PONDERING... Will You Repent? (Revelation 8:6-9:21)

Will You Repent?

GIST: God is calling you to repentance (which you desperately need), but you do not have forever.

SCRIPTURE:  Revelation 8:6 - 9:21

Like I warned last week, we’re going to look at a much larger chunk of Scripture today. In fact, in real life this ended up taking 3 tries to finish (likely due to some personal failings at time management in a youth room context :D). Nonetheless, I don’t want to get lost in the complexities here, but rather try to zoom in on the message.

Because it can be easy to miss the forest for the trees, I want to layout the application I see here quickly before we get into the verse-by-verse breakdown. I’ll then come back to it at the end.

These seven trumpets parallel the seven seals and point to the end when God’s plan to eradicate sin is completed. It’s not a chronological recording, but pointing to combination of what is now happening and will continue to happen until Christ returns and ends it all. We’re going to see much devastation and much grace in these passages. Nonetheless, at the end of chapter 9, even after these displays of God’s judgment,  people still refuse to repent. We need to hear this.

1. You need repentance
2. God is providing you a chance to do so.
3. But you do not have forever.

We’ll come back to those in a bit. Let’s walk through verse-by-verse here.

6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

Trumpets were blown in the Old Testament for various reasons. However, all of these were designed to catch attention. There is one Old Testament reference in particular which would have likely resonated with the original readers.

• Joshua 6:2-5 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”

Here we have seven trumpets marking the fall of Jericho and the entrance of God’s people into the promised land. Now, we’re given seven trumpets marking the destruction of this sinful work and the the perfect promised land.

7 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 green grass was burned up. 8 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. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 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 on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. 12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and 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.

Like with the seals, the first four trumpets come in a unit, so I want to talk about them together. Here we are seeing destruction, but there are parts of this image I want to point out in particular.

• Plagues of Egypt: There seems to be a connection to the plagues during the Exodus. They’re not in the same order, but we see the 7th (Exodus 9:23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.), 1st (Exodus 7:20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.), and 9th plagues (Exodus 10:22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.) This might seem like a nice observation without any real point, but I do feel there is a purpose here. The plagues were designed to show God’s sovereignty over the false gods of Egypt. God’s sovereignty over the world is on display again here.
• Decreation: Likewise, we have a picture of what could be called decreation. These first four trumpets effect the four major regions of the physical world: land, oceans, fresh bodies of water, and the sky. I think that’s a big part of the image here. This world is being un-made before it is remade, or rather perfectly made. Eternity is world as it should be.
• A Third?: And that kind of leads into this last point. So, how literally should we take this image. Will the ocean really become blood, or the fresh waters be undrinkable? I have to admit ignorance here. I do not know how exactly these things will come about, but we can see that when they do the whole world will be effected. YET, there is still a chance for repentance given here. This is key. If you noticed in the seals, ¼ of the world is said to die (Revelation 6:8). Now, we keep seeing ⅓ being effected. I do not think this is literal (if ⅓ of the sun is destroyed, the world would be completely lost...etc), but rather a picture of that progressive parallelism we’ve discussed. It’s getting worse, but there is still a chance for people to be saved. Eventually, that chance will be gone. Do not waste the time you are given.

13 Then I looked, and 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 blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

Triple Woe: I am not sure if there is a particular significance to this message being delivered by an eagle or not. There are some references to this word also being translated vulture, thus symbolizing death. The reference also makes me think of Isaiah 4o:31 (but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.) This might be the case because there is a clear distinction between the saved (those who hope in the Lord) and those receiving the woes in the following verses. Nonetheless, the woes are significant. Remember, anything thrice repeated is especially emphasized. God is called Holy, Holy, Holy. Now those who dwell on the earth (which always refers to the lost in Revelation) are given Woe, Woe, Woe-- complete despair is coming.

9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

Oh, the speculations over this passage! And again, I need to admit weakness here. There are definitely portions of this vision I do not understand. I am not sure exactly what this will look like when it comes (or as it is), but this is the first woe--a picture of despair--and I think we can understand enough to get the implications of that.

• Who/what is the fallen star?:  Let’s do a little cross referencing here. In Luke 10, we see Jesus sending out the 72 to prepare the way for the gospel. When they return, we see this interchange: Luke 10:17-18 “17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Given this passage and the fact the angel of the bottomless pit is referred to as the destroyer (Apollyon) and is “king” over the results of sin (more on this in a second), I feel we can say this is Satan.  
• What is his purpose here?: There are many interpretations given for what is happening here when Satan is given the key to the bottomless pit and smoke and scorpions come out. Yet, there are few points that seem most important.
1. Jesus gives him authority to act. This probably sounds jarring, but it’s true and vital to understand. Jesus holds the key to the bottomless pit. In fact, He holds the keys to everything (Revelation 1:18).  He is sovereign over everything. This situation is no different. In His plan, He allows Satan to act. It reminds me of Romans 1 “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them...24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves…” (Really, you need to read this whole chapter. Check it out!)
2. The results are spiritual and effect the lost. While we have seen several instances of actual, physical judgment on the world (at least in part), this one seems to be more spiritual. There are a couple reasons I think this. First, the you have smoke darkening the sun, which seems to symbolize evil obscuring good (John 3:19-21 “19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”).  Second, they are told not to harm anything physical, but just those who are not saved (see chapter 7 for note on ‘those sealed by God’). Now, this is reminiscent of the Egyptian plagues, as well, as God protected His people from the effects of some of the plagues. So far, however, we don’t see anything physical happening that Christians are exempt from here. They will get sick. They will die. They will, in fact, be persecuted and murdered. Third, this is a parallel passage to the 7 seals. In seal 5, we shall the persecuted saints under the altar--a symbolic picture of the saved under the blood of Christ. They were crying out for the end to come. Here, we see an opposite perspective--one that seems to also parallel the 6th seal where the world is being destroyed and the lost cry out for death. While waiting on the return of Christ, the saved eagerly anticipate the end of sin-caused suffering and the full presence of Jesus. The lost are tormented by the gods they serve. See, it’s Satan who is the “king of this world”--that is, the one in whose footsteps the lost walk (he has no actual authority in himself)--who is tormenting these people.
• Why do the scorpions look strange?: Again, I’m not going to claim to understand all of this imagery completely. However, as I’ve studied this, I’ve seen some insights provided which point to the nature of this torment.  Let’s just take a few pieces here.
1. horses prepared for battle:
• They have a destructive purpose
2. on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold;
• But they seem to have authority or prominence
3. their faces were like human faces,
• They look like us! They’re “normal”, or at least give the illusion of approachability.
4. 8 their hair like women's hair,
• They are attractive or appealing.
5. and their teeth like lions' teeth;
• But inside, they are dangerous--deadly.
6. 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.
• Here we come back to the opening image. They have a purpose--destruction--and they are strong and prepared to execute it.

This is good to notice, but what does it mean. Remember, I think this is a spiritual attack. Sin seems attractive. It is not only appealing, but in a sinful world it seems the best or right thing. Psalm 12:8 “On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.” Think about our world. Sin is exalted and following God is villainized. Nonetheless...it leads to destruction. Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Now, I may not be able to speak specifically to the nature of this torment in a spiritual sense. I have heard much speculation, but I think all we can say is that the nature of this torment is something which the lost must face, but from which the saved are exempt. Saved people are sinners covered with Grace--so the only difference between us (and let’s not downplay the significance of this difference; it’s just not about us, but the difference maker!) is that we have hope. We still face this sin-filled, fallen world, but we know the end of the story--and are now part of it! We are not trying to face these trial alone or serve false idols who cannot save us. We have the truth--which has set us free. Therefore, this spiritual despair which wages war on the lost is not meant to effect those who are in Christ.

Ok, I know we’re not at the “application” point here, but let’s face it, this lesson is just going to be a little different. I have to make two quick points here.

1. If, then, you are saved, do not fall victim to spiritual despair. Picture this: You go with a friend to a pool. On the way there, she tells you all about how she love swimming and has been swimming since she was a small child. However, when you get to the pool she jumps in and starts sinking. She’s flailing her arms and crying for help. You jump in and pull her to the shore. Stunned, you ask, “Didn’t you say you know how to swim?” And she replies, “Yes, but there’s water here.” If you know how to swim, swim. If you’re saved, don’t just talk about it, live it.
2. And by all means, we have to share the gospel! This is a picture of those trapped by the appeal of a world bent on their destruction. They will lose, and in the meantime live hopeless lives sustained by temporary pleasures and misplaced (and circumstantial) optimism. If you are saved, your life should be transformed by love. My life should be transformed by love. So, if we’re truly loving, how in the world can we read a passage like this and not be moved to warn those around us and point them to the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15)?

• What’s the significance of 5 Months?: I am unsure of the significance of the tails (and I have read many possible explanations). Nonetheless, like the third, the results of these “stings” is temporary (and that might be the significance, because apparently scorpion stings are rarely deadly...etc). As terrible as this is, it is not forever. This is not a reason to “tough it out”, but rather a call to the urgency of repentance. After spiritual despair on earth, there is eternal judgment. Again, see those two points above.

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

• The end?: Like with the 6th seal, the 6th trumpet is the beginning of the end. We see the authority of God (horns of the altar) commanding four angels who have been specifically prepared, by God’s sovereignty, for this task to kill. Then we see the means of their destruction in spiritual terms similar to the scorpions. But the key image here is judgement. We have fire and sulfur and smoke. The Old Testament reader would immediately think of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24 “24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.”) which was punished for its sinfulness.
• Euphrates?: This is likely not literally “from Euphrates”, but that term was commonly used to refer to a “place from which conquest comes”.
• Tail Power?: Again, I am not 100% on this, but we see here tails like serpents. Throughout the Bible serpents are usually used to symbolize Satan, and, therefore, sin. I do not think that is insignificant.

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

And this brings us back to our application points→

TAKE AWAYS

I know we covered a large passage of Scripture here, and I apologize for that. This unit just fits together so tightly it was hard to reasonably separate it. If you’ve made it this far, I applaud you--and will not keep you much longer. We (I) just really need to hear this truth:

1. You need repentance.

This is one of those phrases that, if you’ve spent any time around a Bible - teaching church, you’ve heard...often. Truth be told, this should be the case. If you’re not being reminded of your need for repentance, something is wrong. Nonetheless, it is a concept that we’re in danger of growing cold to due to frequent exposure.

We are sinful. Alone, we will remain slaves to a condition which will only result in our despair and ultimate condemnation.  

2. God is providing you a chance to do so.

That’s the beauty of this passage. The end has not yet come. If you’re able to read this, you’re able to give your life to Jesus. He died to save you.

3. But you do not have forever.

I have had people tell me in the past that it would take some kind of catastrophic event to bring (fill in the blank) to the point of repentance. But it doesn’t work like that. These people saw God’s power in judgement and still did not turn to Him. And that is the saddest part of this passage. They saw God’s judgements and His power… and continued worshipping the false gods of their own devising. The catastrophic event that brings us to salvation is God working to make us see our sins as they are in face of His righteousness.

14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.-Romans 10:14-17

He is coming back. Come to Him now. This is not a ‘creating of a false sense of urgency’. The urgency is real. Our need is real. Come now, and call those around you now to come too.


Ponder, pray, and promulgate.