Revelation 8 Study

Welcome to all present and those at home via YouTube, Facebook, and our online archives. If you haven’t been with us, we have deconstructed these gatherings down to the essentials: We begin with prayer, sing the Word of God set to music (as a means to get it into our heads), and then we sit for a moment in silence here at the Church/Studio. When we come back, we pick up where we left off last week in our verse by verse study. And that takes us to Revelation Chapter 8.

Revelation 8: The Seventh Seal and the Trumpets

Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Revelation 8, Part I – Meat, August 6th 2017

Angels and Judgement

7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Historical Context and Interpretation

Okay, last week I suggested that chapter 8 and 9 were written in such a way as to cause tremendous consternation in my heart as I had no idea how to justify much of what was said in terms of fulfilled prophecy. I anticipated having to work through all of the four approaches to figure it out. But then I thought I would stand on my view and see if it first held water when looking at the historic record of the War of the Jews and the Roman destruction of Jerusalem.

I found some solace. First, let’s work through some of the key words by checking the Greek in the chapter.

In chapter 8, which describes the first four trumps when the text says that this and that happened to the earth, the earth is always translated GAHAY, and never Kosmos, so we know that it is talking about the land or the area and not the whole world. This is very important. We therefore know that when the passages say that a third part of the land’s trees and rivers and oceans animals etc. were wiped out, this gives us a very reasonable and doable picture of the destruction. So, there’s that.

Now let’s talk briefly about the wrapping up of Jerusalem for a minute. I am not going to cover how David made Jerusalem the seat to his empire but am going to pick it up during the years of Alexander the Great.

When Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, Jerusalem and Judea fell under Greek control and under a great Hellenistic influence.

Historical Background of Jerusalem's Rule

The result of the Battle of Panium, Ptolemy the 5th lost Jerusalem and Judea to the Seleucids under the direction of Antiochus the Great. During this time many Jews had become Hellenized and with their assistance tried to fully Hellenize Jerusalem. This lead to a rebellion by the High Priest Matityahu ben Yo?anan and his five sons who are also known as the “Makabi” or the Maccabees. As a result of the “macabean revolt Jerusalem became the capital of what was called the independent Hasmonean Kingdom which lasted for 103 years.

There is a whole story about how the Maccabeans ruled during this time but long story short there came a time when two rulers over the area asked for Rome to interview on their respective parts, Judea fell under the greater rule of Rome as an autonomous province that maintained a significant amount of independence. Then in 37 BCE, Herod the Great captured Jerusalem after forty-day siege, ending Hasmonean rule all together. Herod ruled the Province of Judea as what we might call a “client-king of the Romans,” and rebuilt the Second Temple, upgraded the surrounding complex, and expanded the minting of coins of many denominations.

Herod's Contributions and Roman Rule

“Pliny the Elder,: a historian, writing of Herod's achievements, called Jerusalem "the most famous by far of the Eastern cities and not only the cities of Judea." The Talmud comments that "He who has not seen the Temple of Herod has never seen a beautiful building in his life." And Roman historian Tacitus wrote that "Jerusalem is the capital of the Jews. In it was a Temple possessing enormous riches." Herod also built Caesarea which replaced Jerusalem as the capital of the Roman province.

In 6 AD, following Herod's death in 4 BC, Judea and the city of Jerusalem came under direct Roman rule through Roman prefects, procurators, and rulers. Nevertheless, Herod's descendants remained nominal kings of Iudaea Province. This brings us to the beginning of the end of the place as the first Jewish revolt. Now remember, when Jesus was on the Mount of Olives and was describing what the end of the age would look like He provided signs. These signs increased in intensity and lead to the ultimate destruction of all that that age was about.

The Great Jewish Revolt

Well the destruction began because of the Jews. In 66 AD, the Jewish population rebelled against the Roman Empire in what is now known as the First Jewish–Roman War or the “Great Revolt.” The Great Revolt originated because of Roman and Jewish ethnic tensions. It escalated due to anti-taxation protests and then outright attacks upon Roman citizens. I really don’t know what they could have been thinking in poking a great bear like this.

In response the Roman governor, Gessius Florus, plundering the Jewish Temple, claiming the money was for the Emperor, and then the next day launched a raid on the city, arresting numerous senior Jewish figures. This prompted a wider, large-scale rebellion by the Jews and the Roman military garrison of Judaea was quickly overrun by the rebels, while the pro-Roman king Agrippa II, together with Roman officials, fled Jerusalem.

When it was clear that the rebellion was getting out of control, Cestius Gallus, the legate of Syria, brought in the Syrian army, based on Legion XII Fulminata and reinforced by auxiliary troops, to restore order and quell the revolt. This response fulfills parts of what Jesus described in Matthew 24. However, in spite some initial advances and conquest of Jaffa, the Syrian Legion was ambushed and defeated by Jewish rebels at the Battle of Beth Horon with 6,000 Romans massacred.

During 66 AD the Judean Free Government was formed in Jerusalem and High Priest Ananus ben Ananus began reinforcing the city, with Yosef Ben Gurion as another prominent leader in charge. Yosef ben Matityahu was appointed the rebel commander in Galilee and Elazar ben Hananiya as the commander in Edom. Later, in Jerusalem, an attempt by Menahem ben Yehuda, leader of the Sicarii, to take control of the city failed. He was executed and the remaining Sicarii were ejected from the city. Then Simon bar Giora, a charismatic, but radical peasant leader, was also expelled by the new government called the Judean Free Government.

The Roman Counterattack

Then Vespasian, an experienced and unassuming general, was given the task of crushing the rebellion in the Judaea province. His son Titus was appointed as second-in-command. Given four legions and assisted by forces of King Agrippa II, Vespasian invaded Galilee in 67 AD. Avoiding a direct attack on the reinforced city of Jerusalem, which was defended by the main

The Roman Assault on Jerusalem

Rebel force, the Romans launched a persistent campaign to eradicate rebel strongholds and punish the population. Within several months, Vespasian and Titus took over the major Jewish strongholds of Galilee and finally overran Jodapatha, which was under the command of Yosef ben Matitiyahu. Driven from Galilee, Zealot rebels and thousands of refugees arrived in Jerusalem, creating political turmoil. Confrontation between the mainly Sadducee Jerusalemites and Zealot factions in the area erupted into bloody violence.

With Idumeans entering the city and fighting by the side of the Zealots, the former high priest, Ananus ben Ananus, was killed and his faction suffered severe casualties. Simon Bar Giora, commanding 15,000 militiamen, was then invited into Jerusalem by the Sadducee leaders to stand against the Zealots and quickly took control over much of the city. Bitter infighting between factions lasted through the year 69. After a lull in the military operations, owing to civil war and political turmoil in Rome, Vespasian was called to Rome and appointed as Emperor in 69.

With Vespasian's departure, Titus moved to besiege the center of rebel resistance in Jerusalem in early 70. The first two walls of Jerusalem were breached within three weeks, but a stubborn rebel standoff prevented the Roman Army from breaking the third and thickest wall. Following a brutal seven-month siege, during which Zealot infighting resulted in burning of the entire food supplies of the city, the Romans finally succeeded in breaching the defenses of the weakened Jewish forces in the summer of 70. This introduced the end of that age – of which we are given a description here in Revelation.

Aelia Capitolina

In the 2nd Century, one Hadrian began to rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city (and what today is known as the Old City today). He renamed it “Aelia Capitolina” in 135 CE. We’ll stop there on the history of the place. We’ll, in accordance with the contents of Revelation 8, the Roman Assault on Jerusalem begins around the Feast of Trumpets and therefore we have the Seven Trumpets of Revelation—aka, the beginning of the Jewish War.

So let me start tying some of this verbiage in Revelation 8 with the historical record of the Jewish Roman war. In A.D. 66 while Judea was aflame in bloodshed, riot and revolt, Rome sent in their 12th legion in addition to thousands of auxiliaries from neighboring kingdoms. These troops, as if orchestrated by God, arrived in Jerusalem in the Jewish month of Tishri, a month that begins with the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets marked the beginning of ten days of consecration and repentance before God.

The Feast of Trumpets

It is one of seven Jewish feasts or festivals appointed by the LORD and one of three feasts that occur in the autumn. The Feast of Trumpets began on the first day (at the new moon) of the seventh month. Its name comes from the command to blow trumpets (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1-6). It is also called Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the Year,” because it marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. During this celebration, no kind of work was to be performed, but burnt offerings and a sin offering were to be brought before the Lord.

In Leviticus, the words trumpet blasts are a translation of the Hebrew word teruah, which means “a shout” or “a blowing.” It appears that the shofar (ram’s horn) was to be blown at this time, as it was on the other new moons (Psalm 81:3). Jewish tradition indicates that both the ram’s horn and the priestly silver horns (hazozerah) were used in the Feast of Trumpets. Now this was an important Feast for several reasons. First, it commemorated the end of the agricultural and festival year. Remember Jesus saying that great is the harvest but the laborers are few. This is so perfectly consistent with the reaching to the House of Israel with the Good News and the end of that harvest all together.

Also, the Day of Atonement fell on the tenth day of this month, and the Festival of Booths began on the fifteenth day. The blowing of the trumpets on first day of the month heralded a solemn time of preparation for the Day of Atonement; this preparation time was called “Ten Days of Repentance” or the “Days of Awe.” The trumpet sound was an alarm of sorts and can be understood as a call to introspection and repentance. The Feast of Trumpets, along with the other six festivals of the LORD, foreshadowed certain aspects of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

The Symbolism of Trumpets in Biblical Prophecy

The prophets linked the blowing of trumpets to the future Day of Judgment:

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1 and also Zephaniah 1:14, 16).

The Trumpet in the New Testament

In the New Testament, we see that the Lord’s Second Coming will be accompanied by the sound of a trumpet. Remember that 1st Corinthians 15 is Paul talking all about the Resurrection. And after doing so, he says something really interesting to his audience then and there. What does he say?

Paul's Revelation in Corinthians and Thessalonians

Turn to it with me. He says

1 Corinthians 15:51 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

I emphatically reassert that Paul was writing to believers then and there, and that for this epistle to be true what he said here in verses 51-52 had to have happened or else the “mystery” Paul showed them was a lie, he was wrong, and therefore everything he said was wrong. But he wasn’t. The mystery that he said he would show them, that “We would not all sleep but we would all be changed” happened. And the ONLY way it could and would have happened would have been IF Jesus had returned as promised.

Therefore, we know that the contents of the Seven trumpets – and all that they describe – have direct application to that day and age and NOT to ours.

Adding direct fuel to that fire Paul wrote in 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 something very similar and if what he wrote in that epistle was not realized then Paul was wrong. But he wasn’t wrong in what he said, which was:

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (for Paul to write this implies the fact that some WOULD be alive unto the coming of the Lord – or, again, Paul would have been wrong.) Then he adds
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

The Seven Trumpets and Final Judgment

Each of the judgments in Revelation chapters 8-9 are signaled by a trumpet. Just as the “shofar” called the Jewish nation to turn their attention to the Lord and ready themselves for the Day of Atonement, so will the “trump of God” call all to heaven (as it were) and warn the world of coming judgment here in Revelation. Remember, this was called “the Day of Judgment,” in ancient Israel and it is on this day that trumpets sound the days of atonement and final judgment according to Leviticus 23:24 and Numbers 29:1.

It is really important to know that trumpets were used by both the Ancient Jewish world, the modern Jewish world of that day, and the Roman military in order to sound an attack and rally troops for war. In fact, all seven of the “plagues” that we are going to read about were announced by a literal, audible trumpet sound. Therefore the symbolic use of trumpets in Revelation 8 was also literal in that an actual trumpet blast marked the start of several notable battles, with the war itself beginning on the Feast of Trumpets.

Hard to get more on the nose than this when it comes to interpretation. So let’s hit verses 1-6

1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

The half hour in which an Angel Lights Incense at the Altar in vs. 1-4 Appears to be linked to the Miraculous

The Supernatural Light at the Temple Altar in A.D. 66

Half Hour of Light at the Temple Altar in A.D. 66. This would correspond directly to the COI standing before Sinai when Moses ascended to receive the law. A period of peace before the rumblings and lighting. It also pictures an event that occurred in Jerusalem in 66 AD which was reported by Josephus.

According to what he said I think we are able to conclude that the heavenly events of vs. 1-3 are supernaturally mirrored on earth in the following miracle he describes, saying:

“on the eighth day of the month Nisan, and at the ninth hour of the night, so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time; which lasted for half an hour.” Again, a historical, literal report that fundamentally reflects the text of the book of Revelation here in chapter 8. Apparently, the period when the light shone for a half an hour around the temple in Josephus’ day was the time when activity in heaven included what is described in verse 2-3

Heavenly Events Mirrored on Earth

2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

Here we are brought back to something we read about when we were in Chapter 6 of Revelation – the prayers of all the Saints going up like incense to the throne of God. The prayers mentioned in v. 4 are those which Jesus mentioned in Luke 18:7-8: “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

We read in chapter 6 that when the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

The prayers that ascended to God in v. 4 are, in my opinion, the same prayers for vengeance, which, verse 4 describes as:

4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

Signs of the Presence of God

Verse 5 and 6: 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightening and an earthquake. 6Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

We come to some fascinating connections here as the Book of Revelation literally brings so many things full circle that we have read about in scripture. Let’s first go back to Genesis when God descended on Mt. Sinai. There was also fire, smoke, thunder, rumblings, lightning and an earthquake according to Exodus 19:16.

Exodus 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Exodus 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

The Lightening and Earthquake of v. 5 are signs of the Presence of God in the world. Psalm 18:6-14 shows that when God was said to come on the Clouds in Judgment on a Nation, He did so in the Glory Cloud. When the next the angel at the altar hurled the burning censor to the ground in v. 5 it caused fire, smoke, thunder, rumblings, lightning and earthquake–all signs of the presence of God in the Glory Cloud. In Psalm 18:6-14 when God is also present in the Glory Cloud it is a direct sign that He comes on the clouds in judgment on a nation.

Listen to what it says: “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my

Interconnections of God's Presence in Nature

Voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

All of this is interconnected with Exodus which is interconnected with the end times for the age of the Nation of Israel described here in Revelation 8-9.

Not only does the fire, smoke, thunder, lightning, and earthquake mentioned in v. 5 imply God’s presence on the Glory Cloud, it also implies God’s presence in the clouds in judgment as shown in Psalm 18:6-14. Therefore, when Revelation 8:5 mentions fire, smoke, thunder, rumblings, lightning, and an earthquake before the sounding of the seven trumpets, this suggests that God—or more specifically Christ—was to come on the clouds in judgment which would initiate the Jewish Roman war.

Signals of God’s Presence and Judgment

One thing I’ve never heard of any Preterist discuss is why in scripture – Exodus, Psalms, Revelation, and other places is God’s presence known through elements of nature? Why are “fire, smoke, thunder, rumblings, lightning and earthquakes” indicative signals of God’s presence and judgment? Surely such things evince power – this is obvious – and most of it in our eyes represents the power to kill and destroy.

We have also noted lightning around the throne of God in heaven, according to John, but this was seen in vision and could have just been representational. I personally believe that there is a reason why there is fire, smoke, thunder, rumblings, lightning, and earthquakes as the person of God approximates more closely to the things of this world. They two – God and material – are wholly incongruent with one another. In other words, I don’t think the material things of earth and the kosmos have an ability to exist or thrive in God’s presence without there being some sort of destruction occurring as a result – atmospheric disturbances, shaking of earth, fires of consumable matter, etc.

The Nature of God’s Power

We tend to think that the things of this world – from sin to flesh, etc. are obliterated by Him because He is angry and hates things. The longer I live the more I see God as a force that cannot be approached by anything that is based on these environs, a sort of flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven gig. Anything – all things – whatever that is alien to God’s realm will be destroyed – has to be – not by angry punishment but by His perfection meeting with the imperfections of materialism.

I mean, what was it about Mt Sinai that would cause it to shake, and burn and smoke? Did it sin? Or was it merely fallen material in the presence of God? This leads us to the all familiar point I make often at CAMPUS which is discussed in Hebrews 12.

Since there has been an end to “that” age, and since we are living in a new age, I think it is vital for all people to really comprehend what will go with us when we pass from this material life, and when we do we can then focus on what to make our absolute priorities in life.

Reflections from Hebrews

Speaking of the age to come, the writer of Hebrews hearkens back to Sinai and uses it to describe what will happen in the near future (which is described here in Revelation 8 and 9). In the first verses, the writer encourages his readers to stay faithful, and to be diligent so as not to “fail the grace of God” (that is how it is put in the King James). Then, at verse this is what the writer of Hebrews continues to say:

NOW LISTEN TO THIS, DANG IT! It plays right into what is happening here in Revelation 8-9!

Hebrews 12:18

For ye are not come

The Heavenly Jerusalem and Divine Assembly

Unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

Removable and Unshakable Things

And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

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