Title [Rev 8:1-13] Trumpet disaster ①
Chapters 8 and 9 of Revelation show us the calamities that will come in the end. They are called trumpet plagues because they are given when the trumpets are blown. This trumpet plague began when the seventh seal was opened. Today we will look at the contents of Chapter 8.
1. The sky was still for half an hour.
The eve of the storm is always quiet. Because of this stillness, there are many who go further in the path of debauchery and unbelief. That's very stupid. Even before the flood judgment, there was never a foreshadowing of judgment. There was only a notice of judgment. Ignoring that warning (warning), the people who did not return after ridiculing Noah and his family building the ark were destroyed. Even now, there are many people who disbelieve and ridicule God's warning of judgment. We should not be discouraged by that ridicule. We must become wise saints who more faithfully prepare for judgment. May the stillness not cause you to relax or become indolent.
2. The saints prayed hard, and their prayers came up to God by an angel.
Jesus emphasized countless times that the prayers of the saints are essential before the tribulation. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He said, “Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation” (Mt 26:41), and He also taught in the last sermons, “Pray that your flight does not occur in winter or on the Sabbath” (Mt 24:20-21). ). The content of the text (3-4) is a scene where the saints are preparing through prayers before the day of the great tribulation. We must be among them. When we prepare for the great tribulation by watching and praying, we will be able to bear it with God's help. Then, I would like to introduce a few things about how prayers that are answered are prayers.
① It is not a prayer for lust, but a prayer to accomplish the righteousness of God. James said that unanswered prayers are prayers that are erroneously asked to be spent on lust (James 4:3).
② This is the prayer of those who have repented of their sins. Isaiah said that sin is a barrier between God and us, so we cannot receive an answer (Isaiah 59:1-2).
③ This is the prayer of those who forsake all idols. Ezekiel said that the prayers of those who have idols in their hearts cannot be answered (Ezekiel 14:3). Those who love and respect God more than God are idols.
④It is the prayer of the one who hears the cry of the poor.
In Proverbs 21:13, the writer of Proverbs says that he who does not hear the cry of the poor heareth him when he cries.
⑤ This is the prayer of those who forgive others. While praying, he told him to forgive anyone if he had any accusations (Mark 11:25). When he was offering a sacrifice on the altar and he remembered that his brother had something against him, he told him to leave his sacrifice on the altar and go first, be reconciled to his brother, and come and offer it (Matthew 5:23 -24).
⑥ It is a prayer for those who are reconciled between husband and wife. Peter said that in order for prayer not to be blocked, there must be reconciliation between husband and wife (1 Peter 3:7).
⑦ It is the prayer of those who have no doubts and are convinced. James tells us not to think that anyone who doubts will get anything from the Lord (James 1:6-8). Confidence is given through the Word. Therefore, if you read the Word before praying and pray with a clear mind and conviction, you will surely receive answers.
⑧ This is the prayer of those who pray with earnest heart. It shouldn't be in a format. In James 5:17, Elijah's earnest prayer was introduced, and in Luke 18:1-10, the earnest prayer of the widow was introduced. If we pray like this, our prayers will come up to God in a golden censer in the hands of angels.
3. When the first, second, and third trumpets were blown, various disasters appeared.
①When the first trumpet was blown, hail and fire mixed with blood broke out and burned up a third of the earth (7). A terrifying war is about to happen. Blood, hail and fire all hint at war. He already warned of war in the last days (Matthew 24:6-7). Even now, war continues all over the world, and it seems that a great war that may be difficult to deal with is being prepared.
②When the second trumpet was blown, something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and the water became blood, and a third of the sea creatures died (8-9). A large burning mountain points to an enemy Christian country. Historically, it was referred to as Babylon or Rome, and it refers to the destruction of the enemy Christian nation that will appear in the future. They once persecuted the church, but they have no choice but to be destroyed before God's judgment.
③When the third trumpet was blown, a great star (wormwood), burning like a torch, fell from the sky onto the rivers and springs, and the water was bitter and those who drank it died (10-11). It refers to the corruption of the clergy and confuses the Word. Heresy kills a person's soul. If you take it as good as it sounds, you will eventually die. Artificial seasoning is delicious in the mouth, but it is like refreshing the body.
④ When the fourth trumpet is blown, the moon and stars are spit on, and a third of them lose their light (12).
It refers to the darkening of political or spiritual leaders, resulting in chaos in all societies and hierarchies. Now is the time. Then you should know that everything that is happening right now is a disaster. Let us become saints who overcome all afflictions by the grace of the Lord.