men. (V. 19)

(4) Fantastic images (symbolic language) are used to describe God’s judgment

(5) Even though the judgments are severe, there is mercy.

(6) Only a third of the population is wiped out.

O. Could God have wiped out the whole nation? Yes. He refused to do so.

P. One might think that Rome would have learned her lesson.

Q. John made a prediction in V. 21. READ.

R. Would the judgments cause these people to repent? No.

(1) Rome would continue in her sins.

(2) Rome worshipped idols (which are in essence demons) – a common practice.

(3) She opposed the true God and God’s people.

S. What could God do? Offer another judgment.

(1) Before the next and 7th judgment there is a pause.

(2) This pause is in Rev. 10. We will skip the pause until next week and go to the judgment.

U. Our remaining verses come from Rev. 11:14-19. READ.

(1) In the book of Revelation there are some “7s” to remember.

(2) We first read about the 7 seals.

(3) When we got to seal number 7, we were introduced to 7 trumpets.

(4) We have come to trumpet number 7 and as it sounds, we are introduced to another 7.

(5) John now turns us to 7 bowls of wrath.

V. These bowls will offer additional descriptions of judgments on Rome.

(1) These final descriptions deal with Satan and his allies (Rome).

(2) John begins to show that Rome does not rule the world – God does.

(3) Again notice the claim from Rev. 11:15. READ.

(4) Verse 18B continues the thought of judgment. READ.

W. As we come to this chapter, we have covered the meaning of Revelation.

X. The church was being persecuted and was crying out for help.

Y. This first section has God saying to His people, “I have heard …”

Z. The rest of Revelation will repeat this message, however it will be phrased differently.

A. Instead of stressing the idea that God will help his people, John is going to describe what heaven

will do to Rome.

(1) Gibbion, in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, said that 3 forces brought down

Rome.

(2) These forces were natural disasters, internal decay and external invasion.

(3) These forces were at work in John’s day.

CONCLUSION:

1. If Revelation teaches any lesson at all it is that we want to be on God’s side.

2. There is nothing in the world that is worth being opposed to God. “What is a man profited if he

gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?”

3. Are you on God’s side?