# Revelation 3

### <span style="background-color: #843fa1; color: #ecf0f1;">**Revelation 8-11**</span>

**Objective:**

- <span class="text Rev-8-1" id="bkmrk-seventh-seal%3A-prelud">Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets</span>
- <span class="text Rev-8-1">7 Trumpets</span>
- <span class="text Rev-10-1" id="bkmrk-the-mighty-angel-wit">The Mighty Angel with the Little Book</span>
- <span class="text Rev-10-8" id="bkmrk-john-eats-the-little">John Eats the Little Book</span>
- <span class="text Rev-11-1" id="bkmrk-the-two-witnesses">The Two Witnesses</span>

<span class="text Eccl-1-1" id="bkmrk-the-vanity-of-life"></span>

<span class="text 2Kgs-9-1" id="bkmrk-jehu-anointed-king-o"></span>

**Resources:**

- [Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary](https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21ABiBrSBsBvIg4yo&id=67000DBCF3EF5901%21538&cid=67000DBCF3EF5901)
- [Catena Bible Commentary](https://catenabible.com/rv/1)
- [HEMY](http://www.suscopts.org/diocese/bishop/bible-study/holy-book-of-revelation/)
- [Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhaYpHWNPoZSsD2DEVV6Sx14dRWmlQENj&si=IkGPseE5N9MdT48r)

**Reading:**

- Revelation 8
- Revelation 9
- Revelation 10
- Revelation 11

**Key verse(s):**

<span class="chapter-2"><span class="text Hos-11-1"><span class="text Joel-2-28">"And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand" </span></span></span>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
- <table width="703"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 209px;" width="209">Author
    
    </td><td style="width: 495px;" width="495">St. John the Beloved
    
    </td></tr><tr><td style="width: 209px;" width="209">Place
    
    </td><td style="width: 495px;" width="495">Patmos during exile
    
    </td></tr><tr><td style="width: 209px;" width="209">Date
    
    </td><td style="width: 495px;" width="495">96 AD
    
    </td></tr><tr><td style="width: 209px;" width="209">Theme
    
    </td><td style="width: 495px;" width="495">The things which are things which you have seen the things which will take place after this
    
    </td></tr><tr><td style="width: 209px;" width="209">Key verse
    
    </td><td style="width: 495px;" width="495">Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this-1:19
    
    </td></tr></tbody></table>
- 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
- [![image-1741457441277.png](https://service.strebekahorlando.org/uploads/images/gallery/2025-03/scaled-1680-/image-1741457441277.png)](https://service.strebekahorlando.org/uploads/images/gallery/2025-03/image-1741457441277.png)
- 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
    - <span class="text Rev-8-7" id="bkmrk-first-trumpet%3A-veget">**First Trumpet:** Vegetation Struck</span>
        
        
        - <span class="text Rev-8-7">A third of trees and grass are burnt. Signifies famines</span>
    - <span class="text Rev-8-8" id="bkmrk-second-trumpet%3A-the-">**Second Trumpet:** The Seas Struck</span>
        
        
        - <span class="text Rev-8-8">"a great mountain burning with fire" = a great ungodly leader causing wars</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-8">Symbolizes a great nation that caused a great war and then that nation fell into the sea and killed a third of the creatures</span>
    - <span class="text Rev-8-10" id="bkmrk-third-trumpet%3A-the-w">**Third Trumpet:** The Waters Struck</span>
        
        
        - <span class="text Rev-8-10">"a great star fell from heaven" = a big famous religious figure</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-10">This signifies a big leader leading to a big heresy leading to many people following a wrong dogma</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-10">"Wormwood" is very bitter. This is the result and taste of heresies</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-10">"Bitter war" The teachings were false and wrong. Destroyed the people. Looks like normal/good water, but leads to death</span>
    - <span class="text Rev-8-12" id="bkmrk-fourth-trumpet%3A-the-">**Fourth Trumpet:** The Heavens Struck</span>
        
        
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">This signifies that people will start to doubt their Faith in Christ, His Church, and the saints</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">"a third of the sun" = The image of Christ the "Sun of Righteousness" is distorted</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">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 </span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">"third of the stars" = People having doubts in God's leader and servants (Saints)</span>
    - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.13: The last four Trumpts/warnings were tough. But the upcoming ones are harder to bear</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">The three woes will be discussed in the next chapter. The three woes are more linked to the time before the second coming</span>
    - <span class="text Rev-8-12">**Ch.9**</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">**Fifth Trumpet** = First woe</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.1-2: The devil was given authority to test the people after being somewhat released</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">"The Smoke of a Great Furnace" tough and hard ideas of the devil in his war</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">This should encourage us to grow in the word of God to be able to differentiate and combat his wars</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">The trumpet also included the locusts' attack.</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.4: The locusts were given clear instructions not to destroy anything "green" which symbolizes the faithful and righteous people</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">Grass &lt; Green thing &lt; 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"</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">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.</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.7: Sins are lucrative in their looks</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.8: Woman's hair: attractive. Lions teeth in their strength that hurt badly</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">Abaddon &amp; Apollyon = Destroyer</span>
                - <span class="text Rev-8-12">Satan and sins look lucrative and strong to appeal but they are "destroyers"</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">**Sixth Trumpet**= Second woe</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">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"</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">River Euphrates in Babylon. Babylon is a symbol of sin in the Bible</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">This Trumpet is the first to affect humans</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.16: "Two hundred million" are the soldiers in the armies </span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">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!</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.21 shows that people still did not repent after all of this</span>
    - <span class="text Rev-8-12">Ch. 10:</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">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.</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">"little open book"</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">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)</span>
            - <span class="text Rev-8-12">Not sealed: Because the righteous now know God's ways vs the devil's wars</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.3: </span><span class="text Rev-8-12">After all the wars and warnings that happened. Christ appears as a strong roaring lion protecting His people</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.4: God instructed St. John to not write about the seven thunders as God did not want to declare them to us</span>
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">V.5: Shows that God has authority over the land, sea, and heaven</span>
        - 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
        - <span class="text Rev-8-12">**Seventh Trumpet** = Third woe</span>

**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*

<div class="pointer-container" id="bkmrk-%C2%A0"><div class="pointer anim is-page-editable"><svg class="svg-icon" data-icon="link" role="presentation" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"></svg><div class="input-group inline block"> <button class="button outline icon" data-clipboard-target="#pointer-url" title="Copy Link" type="button"><svg class="svg-icon" data-icon="copy" role="presentation" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"></svg></button></div><svg class="svg-icon" data-icon="edit" role="presentation" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"></svg></div></div>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