The Trumpet Call: A Divine Warning for Humanity - Glorious Hope | Studies in Revelation

As many of you will know, I am a trumpet player.

And if you didn't know that, then it proves that I still have

some secrets left after seven years of being here.

Well, I first learned how to play a brass instrument when I was

a member of Tassa's Silver Band in County Armagh.

I learned how to play the horn, the cornet, and the baritone.

Of course, I learned to play the triangle because everybody starts

off in the triangle, but that's not a brass instrument as

such.

But the trumpet has always been my favorite.

And when my parents bought me a trumpet one Christmas, it was a

complete shock to me.

And it was an even greater shock to them because the volume

difference between any of the other instruments that I played compared

to the trumpet was one that ensured many doors were closed as

I started to play.

There was one advantage for them, though, because having a January

birthday meant that my next gift that they could bless me with

was a silent mute.

Now, a silent mute is an electronic mute that fits into the

bell of the trumpet, and it takes the sound by a cable from the

little capsule in the mute down to an amplifier, and out of

that amplifier, then headphones.

My mother described it as blissful peace.

And apparently it was the best present that they ever bought for

me.

So I'm a trumpet player.

I know the volume of a trumpet, my family know the volume

of a trumpet.

And I think we all know just how loud a trumpet can be.

Whether we hear it in a band, in an orchestra, or a group of trumpeters

at a state event, they're loud.

And trumpets don't go unnoticed.

And that's the point that's been made in Revelation chapter 8,

Revelation 8 · chapter mention

as the seven trumpets are blown by the angels, having received

them in verse two.

And if you'll recall, after they received the seven trumpets,

which follows the approximate half hour of silence in heaven, there

is worship of God that's presented to him as the prayers of

his people, the prayers of the saints.

And these prayers are for gospel growth in the church.

And they echo the prayers of the martyrs as the fifth seal in

chapter 6 is opened in verses 9 to 11.

And there we read of their prayer in verse 10 that they cried

out with a loud voice, o sovereign Lord, holy and true, how

long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell

on the earth?

Now think of the movement that's happening here.

Seven seals are opened.

Think of a seal like a satchel.

Do you remember the little school satchels that you used to

have?

And some of them came with the little Buckles.

But some of them had the little press buckle that as you pressed

in, you could then it out over the little bar.

It made nothing more than a little click.

That's not very loud.

And so we've had the seven seals opened, revealing to us these

end times.

Now, think of the noise of a trumpet compared to a click.

If you were asleep and not paying attention, well, a trumpet

is certainly going to make you pay attention.

And so the question that was asked by the martyrs in verse 10

of chapter 6 is now answered as we hear the sound of the first

four trumpets in the remainder of chapter eight and the other three

coming in the next chapter.

The seven angels begin to blow the seven trumpets.

And the record there is given to us by John.

It's nicely structured in a sequence of what these trumpets will

do.

Here we have trumpets one to seven, as I said.

Tonight we're looking at trumpets one to four.

We see that these first four trumpets deal with the earth, the

seas, the rivers and the springs, and the sky.

What does trumpet one do?

Well, it brings down hail, fire and blood on the land.

Trumpet 2, towards the Seas, brings down a burning mountain, thrown

into the sea.

Trumpet 3 looks at the rivers and springs.

A burning star falls on rivers into the sea.

And then trumpet four is the sky where the sun, the moon and the

stars are partially darkened.

What we'll see then, as we go into the next chapter, are the three

woes in trumpets 5, 6 and 7.

The first woe will be demons from the abyss.

Second woe will be demons from the east.

And the third woe will be the kingdom come.

So here we have an outline of where we're heading over the next

chapters.

But it's actually going to take us quite a number of chapters

because there's an interlude between the first four trumpets and

the last three.

And the last three trumpets are introduced to us with that threefold

woe that we read in our passage.

Woe, woe, woe.

Now, as I say that three times, it sounds like we want things

to slow down.

But trust me, if you're hearing these woes, you will want

them to slow down.

Because what has been set up for us in these first four trumpets

is a stark warning that indeed there is worse to come.

And remember what happens in Scripture, anytime something is repeated

three times, it gets greater significance.

Why do we sing Holy, Holy, Holy?

Because that's what was sung in Scripture.

Why do we sing the threefold Amen in Christos, Victor, Amen?

Because of its depth and greater meaning and significance

as the Song of Heaven and the three woes.

Well, this is the starkest warning you're ever going to get

that the times ahead are not going to be easy.

And woe, woe, woe to those who do not look to the risen Lord Jesus

Christ and trust in him as their Savior.

In fact, the last three trumpets that will be sounded will

be a complete horror upon humanity.

So the trumpets are given to us here in these chapters, and they're

placed in the period between Christ's resurrection and his return.

And the trumpets and the seals overlap, so there is overlap here

in what was said in the seals and what will be revealed to us through

the trumpets.

And so the trumpets of judgment represent that retelling,

but only from a different perspective of the time period of

the seals.

And in chapter eight, the first four trumpets communicate God's

judgment on land, sea, rivers and the skies.

Every realm of life is touched by human sin, and therefore the judgment

that sin deserves will be placed upon them.

So the descriptions here should not be interpreted literally.

Instead, we have vivid and exaggerated pictures of devastating

judgments that will encompass the entire world.

Why?

Why do I say that they're not literal?

Because whenever you read of it, they're just a third, a third

and a third.

It's not complete.

And we'll understand why as we work through.

The judgments that will strike the earth during this present evil

age are designed to bring people to repentance.

They're not about annihilation.

They're to be that stark warning before the three woes come,

that there's an opportunity to repent.

And the failure to repent demonstrates that the judgments are

just.

That if people fail to come unto Jesus for salvation, then what

they deserve are the full judgments that horror filled judgments

of God.

And so we read of the first trumpet being blown in verse seven.

And there we read, 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 as a result of the prayers of

the saints.

Remember, that's where we've come from.

The seven angels begin to blow their trumpets, signaling that God

is about to judge his enemies.

Some of the trumpet judgments echo the plagues poured out in Egypt.

And it's helpful that we've been looking at that in our morning

services.

And so the first trumpet reminds us of the plague of hail

in Exodus chapter 9 and verses 23 to 24.

Exodus 9 · chapter mention

The fire that is accompanying the hail is probably referring to

lightning strikes, so that the picture is of a massive storm with

hail and lightning.

And we only have to go back into Scripture to see that this has

already been demonstrated to us.

So once again, revelation is not giving us anything new, because

in Psalm 18:13 and Ezekiel 38, verse 22, we have the exact same

Psalms 18:13 Ezekiel 38:22

descriptions of what God will do by way of judgment on his enemies

and what John is doing here.

He signals that the language is symbolic and apocalyptic, for

the lightning is mixed with blood.

Now, the prophet Joel gives us the same image, this idea of lightning

mixed with blood in Joel chapter 2 and verse 30, as he talks

Joel 2 · chapter mention

about the day of salvation.

And he says, and I will show wonders in the heavens and on the

earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.

So here we have Joel saying the exact same thing, foretelling

of what the judgment of God will be on the day of salvation.

So this is no ordinary lightning storm.

In its wake, one third of the earth and its trees are burned up,

and the green grass of the vanishes.

Now, if the language here is literal, what is described must be

future, for such a devastating judgment has not yet taken place.

But it's more plausible to understand that John is describing

the apocalyptic language that's devastatingly marking life

on earth during this present evil age.

The desolations impacting the earth represent God's judgment.

The apocalyptic and exaggerated nature of the imagery

is confirmed by verse 4 of chapter 9.

For the locusts are told not to harm the grass on earth, and so

this makes little sense then, if all the grass had already been

burned up.

So the message communicated to us is that living in this world has

its many benefits.

Remember, two thirds of the world is unaffected by the judgments,

but God's judgments strike the world on account of sin.

So as much as we know the blessing of living, we must also

be very aware of God's judgments on this earth.

And as we move into verses 8 and 9, we come to the second trumpet

blast, and a great mountain, burning like fire, is thrown into

the sea.

And this is perhaps pictures for us a volcanic eruption.

But the psalmist has already told us of something similar in Psalm

46, when he writes, God is our refuge and strength, a very present

help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way, though

the mountains be moved where into the heart of the sea, though

its waters roar in foam, though the mountains tremble at its

swelling.

And we read this psalm because it teaches us that for God's people,

on the day of the unthinkable the day of judgment.

It is God who remains our refuge and strength, and he is the

one who is ever present with us.

But it's not so for those who reject God.

In verse 8, back here in Revelation, we are given an image

that reminds us of what the prophet Jeremiah foretold of how

Babylon will be reduced by God and it will be reduced to a burnt

mountain.

And it's recorded for us in Jeremiah 51 and verse 25.

Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the

Lord, which destroys the whole earth.

I will stretch I out my hand against you and roll you down from

the crags and make you a burnt mountain.

So once again, what we're seeing in Revelation, we've already

been told about by the prophets.

This judgment, then again, is given to us in imagery both by the

prophets and now what John sees in this vision.

Because the first trumpet described the effect of God's judgment

on the earth, and here we see its effect on the sea and the oceans.

One third of the sea turns to blood.

Water turning to blood.

Where do we automatically think, well, we must return to Egypt.

And the blood in the Nile.

And so what we're seeing here is an image just as the Nile turned

to blood during the days of Moses in Exodus 7.

And why was that brought onto the people of Egypt?

Because they worshiped the Nile.

It was a false God, and it was punishment upon them.

And is it any less what God's going to do with one third of the

seas and oceans?

You see, the Nile turned to blood, literally.

But John takes this image and uses it really in an apocalyptic

way to describe the effects on the seas and oceans.

He says one third of the creatures in the sea died, and one

third of the boats were destroyed.

This is punishment upon the earth.

Because the point here is that God's judgment is poured out on a

world that is resisting Him.

And this extends to the seas and to the trade that the waters

produce, either through fishing or through the transport

of goods.

And where does humanity hurt the most most often?

In our pockets.

And so here is God demonstrating through this punishment

on the seas and the oceans that no part of human life is excluded

from, from the reach of his judgment.

And so now the third trumpet is blown in verse 10.

And we're told the third angel blew his trumpet and a great star

fell from heaven, blazing like a torch.

And it fell once again on a third of the rivers and on the springs

of water.

So with the third trumpet sounded by the third angel, a star

falls from heaven, burning with fire.

And the Burning star falls on the rivers and springs and.

And it embitters them hence why it's called wormwood.

Now, wormwood is the name of a plant that produces bitter tasting

liquid.

And one third of the water is polluted by this wormwood.

And many die when they drink it.

And so here we see a similar judgment as is seen in Jeremiah,

because in chapter 9 and verse 15 of Jeremiah we read, therefore,

thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I will

feed this people.

What will he feed them with bitter food and give them poisonous

water to drink?

What's the wormwood going to do?

As this trumpet is sounded, the wormwood is going to make the

water bitter, undrinkable, and unusable.

Jeremiah gives us this as a sign of grieving for the sin of the

people.

And it's a representation of what their sin tastes like.

Jeremiah was a prophet whom God used to give very strong images

to the people.

He had to do some crazy things, but God used them to make

a point, and this was one of them.

That as bitter as the water and the food taste, that's how bitter

your sin is to me.

And in Revelation 8 and the third trumpet, the poisoning of the

waters signals the devastation poured out on the earth.

The waters of the earth, why were they given to us?

They should be refreshing, they should be invigorating.

But life on earth is polluted because of human sin.

And so God's judgments affect life on land, oceans and seas.

And they also strike the water that human beings need to live once

again, taking us back to the Nile, where the water was unusable

for humans and animals in any kind and form.

And so for tonight we come to the fourth and the last of the trumpets

that we look at.

And it sounds in verse 12.

And this time the focus is the sun, the moon and the stars.

When the fourth angel blows his trumpet, the sun is darkened

for one third of the day and the moon and stars for one third

of the night.

Now, it's hard to imagine what these words could mean if they were

interpreted literally.

For life on earth wouldn't be able to continue if the sun didn't

shine for one third of every day.

And what are we reminded of here?

Well, we're reminded of the plague of darkness that engulfed

Egypt in Exodus 10 and verses 21 to 23.

Similarly, Isaiah describes the day of the Lord as a time when

the stars do not shine and the sun and the moon yield no light.

This is what he says in chapter 13 in verse 10.

For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not

give their light.

The sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed

its light.

John is seeing what the prophets have already foretold and

what God has demonstrated by way of punishment in Egypt.

And so the celestial phenomena predicted at the coming of the day

of the Lord in the prophets did not take place literally.

The language used to depict God's judgment is given to us here

in this picture form that it's a judgment on the nations in history.

It's a picture of the failure of the world's wisdom.

It's a picture of the failure of the world's spirituality to truly

enlightenment.

It's a picture of people going about their lives in darkness without

the ability to see what is true, what is good and what is right,

as well as who is true and who is right and who is good.

Jesus also says that the same kinds of things will accompany his

future coming in the three gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

And so the fourth trumpet signals to us a warning, a warning

of the judgment of God, that as we walk in darkness, we have the

opportunity to see the light that has shone through the coming

of Jesus.

But to remain in darkness, we will face the judgment that will

come.

And that's what these four trumpets speak about.

They speak about God's judgment on the land, on the seas,

on the rivers and the skies.

All of life in this present age will be affected and is affected

by human sin.

And the temporal judgments of God in history point to and anticipate

the final judgment to come.

And verse 13 concludes this chapter with an interlude.

There's a break, there's a pause, and again.

We've seen this before.

Between the sixth and the seventh seal being opened, we saw

that great worship of God by all nations in heaven, a multitude

that no one could count.

And so now we have another interlude.

Then I looked, says John.

He looks again and he sees and he hears, but it's something new.

I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it fell, flew directly

overhead.

And what does this eagle say?

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.

A stark warning for what is about to come in the next chapter

of Revelation.

And this verse is given to us to highlight that the judgments of

the last three trumpets will be far worse than the first four.

And a flying eagle anticipates and heralds the three trumpets to

come with a threefold woe similar to those given by the prophets

Jeremiah and Hosea, warning of impending desolation and devastation.

And the desolation and devastation is limited, however,

to those who dwell on earth, as we saw in Revelation 3 and verse

10.

Earth dwellers in Revelation always represent unbelievers.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have no reason to fear the

last three trumpet judgments.

But unbelievers should be filled with dread and with fear.

And so, as we conclude our time this evening, we need to be

mindful that these verses teach us that God rules over the

world, despite resistance to his reign and to his rule.

And we see that resistance all around us.

We see it in the laws that countries make.

We see that resistance in how people treat each other, that they're

not willing to live by the standard of God.

And so his rule manifests itself, that is, God's rule in judgment

and salvation.

And here we see his judgments over a world in rebellion against

Him.

And God's judgments touch every sphere of the world, as we've

already said, the land, the sea, the rivers, the skies.

The world is disfigured, the world is distorted.

It's not how he made it.

And so it shows that it is neither what it should be nor what

it will be.

God's judgment isn't irrational.

We've seen already that it falls in answer to the prayers of

the saints, in response to the rebellion of human beings against

God.

How long, O Lord?

Well, God's demonstrating that the time is now for the punishments

and the judgments to come.

And so God's judgments are one way that he restores order and justice

and harmony in a world gone wrong.

It is one stage along the pathway by which his peace will be

reestablished in the world.

And you might read this tonight and say, well, there's not

much peace here with these seven trumpet blasts, even in that

image of a trumpet loud.

And you can't ignore it, saying, well, how can this be peace

filled?

Because ultimately God is pointing us to his salvation.

Notice what he tells us.

It's only a third.

Therefore, there is still hope.

Not in this world in which we live, but in the God, as we learned

last week, who is merciful.

He's slow to anger, and he's abounding instead, steadfast love.

There is yet still time.

You see, without Christ, we face the judgments that are spoken

of here in Revelation 8.

And as we'll see in Revelation 9 through to Revelation 11, the only

way to avoid such judgment is to know Christ fully.

And that's what Paul wants to tell us in Romans 5 and verse 9.

Since therefore we have been justified by his blood, and much

more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God, there is yet

still time to avoid the judgments of God, because this is

the only hope that we can have to be saved.

The result of our salvation will be shown to us in a later vision

in Revelation 12, which will tell us that in Christ we will have

conquered, but for now we rest secure in Christ.

There is no fear, for he drives out fear, and in him is perfect

peace.

These trumpets are blown as a warning, just as you will see the

coronation of any of our sovereigns.

The trumpets sound in Westminster Abbey to declare people

to get ready to receive their king.

And so these trumpets sound to warn us.

There is still time, so take heart and be filled with hope.

We have now been justified by his blood.

Much more now shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

This is the assurance that Jesus offers His people.

This is what he tells us tonight.

Do not fear the judgment in Christ.

We will be secure and we will be safe.

Outside of Christ is a different matter.

Wake up and listen to the trumpet blast that warns that while

there is still time, come to Christ and know his forgiveness of

our sins, so that that safety and security and hope in him will

be ours.

Our closing praise this evening is the hymn of the Savior

because it echoes these words From Revelation chapter 8 of what

Revelation 8 · chapter mention

it means, of what it means to wait for the Lord, to know that he

is ours and to be assured by Him.

This is the Jesus we're to look to.

This is the Jesus we're to trust in.

And so the warnings are given.

I can give you nothing more, but I will point you to the Savior

to rest in him secure.

For Indeed, as Psalm 46 tells us, he is our refuge, our strength.

And as we leave tonight trusting in Christ, what do we have?

Well, we have these two wonderful words.

Glorious hope, a hope that will never fail, a hope that will

never leave us.

It is glorious because it is given to us by the King of Kings

and Lord of Lords, the only one capable of being filled with

glory.

He gives that to his people so that we will know Him.

So trust in Christ and know his glorious hope this night and

forevermore.

Let us pray.

Our Father God, we thank you that we have these images in Revelation.

And as we've often said, we may indeed disagree of the interpretation

of when and how, but we always round off in the same conclusion.

The same outworking is to be ready for Christ to pay attention

to the noise of those trumpets that judgment is coming.

And only those who are in Christ will escape its horror.

So Father, may our hearts be filled with Christ.

May we sing well of our Savior as we trust in him and know fully

that we are his not out of fear, but but out of his gracious

love towards us.

That we may love him in return for his love.

His perfect love casts out all fear.

So help us, Father, to respond well, this night we pray in Jesus

name.

Amen.

Sam.