Revelation 8:6-13 Gods mercy in Judgment

In todays episode we will be looking at revelation 8:6-13 the first four trumpet judgments and the beginning of Gods wrath on the Earth.--- 

Transcript

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Hello, and welcome to the Takeaway, where we teach through the Bible, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, to help you understand God's Word so that you can have a more intimate relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

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Hello, and welcome again to the takeaway. I'm your host, Pastor Harry Barrens. In today's episode, we'll be looking at Revelation chapter 8, verses 6 through 13, the first four trumpet judgments, and the beginning of God's wrath on the earth. We have seen prior to this the six seals opened and the destruction man has brought upon himself up to this point. In the last two chapters, we have seen God sealing the 144,000 Jewish witnesses to protect them from the wrath that is to come, and that no harm would come to them. And then we saw silence in heaven for half an hour, as all of heaven was in awe of the opening of the seventh seal and the preparation of God's wrath to come. Let me ask you this have you ever had a relative, maybe a parent, an aunt, an uncle, or a grandparent that was just always calm and loving, and you could do no wrong in their eyes, but then one day you did something or said something in front of them, and they went from calm, cool, and collective to a fire-breathing dragon that wanted to bite your head off. You never saw them like this. And the fear you had in that moment was unexplainable because that person you knew as only loving just went off the deep end like a crazy person. Then as soon as you stopped doing whatever it was you were doing to set them off, they immediately returned to their loving selves, leaving you awestruck and silent, not knowing what to make of the situation. I think this is the kind of silence we are witnessing here. God is finally going to unleash his wrath and the world deserve that the world deserves. And up until this point, this is not the God we have witnessed. We are up there in heaven, partying, having a good time, worshiping with the Father, and then BAM, God the Father unleashes his wrath and that he had that he has stored up since the fall of Adam, and particularly the crucifixion of his only begotten son. Yeah, I think this is scary, scary wrath. And even though it won't be directed at us as believers in heaven, it will be something scary for sure. So let's get started. In verse six, we see the first trumpet blow, and we read, Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow. 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. Now, hail and fire mean just that hail and fire, just like God had used in other instances in Scripture to judge and or conquer. Mixed with blood is most likely an indication of the death and destruction this event is causing. Many people and creatures of the earth will be killed during this time, and there will be blood all over the place. 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. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. This is most likely a meteor as it is being thrown into the sea, or maybe even a super volcano that's under the sea. And the description we see from John of being thrown into the sea is just a description that this judgment comes from a mountain in the sea. Either way, God is using creation against itself in these first four judgments. Now, some will say that the sea represents nations and peoples, as interpreted in other verses. However, as we can see, it is defined for us here in that the sea creatures were killed and the ships that were in the sea are destroyed. This is clearly talking about an event that is affecting the oceans or an ocean, as it only affects one third of it. Moving on to verse 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. The name of the star is wormwood. Now, wormwood is the name of a plant and or a bitter tasting extract derived from it, and indicates that whatever this star is, it clearly contaminates the fresh drinking water on the earth. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water because it had been made bitter. 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 the light may be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. This event is most likely caused from the previous two events. A meteor strike or two would easily throw up enough debris to dim out the sun and the moon. Verse 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 blast of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow. Dr. John McCarthy examines Jesus' use of woe in the Bible. In his castration, cast castigation of the false Jewish leaders, Jesus repeatedly used two words, woe and hypocrites. McCarthy goes on to say, but Jesus used woe against the scribes and Pharisees, not as an exclamation, but as a declaration, a divine pronouncement of judgment from God. As was already noted, it was not his desire that they be condemned, but rather that they repent and come to salvation. But he knew that if he did not, if they did not repent and believe they were doomed to hell under God's righteous and just wrath. When God utters woe against evil men, he sets divine judgment in motion. So I titled this episode God's Mercy and Judgment. A question I want to ask ourselves is God merciful even in judgment? Well, let's look at the evidence. The first four trumpets are directed at creation and not man. The first trumpet has a third of vegetation burned up, the second, a third of everything in the sea was killed, the third trumpet, a third of all fresh water was contaminated, and a fourth trumpet, the sun and the moon were struck, and a third of the light was diminished. So how is God's mercy in this destruction? And I do mean mercy, as they are not getting what they fully deserve, which is complete destruction. Where grace would be getting something you don't deserve, they are getting what they do deserve. God is clearly showing mercy to mankind and that he deals with creation first, a creation that man's sin has corrupted. On top of that, he only destroys a third and not everything, showing that he is still holding back. This gives the people still alive on earth a view of God's judgment and wrath while still giving them an opportunity to repent of their sins. However, as we will see in the next chapter, they harden their hearts against God, knowing full well this is his wrath they are witnessing. So, what should be our takeaway from these first four judgments? Well, how do we see God's mercy today in the midst of devastation, in storms, earthquakes, wars, disease, and the loss of loved ones through any manner of ways, whether cancer, violence, suicide, or whatever the circumstance? Where's God's mercy in this? First, you need to recognize that you are a sinner. We are all sinners and all deserve death and condemnation. God's mercy is in the fact that he hasn't fully destroyed us yet, but we all deserve death, each and every one of us. So all the destruction and death we see in this world is because of our sin. We brought this on ourselves and we all deserve God's judgment. However, there is good news. I would even say great news. That news is that more than mercy, God has given us grace in this current period of time. He has given us what we do not deserve, and that's the gift of salvation through the believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Through Jesus, we can have eternal life in heaven and be forgiven of all our past, present, and future sins. We are eternal beings spiritually, and this body we are we are in is temporary. There are only one of two places you will spend eternity, and the choice is yours. God doesn't send people to hell. We send ourselves when we harden our hearts and reject Jesus as our perfect sacrifice. The Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 3, verse 23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier, the one who has faith in Jesus. Did you catch that? God justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. There is still time for this lost world, but they need to hear this great news while there's still time. Hopefully, you have responded to the great news that Jesus died for you as well. If so, then you are a part of God's family. And I would love to pray for you today. Father, thank you so much for your mercy and grace. As you haven't completely destroyed us, yes, we are living in a destructive world. We are in a dying and decaying body. We are in a cursed world that is falling apart, that has disease and destruction and death all around it. But Lord, you allow us to be here and you gracefully have given us the message that you've given us in the gospel that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. And if we accept him, we will have life in him. And not only that, when we die, when we fall asleep, we will pass into his presence in heaven. Father, I pray that for our listeners today, that if they haven't accepted Jesus, that they would accept him now as their Lord and Savior, that they can have the assurance that they will be with him in glory in heaven forever. I pray, Father, that you will strengthen those who are saved, that you will anoint us with the power and the strength to go out and witness to the world, to share the gospel with everyone around us, anyone that we interact with, God, that you will help us to do that. I pray that you use us powerfully and completely. And I thank you, and we love you in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you again for listening in today, and I hope this episode helped you better understand how much God loves you and the people in this world. Second Peter chapter 3, verse 9. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and all the works that are done on it will be exposed. In our next episode, we will be reading from chapter 9 as we see the fifth and sixth trumpets blow and the judgments that come with them. God bless, and we'll see you next time on the takeaway.