Revelation 8
Scripture
Revelation 8:13 ERV
“While I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air. The eagle said in a loud voice, “Terrible! Terrible! How terrible for those who live on the earth! The terrible trouble will begin after the sounds of the trumpets that the other three angels will blow.”
Observation-What does it say?
In this chapter, the seventh seal from John’s revelation is revealed. The opening of the seventh seal reveals the appearance of seven angels with seven trumpets. When the first angel sounds his trumpet, hail, fire, and blood come hurling down to earth, burning up a third of the earth’s trees and grass. When the second trumpet from the second angel sounds, something like a huge mountain gets thrown into the sea, killing a third of the living sea creatures and ships, and turning a third of the sea into blood. The third trumpet being sounded will cause a great star to fall from the sky and land on a third of the rivers, and contaminating a third of the earth's water supply. Then when the fourth trumpet is sounded a third of the sun, moon, and stars are struck, turning them dark. This causes a third of the day and night to be without light. It’s then in John’s vision that he hears an eagle call out “Woe! Woe! Woe to the people of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”
Understanding-What does it mean?
Just when you think it can’t get any worse...
John’s vision from God is a pretty scary thought. With all those calamities just from the first four trumpets being sounded, and then an eagle flying by pretty much saying “you ain’t seen nothing yet folks!” I don’t want to imagine what it would be like living on earth during these times. I mean it sounds like the weather is going to be really cold and dark, and food and water are going to begin to be really scarce. It’s a really scary thought for anyone who is left behind during the rapture. Something a person shouldn’t wish on anyone! But the good news is we still have time. We don’t know how much time we have left, but I think it’s best we better take advantage of what time we do have. Time to tell our family and friends the good news of the gospel of Christ. Time to share to anyone and everyone. The signs are upon us that time is counting down towards the end. We should take the Marine Corps attitude that we “leave no man behind.”
“And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.”
Matthew 24:6-8 NLT
Life Application
Like a good boy scout, I must be prepared.
“A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 24:45-51 NLT
-Moses Gaddi