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:

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 the Heaven. The heavenly creatures stopped praising for sometime until God declares 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 incese + prayers of saints: A request of mercy and forgivness. The angel offered incese as to intereced 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 ungoldy leader causing wars
  - Symbolizes a great nation that caused a great war and then that nation fell in the sea and kileed a third of the creatures
- Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck
  - "a great star fell from heaven" = a big famous religous figure
  - Signifies a big leader leading to a big heresy leading to many people following a wrong dogma
  - "Wormwood" very bitter. This is the resuly and taste of heresies
  - "Bitter war" The teachings were false and wrong. Destoryed the poeple. Looks like normal/good water, but leads to death
- Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck
  - Signifies that poeple will start to doubt the Faith in Christ, His Church, and the saints
  - "third of the sun" = The image of Christ the "Sun of Righoutsness" is distorted
  - a third of the moon" = The image of the Church is distorted. Moon gets its light from sun. Church gets her light from Christ
  - "third of the stars" = People haing doubts in God's leader and servants (Saints)
- V.13: The last four Trumpts/warning were tough. But the upcoming ones are harder to bear
  - The three woes will be discussed in the next chapter. The threew woes are more linked to the time before 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 encourge us to grow in the word of God to be able to differentiate and combat his wars
    - Thr 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 requested death over God.
    - V.7: Sins are lucrative in their looks
    - V.8: Woman's hair: attractive. Lions teeth in their strenght that hurt badly
    - Abaddon & Apollyon = Destroyer
      - Satan and sins look lucrative and strong to appeal but they are "destroyer"
  - Sixth Trumpet= Second woe
    - Refer to the four angles mentioned in (Rev. 7:1-3). These four angles are still pasuing and now they were given the order to release after the righouts were "sealed"
    - River Euphrates in Babylon. Babylon is a symbol of sin in the Bible
    - This Trumpet is the first to affect the 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) who 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 since Noah.
  - "little open book"
    - small = End of the world is near. This book has events less than the one if Ch.5 which was sealed (Scroll with 7 seals)
    - Not sealed: Because the rightous now know God's ways vs the devils 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 decalre 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 reproach us to repent
    - Most scholars agreed that this "little book" is the Bible. 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 delcared to us and what we will learn in the Heavens
- Ch. 11:
  - Seventh Trumpet = Third woe

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

What do the trumpets symbolize and what do they remind you of in the Old Testament?
What does the fire from the altar symbolize?
“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”?
Locusts have enough power to destroy any green things” Where else in the Holy Bible are locusts mentioned?
Who is that mighty angel and how does St. John describe Him?
“It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomachbecame bitter”.
Why were the little book honey in his mouth and bitter in his stomach?
Who are the two witnesses and why are they called olive trees and lamp stands?
As expressed in the praise of the twenty four elders, what had come?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

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