Turmoil in the Seventh Millennium
Revelations Chapter 8
As we read these next few chapters today, 2005 AD, we must keep in mind that John’s first century vision was symbolic of events that are or will be current to us. As we have come to understand the opening of the first six seals, we can visualize the nature of John’s symbolism. To understand the chapters ahead, we must keep the symbolic context of the previous six seals in mind.
Preparations in Heaven
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
John is describing the preparations of heaven as they organize themselves for the opening of the seventh seal. First, we are told that a short interval of silence occurs, about one-half hour. Is this half hour literal or symbolic? We will shortly see that it may represent about one-half year.
Seven angels are issued trumpets in preparation to deliver a resounding message to the world. The messages they bring will cause the peoples of the earth to tremble because of the insecurity of man’s glorious dominion.
Another angel throws a fiery censor to the earth and John is a witness to “voices, and thunderings, and lightenings, and an earthquake.” We will soon see that these four events are literal and caused men to react with fear.
The Warning Trumps Sound
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
The first warning comes from the sky (hail). Accompanying hail are fire, mingled with blood. Trees are burned and green grass is consumed. The fraction, one third, is symbolic of partiality and not totality. Other Old Testament prophets used this fraction to dramatize an event. (Ezekiel 5:12, Zechariah 13:8-9) If one third of the earth’s trees and all green grass were to be literally consumed with fire, the devastation would unalterably destroy our ecosystem and every living thing that depends upon it! This event is a symbolic warning call from our skies, not the consumption of our planetary systems.
The second warning comes from the sea. There is human death (symbolized by blood), part of sea creatures die, and part of ships are destroyed.
The third warning comes from heaven. A great star falls upon part of rivers and the fountains of waters. Several men die because of bitter waters. The term “fountains of waters” is used only in the Book of Revelations. To John, the primary source of water was clouds, our atmosphere; even springs and rivers are fed by these “waters.”
The fourth warning comes from the earth. How is this so? In the sixth seal we learned that the sun, moon, and stars represent the Godhead. Man refused to worship God and arrogantly made himself a god, worshiping his own materialistic images. Thus, the symbolism of the sun, moon, and stars in this verse, refers to the arrogant humanity that considers itself ruler and god over all. Humanity is smitten with darkness day and night. In chapter 9 we will learn the source of this smiting darkness. It is possible that first, second, and third world nations are symbolized by this mention of sun, moon and stars.
These four trumpet blasts have already sounded! They began about one-half year after the opening of the seventh seal. These trumpet blasts have brought fear and anxiety to the world because mankind has realized that it cannot trust its own ability to control the skies, the sea, the heavens, or the peoples of the earth. Mankind has feverishly clamored to correct the deficiencies in these four areas, but it has not sought the help of the One who rules all things, God! Another angel in chapter 14 echoes the message of the four trumpet blasts. With a loud voice he declares, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Rev. 14:7)
Thunderings in the ‘Fountains of Waters’
On September 11, 2001, almost six months after the 2000th anniversary of the birth of our Savior, April 6th, a group of radical Islamic men wanted their voices to be heard by ripping security from our skies. They commandeered passenger planes and flew them into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. If first century John the Revelator would have seen the actual event, he would have reported “hail, thunderings, and trees burning mingled with blood,” not, “ballistic, fuel laden aircraft exploding into populated 110 story office buildings.” In a lush green field in Pennsylvania, another plane smashed into the ground. Burning jet fuel consumed all the green grass. John reported green grass burning. A shocked world cowered in fear: the skies were unsafe, and airline revenues fell precipitously. Governments scrambled to assure their citizens that they were in control. Legislators passed laws, and spent billions to fix the deficiencies.
An Earthquake in the Sea
On December 26, 2004, the sea left its bounds in the Indian Ocean. The sea became blood as more than 200,000 died. Sea creatures were washed onto land and ships were destroyed upon the shore. What was the cause? Shifting tectonic plates created “as it were a great mountain” under the sea. The world responded with awe, grief, and monetary aid. Seaside communities cowered in fear of possible reoccurrences. Rumors of sea-bound earthquakes still plague shorelines. Governments have scrambled to assure humanity that systems will be put in place to warn of future tsunamis.
Lightening in the Heavens
On February 2, 2003, the world witnessed man’s greatest “star,” the space shuttle Columbia, disintegrate into a streaking ball of fire, scattering itself throughout the atmosphere (“the fountains of waters”) and upon the wetlands (rivers) of Texas and Arkansas. “Many men died of the [fountains of] waters”. The entire shuttle fleet was grounded for fear of the grievous atmosphere (bitter waters). The shuttle crew was an international crew, and rumors quickly spread of the fear of another terrorist attack. The government is still working to correct the problem so that man’s fantastic dominion in the heavens can be reasserted.
Voices From the Earth
On September 11, 2001, the darkness of terrorism began to smite mankind in all nations, great and small. Evil men, who want their voices to be heard, use terrorism as their wicked tool. . Serious attacks have occurred in Russia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Middle East, Spain, Philippines, Africa, and Israel. The world sees the aftermath of these evil voices on their living room TV set and contemplates the possibility of those events occurring in their lives. These voices continue to smite our helpless world. Fear and anxiety has gripped mankind because we realize that we have little control over this darkness, this bottomless pit. Governments worldwide have rushed to ‘fix’ the problem using the tools of the past: diplomacy, money, and war. No government seeks the tools of Deity.
These four events are trumpet blasts to the world. All have heard and witnessed through the marvels of modern telecommunications. The message they declare is forceful. MAN DOES NOT RULE THE SKIES. HE DOES NOT RULE THE SEAS. HE DOES NOT RULE THE HEAVENS. HE DOES NOT RULE THE EARTH. WAKE UP, “COME UNTO ME,” THE RULER OF ALL CREATION! Arrogant man hears but doesn’t listen. He continues to worship his materialistic idols.
One may argue that this interpretation of the first four trumpet blasts is flawed. Let’s look at a few possible weaknesses.
Timing – When is the seventh seal going to open?
The answer to this question is found in the opening of the first six seals and the days of creation. Have their prophecies been fulfilled? We have seen, according to our interpretation of millennial events, that the seals are generally opened on time, though not exactly on time. Tradition has it that Christ was born in 1 AD, D&C section 20 appears to support this date. Scholars have indicated that it is more likely that he was born in the year 4 or 5 BC. They also indicate that it is more probable that he was born in the spring. In either case, two millennia have passed since Christ was born. The fifth seal was fulfilled with the coming of Christ and the demise of the church. Is the sixth seal analysis correct? If Christ was born in 5 BC, has the angel from the east given us a few extra years to seal the servants of God on their foreheads before the opening of the seventh seal? If the answer is yes, then the question arises, “Is the Lord going to be punctual with the seventh seal?” He likened the time of his coming to a fig tree. Believers would recognize the time when they notice the fruit and leaves beginning to sprout. This essay only represents the ‘figment’ observations of a contemporary author. The tree is ripe. Believers have wondered for years when the slippery slope of debauchery and materialistic worship would come to an end. The reader needs decide the answer to this question for himself.
Order – Why are the trumpet blasts out of order?
Careful reading of Rev. 8:5-12 shows that the numerical assignment of each angel is for identification, not necessarily succession. The order may have been described in verse 5, where John lists “voices (terrorists), thunderings (explosions of 911), lightnings (burning of Columbia), and an earthquake (tsunami)”. We will soon see that other trumpet events have been occurring concurrently, not necessarily one at a time. The Lord has his own schedule; we just need to recognize it when we see it.
Common Occurrences – Shouldn’t these be supernatural cataclysmic events?
First we must consider that it is first century John writing this vision. Anyone of that era beholding our time would be completely astounded and overcome by 21st century technology. Descriptions of our time always seem to be portrayed as fantastic and cataclysmic. To us it is common everyday life. For John our time can only be described as supernatural. He only has his first century vocabulary to describe our time.
We learned from the opening of the first six seals that John tells our history using words that invoke imagination; black horse, red horse, pale horse, sun darkened, bloodied moon, stars falling, heaven rolled as a scroll. All these images have known interpretations, they represent realistic human conditions. The literal burning of all green grass on the planet is not realistic; neither is the ocean literally becoming blood. This type of expectation is not consistent with this apocalyptic vision of man’s failed dominion. One might point to Noah’s flood as an example of cataclysmic catastrophe, this is true. However, God did promise that that type wholesale destruction would not occur again. He will wait until man does it to himself before cleansing the earth prior to its paradisiacal and celestial glories. The events of the seventh millennium will be natural and human catastrophes, consequences of man’s rejection of his God.
God seldom produces miracles for the wicked to admire. When he does, only the righteous respond and the wicked make excuses. When God dealt with Israel, prophets foretold of catastrophic destruction that would come upon the people if they failed to repent. History tells us that the catastrophic destruction was the common conquering of the Assyrians, Persians, or the Romans. Even with all the wonderful prophecies of the coming of Christ, the Jews could not, and would not, accept a common man as fulfillment of prophecy. They expected a powerful king that would crush their enemies. After all, that is what the prophecy foretold. It seems that God fulfills his prophecies of destruction through natural, common events, not necessarily because he authors them, but because of his infinite foreknowledge he can “predict” them. He clearly knows that actions have consequences. He has tried to teach mankind with the principle of the parable of the sower: What you sow is what you shall reap. The world will reap the consequences of its materialistic pride and carnality through natural consequences to the bitter end. That is why so many will never realize what has occurred and is occurring until they stand before their maker on judgment day. This is why Christ can come as a thief in the night. (Matt 24:42-51)
Authority – Why has not the church spoken of this?
Those who are waiting for a specific official announcement of upcoming calamities will have a long wait. The Church is designed to prepare the flock for the time of judgment. The Church pursues the steady course, as we all should. If you are one who places all your faith in what comes from the official pulpit, then you have nothing about which to worry. This is good! You humbly pray and read the scriptures daily. You have a broken heart and contrite spirit. You do not have popular, materialistic idols in your home or garage. Neither do your children. You humbly consecrate all you have been blessed with to build the kingdom of God, without rationalizations. If you truly listen to and obey the voices of the prophets, then you are in safe hands. Most of the world is not!
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! Rev8:13
We will soon learn that a woe is equivalent to war. Three woes (wars) are on the horizon.