April 12, 2018

Ken Miller

Woe, Woe, Woe.

April 12, 2018

Ken Miller

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.

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!” – Revelation 8:8-13 ESV

It is impossible for us to know exactly how the events in these chapter will unfold. We were not there to see what John saw. His descriptions of the events transpiring before his eyes are fantastic and otherworldly. They are difficult for our senses to comprehend and, as each successive trumpet is blown, the accompanying judgment will be increasingly more intense and devastating. With the sounding of the second trumpet, John sees “something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea” (Revelation 8:8 ESV). Notice his use of the word, “something.” John is doing the best he can to use well-known, recognizable imagery in an attempt to describe the indescribable and never-before-seen. We cannot be certain of what John saw, but there is no doubt that what transpired before his eyes was shocking and disturbing. When dealing with these judgments of God, the easy route to take is to write them off as nothing more than symbolism. Thus, the mountain becomes nothing more than a physical or natural representation of something more significant. Many have speculated that the mountain symbolizes a government or kingdom. But, other than the unbelievable nature of John’s description, there seems to be no reason for us to allegorize what John is seeing. It is obviously not a mountain but, as John said, something like a mountain. Whatever it was, it came down from heaven, indicating its the divine nature of its origin. God had sent it. And this blazing mountain-like object plunged into the sea, turning all the water to blood. Once again, our natural inclination is to write off the literal nature of this description, and simply relegate it to allegory or symbolism. And while there is much symbolism in the book of Revelation, the context in this chapter does not seem to justify taking these fantastic sights as anything less than literal.

God brings judgment on the oceans of the world, turning a third of them to blood, and resulting in the deaths of a third of the creatures living in them. Once again, this is reminiscent of the plagues brought by God upon the land of Egypt. Through Moses His servant, God turned to waters of the Nile into blood. This devastating miracle would last for a full seven days, turning the Nile, the source of all life for the Egyptians, into a stinking, river of death. So, it should not surprise us that God brings a similar, equally impactful judgment on the nations of the world during the last days. This phenomena will also result in the destruction of a third of the world’s ocean-going vessels. One can only imagine the impact this will have on global commerce. And it doesn’t require much imagination to understand that the death of a third of the sea creatures and the destruction of a third of the ships that sail the seas, is going to have dire consequences on the quality of human life. One of the major food sources for mankind will become a third-less reliable, and the means for transporting goods around the world will be dramatically reduced.

With the blowing of the third trumpet, John sees “a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch” (Revelation 8:10 ESV). As before, John struggles to describe what he is seeing and he finds himself relegated to using human words to help us understand the supernatural events taking place. He describes seeing a star falling from heaven. Was it a comet, a literal star, or simply a symbol for something natural and explainable? It seems best to take John at his word and view this as some kind of literal extraterrestrial object that falls from the sky, another indication that this judgment is from the very throne room of God. It turns a third of the waters of the world bitter, causing great sickness to the earth’s population, and leaving many dead as a result.

With the fourth trumpet, God brings judgment on the world by reducing the intensity of the light produced by the sun, moon and stars by one-third. In other words, the world and all those who live on it, will experience a reduction in light, but also global temperatures. The subsequent results will be dramatic and devastating. And there will be no one who does not witness this particular judgment. All will see the sun, moon and stars decrease in intensity, clearly indicating that this judgment is from the hand of God. The very things mankind takes for granted: Food from the sea, the ability to transport goods across the oceans, fresh water and light, will feel the hand of God upon them. In the end times, these gifts that had been given to mankind by God, will become unreliable and even harmful. Creation will turn on man. The things we take for granted will be taken from us by God, all in an attempt to remind fallen mankind that God alone is sovereign and worthy to be worshiped.

And as is all this was not enough, John describes seeing an eagle flying through the sky and crying out, “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!” (Revelation 8:13 ESV). In other words, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. And the truth is, it’s not going to get better at all. There are three more trumpets to be sounded and three more judgments to fall on the world. And the cumulative effect of these judgments will be devastating. Jesus Himself predicted that the judgment of God will be so great that, if He does bring them to an end, the entire world will be destroyed.

And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. – Matthew 24:22 ESV

The prophet, Joel, provides us with a vivid description of these days.

1 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
    sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
    a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
    a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
    nor will be again after them
    through the years of all generations. – Joel 2:1-2 ESV

The day is coming when the sinfulness of mankind will be dealt with once and for all. God will bring His judgment on the world. He will no longer put up with man’s open rebellion against His leadership. He will no longer tolerate their rejection of His Son and their refusal to accept His gracious gift of salvation. And the visions of John provide us with a powerful and sobering reminder that our God is in control and will one day right all wrongs. The words of John are difficult to read. The images of death and destruction he describes are hard for us to fathom. They even seem to contradict our understanding of the loving nature of our God. But we must never forget that our God is holy, righteous, and just. He has patiently put up with man’s stubborn rebellion against His authority for centuries. But the day is coming when He will put up with it no longer. Justice will reign. Righteousness will be meted out by the hand of our holy God. He will restore the world He created to its original perfection. He will punish the wicked and reward the righteous. He will end the dominion of death and Satan once for all.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

April 11, 2018

Ken Miller

The Book of Revelation

God of the Impossible.

April 11, 2018

Ken Miller

The Book of Revelation

1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

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. – Revelation 8:1-7 ESV

As we stated earlier, chapter seven appears to act as a parenthesis between the opening of the sixth and seventh seal, John was introduced to the 144,000 Jews on earth and the countless number of martyred saints in heaven, the victims of persecution and death at the hands of the Antichrist. Now, John’s attention, and ours, is returned to the seals. There is yet one final seal to be opened by the Lamb, and this one will be unique. While it will bring yet more judgments on the earth, they will come with an intensity as yet unseen. And they will come in the form of seven bowls of judgment that will be poured out in rapid succession on the earth and its inhabitants.

As Jesus opens the seventh seal, John notes that there is silence in the throne room for a 30-minute period. While this may not sound like a very long time, it is essential that we remember all the references to sounds and singing that John has recorded up to this point. His vision of heaven had been replete with sounds of all kinds. He had heard God Himself speaking.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” – Revelation 1:8 ESV

John had also heard a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet, saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11 ESV). John had also had the distinct privilege and responsibility of writing down the words of Jesus, spoken to the seven churches.

Chapter four introduced even more sounds to John’s ears as he heard “rumblings and peals of thunder” (Revelation 4:5 ESV), and the voices of the four creatures around the throne of God as they shouted, ““Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8 ESV). John made the note that these creatures, whoever they are, never cease shouting their praise, day or night. It is non-ending and never-ceasing. And it is accompanied by the 24 elders who throw their crowns before the crown, shouting:

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.” – Revelation 4:11 ESV

In chapter five, John recorded hearing the four creatures and the 24 elders singing a “new song.” And they were joined with “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” of angels and “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea” as they sang praises to God and the Lamb who was slain.

So what’s the point? It’s that the 30-minutes of complete silence would have been deafening to John’s ears. It would have been like a football stadium filled with excited fans before the start of a game, who are asked to pause for 15 seconds of silence. The difference in the noise lever would be shocking to the senses. And that is how this must have impacted John. The opening of the seventh seal was going to be a game-changer and everyone in the throne room of heaven seemed to recognize that this was the beginning of the end. It is the proverbial silence before the storm. The prophet Zephaniah spoke of this coming day.

7 Be silent before the Lord God!
    For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
    and consecrated his guests.
8 And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice—
“I will punish the officials and the king's sons
    and all who array themselves in foreign attire. – Zephaniah 18:7-8 ESV

After the 30 minutes of silence, seven angels are given seven trumpets, and an eighth angel was given “a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne” (Revelation 8:3 ESV). We are not told who these angels are, but they obviously have authority given to them by God. They are created beings God has designated to play significant roles in His sovereign plan for the judgment of the world. The eighth angel appears to fulfill the role of a priest, offering holy incense before the altar of God. He holds a censer full of burning coals, to which he adds incense and the prayers of the saints. This would appear to be a reference to the prayers of all those on earth who had come to faith in Christ, but who were suffering at the hands of the Antichrist. They were praying for God’s protection and deliverance, much like the saints underneath the alter in chapter six had done.

“O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” – Revelation 6:10 ESV

The persecuted saints back on earth were crying out for justice to be done. They were calling out to God to redeem and rescue them. And the smoke and aroma from these prayers mixed with incense, rose up before God. Then the angel took the coals from the altar, placed them in his golden censer and cast them down to earth. These coals symbolized the judgment of God and that judgment had a reason behind it: The persecution of the saints. Their prayers and pleas, mixed with tears, had been mingled with the fiery coals, and it was all cast down on the earth and its inhabitants. And John records that ,immediately, “there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:5 ESV). What a contrast to the 30 minutes of silence that opened up this chapter. The storm was coming. The judgment of God was falling in all its holy intensity.

Once again, John records a moment of tension-filled anticipation as the seven angels, holding the seven trumpets, prepare to blow them. All throughout the Scriptures, trumpets are used as instruments to proclaim coming judgment or as a call to worship. They were blown to assemble troops for battle. They were loud and distinct, impossible to ignore, and unmistakable in their purpose. This scene in Revelation is very similar to that found in the book of Exodus when God appeared before the people of Israel from Mount Sinai.

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. – Exodus 19:16 ESV

John, as a Jews, was very familiar with the trumpet call and he would have anticipated that something highly significant was about to happen. And, one at a time, the angels began to blow their trumpets, each representing a distinct aspect of God’s judgment on the earth. John records that as soon as the angel blew his trumpet, “hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth” (Revelation 8:7 ESV). With the opening of the seventh seal, a whole new wave of judgments began. The intensity of God’s wrath was increasing exponentially. We know from Ezekiel 5:2 and Zechariah 13:8-9, that this event is going to have devastating consequences. John reports that “a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up” (Revelation 8:7 ESV). While this appears to be a judgment on the planet itself, the effects of this kind of destruction of nature will have dire consequences on those living at that time. It will devastate agricultural production and complete destroy forests on the earth. The fires that result from this judgment will most likely spread, taking human life with them.

As we will see with the unfolding of the rest of the trumpet judgments, there are going to be a great many similarities between these plagues and those that fell on the nation of Egypt, as recorded in the Old Testament. God is going to bring hail, turn water into blood, darken the sun and moon, unleash pestilence and cause the death of many. It will be far greater than anything the world has ever seen or endured. And the supernatural description of these events let us know that they are from God. While we can spend time trying to apply natural explanations to these events, it seems clear that they are intended to display the sovereign power of God. He has authority over nature and is able to do signs and wonders that defy explanation and stretch the limits of human reason. We are not intended to understand all that John describes. We will never be able to fully explain how these seemingly impossible judgments happen. But for a God who created the entire universes in a literal six-day span of time, none of this will too difficult for Him to do. We need to recall the words of Jesus, spoken about His heavenly Father:

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26 ESV

And it’s at moments like this, when faced with what appears to be the impossible, that we need to recall the comforting words spoken by God to Abraham, concerning His ability to keep His promise to give Abraham a son in his old age:

“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” – Genesis 18:14 ESV