Revelation 3

Revelation 8-11

Objective: 

• Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets

• 7 Trumpets

• The Mighty Angel with the Little Book

• John Eats the Little Book

• The Two Witnesses

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• HEMY
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)
  

Reading:

• Revelation 8
• Revelation 9
• Revelation 10
• Revelation 11

Key verse(s):

"And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand" Revelation 8:4

Comments:

• The word translated “Revelation” means “unveiling.
• The verb simply means “to uncover, to reveal, to make manifest.”
• Apocalypse = Revelation = unveiling = uncover = to make manifest
• The author is St. John the Beloved

• Author	St. John the Beloved
  Place	Patmos during exile
  Date	96 AD
  Theme	The things which are things which you have seen the things which will take place after this
  Key verse	Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this-1:19

• The 7th Seal leads to the seven Trumpets
• Trumpets = Warnings
  • Trumpets were used in old times to warn the people in the city against the enemies
  • Warnings to alert people not to destroy

• 

• Ch.8

  • V.1: We can't know how long the half-hour is as it is in Heaven. The heavenly creatures stopped praising for some time until God declared His final judgment (7th Seal). But then God extends the time on earth for repentance by sending another 7 warnings (Trumpets)

  • V.2: "were given seven trumpets" signifies that all things are done by and through God Himself

  • V.4: Smoke of incense + prayers of saints: A request of mercy and forgiveness. The angel offered incense as to intercede for the people before the Trumpets

  • Only 'thirds' were destroyed. This is God's warning in our lives. Not all is destroyed, but only a third to warn us

  • First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck

    • A third of trees and grass are burnt. Signifies famines

  • Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck

    • "a great mountain burning with fire" = a great ungodly leader causing wars
    • Symbolizes a great nation that caused a great war and then that nation fell into the sea and killed a third of the creatures

  • Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck

    • "a great star fell from heaven" = a big famous religious figure
    • This signifies a big leader leading to a big heresy leading to many people following a wrong dogma
    • "Wormwood" is very bitter. This is the result and taste of heresies
    • "Bitter war" The teachings were false and wrong. Destroyed the people. Looks like normal/good water, but leads to death

  • Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck

    • This signifies that people will start to doubt their Faith in Christ, His Church, and the saints
    • "a third of the sun" = The image of Christ the "Sun of Righteousness" is distorted
    • a third of the moon" = The image of the Church  is distorted. Moon gets its light from the sun. Church gets her light from Christ 
    • "third of the stars" = People having doubts in God's leader and servants (Saints)
  • V.13: The last four Trumpts/warnings were tough. But the upcoming ones are harder to bear
    • The three woes will be discussed in the next chapter. The three woes are more linked to the time before the second coming
  • Ch.9
    • Fifth Trumpet = First woe
      • V.1-2: The devil was given authority to test the people after being somewhat released
      • "The Smoke of a Great Furnace" tough and hard ideas of the devil in his war
      • This should encourage us to grow in the word of God to be able to differentiate and combat his wars
      • The trumpet also included the locusts' attack.
      • V.4: The locusts were given clear instructions not to destroy anything "green" which symbolizes the faithful and righteous people
      • Grass < Green thing < Tree: Different righteous people with different levels of spirituality. God is protecting the beginners and strong in faith. The locusts only harm those who don't have the "seal"
      • V.5: Five months = 150 days. The same number of the flooding days at the time of Noah. Church Fathers look at this as if the locust will torment people for five months. This will torment them enough for them to request death and they won't get that rest. God wants His people to repent, but they request death over God.
      • V.7: Sins are lucrative in their looks
      • V.8: Woman's hair: attractive. Lions teeth in their strength that hurt badly
      • Abaddon & Apollyon = Destroyer
        • Satan and sins look lucrative and strong to appeal but they are "destroyers"
    • Sixth Trumpet= Second woe
      • Refer to the four angles mentioned in (Rev. 7:1-3). These four angles are still pausing and now they were given the order to release after the rights were "sealed"
      • River Euphrates in Babylon. Babylon is a symbol of sin in the Bible
      • This Trumpet is the first to affect humans
      • V.16: "Two hundred million" are the soldiers in the armies
      • We don't know the exact meaning of this war. But what we need to know is that this is a big war (200 Million) that will be linked to sin (Babylon) and will destroy 1/3 of the people who are not sealed. The reason for this is to repent!
      • V.21 shows that people still did not repent after all of this
  • Ch. 10:
    • V.1: St. John saw Christ. He described Him as an Angel as St. John couldn't clearly recognize Him in His glory. The rainbow is a sign of promise and compassion from Noah.
    • "little open book"
      • small = End of the world is near. This book has events less than the one in Ch.5 which was sealed (Scroll with 7 seals)
      • Not sealed: Because the righteous now know God's ways vs the devil's wars
    • V.3: After all the wars and warnings that happened. Christ appears as a strong roaring lion protecting His people
    • V.4: God instructed St. John to not write about the seven thunders as God did not want to declare them to us
    • V.5: Shows that God has authority over the land, sea, and heaven
    • V.9:
      • "Eat" means to know and understand to declare it to the people
      • "Sweet in the mouth": God's word is sweet and joyful
      • "Bitter stomach": Scholars said that this is because of the events St. John saw or because of the people's resistance to repentance. Also reading God's word reproaches us to repent
      • Most scholars agree that this "little book" is the Bible. This means we read, study, understand, and digest the Bible. This meaning was also mentioned in (Jer. 15:16, Ez. 1:1-3, Psalm 119:103)
      • Small book: The Bible is a small fraction of the things God declared to us and what we will learn in the Heavens
  • Ch. 11:
    •  V.1
      • Proof that we have an altar (vs other denominations) and that we have a spiritual altar (our hearts)
      • "Measure those who worship there" = measure their faith
    • 42 months = 3.5 years
      • This signifies a time of spiritual death
      • Elijah stopped the rain against Ahab for 3.5 years due to their sins
      • Daniel prophesied that someone (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) would stop the worship for 3.5 years. Defiled the Altar and stopped their worship.
      • In the NT, the holy city is not Jerusalem but the Church
      • V.2: There will be a period where the Church will be persecuted and defiled putting the believers under severe persecution. This is the time of the Anti-Christ. God allows these days to purify the righteous and test the strong vs weak in faith.
    • V.3:
      • God will send his helpers to help the righteous during this time of severe persecution. They will die before the end of this severe persecution.
        • 42 months of severe persecution = 1278 days
        • The two witnesses will be there for 1260 days
        • 18 days after they are dead - will be the end of persecution
    • V.5: some scholars say they will be in the same strength as Elijah or Elijah himself since he is not dead yet. The spiritual meaning: They will be as strong and spiritually strong as Elijah
    • V.6: The verse talks about Elijah and Moeses. Moses departed, but not Elijah. The two witnesses/olive trees/lampstands: will be spiritually strong like Moses and Elijah to strengthen the people during the time of persecution
    • V.8: Christ was not crucified in Egypt. Church Fathers commented saying this either many martyrs in Egypt (persecution against God's name) or as a symbol of sin (Egypt = Pride / Sodom = sexual immorality)
    • V.9: "Three-and-a-half days" is an incomplete number ( 7 is complete). This means that their dead bodies will be visible to everyone after they are dead to be proof for everyone that they are dead and see God's power after their resurrection
    • V.10: The two witnesses torment people with their words of repentance and exposing sin
    • V.12: The enemies saw them and released their great power
    • V.13: A tenth died from an earthquake. Another warning from God and not all perished. This shows God's mercy and His wait for repentance
    • Seventh Trumpet = Third woe

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. What do the trumpets symbolize and what do they remind you of in the Old Testament?
2. What does the fire from the altar symbolize?
3. “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth” What the Apostle did mean by “A star fell from heaven to the earth”?
4. Locusts have enough power to destroy any green things” Where else in the Holy Bible are locusts mentioned?
5. Who is that mighty angel and how does St. John describe Him?
6. “It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter”.
7. Why was the little book honey in his mouth and bitter in his stomach?
8. Who are the two witnesses and why are they called olive trees and lamp stands?
9. As expressed in the praise of the twenty-four elders, what had come? 

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. What was given to the seven angels in Chapter 8?
2. The star fell from Heaven and was given the key to:
   a) the Heavenly Kingdom b) Jerusalem c) the bottomless pit d) the earth
3. The tails of the locusts were like:
   a) scorpions b) serpents c) fire d) lions
4. The mighty angel had on his head:
   a) a crown b) a hat c) a cloud d) a rainbow
5. What did St. John do with the little book?
   a) read it b) wrote it c) ate it d) burned it
6. The two witnesses were given to prophesy for:
   a) 42 days b) 1260 days c) 3 and half days d) 1260 years