The First Four Trumpets Sound
In the Book of Revelation, we have several series of sevens:
- Revelation, Chapter 6: the Seven Seals.
- Revelation, Chapters 8 through 11: the Seven Trumpets.
- Revelation, Chapter 10: the Seven Thunders.
- Revelation, Chapters 15 and 16: the Seven Vials (Bowls).
Revelation 8:1, 2.
“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (Revelation 8:1).
One man said, “I know my wife isn’t going to be there. There won’t be any women in Heaven!” When he was asked why, he said, “She hasn’t been silent two seconds since I married her.” Well, that’s an old joke, isn’t it? If his wife trusted the Lord, she will be in Heaven, along with many thousands of other women. The silence is a result of all Heaven standing in awe of what God is going to do, as He moves ahead with His judgment of mankind.
“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets” (Revelation 8:2).
As we are going to see here, in Chapters Eight and Nine, in the last verse of Chapter Eight, we have Three Woes:
“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!” (Revelation 8:13).
- The Fifth Trumpet: is the First Woe, fulfilled in Revelation 9:1-3.
- The Sixth Trumpet: is the Second Woe, fulfilled in Revelation 9:13-21.
- The Seventh Trumpet: is the Third Woe, fulfilled in Revelation 11:15-19.
“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.” (Revelation 8:3)
In the censer, first of all, are the prayers of two groups of people. There are the prayers of the saints in Heaven, and the saints that are alive upon the Earth. The saints on Earth are praying “Dear Lord, take care of us. Give us wisdom, protection, and courage to go on and preach the Gospel, and win as many as we can to Christ.” There will be many saints (Christians) during the Tribulation Period. It is also the prayers for vengeance of those that have given their lives, because of their testimony for Christ, as recorded in the Revelation 6:9-11,
“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth?”
Again, we point out, this refutes the doctrine of reincarnation. There is no such thing as reincarnation.
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27):
Matthew 24:14 states,
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”
This is not referring to the end of the world in Matthew 24:14, but referring to the end of this Tribulation Period when Jesus Christ comes back, and all of the saints with him, and sets the Kingdom up. Yes, God does hear your prayers.
Practically for you and me, we need to pray. We need to pray about everything. Not just praying and asking for everything, but taking time in prayer brings us into having fellowship with the Lord. God is communicating with mankind through His Word, so He doesn’t have to make a “personal appearance” each time. God said He would preserve His Word, and we have it today. Psalm 119:89 tells us,
“Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.”
“Heaven and Earth shall pass away; but my word shall not pass away.”
Every jot and tittle, the smallest letters in the Hebrew language, are preserved to perfection. Therefore, God communicates to us through His Word, if we will only allow Him to do that. Unless we read His Word, He cannot communicate with us. That is why it is so important to read your Bible.
How we communicate with God is by talking to Him in our prayers. When we take the problems that we have to Him, we know that He,
“…was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
He is able to help, aid, and relieve in all of our troubles and invites us to come to Him, boldly.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Therefore, we communicate with God by reading His Word, and letting Him communicate with us. We communicate with Him in prayer, thanking Him for all the wonderful things He does for us. Thanking Him for another day to live, for our Lord Jesus for dying for us on the Cross.
There are times when we need to ask Him for things. Maybe it is financial help, or to find a better job. “Help me to be more faithful in my giving, Dear Lord, maybe that will bring some financial blessings. I can’t get along with my neighbor. I pray that you will give me wisdom to deal with this situation.” We need to pray for the sick, and pray for each other. Prayers to God are very important! He keeps those prayers. He answers those prayers. We ought always to pray, “Lord, if it be thy will to do this, or that.”
Revelation 8:4,5.
“And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand” (4). 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” (5).
Suddenly, the judgments begin to roll in like a summer storm!
Revelation 8:6.
“And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound” (Revelation 8:6).
Here it comes! If we could take a glimpse up into Heaven, we could almost see them line up. Here comes Number One. “I’ve got this one!” Number Two steps up. God says, “Get in line here, because each one of you angels are messengers, and I have a job for you.” It comes from the Greek “angelos,” and means “deputy, messenger, or saint.” They are the messengers that God uses. And, if the Rapture happens while you are reading this, you are going to be in Heaven watching this take place. Why? These things are not going to happen until after the Rapture. I’m going to be in Heaven, and so will you, if you are a Christian. You are going to be with me in the grandstands of Heaven.
Predestination and Foreknowledge Explained.
When God prophesies something, it takes place. When God predestinates something, it comes to pass. He may use men to bring it about. Predestination carries two elements: 1. God predicts, and 2. God fulfills. It is not left to the will of men. If God wants to use men to make His prediction come true, He will do that. If you do not want to do His will, He will set you aside, and get someone else who will. But God’s will is going to be done. That is the predestination of God’s Word on future events that will be fulfilled.
Predestination is only found four times in the New Testament, and has nothing to do with salvation. You are never predestinated to be saved, with no free will of your own. In the Old Testament, every prediction God has given is a predestination, if you want to apply the word to that terminology. Here in Revelation, Chapter Eight, this is predestination, as it is predestined to happen.
Foreknowledge carries one element. Foreknowledge is God’s omniscience. He knows everything. Leave it at that. Predestination carries two elements: 1. God predicts, and 2. God fulfills what He predicts, or He would not be God. He is omnipotent. That means God is all-powerful and able to fulfill everything. He predicts. He is Omniscient, or All-Knowing. That is why He can write it before-time so that you and I can understand it. That is foreknowledge. No one but our Creator can do this.
Revelation 8:7. 1st Trumpet, Hail and Fire Mingled with Blood.
“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” (Revelation 8:7).
You will find out the word “trees” here is from the Greek “Dendron,” and it means ‘any of the showy evergreen shrubs with profuse clusters of beautiful flowers. It would include the Great Rhododendrons, the state flower of Washington. It would include the Rose Bay Rhododendrons, which is the state flower of West Virginia. “Rhododendron” means “rose tree.” The Greek word for “grass” here is “chortis,” from which we get the Latin word “hortis,” the root of our English word “horticulture.” The word “grass” literally means: “a blade, grass, vegetation, hay, etc. When the First Angel gets done there will not be much for the cows, or any of the herbivores to eat, will there? There will be a lack of food for the predators that eat them, with disastrous results for human beings. Let us go back to Exodus 9:18-26, where God has given us a down payment on what is about to happen in the Book of Revelation:
“Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now (18).
Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die (19).
He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses (20):
And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field (21).
And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt (22).
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt (23).
So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation (24).
And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field (25).
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail” (26).
When God was liberating the nation of Israel, the plagues that He sent upon Egypt to force them to let God’s people go, parallel the plagues given in the Book of Revelation.
You’ll have your skeptics today who say, “Oh, you can’t believe the Book of Revelation.” Many religions come out and say, “The Book of Revelation is too hard to understand.” Atheists look at the Book of Revelation and say, “That is just a religious story book. That will never happen.” God says, “Yes, it will. I have already done this once before, you fool!” (Psalm 14:1).
What God has already done, he can do again. I recommend that you check out some text books on Ancient History and Archaeology, and you will find that God has already used the same plagues, to punish Israel, that He is going to use for judgment in the Tribulation Period. God has given the world a “down payment” of His future judgments.
The Nile River was worshiped by the Egyptians as a god, since it was their source of life, but when Moses turned it into blood, it meant death. The plague of frogs came to show that God was more powerful than the goddess Heqt. She was pictured as a frog, since the frog was the symbol of resurrection. The plague turned the people against this false god. God, then, flooded them with lice and flies, as they could not worship their gods unless they were clean and spotless. They hated their gods for requiring this of them.
Then came the plague of murrain. Hathor was the cow goddess, and Apis was the sacred bull. These cattle gods were sacred to the Egyptians, yet the plague demonstrated that Jehovah was greater than all their false gods. Then the boils, the hail, and the locusts revealed that the gods that controlled health, and safety, could not protect them. This was the most serious, because Egypt worshiped the Sun God Ra, chief of the gods, and it showed that God was greater than even Ra.
If you don’t believe the Book of Exodus, you’re not going to believe the Book of Revelation. But God has already given you a down payment of what took place. God has already said what happened thousands of years ago when he threw these plagues out on the nation of Egypt, and said, “Let my people go! I am taking them into the Promised Land.”
A periodical recently reported that the Vatican has now found some “secret things,” that were supposedly leaked to this magazine, and now they have printed the secret things about catastrophes that are coming. First of all, to believe that anyone is hiding anything in the Vatican, Mount Sinai, or, anywhere else, is an absolute hoax. The Word of God was completed, and put into the Canon of Scriptures, somewhere around 100 A.D. The last Book of the Bible, Revelation, was written by the Apostle John, by inspiration, about 96 A.D. “Canon” is a measuring line of those books that are qualified to be in the Canon, as inspired by the Holy Spirit:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God (God-breathed), and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16):
“Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them (Israel) were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:2).
The phrase “The oracles of God” means “the absolute words of God that are given to us in God’s Word.” We have them. Therefore, you will not find anything “hidden” in the Vatican “that is so frightening that we can’t disclose it.” That is satanic trickery to make people think there is something missing from God’s Word, and, therefore doubt the accuracy of what we do have. That is against the Word of God.
We have everything complete, from Genesis to Revelation. The Vatican does not have anything more that God wants you to know. The King James Translation is far superior to any of the new translations. I have heard that the NIV (New International Version) is the largest selling Bible in the world. Personally, I believe it is one of the worst imitations of a Bible on the market. Try to look up the following verses in the NIV. They are omitted:
- Matthew 17:21; Matthew 18:11; Matthew 23:17
- Mark 15:28; Mark 11:26; Mark 9:44 & 46
- Luke 17:36; Luke 23:17
- John 5:4
- Acts 5:4; Acts 8:37; Acts 24:7; Acts 28:29
- Romans 16:24
These are only a handful of the missing verses in the NIV, along with over 60,000 missing words that are in the Majority Text. It should be noted that the New World Translation, the “Bible” used by Jehovah’s Witnesses, used the same corrupt text as the NIV translators used. The next time a Jehovah’s Witness comes to your door, ask them to explain one of these missing verses. They can’t explain what is not there. I have yet to find one who is aware of this. They are totally shocked when you confront them. God gives a warning to mankind in Proverbs 30:6 and Revelation 22:18,19:
Proverbs 30:6:
“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
Revelation 22:18-19
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book (18):
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (19).
Revelation 8:8,9. 2nd Trumpet: 1/3 Sea Becomes Blood; 1/3 Sea Life; 1/3 Shipping Destroyed.
“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” (8);
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” (9).
Many nations will lose a third part of their naval fleet, as this verse says that “a third part of the ships will be destroyed. This would effect, not only, a third part of the navies of many countries, but a third part of commercial shipping and fishing fleets will be destroyed, also. A third part of oil tankers will sink, along with other expected shipments of commercial goods. A third part of the giant cargo ships, loaded with cars, trucks, and other vehicles, will go to the bottom. Even if raised and salvaged, the effect of the blood and dead sea life will cause them to be worthless. As a result, this judgment will have an effect on the economy of the world. Can you imagine the stench caused by the third of all decomposing sea creatures floating on top of the bloody water?
Revelation 8:10,11. 3rd Trumpet: Burning Star Poisons 1/3 of Rivers, Lakes, Streams.
“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 (10); 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” (11).
This reminds us of Exodus 7:19-25 where the water was turned into blood and no one could drink it.
Revelation 8:12. 4th Trumpet: 1/3 of Sun, Moon, Stars Darkened; Day & Night Darkened.
“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.”
Having a third part of the sun, moon, and stars darkened would effect the night navigation of ships. They depend upon these to find their latitude and longitude. When you have darkness, crime will increase. We already have crime that is unbelievable! We are going to compare this judgment again to Exodus 10:21-23, because we find out that God has already done this. He is saying, “Hey, believe the Old Testament, because it is telling you I did this to the nation of Egypt, and I can do it again to you.”
“Now all these things happened unto them (Israel and Egypt) for ensamples (an example): and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).
It is interesting thing to note the name of the star, “Wormwood.” Do you know that God names every one of them, and He calls them all by name. He tells us that in Psalm 147:4,
“He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.”
In Exodus 10:21-23, we find a parallel to the darkening of the sun, moon, stars, and the day and night. God sent this plague upon the Egyptians to show that He was greater than the Sun God, Ra, who was the chief god of Egypt.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt (21). “And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days (22): They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings (23).”
Seven times did Moses go unto Pharaoh saying: “Let my people go.” But he would not do it. Pharaoh did not want to let them go. He needed them as slaves for his workforce. Pharaoh said to Moses:
“…Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2).
Pharaoh found out who God was, and he paid a dear price for his arrogant disobedience in the death of his firstborn son (Exodus 12:29) and other calamities.
“And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.”
We have people, who want to be their own god, saying that today. “Who is God, that we should submit ourselves to Him?” The Book of Revelation has the answer.
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:18).
I’ve had people tell me, “I don’t believe there is a Hell.” And that is what Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons teach. My Friend, just because it is your belief that there is no Hell, does not do away with the fact that God created Hell. Your unbelief does not put out the fire! Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, but as, Matthew 25:41 informs us, they will be joined by those who have rejected Christ as their Savior. I pray that you, Dear Reader, will not be one of them!
“Then shall he (the Lord Jesus Christ) say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
We now read about the last plague God sent upon Egypt, the Death of the Firstborn. We are going to find out there are going to be many people killed during the Tribulation Period, as well, by the judgments that God will pour upon men. On the counterpart of that, we are going to have the Antichrist who is going to kill many Christians that belong to God.
Let us look at the “Death of the Firstborn.” God has given this indictment in Exodus 12:21-32,
“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover (a type of Christ) (21). And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop (the hyssop of faith), and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning (22). For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you” (23).
Let us look at Verse 29 for the fulfillment of this,
“And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle” (29). And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt for there was not a house where there was not one dead (30).
No one is exempt—no one!
“And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said” (31). “Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also” (32).
I can’t believe he said that! “Bless me also.” Pharaoh did know that God was the Creator of the universe, and he said, “Bless me also.” Why would he say that, if he did not know there was a God? He had willfully rejected the God of the universe; but yet, he wanted that God’s blessing.
“The word translated “prophet” occurs over three hundred times in the Old Testament and over one hundred times in the New Testament. It is made of two Greek words—pro meaning “before,” or “in place of” and fayme meaning “to speak.” A prophet, is someone who speaks for someone else, the other being God. A prophet speaks to man for or from God. Prophecy is not only a forth-telling of the future – but contains promises of the future to both Israel and the nations of the world. Prophecy covers the full panorama of history of mankind. God gave promises to His prophets on Israel, the church, the consummation of the ages with Christ ruling, to the new heavens and earth. God chose to reveal His words to primarily one group of people - the Jews, whom He made from Abraham.”