Do We Have All The Time In The World? (Revelation 8:6-13)
GIST: We need repentance, and God is calling us to that, but we don’t have forever.
Welcome back to Revelation. Honestly, last night I had to rework my notes again because I’d planned to walk through the rest of chapter eight and all of chapter nine, because there is one cohesive picture here. However, I also had six pages of notes, and I typically shoot for no more than three, so… I decided to divide the message in half.
Now, even though it would have been a bit of information overload, we might have been able to get through more than you’d think because as we’ve been discussing, we’ve seen a lot of this before. We’re coming to the seven trumpets which parallel the seven seals and point to the end when God’s plan to eradicate sin— to redeem and restore—is completed. It’s not a chronological recording, but points to a combination of what is now happening and what 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, which we will now address next week, even after these displays of God’s judgment, people still refuse to repent. Therefore, we need to hear this gist: We need repentance, and God is calling us to that, but we don’t have forever.
Let’s pray, and try diving in!
“6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 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.”
Trumpets. In the Old Testament, Trumpets were blown for various reasons. However, they were always designed to catch attention. Yet, with the repetition of this number of completion, 7, that we’ve seen frequently in Revelation so far, there is one Old Testament reference in particular which would have likely resonated with the original readers (and, honestly, you might be thinking of it right now, too).
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 as God prepares the world for the perfect promised land.
What do these first four trumpets point to? Well, it‘s definitely something we’ve seen before! →
Widespread Destruction Touching The Whole World. Like with the seals, the first four trumpets come in a unit.
Many will point out the destruction in this section is reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt. Not all ten are included, but there is definitely parallel imagery with the water being turned to blood and darkness falling on the land. Mostly, this might seem like a nice observation without any real relevance, but I do feel there is something worth pointing out here. The plagues were designed to show God’s sovereignty over the false gods of Egypt. Likewise, this is a picture of God’s sovereignty over the world is on display again.
Possibly the more direct observation, however, is this picture of decreation. These first four trumpets affect the four major regions of the physical world: land, oceans, fresh bodies of water, and the sky. This is the whole world. Everything is being un-made before it is remade, or rather perfectly made as we move toward an eternity where the world is as it should be.
So we see widespread destruction→
But Not Everything Is Destroyed. I do not know how exactly these things will come about, but we can see that when they do the whole world will be affected. YET, there is still a chance for repentance. I’m not just pulling this out of thin air so this sermon sounds kinder either. If you noticed, in the seals, ¼ of the world is said to die (Revelation 6:8). Now, we keep seeing ⅓ being affected (I underlined them, so you can’t miss—it’s there a ton!). Like with the ¼, I don’t think this is meant to be taken as a literal percentage. Trying to work out how it would be, might actually hurt your head. For example, if ⅓ of the ocean became blood, it would taint all of the ocean, and if ⅓ of the sun is destroyed… the world would be completely lost. Instead, I take this as a picture of that progressive parallelism we’ve discussed. It’s getting worse, but there is still a chance for people to be saved. It’s ⅓, but it’s not everyone. Spoiler, what we’re moving toward is that, eventually, the chance will be gone, so don’t waste the time you’re given.
And that’s where verse 13 takes us, as well→
“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!"
This Is A Complete Warning. We’ve got a triple woe. Remember, anything thrice repeated is especially emphasized. God is called Holy, Holy, Holy. Now those who dwell on the earth (those who haven’t come to Jesus for rescue) are given Woe, Woe, Woe—complete despair is coming. Not a scare tactic, just honesty. Guess what the rest of the passage shows us? A snapshot of what those woes bring. We’ll camp out with that next week, but let me just say this now. Read Chapter 9 this week, and as you do, look at it through the lens of what God is doing spiritually. The next section of these trumpets continues to paint a picture of destruction, but the implications and effects seem to carry much more spiritual weight. That’s why I’m going to go ahead and give these→
TAKEAWAYS
Even though we’re only halfway through the complete picture of these trumpet, there are at least three truths we can see here we all really need to hear→ We (I) just really need to hear this truth:
We 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. We’re riding the train that’s taking up to what pictures like these in Revelation are pointing to, so we need to turn from our sin and be rescued.
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, and He isn’t back yet because He’s still working in hearts. The world might seem like despairing chaos, but God is working beauty in these ashes. Will you give your life to Him? Ask for His forgiveness. Trust in His truth and grace, and let go of your control.
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. Here’s another sneak peek into next week. “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.” These people saw God’s power in judgment 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 worshiping the false gods of their own devices. 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. 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. And that last part is something we have to hold on to. I have to hold on to. Maybe you started sounding me out as soon as you heard the gist because you knew this was going to be a gospel presentation, and you’re already saved. Two thoughts. 1- There is never a point when you don’t need reminded of the gospel. Remembering who you are in Christ is necessary for every step we take. 2-There are people in this room and around your life who need to experience this truth for the first time!
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