Trumpet Call Of Judgement, Trumpet Call Of Victory

Take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to Revelation chapter 8. Revelation chapter 8. You follow as I read beginning in verse 6. Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. And the fifth angel blew his trumpet and I saw a star falling from heaven to earth. And he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.

He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit and from the shaft rose smoke, like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it They will long to die but death will flee from them In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle Their heads were what looked like crowns of gold Their faces were like human faces, their hair like woman's hair, and their teeth like lion's teeth.

They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their powers to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as the king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to come. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet and they heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates So the four angels who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year were released to kill a third of mankind.

The number of mounted troops was twice 10,000 times 10,000. I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them. They wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur. And the heads of the horses were like lion's heads. And fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. by these three plagues a third of mankind was killed but by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths for the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails for their tails are like serpents with with heads and by means of them they wound 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, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Let's pray. Father, we now come to this part of your word that is intended to reveal the lordship of jesus and the triumph that he has for us we are in this book that seeks to give us hope in the midst of oppression and seduction would you do that today help us to understand this so that we will live now lives that reflect the glory of our God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Now, Father, we come to you asking you to work, illumine the text of Scripture to us that we might understand and live for you. we pray this now for the sake of the name of the one who redeemed us Amen the crystal clear voice of a trumpet is a stunning and inspiring sound it arouses different emotions and it communicates so many different messages when you hear taps in the cemetery you have sadness because it signals the laying to rest of someone in the earth and yet it can also arouse in us feelings of patriotism as a sailor or soldier is laid to rest. A particular sound from the trumpet on battlefields of the past signaled or ordered men to charge and another sound would call them to retreat.

In the Old Testament, the sound of the trumpet might announce the coming of God in splendor and glory as the sounds of trumpets were heard at Mount Sinai. It might summon the people of Israel to assemble before the Lord in a holy assembly as it did often around the tabernacle. It would proclaim a great victory against some enemy. It would sound an alarm.

It was used to herald the coronation of a king. And there is yet one trumpet call that no one has heard. It's the call of the trumpet when Jesus returns in victory to the earth. But here we are in Revelation chapter 8. with its vision of the trumpets. What do these trumpet blasts mean? What is God communicating with the sounding of these trumpets?

Well, before we dive into that, let's kind of get the big picture first, shall we? Let's see how these trumpets fit. Let's see how these seven trumpets fit within the text of Revelation. We see the first four trumpets in chapter 8, verses 6 through 12. And then we see two trumpets of woe trumpets 5 and 6 from chapter 8 verse 13 to chapter 9 verse 21 And then before the seventh trumpet is sounded we have an interlude Just like there was an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals so there an interlude between the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet The first interlude, or the first part of the interlude, reveals to us an angel with a scroll.

And then in chapter 11, we're introduced to the two witnesses. And then after that comes the seventh trumpet. So this is how these trumpets are laid out for us in this book. OK, now, again, we need to be reminded that this is apocalyptic literature. Please, we must always keep this in mind because it's apocalyptic literature. It was written with symbols.

It is highly symbolic. If you try to read it literally, then you're going to see a mountain on fire splashing into the ocean. You're going to, are we to think that there's going to be a star discovered and they're going to name it Wormwood and it's going to crash into the earth and foul a third of the springs of water. If you don't read it symbolically, you will miss the message that God intends to communicate.

We must always keep that in mind. The second thing we always have to remember is that this is not a chronological history. That is to say, the seven trumpets do not follow the seventh seal chronologically in history. Okay? It's not that the seven seals come and go, and then the trumpets start. We cannot think that way.

It merely follows the seals in the vision of this book and in the writing of this book. The trumpets happen at the same time as the seals. Remember, we call this recapitulation. That is to say, it covers the same ground, it covers the same age, it covers the same story from a different angle. It's telling us something different about the age in which we live.

It's happening at the same time as the seals, but it's giving us a different angle on the story. It's telling us something else. Now, if we're going to understand the trumpets, we need to get a general idea of what God communicates by using the symbol of the trumpets. We need to understand the basic idea of these trumpets. All right. First notice that the key to understanding the trumpets is to see that they are connected to plagues.

When a trumpet sounds, a plague comes upon the earth. With the blast of the first five trumpets, you see God unleash plagues on the earth that are reminiscent of the plagues that he visited on Egypt. Now that's key. That's very important to see. That these first five trumpets are connected to plagues that are reminiscent of the plagues that God unleashed on Egypt and on Pharaoh.

And in these plagues you find echoes of the first, the seventh, the eighth, and the ninth plagues. Okay? Now, if that's the case, Exodus is going to, to a certain degree, give us the setting of these trumpets and these plagues. Okay? So what I want you to do is turn to Exodus chapter 6. Exodus chapter 6.

Exodus 6, beginning in verse 1. But the Lord said to Moses, Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty. But by my name, the Lord, I did not make myself known to them.

I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves and I have remembered my covenant Say therefore to the people of Israel I am the Lord and I will bring you out of the land of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves and I have remembered my covenant Say therefore to the people of Israel I am the Lord and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for possession. I am the Lord. Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. All right? In Exodus chapter 6, here's what we see, that God hears the groaning of his people as they suffer under the hands of these oppressors, and he says, I am going to work mighty acts of judgment in order to bring about a deliverance of my people.

All right? Now turn over to the next chapter in Exodus. Chapter 7, beginning in verse 1. And the Lord said to Moses, See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you.

Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my host, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. Moses and Aaron did so. They did just as the Lord commanded. Now, God answers the groanings of his people with these plagues, which he says are what?

They are mighty acts of judgment. They will be used to harden Pharaoh's heart and to expose the hardness of his heart and the hearts of the Egyptians. and these plagues will provide the opportunity for God to demonstrate His glory as He accomplishes the victory of delivering His people out of the land Alright That all that going on with these plagues And so it is with the trumpets here in Revelation It is the same thing. The same thing is going on.

God has heard the groaning of His people. Right? In chapter 6, what did we read about? The martyrs under the altar calling out to God and saying, When will you avenge our blood? And then in chapter 8, we are introduced to the angel with the golden censer and the incense, which represents what? The prayers of the saints, both of the martyrs under the altar and the saints who are still on earth, who are crying out to God for deliverance from their oppressors and their seducers.

And so God works mighty acts of judgment in our age against our oppressors. those judgments harden the hearts and expose the hard-heartedness of our oppressors and the seducers of God's people and all of those plagues provide the stage for God to display his glory when he delivers his people as Jesus comes to establish his kingdom which is in the seventh trumpet in chapter 11. So you've got the picture. These are signs preceding our exodus.

All right. These are the mighty acts of God against our oppressors, against those who hate us, against those who are God's enemies. And they are signs or they are mighty acts of God intended to harden their hearts and expose their hardness and to show us that God is at work and he's going to deliver us. All right. Now, having said that, there's also a hint of Joshua chapter six in these trumpets.

I think it's on purpose, what we heard this morning. And that is the hint of the victory experienced at Jericho with all the trumpets. How many trumpets at Jericho, by the way? Seven, right? They marched around each day with the blast of the trumpets. Six blasts.

And then on the seventh day, seven blasts, and Jericho collapses. The victory is complete. So there also a hint of Joshua 6 in these trumpets All right now another thing you need to notice is that these judgments except for the seventh trumpet are restrained. They are limited judgments. You see the refrain over and over, a third of, a third of. That doesn't mean, he's not saying here by a third of, that if we were to take a count today, we would see that a third of the human population had been wiped out in some disaster.

All right. He's just using that as a metaphor, as a symbol of these judgments are restrained. All right. These judgments are restrained. They're not universal, at least not until the seventh one. Or as we saw in the six seals, right?

The sixth and the seventh seals, which talk about the final judgment, those are universal. Same thing here. The first six trumpets are limited. They're restrained. They're not universal. the seventh is because it's the final trumpet. And lastly, or not lastly, but you also need to see them occurring like the seven seals.

The seven trumpets are a series of calamities that occur again and again throughout the age. All right, you've got to remember this. These are not single and separate events, but woes that may be seen any day of the year in any part of the globe. Alright? So, when we come to this burning mountain splashing into the sea, it symbolizes something, but it's not one event.

It symbolizes things that are happening in this age. Alright? So, if we want to see how it plays out, it looks like this. Alright? There's the ascension of Jesus and the return of Jesus. And we see trumpets 1 through 6 occurring during this age.

These are God's providential judgments against idolatrous persecutors and the seducers in this age. Okay? Those are happening all through this age. They symbolize events that are occurring from the time that Jesus ascended to the time that Jesus returns. They're in the already. These are what are happening now.

But now the seventh trumpet is when Jesus comes and that has the final establishment of His kingdom. That is not yet. So we are seeing the six trumpets now. Seventh trumpet is yet in the future. Again, are already not yet of the book of Revelation. Now jot that down, quickly.

Jot it down quickly. The last slide I put up there, y'all were writing that down. I wonder if you even heard anything I said after that. So, you got it down. You see it. You don't need to stare at it.

You got it. You got the picture in your mind. Over. It's not that hard. It's not that hard. It's in your mind now.

You can go home this afternoon and draw that. I know you can. All right. So you see then, these aren't separate events that follow each other chronologically. These are calamitous things that happen throughout the age. Now the last thing we need to get, and this is very important.

It's been a constant theme in the book of Revelation. Here again is heaven's perspective on the events of this age. This is heaven's perspective on the events of this age. Okay? Not our perspective. Right?

Heaven's perspective. Keep this thought in mind as you read the book of Revelation. Here's a thought you need to keep in mind. Jesus has been raised from the dead, right? And it proves that he is Lord of all and has authority over all the earth, right? As a Christian going through persecution, or as us, Christians who live in that whore, the great Babylon, being seduced by all the materialism and everything in our culture, as we look around, we may be tempted to say, Jesus is Lord of all?

Where do you see that? Right? That's because we don't have heaven's perspective. the trumpets announcing these plagues announce the lordship of Jesus Christ because the events of this age depicted by the trumpets come from where? right? where the seals came from from the throne of the Lamb this is heaven's perspective on the lordship of Jesus this is not the world spinning out of control right? these are plagues being visited by this people's lord preparing them for their exodus.

That heaven perspective on the events that are going on in this world So here the bottom line Jesus wants you to understand that He judges our persecutors and seducers, preparing us for the victory of our deliverance and the mighty display of His glory. Just like in the plagues of Egypt, Just like in the plagues of Egypt, he is judging those who oppress his people. And those plagues are leading us to the great victory of our deliverance and the display of the glory of God, just like with the plagues in Egypt.

So as long as you keep the plagues in Egypt in mind, you will understand these trumpets. You'll understand what's happening in this part of the book of Revelation. alright you know I worry about sermons like this you know that you know me I could get up and be a talking head and just teach and yammer on forever and we'd go into a whole lot more detail and it's like is this preaching or not well I don't know but at least you know what's going on now now let's get into it alright see the precursors of our victory or our exodus. See the precursors of our exodus in the judgments of God.

Alright? First of all, see the precursor of victory in the first trumpet. 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. The blast of the first trumpet brings hail and fire.

Fire here meaning lightning. hail and fire or lightning, referring to the seventh plagues, hail and fire, and blood, which is a reference to the first plague of bloody water in Egypt. This is a judgment against the land and the vegetation that results in famine. Now again, note, it is restrained. It is limited. It doesn destroy everything in the earth but it produces famine in many parts of the earth Look around today and what do you see I mean could we honestly say a third of the world's population is malnourished and suffering?

I would here tell you today it's more than a third. It's more than a third. There's famine striking all around the globe. A generation ago, when I was a kid, it was Ethiopia. That was the big famine that everyone... Now it's South Sudan and Chad and Zimbabwe.

All right? Now there are other places in the world. Africa seems to be the one that struggles the most. But there are places in Asia that are suffering famine. But this is the famine. And notice, it is not worldwide.

And that's obvious just by looking at you. you aren't suffering in a famine and you're saying oh yeah well neither are you i'll grant you that i will grant you that it is restrained it is limited but the tragedy is that there is famine in this world and it comes from the throne of the lamb it is not it is not merely because of bad economics or dictators that steal food from their people's mouth it is the judgment of god against our oppressors. It is a judgment of God against His enemies. Like the first plagues on Egypt, these are aimed at the oppressors and seducers of God's people.

Now, there's something that we need to understand if we're going to understand this, and that is, this book identifies those oppressors and those seducers as those who dwell on the earth. Okay? I want you to take just a moment with me now and see that this phrase is used throughout the book. And it's referring to those who are the idolaters of this age, who have not trusted in their lamb, but have given themselves over to idolatry.

So get your fingers going, because we're going to go through a bunch of passages, because I want you to see this. All right? Chapter 3. Chapter 3, verse 10. That there is this hour of trial that's coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. Chapter 6, verse 10.

How long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth Chapter 6 verse 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and so forth called upon the rocks to fall upon them Chapter 8 verse 13 Whoa whoa whoa to those who what Dwell on the earth Chapter 11 verse 10 the nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice at the death of the two witnesses chapter 13 verse 8 and all who dwell on the earth will worship it okay speaking of of of the beast and so forth and then verse chapter 13 verse 12 it exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants. Drop down to verse 14. It deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast.

All right. Chapter 17, verse 8. The beast that you saw was and is not and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life are going to marvel at him and worship him. Okay? Chapter 17, verse 18.

And the woman that you saw is the great city and has dominion over the kings of the earth. Okay? Chapter 18, verse 3. For all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed an immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich. Up at verse 9 of chapter 18. And the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her.

Verse 11, and the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her since no one buys their cargo anymore. Verse 11, I just did verse 11. Verse 23, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth. And then chapter 19 verse 19 where it talks about the kings of the earth who battle against Jesus. So I hope you got the picture. Those who dwell on the earth is a what?

A code name for unbelievers, for idolaters, for all those whose names aren't written in the book of life, for those who follow the beast. All those are God's enemies. They are the ones who dwell on the earth. That is to say, why does he use that term? Because I think what he's saying is they're at home in the present world order. They're men. earthbound vision.

They trust in earthly security. Their whole life is bound up on this earth. There is no horizon greater than the one on the earth. Everything, everything is here and now. Those are the oppressors and seducers of the people of God. They have no heavenly vision.

They have no heavenly perspective. Their vision is total limit of the earth. Their security is here and all that's about it. And I think that's important because the plagues are visited on them. Right? In the midst.

So, these plagues are visited on those whose security is in this earth. So what does God do to judge them? He takes their food away. Right? Now, with the plagues in mind, keep this in mind. Have you noticed that with the famines that strike the world, there is no great turning to the Lord Jesus, is there? you would think that with famine striking people would turn to God but they don't why not? because like the plagues of Egypt they're hardening their hearts disaster causes them not to turn to God but to harden their hearts someone might say to me wait a minute God's people live in those lands that are struck with these famine plagues so how is it aimed against our enemies?

Good question. And here's what I would say. Because God's people are not at home in the present world order. You are not earthbound people. You are not trusting in earthly security. If famine strikes you, you don't despair.

Because unlike the earth dwellers, you know that man does not live by bread alone. But by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Right? So these are against, these are aimed against our oppressors. and even if you live in those nations where the plagues fall, they're not aimed at you. Because you don't harden your heart. And you don't despair.

Right? So here we go. As you look at this plague upon the earth dwellers, remember, as you look at famine, you know what you ought to be thinking? There is a sign of our exodus. God is visiting a plague. and that means he going to deliver us That what you need to be thinking when you see that around the world We see precursor of victory in the second trumpet The sound of the second trumpet brings us a vision of a mountain on fire that splashes into the sea, killing one-third of the sea creatures and destroying one-third of the shipping commerce on the seas, All of this a reference to the first plague of Egypt with its bloody waters.

Now if we're going to understand this, we need to see this picture of a burning mountain. And we see this clearest in Jeremiah chapter 51. So turn to Jeremiah 51. Jeremiah 51, look at verse 24. I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the Lord. Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the Lord, which destroys the whole earth.

I will stretch out my hand against you and roll you down from the crags and make you a burnt mountain. No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, declares the Lord. Set up a standard on the earth. Blow the trumpet among the nations. Prepare the nations for war against her. Summon against her the kingdoms, Ararat, Mini, and Ashkanez.

Appoint a marshal against her. Bring up horses like bristling locusts. A mountain that's burning is an object of judgment, not the agent of judgment. So when you see this burning mountain splashing into the sea, and it's killing one-third of living creatures, and it's destroying one-third of shipping commerce. It's not that it's the agent of judgment. It is the object of judgment.

It's a burning mountain because it is the object of God's judgment. To be precise, it is Babylon in Jeremiah, which ought to bring something to our minds. What is it? There's a Babylon in the book of Revelation, isn't there not? Is there not? We see that in chapter 17 and 18.

John means that the great whore Babylon is going to be judged. Rome will be judged But again remembering that this book is not just addressed to those people but to all those who live in this age I believe that he saying that it describes the entire age It means the fall of any great nation. Produces these kind of calamitous things. When a great nation falls, it produces famine.

The death of the sea creatures is describing famine conditions. you ever thought about nations who rely on their fishing what would happen what happens when there's a a great kill what would happen to japan right he's talking about famine here and when a great nation falls its commerce is disrupted referring to the ships here its commerce is and you can see this clearly in the 18th chapter of this book i want you to turn there he's giving us a foreshadowing here chapter 18 verse 11 and the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her that's babylon since no one buys their cargo anymore cargo of gold silver jewels pearls fine linen purple cloth silk scarlet cloth all kinds of scented wood all kinds of articles of ivory all kinds of articles of costly wood bronze iron and marble cinnamon spice incense myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, and sheep, horses, and chariots, and slaves, that is human souls. That's quite a list of prosperity. If you want to make Babylon contemporary, cars, computers, cell phones, all those things, put those in there.

Put those in there. And I think that's a legitimate thing to do. Notice, the fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and all your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again. The merchants of these wares who gain wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud. Alas, alas for the great city that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels and with pearls, for in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.

And all the shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning alas for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth For in a single hour she been laid waste What John saying here Commerce is disrupted. Now again, look around and see. When Rome fell, what happened?

Was there famine? Was commerce disrupted? Let me ask you this. When the Third Reich fell in 1945, was there famine? Yeah. Was commerce disrupted?

Europe would have starved to death if it hadn't been for this country. Right? Talk about wealth being destroyed. Wealth was destroyed in a matter of just a few years of a very prosperous part of the world completely wiped out when the Third Reich fell. But again, but again, you do not see a great turning to God because the plagues harden hearts. You know what happened as I studied this?

This is the thought that occurred to me. We should not necessarily expect a revival in America, which in my opinion is a modern incarnation of that great whore Babylon. We should not expect a revival if this country crashes and burns. don't expect it. God may grant it. God may grant it, but don't expect it. Because typically when plagues fall, hearts are hard.

But God's people, and again, this is where the rubber meets the roads for us American citizens. God's people should not be distressed and disturbed Because as the book of Hebrews says, therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And thus, let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. And so, as God's enemies are judged, we don't need to be distressed because our kingdom is an unshakable one.

It will not fall. It will not fall. We can see the precursor of victory now in the third trumpet. The third angel blew. 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 stars wormwood a third of the waters became wormwood and many people died from the water because it had been made bitter the third trumpet shows us a star called wormwood falling from heaven blazing like a torch and fouling one third of the earth's fresh water, with the result that many die from it.

This is an echo, again, of the first plague in Egypt. Now, there are important pictures that come to mind with the use of bitterness. Wormwood and bitterness is a theme throughout Scripture. Let's just look at three passages from the same writer that used these images. Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 9.

Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 13 and the Lord says because they have forsaken my law that I set before them and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals as their fathers taught them therefore thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel behold I will feed this people with bitter food and give them poisonous water to drink I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known and I will send the sword after them until I've consumed them this is the bitter food this is the poisonous drink it's the affliction and the bitterness and the bitter suffering that comes from the judgment of God look over chapter 23 chapter 23 beginning in verse 13 in the prophets of samaria i saw an unsavory thing they prophesied by bail and led my people israel astray but in the prophets of jerusalem i've seen a horrible thing They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers so that no one turns from his evil. All of them have become like Sodom to me and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.

Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, Behold I will feed them with bitter food and give them poisoned water to drink For from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land Once more the bitter suffering resulting from the judgment of God Lastly, the book of Lamentations. The book of Lamentations, written after the destruction of Jerusalem. When you read this book, think of Jeremiah sitting on a hill, looking over the smoldering ruins of a once great city, now completely destroyed, and its people gone.

And in chapter 3, verse 15, he says this, He, that is God, has filled me with bitterness. He has sated me with wormwood. It's a herb. Wormwood is a bitter herb that would make water and things bitter. He has sated me with wormwood. Verse 19, remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall. this represents severe affliction resulting from divine wrath so John here in Revelation chapter 8 speaks of the bitter suffering resulting from God's judgment bitterness that even leads to death dear friends look and you see this plague all around you you see bitter suffering all around you suffering that leads to death do you realize that the third leading cause of death among teenagers is suicide.

And do you also realize that for every successful suicide, there are 25 unsuccessful attempts? Have you thought about that? Not just the third leading cause being suicide, but that for every successful one, there are 25 unsuccessful attempts. What is that all about? I'll tell you what it's all about. The more a culture sinks into sin, the more the suffering that results the more bitterness there is bitterness that leads to death that is a plague you know what you just have to go to work tomorrow and see that plague washing over the assembly lines where you work am I right the bitter suffering of people who have given themselves over to sin but it doesn't affect us God's people have been delivered from sin Romans chapter 6 but now that you been set free from sin and have become slaves to God the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end eternal life But remember again, again, keep this in mind, the bitter suffering you see all around you is a sign of your eventual exodus. it's a sign of your eventual victory and the deliverance that will come when Jesus returns now there's the last trumpet we're going to look at today it's the fourth trumpet verse 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 the 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 now again these are difficult passages if you look at them symbolically all right and yet we've heard of darkness already in this book we find it in chapter 6 and here's what i would would say to you look at chapter 6 verse 12 when darkness descends like this it's a sign of judgment is it not isn't that what we saw in chapter 6 in the sixth seal the sixth seal describing what's going to happen when jesus returns and people don't want to face the wrath of the lamb verse 12 of chapter 6 when he opened the sixth seal i looked and behold there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth the full moon became like blood and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale the sky vanished like a scroll that's being rolled up and every mountain and island was removed from its place now that's describing the final judgment when jesus comes and it's describing sun almost something like total darkness right The sun quits shining, the moon's blood, the stars all fall from the sky.

Again, symbolic language, talking about the darkness of that final judgment. So I think this, that darkness, is a reference to the final darkness and the terror that overtakes those idolaters in chapter 6. But here, what does he say? It's one-third darkness. in this plague unbelievers already are already to a certain degree experiencing the darkness and feeling the terror of that final terror and judgment that going to come Only partially.

Only partially. Now when you look at your unbelieving friends, do you not sense some terror in their lives do you not sense some of this I think what's happening is they have a foretaste of the terror that they're going to experience when they face the Lamb the wrath of the Lamb Revelation chapter 6 the darkness that they see in their lives the terror that they experience in their lives is a taste of what it's going to be like when they face the Lamb in judgment. Isn't that a horrible thing to contemplate?

For some of you, some of you remember the terror of your pre-Christian life. Not terror of the Lamb necessarily, but just that sense of terror that comes into your life. Now those of us who are Christians have been Christians for a long time. That's just not a part of our life anymore. But I would suggest to you that all terror, all terror is a foretaste of what's going to happen.

All darkness is a foretaste of that final darkness. But again, you feel no terror of that day because you are not in the darkness, for you are children of the light. As you see the terror and the darkness that stalks the very steps of those around you, I'll say it again, be reminded that it's a sign of God's victory when he delivers us. So, look around and you will see plagues.

But my friends, let me say to you who have given yourselves to Jesus, when you see those plagues, you ought to have hope. you ought to have hope. You are not living in a world spinning out of control. The events in this world are revealing the Lordship of Jesus. And He is the Lord of all. the plagues that afflict his enemies. But always remember, just like Israel in Egypt, those plagues are preparing us for our deliverance.

They are the signs that God will someday display his glory. And the plagues have run their course. some of you are sitting here who have never believed some of the things I've said today you know first hand but I would also say this to you although the plagues are going to harden hearts it doesn't mean that your heart has to be hard because the rest of the scriptures tell us that God is gracious and He's holding out His hand to you. Don't make any excuse that God is hardening my heart today.

Don't use that as an excuse. When you stand before Jesus, those words will never escape from your mouth because you will fall down in front of Him in terror and you'll be asking yourself, why didn't I believe when I had the chance? I say to you this morning, the plagues described here should wake you up. They should wake you up because they are a sign that Jesus is going to return and take his people You need to listen carefully and you need to repent and to cast everything that you are and everything that you have on you.

Christian, there is no reason for despair and a dismal attitude in this world. What we see happening are the signs of our victory. Father, we thank you that your word opens up the world to us, that we get heaven's perspective. Help us, we pray now, to live with that perspective in mind. Lord, with this perspective, we have no right to be complaining, whining people. our lives should magnify hope in this dark world because we know what's going on and we know that victory is in the wings.

Help us to be people of hope then as we look and see the plagues preparing for the victory. Thank you for Jesus, our Lord, who is the victor. Amen.