December 28 - Nº 362 Revelation 8 – 11
Six of the seals on the scroll had now been opened—each bringing great devastation on the earth. When the seventh seal was broken, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then each of seven angels who stood before God was handed a trumpet. Another angel held a golden censer filled with burning incense and the prayers of the people. After the fragrance had gone up before God, the angel filled the censer with fire from the altar and hurled it to the earth causing thunder, lightning, and an earthquake. Then one by one the angels blew their trumpets. Each trumpet blast produced catastrophic devastation on the earth: The first one brought hail and fire mixed with blood, and one third of all the trees and grass were burned. The second produced an object as big as a mountain that hurtled from the sky and turned one third of the sea into blood. One third of all the sea creatures and ships were destroyed. The third trumpet sounded, and a blazing star fell from the sky poisoning one third of all the fresh water. With the fourth trumpet blast, a third of the sun, moon, and stars turned dark. At that point, an eagle flew across the sky calling out, “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth!” And with the next three trumpet blasts things grew even worse! As the fifth trumpet sounded, a star (Satan) fell from heaven. He was given a key to the bottomless pit. With it he unleashed an army of locust-like creatures (demons) that stung like scorpions. For five months they tormented anyone who did not have God’s seal on their forehead (see #361 - December 27). People cried out for death but could not kill themselves. As the sixth trumpet was blown, four evil angels that had been kept bound near the Euphrates River were released. They brought with them an army of two million troops. Their warfare was nothing like John had ever seen. It resulted in the deaths of one third of the world’s population, yet the remaining people refused to repent! Then a mighty angel appeared with a small scroll in his hand. He announced, “There will be no more delay!” John was instructed to take the scroll and eat it. It was as sweet as honey in his mouth, but bitter in his stomach—indicating that the events it foretold would be sweet to some, yet horribly bitter to others. Then John was told to measure God’s Temple in Jerusalem. God was about to retake ownership! He explained that He was going to send two witnesses to prophesy there for three and a half years. They would be given miraculous powers, and no one would be able to harm them. After they had finished prophesying, the beast would be released from the bottomless pit. He would kill the prophets and they would lie unburied in the city street for three and a half days! People from all over the earth would come to celebrate their deaths. As John watched, everything took place exactly as God had explained. But suddenly, the two witnesses stood up! The people were terrified! At that same hour an earthquake shook Jerusalem and one tenth of the city collapsed killing 7,000 people. As the seventh trumpet blew, loud voices in heaven announced, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of God and His Messiah. He will reign forever and ever.” Then the Temple that is in heaven opened, and John saw the Ark of God’s Covenant. The seventh trumpet blast was about to bring devastating consequences to the earth!
Did you notice something interesting? The trumpet judgments only began after the prayers of God’s people reached Him. Do you realize the impact of your prayers? They matter to God! He listens and responds!
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