Revealing Revelation - The Third Trumpet

Rev. 8:10-11 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. [11] The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

As has been discussed in the first two trumpets, we will again here find both a spiritual and literal fulfillment of this judgment.The judgments are continuing to remind the first century Israelite about their former, older, covenant and how they broke it ultimately by killing the Lord of Glory, the promised seed. They are continuing to be reminded that this Lord who took them up out of Egypt is judging them and ceasing the Old Covenant and introducing in full glory this New Covenant.

These acts of reminding are not subtle as the Lord is using plagues and acts similar to those that impacted Egypt and were promised to befall them if they were to break covenant with the Lord (Lev 26 and Deut 28).

Deut 28:60 He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you.

This third trumpet also refers back to the Exodus and impacts the most important physical need of a human being, and that is for fresh water. The reader may remember that when the Israelites came out of Egypt they arrived at the waters of Marah. The Israelites were thirsty and in need of replenishing their water supply. But the waters of Marah were bitter and non drinkable. Naomi would later refer to herself as “bitter” by referencing this name in the book of Ruth.

25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

Here the Lord showed His compassion and love for His people by taking the bitter waters and making them sweet. This came with a promise that by continuing to live in covenant relationship with Him, Israel would not have the plagues and judgments of Egypt placed upon them. But conversely, the breaking of covenant would deliver upon them these plagues of Egypt.

It is here in Revelation that we see the results of this unfaithful living. The sweet water is reversed and symbolizes the breaking of the covenant with God. This judgment is punctuate with the use of the term “Wormwood.” Wormwood is a plant known for it’s intense bitterness and when associated with judgment in the Scriptures denotes sickness and death. Note the promised judgment below in Jeremiah.

Jer 9:13 The LORD said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,” 15therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. 16″I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.”

This promised judgment regarding the soon coming Babylonian captivity is repeated here in Revelation. Even the “scattering among the nations” finds fulfillment with the judgement against Jerusalem in 70 AD. John here is combining familiar Old Testament references to note that Israel has, once again, become an apostate nation and is having the Old Covenant they were under revoked, and the promised New Covenant is finding it’s ultimate fulfillment.

One quick final symbolic note for your consideration. As we have stated previously the book of Revelation continues to make connection between Jerusalem and her two most hated enemies, Babylon and Egypt. With the plague of bitter water we find the connection to Egypt, but we also find here a connection to Babylon and shows, as we will find later, that Jerusalem is being compared to Babylon throughout the book.

Note below the description of Isaiah’s description of the fall of Babylon.

Isa 14:4 that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say…

12″How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!

Note how similar the picture of Babylons symbolic fall as a nation is compared to what we find in the currently discussed passage in Revelation.

Rev. 8:10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven

So, here we have John continuing to make the comparison between Babylon and Jerusalem. This comparison is used throughout the book to describe just how far from the Covenant Jerusalem has fallen. It is horrific to have broken the covenant in such a way as to be held captive by evil and pagan Babylon (as in the Old Testament), but it is even worse to be compared or likened to such a Godless and evil nation.

David Chilton rightly remarks, “Again, by combining these Old Testament allusions, St John makes his point; Israel is apostate, and had become an Egypt; Jerusalem has become a Babylon; and covenantbreakers will be destroyed, as surely as Egypt and Babylon were destroyed.” (The Days of Vengeance, p 240)

But as the the literal fulfillment of this passage and how Jerusalem was impacted by bitter and undrinkable water. Two factors impacted the drinking water for those in Jerusalem. The first is related to the second trumpet. As the rotting corpses around the sea continued to poison the water directly, they also indirectly impacted the fresh drinking inlets and feeding water sources. The diseased water spread upstream and much the fresh water become undrinkable for a while.

The second is a common military practice of the Roman army of damning and poisoning the fresh water sources that would serve as drinking water for the city under siege. This common practice would help speed up the surrender of the besieged city and make for an easier attack.

Again, John is making it obvious that these judgments are for an apostate nation who has broken covenant with the Lord. These promised seven fold judgments indicate the severity of the offense and the bleakness of the Tribulation. Remember, as noted in our discussion of the Olivet Discourse, the greatness of the Tribulation is not just the severity of the punishment, but the spiritual truth behind it that no nation in history can receive as severe a punishment because no other nation physically killed the Lord Jesus Christ. Even Rome’s offense in that act is not as severe because it had never been covenantally tied to the Lord in the same way Israel had been. That is why the Tribulation was considered great, and why no other Tribulation can match it no matter the “severity” of the events.

Revealing Revelation - The Second Trumpet

We now turn our attention to the second of the famous Trumpet Judgments of Revelation. Where the first struck the vegetation of the land and was literally fulfilled through the actions of the Roman Army during the siege of Jerusalem that lasted some three years, this second trumpet impact the sea.

There are several important things to note about this trumpet judgment before dealing headlong with the possible physical interpretation of the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem.

The first, and possibly most intriguing issue, is the matter of this burning mountain that is thrown into the sea. What should we make of this unique image?

It is important to note that Biblically speaking are often represented as mountains, most notable Babylon and Israel. the fact these two are reference in the Scriptures as mountains is also intriguing as the city names are used interchangeably in the book of Revelation. Take note of the description below of ancient Babylon. Take special care to notice the emphasized description.

Jer 51:25 “I am against you, O destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”
declares the LORD.
“I will stretch out my hand against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.

And in Israel’s case…

Ex 15:17 You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain of your inheritance-
the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling,
the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established.

Even the casual reader of the Old Testament would be hard pressed to miss to multi0le times Israel is related to both Mt. Zion and Mt. Sinai. Then taking what we know about the relation of the mountain and Israel and consider the often perplexing words of Jesus in Matthew 21.

Matt 21:18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

21Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

This passage is often used as an illustration for our lack of genuine faith and if we only had enough faith then we could actually see a mountain removed from it’s sitting place and tossed into the sea. But what is most often missed here is the Covenantal relationship between Jesus and the Jews and His soon to come new Bride, the Church.

the context here is that Jesus has just arrived in Jerusalem, turned over the money changers and is about the begin several exchanges with the Jewish religious leaders that will lead to their eventual cursing in Matthew 23. There will also be several parables relating how the Kingdom was to be taken from the Jews and given to a different people who will accomplish His works (Two Dons, Tenants, Feast).

It is with this context in mind that Jesus does not simply state that one could pray for any mountain to be cast into the sea, but designates a mountain as “this” mountain and have it cast into “the” sea. There is specificity in His words. This coupled with the action that causes the mountain of revelation 8:8 to be cast into the sea is the prayers of the saints that the angel placed in the “fire” of the altar in heaven. This cast down mountain is accompanied by that fire!

The action created by those prayers is that the sea would become like blood. This, of course reminds the reader of the one of the plagues that impacted Egypt. Remember that the Lord promised in the seven fold judgment for covenantal unfaithfulness that He would send upon the unfaithful plagues like they experienced in Egypt.

So, we have the spiritual judgment of the loss of the kingdom as their representative mountain is thrown into the sea as a result of the prayers of the saints. This action would bring upon the house of Israel the spiritual results of being the victim of the plagues associated with the condemnation of Israel. Since a mountain was seen to represent the nation, it’s being thrown into the sea would demonstrate it’s coming destruction.

One other interesting note about the spiritual impact and the symbolism involved with the mountain being thrown into the sea. Since the sea is often a Biblical symbol for the Gentile nations, this is a powerful picture of the Israelite’s being overwhelmed, consumed and surrounded on all sides by the gentiles. This graphic picture mirrors the actual events of the fall of Jerusalem.

Now, as to the physical and literal fulfillment possibilities, let us consider the words of Jospehus as he described and sad and gory event in the Jewish War. The back story involves a time when many Jews attempted to escape by way of the sea using fishing and sailing boats as well as even futile attempts to swim.

The Roman army travelled out into the sea and every time a poor soul lifted his head up for a breath would be run through by sword. Other were killed when their boats were forced into the jagged rocks along the shore. Others that made it back to shore were cut down by Roman spears and swords. This was a slaughter like none other. The impact was vast and lasting. Jospehus recalled the devastation by stating, “one might then see the lake all bloody, and full of dead bodies, for not one of them escaped.”

The end result was also recorded by Josephus:

“And a terrible stink, and a very sad sight there was on the following over the country; for a for the shores, they were full of shipwrecks, and of dead bodies all swelled; and as the dead bodies were inflamed by the sun, and putrefied, they corrupted the air, insomuch that the misery was not only the object of commiseration to the Jews, but to those that hated them, and had been the authors of that misery.

“This putrid result damaged the sea for a great time and even the Roman’s were impacted by the mass death and the blood that destroyed the water, the sea life and the commerce normally associated with that waterway/

Again, we find both a spiritual and symbolic fulfillment of the judgment in question as well as a literal, physical fulfillment.

Revealing Revelation - The First Trumpet

It is now time to turn our attention to the beginning of the actual events that lead to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the leveling of her precious Temple. Before dealing directly with the first trumpet, as we will in this post, we must first introduce ourselves to the use of the trumpet Biblically and try to understand why they would be used here in this book to describe what we find here.

Rev 8:6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

Trumpets were used to call the children of God to order, to worship and to war. The sharp shriek if a trumpet is impossible to miss and can be heard from a great distance. So, here we see the trumpet used to call the Israelites to worship used as a warning sounding their soon utter destruction.

Trumpets were used by the Israelites to destroy their truly first great enemy when entering Canaan, the storied walled city of Jericho. The relation to the story of Jericho is striking not only for the use of trumpets but the consistent use of the number seven.

Also brought to mind in the these trumpet judgments are the plagues that were brought upon Egypt that God delivered to “rescue” His people from the evil enslavement of their oppressors. the same is pictured here with the oppressors being the Jews as they oppressed and persecuted the early Church. This makes even more sense as later in revelation we see the the city of Jerusalem referred to Egypt - the city in which the Lord was crucified. Like the fire discussed in the previous post reminded us of Sodom, we noted that Jerusalem is also called by that evil city’s name.

The final introductory note of importance is that, like the seals, the first four judgments are separated from the final three. In the seals we see the first four separated by the use of the image of the four horse and riders, while the final three of the trumpet judgments are separated out by the description of calling them the “three woes.”

It is capably argued that the first four trumpet judgments represent the siege of the city that lasted some three years while the final three deal more with the actual attack, which was quite short lived as the inhabitants of the city were, by that time, completely unable to defend themselves, their city or their Temple.

The history of the siege is such that little to no commerce from outside of the city took place. No trading or commerce. The countryside was destroyed with the vegetation along with it. This common Roman military practice made the siege horrific, but ensured a relatively quick battle once undertaken.

These judgments will also remind the reader of the covenantal unfaithfulness sevenfold promises of judgment found in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

THE FIRST TRUMPET

Rev 8:7 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 mentioned previously, there are quite often spiritual and literal/physical parallels amongst the judgments. Here we find blood of the martyrs is mixed with the aforementioned fire and combined with hail in the powerfully symbolic image of devastation. The hail harkens back to the judgment plague set against Egypt (Ex 9).

Whether the hail is literal or not is up to debate, but it would not take too tremendous of a hailstorm to destroy the crops that have also already been set aflame by the armies of Rome. In fact, a common practice of the Roman army was to gather small animals like wild dogs and foxes, light their tails on fire and set them loose in the crop field setting the aflame.

We know that historically the Roman army did destroy the surrounding fields of crops and vegetation. Jospehus describes the devastation in such startling terms that if anyone familiar with Jerusalem in those days was to visit the area, “would lament and mourn sadly at so great a change; for the war had laid all signs of beauty quite waste.”

This action of the Lord against apostate Israel was promised to them as a result of covenantal unfaithfulness.

Lev 26:14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16then I will do this to you:

…And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

… 19 I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.

…20 for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.

…26 When I break your supply of bread

…32And I myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be appalled at it.

…33and your land shall be a desolation

Deut 18:16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.

…17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

…18Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.

…23And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. 24The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

…30 You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit.

…33 A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually,

…38 You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little,

…39 You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes

…40You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off.

…51It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.

There is more to be discussed as the result of these curses that are fulfilled during the siege and attack on the city, but that will be reserved for future posts. In fact, one of the promised seven fold judgments against Israel for being covenantally unfaithful would be being surrounded, destroyed and forced even to eat their own young, which all found fulfillment in the first century destruction of the city.

The internal factions within the city also led to this great strife as they continually destroyed the grain reserves within the city. So, they brought even a harsher judgment upon themselves by their own self-inflicted actions.

This spiritual promise sees literal physical and historical fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem and during the siege that led up to that destruction. This first of the seven trumpets is the least severe of all them as we shall see in the following posts.

Revealing Revelation - Introducing the Trumpets

Before jumping into a discussion of the seven trumpet judgments it would do the student some good to picture just what is happening in heaven as the trumpets are being introduced. This important action is quite often overlooked, buit gives a great clue as to what the following proceeding are describing.

Rev 8:2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

As we have discussed here several times in previous posts the mentioning of thunder, rumblings, lightning, earthquakes, etc symbolize the judgment of the Lord. But as we will see throughout our discussion of the trumpet and bowl judgments there are both spiritual (symbolic) as well as literal (physical/historical) fulfillment of these events. The Lord often appeared in the Old testament judgement passages as coming with thunder, lightning and the shaking of heaven and earth. Here is no different. the judgment promised is coming.

This also ironically recalls the ratification of the old covenant in the Old Testament on Mt. Sinai.

Ex 19:16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.

This picture here signifies the firm ratification of the New Covenant as well the proof of the vanishing Old Covenant (Hebrews). The dissolution of the old Covenant is describedsing u the original ratification descriptions of thunder, lightning, etc.

The primary point, though, of this post is to dwell on the previous verse and the vision of the angel taking the censer that held the prayers of the saints and filling it with fire from the altar and throwing down on the earth (land). This event is not a new picture and, once again, having some knowledge of the Old Testament will come in handy.

The fire from the altar is a very important image. the fire from the altar was to be an eternal flame that started with a miraculous deliverance of fire from heaven at the time that the Tabernacle and the temple were finished and ready for use. This happens at the dedication of the Tabernacle (Lev 9) and the Temple (2 Chron 7).

This “heavenly” fire was to be kept burning at all times and was also used to set or start other “holy fires.”

Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.

Num 16:46cAnd Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the LORD; the plague has begun.” 47So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.

If that is not interesting enough, let’s consider the use of the fire from altar when God judged a city or nation in history. This is where the similarity to what we are studying in Revelation 8 should start to make sense. Remember the angel has taken fire from the eternally burning altar before the lord and throws it down to the land (Israel).

Deut:1316 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.

This instruction was given to Moses by God as instruction as to what to do with pagan and evil cities that they would encounter in Canaan. It must be noted that only Holy fire would be acceptable in use for a burnt offering unto the Lord. No allowance for strange fire would be accepted. The Israelites would gather the spoils from the city, and to ensure that they would not be enticed by the allure of the evil cities riches were instructed to burn the spoils as though a burnt offering to the Lord. The Israelites did just this.

This action was limited to the most horrific and godless cities that ye Israelites would encounter. It was reserved for cities that would be “banned” by God for their idolatry. These cities were to be so destroyed that they were not rise again. That is why everyone was to be slaughtered and the spoils burned completely.

So, here we have a picture of the judgment against apostate Israel. God will deliver a judgment that will start with the fire from the altar of God being thrown down to the land. This awesome picture symbolizes the complete and utter destruction set against the city and it’s people. The city had become so despised in the eyes of the Lord that only the complete “banning” of the city would adequately suffice.

The city is later compared to the other cities in history that God had set His judgment against by calling it by the names of Babylon, Egypt and Sodom. The mentioning of Sodom is most appropriate considering the current study of fire judgment.

But even Jesus speaks to this coming fire judgment against Israel in Luke 12.

Luke 12:49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

Jesus here most likely refers to Israel as He uses, like Revelation, the term “land” as the subject of His wrath. This should be noted in light of the context of Luke 12 in which His wrath is set against the apostate religious leaders and is filled with warning against not being ready for the coming judgment.

That coming judgment is revealed in the following blasts from seven trumpets! So, it is with this understanding that the wrath of God is set against apostate Israel and is ultimately symbolized by the wrath’s initiating being brought about by Holy Fire from the altar of the Lord in Heaven.

Revealing Revelation - The Seventh Seal

Rev 8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

With the opening of the seventh seal, we are presented with possibly the oddest of the seals.

Silence!

There are no visions of lightning and thunder, monsters and horses, blood and darkness. Just silence. And a silence that lasts “about” an half an hour. What should the reader make of this utterly different result of opening a seal? There have been many proposals as to what this seventh seal signifies and we will deal with several of them here.

The futurist claims this silent period is a short lived period of relative silence in the normally stormy history of the Roman Empire. This would have lasted from some time around the end of the first century until the death of Constantine in the mid 4th century. other argue this time was from the ascension of Constantine to the throne until the death of Theodosius. The point here is that the cry of the martyrs were silenced after Domitian until the end of the 4th century looking toward the fall of the Roman Empire.

Those that see Revelation as a constant repeating of times of persecution judgment and advance for the church, this is a regular occurrence throughout history in which there is relative calm within the church and in the cultures relationship to the Church.

Futurist assume this relates to a time in the Tribulation of seeming peace that will fool the world into embracing the actions of the Antichrist and lead to his ascendancy as world leader.

The Preterist camp has a few similar explanations as to what this silence represents. The most common and feasible answer is provided by those that see the seals as being a picture of judgment and verdict and not actual events as described in previous posts. This time of silence would be like the foreman of the jury who pauses for effect before the verdict and sentence is read aloud. It is at this point when Jesus has completed the breaking of the seals and now this scroll of judgment can be unrolled and read aloud pronouncing the final judgment on apostate Israel.

This time also coincides with the time in which the angels of the Lord restrain the four winds of judgment from raining down on the city and Temple. This silence may relate to the time of escape for the faithful remnant still residing within the city. This makes sense given it’s placement right after the “sealing” of protection of His faithful in the city of Jerusalem.

Most importantly, it is necessary to understand what the silence may best be referring to. The reader must note that the silence in question here is a silence in “heaven.” This is not a mention of silence on the earth, though it may relate to relative calm and the withdrawal of the Roman army from around the city, but rather a silence in heaven.

The noise previously heard in heaven has been the cries of those who have been killed for the sake of gospel at the hands of the enemies of God and His Church. Their crying out has stopped as the time of the recompense against their persecutors has arrived and they are about avenged.

The timing of the “half hour” may refer simply to a relative short time of calm in relation to the longer time in the book of 3 1/2 years of judgment and tribulation. But one other option may relate to the offering of incense of the prayers of the saints and martyrs spoken of previously and to follow immediately.

The reason an half hour may be in view is because that is the time it took for the priest to perform the act of the incense offering. This solemn, silent ritual involved the priest presenting an offering of incense upon the golden altar while the rest of the Temple remained in perfect silence. This incense was to raise to the heavenlies. This matches what was seen earlier in revelation 5 in relation to the prayers of the saints.

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints

Now take note as to what these same angels do following the verse we are now considering.

Rev 8:2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

John uses imagery very familiar to the first century reader, especially those aware of the temple rituals and relates it to what was happening in the heavenlies. This makes sense within the confines of scripture as we see in the book of Hebrews the consistent pattern of God showing man in earthly terms and pictures those things which are happening in heaven.

Heb 8:5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”

Heb 9:23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself,

This imagery of the action of the priest delivering the prayers of the people to the Lord through the offering of incense reveals the heavenly action of those prayers being delivered in the heavenlies. These prayers which have been delivered in silence set off again the loud cries of deliverance and, as we will see, sets of the actual events of judgment against apostate Israel. This time of silence, though, is necessary to set the stage for the forthcoming trumpet judgments. The silences is this great pause and the verdict and sentence is about to be read…

The silence is about to end in a most dramatic fashion!

Revealing Revelation - The Great Escape and the Great Multitude

In the previous post we discussed the 144,000 and their specific timing in the first century as the “firstfruits” of the Lamb. We saw that they were sealed or protected by the Lord just as God had done throughout history, especially in the historic parallel event of the first destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians.

But what are we to make of this marking and sealing. When did those who were part of the faithful remnant find their relief and rescue int eh first century holocaust of the destruction of Jerusalem? And what are we to make of the larger throng that appears immediately following? We touched on who they were in the previous post, but not the more important question of; how did they get there?

Rev. 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. [2] Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, [3] saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Again as mentioned in the previous post the Lord has not begun the destructive acts of judgment that are set to come against Israel. rather we have been given a glimpse of this coming judgment and the verdict of guilt and the disollution of the old covenant relationship between God and natural, now apostate Israel. This holding back of the judgment is given so that His remnant of faithful Jews living in Jerusalem would find a time of escape.

It should also be noted that here again we see the term “earth” used and it most likely is identified with the Land of Israel, since once again the term “ge” is used and “ge” is best translated land and is used to signify Israel in other instances.

Note here the similarity of the actions of God and the warning that is also found in the Olivet Discourse. In both instances there is a time in which first century Christians living in Jerusalem would find their escape. Again, since it is being shown consistently here, the Olivet Discourse and the book of Revelation is dealing with the same subject matter.

Luke 21:20″But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Here we most probably have the picture as to what was being “held back” by the angels in Revelation 7. Before the onslaught of the Roman army and it’s powerful actions that would to the destruction of the earth, sea and trees (which will all be seen in the trumpet section to follow), there was to be a time of respite in which those who are in Judea would be given the opportunity to flea. Of course, it would only be those who were familiar with the words of Christ that would know to do so.

As history can attest, this is exactly what happened. The Roman armies were held back, and quite inexplicably, and the Christians living in Jerusalem escaped the onslaught almost completely, with only a handful leaders of the Church deciding to stay back and continue to minister to those in the city.

Josephus noted the exodus of large groups and Christians before the siege and even Eusubius commented that those in the city who were given a “revelation” escaped the onslaught by fleeing the city before it came to ruin. Over one million Jews lost their lives at the fall of Jerusalem, but it can be said, that not a one christian met his fate at the hands of the roman armies since the handful who stayed behind, those in Church leadership including James the brother of Jesus, met their fate at the hands of those within the city, most notably the zealots.

The history of this escape is well known. They early church in Jerusalem was given warning by Christ in Luke 21 as noted above. They were instructed to escape the city once they saw it surrounded by armies and were also told to flee to the mountains.

The best and most plausible argument that the timing of the withdrawal in question was actually at the time of Nero’s death by suicide under the guidance of Generals Vespasian and his son Titus. This fits best the historical situations and the Biblical warrant of escape. Vespasian returned to Rome in 68 AD to try and lay claim to the title of emperor. he was beaten to throne by Galba, who reigned for only 6 months and sparked the year of four emperors.

Vespasian finally laid claim to the throne in 69AD and ordered his son, Titus, who remained in charge of the armies around Jerusalem, to attack and destroy the city of Jerusalem. Which he did in 70AD flattening the Temple and destroying the city and surrounding areas.

This time of respite, though, was plenty of time for the Christians aware of the prophecy to escape to do just that. The largest contingency followed Symeon, the cousin of Jesus, to the region of Pella, a mountainous region, just as directed. The Jews that attempted escape, on the other hand, fled toward the sea where they were slaughtered to such a degree that the sea was filled with their blood. The Romans left the corpses to rot and destroyed the fishing and drinking waters of the region.

This escape and protection (sealing) of His own matched the actions and descriptions of the book of Revelation quite well. Even to the point of figuratively expressing this by stating that the angels of God held back the onslaught and used historical means, through the death of Nero, to accomplish His goals.

This symbolic rejection of Israel as His exclusive covenantal nation and the expansion of the the new covenant to include all the nations is represented by the following picture of the the large multitude that were saved during that time following Jerusalem’s destruction. Only through the ending of the old covenant and the establishment of the new can we find the expansion of the Gospel in vivid fulfillment.

The last comment regarding the 144,000 is in response to the traditional view of the 144,oo0. Though the activity of the 144,000 is never mentioned in the passage most traditional Dispensationalist (Gaebelein, LaHaye, Ryrie, Walvoord, Chafer, Scofield etc) state that they are missionaries for the “Kingdom of God.” When they speak of the Kingdom of God they are referring to the Dispensational view of the fulfillment of God’s covenantal promises to ethnic Israel, including a return to the Old Testament Law and animal sacrifices as well as Temple worship. This, as they traditional Dispensationalist argue, is to set up the earthly Millennial Kingdom of Christ in which these Levitical and ceremonial laws are re-instituted.

As an aside, it should be noted, that a leading popular Pastor in Southern California said on his radio program that if the Temple was to be rebuilt in this present time that the Jews could sacrifice animals at the temple and that God would so those sacrifices as effectual for their forgiveness of sin and salvation! This insult to the finished work of Christ is in such denial of the Gospel as presented in the book of Hebrews as Christ sacrificed once and for all with the Old covenant VANISHING away!

Now how these men can be considered Godly while still rejecting Jesus as Savior (in traditional Dispensational discussion) is beyond me! So, as Dr. Ralph Bass correctly asserts, “this is truly another Gospel.” They argue that this is the “gospel” that was originally rejected by the Jews at Jesus’ first coming. This great multitude is supposedly the result of these 1440,00’s Christ-less, bloodless and un-aided by the Holy Spirit gospel.

This should be an offense to any serious student of the bible, especially after any consideration of the book of Hebrews. It is clear in Hebrews that the Gospel presented to the Jews was the same Gospel as presented later to the Church. The Jews were told that they MUST eat and drink of the body and blood of Christ (John 5) and that the Davidic promise of the kingship of the “Son of David” was fulfilled in the Resurrection of Christ (Acts 2).

But as Dr. Bass rightly declares, “this passage…proves the error of their teachings.” Note in the highlighted section of this passage below as to how those during the Great Tribulation are saved.

Rev 7:14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

These are those who have been saved by CHRIST, not those who accept the so-called “original” Gospel offer of Jesus’ first advent! They are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ not by His David Kingship! This should not escape the Dispensationalist but apparently has for many. These are saved in the same way and, as a result, are members of the CHURCH! given that truth, there is no reason to push these events into our future, with a “missing” church and a Holy Spirit-less revival.

We will next venture into a discussion of the seventh seal and the introduction of the judgment as seen through the trumpets.

Revealing Revelation - The 144,000

Revelation 16:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand

This question ends the section on the sixth seal. Who was going to be able to stand against this onslaught of judgmental tribulation? But before the days of chapters and verses, the answer is immediately give. The answer also provides more evidence that the seals are not actual actions, but rather warnings of the coming judgment, something akin to the sentence being handed down.

Rev. 7:13 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. [2] Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, [3] saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.“

The automatic question when someone reads this passage from the point of view of the first century fulfillment is what is to happen with the “innocent” believing Jews and Christians living in Jerusalem at the time of the assault? Will they just be peripheral damage? The answer is given above, and as we will see, proven out in history.

Before the events in question begin God will send out His angels to seal those that are His on their foreheads. He gives His own a “mark.” More will be made of marking and sealing later in our discussions, but note hoe this is obviously a symbolic gesture, and nearly all agree on this, while later in Revelation many demand a literal, physical mark to be placed on those who follow the Beast.

Jerusalem has come under a judgment of destruction twice in it’s history. The first was at the hands of the Babylonians and the second was in the first century at the hands of the Romans. Please note how Ezekiel describes the protection of those that were a remnant for God in Israel at the time of the Babylonian invasion. Ezekiel is asking the same question John asks at the end of chapter six.

Eze 9:8 And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

Ezekiel, too, wondered aloud about those who were faithful as the coming Babylonian invasion grew bloody and destructive. But note in the passage below how God dealt with those that were His, His remnant.

Eze 9:5 And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. 6 Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom has the mark.

Note how God’s punishment of the wicked knew no age or gender, but only those that were His. This could lead to an interesting discussion on the so-called “age of accountability,” but that will be saved for another blog. The important thing to note is the God spared His faithful remnant by “marking” His own. The same is here in the passage in Revelation.

After the Lord has His angel mark those that are His we are given a more detailed description as to who they are. There number is 144,000 and they are called the servants of God. This is God’s “remnant.” The concept of the remnant is also not new as we find those that remain faithful to god throughout the Old Testament and even in Church history.

Elijah was told of 7,000 who had bowed their knee to Baal and God’s sealed or marked ones in Ezekiel are two obvious examples. The marked or sealed ones here in this passage would be those who were truly faithful and showed that by recognizing that Jesus Christ was their Messiah. There safety and escape will be detailed later.

But what of the number itself? Futurist argue this is some amazing evangelist group that will be made up of actual virgins and will be sent out to evangelize with great success without the aid of the Holy Spirit during the Tribulation time.

The number, though, best represents the full number of Jewish Christians who were faithful to God during the time leading up to the destruction of the city and Temple. They are members of the early Church in Jerusalem. The number represents a perfect multiplier of one thousand times twelve from each of the 12 tribes. This symbol notes how those that embraced Christ came from all different areas of the Jewish faith and represent the remnant from each of the original 12 tribes.

Rev. 7:4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel

We also know from a passage later in Revelation that this group must be from the first century early Church in Jerusalem because of how they are identified.

Rev. 14:3-4 No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. [4] … These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb,

These 144,000 are called the FIRSTFRUITS for God and the Lamb. If this is supposedly representing some group at the end of current age then they literally should be called the LAST FRUITS! But their identity as those who were among the first to embrace the truth of Jesus as Messiah demands an understanding of them related to the first century.

The entire church age is one long line of conversions and to state these were of the first of the fruits of the Lamb gives no other option. In fact, note how a similar term is used by James, who was the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, in his epistle.

James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion

He starts his letter by addressing it to the twelve tribes. But who are these that make up the twelve tribes. Later in the first chapter he explains who is audience is.

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Those twelve tribes in the dispersion are called the firstfruits. This is an identical parallel that simply should not be missed. And John doesn’t stop there, though, because he then shows us a picture of the Gospel expansion within the same context of the 144,000 Jews.

Rev 7:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number,

The promised impact of the Gospel is beautifully pictured. This time we move from the 144,000 faithful remnant to the impact of the Gospel to every tribe, nation and people! But do not miss the point. It is only through God’s disowning, divorcing or no longer exclusively dealing with the Jews that allows for this great Gospel expansion.

Without this rejection of the apostate Israel the original promise to Abraham simply could not be fulfilled. What one people could not accomplish would be fulfilled by all the nations as the result of the finished work of Jesus Christ!

Revealing Revelation - Head to the Hills

Revelation 6:15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, [16] calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, [17] for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand

Sometimes as we walk through these very symbolic passage we will note that they often have a literal interpretation, especially when it describes how man, especially the Jews in the first century, responded to the promise of the tribulation.

Remember at this point John is seeing things that were going to soon take place. One of those things he is witness to is the response from those to whom this judgment tribulation is directed. Like the Egyptians many Jews, especially those zealots who had taken over the city in it’s latter days, still violently rejected their salvation, though many common citizens did embrace the Messiah as history attest to.

But before proceeding with some historical information it is important to note how this passage, just like the previous few verses, can be traced to the Olivet Discourse. And again, as has been shown over and over again here, the Olivet Discourse clearly dealt with events related to the first century destruction of the city and Temple. Note this passage from Luke and compare to the Revelation passage above.

Luke 23:30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’

This parallel should not be missed. Not only that, as we will see from Josephus, history bears this out.

Josephus in his Wars - describing the War of the Jews - notes the last hope of the zealots and tyrants and those who supported them, “was in the caves and caverns underground.” There hope was to hide from the Romans and once the Romans had destroyed the city and left, would come out from hiding.

Note the last line from this passage that follows and remember that Josephus was not a Christian, but rather a Jewish Roman who sided with Rome and nothing to do with his Jewish ancestry. He finishes this segment by stating, “This was no better than a dream of theirs: for they were not able to lie hid either from God or from the Romans.”

Other passages from Jospehus also describe the fruitless result of hiding in the hills and caves as many Jews were slaughtered attempting to escape and hide. This actually also included a time when the Romans found several hiding in underground cavern and determined to break up the ground above them and have the ground cave in on them!

At this point there is a break in the section regarding the seals as we will next be introduced to the famous 144,000.

Revealing Revelation - The Sixth Seal

As we now continue to sixth seal we find language that the readers of this blog should have grown accustomed to hearing. they may be odd and terrifying to the uninitiated, but for those who have read the Old Testament and understand it’s usage should have no problems dealing with this normally difficult passage.

Much of the following information was presented during our discussion on the Olivet Discourse. In fact I will include both the Revelation passage and passages from the Olivet Discourse to show the similarities.

Rev. 6:12-17 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, [13] and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. [14] The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Here are Jesus’ words concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD one generation before it happened.

Matt 24: 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Luke 21:25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Mark 13:24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

The parallel language is unmistakable. Since it was shown beyond a doubt that the description of the events in the Olivet Discourse were related to the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century AD, within the time constraint of “this generation” that Jesus put forth in the discourse.

So, knowing this parallel how best do we deal with this apocalyptic language.

First off please note how sun, moon and stars are presented throughout the Scriptures as representing kings, nations and leaders. It’s not far from contemporary flags of nations and how celestial being are used to represent them as well. But note the passage below and how the celestial beings represent nations, kings and leaders.

Genesis 22:17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven…

Here Abraham is is shown that the nation he would birth would be like the stars.

Genesis 37:9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

Joseph’s dreams of the sun, moon and stars represented his father, mother and siblings.

Judges 5:19-20 “The kings came, they fought; then fought the kings of Canaan, at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; they got no spoils of silver. [20] From heaven the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.

Kings readied for battle are described as the stars fighting in the skies.

Rev. 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

And in Revelation true Israel is shown as a woman with the sun, moon and stars surrounding her. This common metaphor hold throughout Scripture as the heavenly bodies represent things on earth. Even leading Dispensational futurist understand the usage from the Old Testament. Note the following descriptions by the NIV Study Bible and leader Dispensational scholars.”In ancient cultures these astronomical symbols represented rulers”

• “the dream involved celestial images - the sun, moon and stars being easily recognized for their significance for rulership”

• “The same symbols appeared in the visions of the Apostle John [Rev 12:1] again probably representing Israel and the twelve tribes”

• The sun and moon obviously represent Joseph’s father and mother - Ryrie

• Rev 12:1 The woman represents Israel as the sun, moon and stars indicate - Ryrie

Secondly it’s important to note that celestial beings and their darkness and brightness are used within Scriptures to describe and present both blessing and cursing. When the lights are bright a nation in being blessed, as they go dark the nation is under a curse. Let’s first note the usage of blessing.

Isaiah 30:26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

Isaiah 60:20 Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

But the context we are dealing with and the majority of the uses of the heavenly bodies is the negative, cursing side of things. Most importantly I want the reader to see the common usage of the sun, moon and stars as it related to the destruction of a nation. Note three nations listed below and how God described their coming destruction.

BABYLON - ISA 13:10 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.

EDOM - ISA 34: 4 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall…9And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. 10Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever.

EGYPT - EZE 32: 7 When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. 8All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord GOD.

Did the above things actually, literally happen? Of course not, but the language depicts the nation’s demise. This common language needs to be understood in this way. In fact, note below how leading Dispensational futurist interpret the passage regarding Babylon.

• “The statements about heavenly bodies no longer functioning…describe the total turnaround of the political structure in the Near East (Babylon) - John Martin (Dispensationalist)

• “A judgment here on ancient Babylon” - Ryrie

• “Representing the Day of the Lord against ancient Babylon” NIV Study Bible

• “The prophecy concerning Babylon announces the doom of the nation and city at the hand of the Medes” - Scofield Reference Bible

Yet these same commentators try and argue that the events described in Revelation are literal!

To further express the point I will include similar language passages and note in parenthesis those nation in which Futurist argue those passages relate to. The notation of nations come from the Scofield, Ryrie and NIV Study Bibles.

Amos 8:9 “And on that day,” declares the Lord God,” I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. (Assyria)

Jeremiah 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you? … [23] I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. (Babylon)

Jeremiah 4:28 “For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be dark (Babylon)

Isaiah 5:30 They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds. (Assyria)

Jeremiah 13:16 Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. (Babylon)

Joel 2:10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. (Babylon or Assyria or future)

So noting how Dispensationalist interpret the Old testament passage one would hope they would remain consistent, but unfortunately they do not. One argument raised against preterism by futurist is that they claim these events never took place - obviously. All the while the same futurist will argue that when these phrases are used in the Old Testament they should be taken figuratively!

I the follow post we will discuss the second half of this verse that describes the response of those impacted by the coming tribulation.

Revealing Revelation - The Fifth Seal

Lev 4:7 The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

Just as the blood of the sacrificed animal would be poured out upon the foot of the alter so we have the description of the placement of those who have been martyred to brith the early Church and the we are given the reason for this judgment that is about to befall apostate Israel.

Rev 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10They 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?” 11Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

With this seal we have more reason to believe that the actual events described in the scroll have yet to begin. The martyrs are still crying out for vengeance. This would mean that the judgment and tribulation set against the persecutors of the Church have yet to begin and are only being hinted at.

This theme of the cry of the martyrs begging for vengeance against their persecutors can be traced back to the beginnings with Abel.

Gen 4:10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground

This theme is even carried though the words of Christ in His scathing indictment of the religious leaders of His day.

Matt 23:35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah…

This cry for vengeance is bottled up and held up against first century Jerusalem. This fact is indisputable as the above passage from Matthew clearly determines as Jesus continues His diatribe against them…

…36Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

These martyrs are those who have fallen during the persecution of the early Church at the hands of primarily the Jews and some at the hands of the Romans. The emphasis here is on the Jewish persecution since it is said to have been set against those who dwell on the earth or land. Here again, the word is “ge” and is most relatable to the word land and specifically the Holy Land, or Israel.

This is not a surprise and should be expected as it was also clearly predicted in the Olivet Discourse. Jesus told His disciples that they would be killed for the sake of the Gospel before the end of that generation. This is mentioned in all three Gospels that contain the Olivet Discourse.

Matt 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake

So, just who are the “they” that Matthew is referencing? Remember the context here is the Jewish religious leaders that Jesus has just condemned along with their Temple. But the parallel passages in Mark and Luke answer more directly.

Luke 21:12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.

Mark 13:9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.

Did this happen and are these the ones pictured under the altar? Note first the answer to the second part of this question that is found in the passage under consideration.

Rev 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.

Just like Jesus proclaimed in the Olivet Discourse there would be many would be persecuted and slain for the sake of the Gospel. Now consider just a sampling of examples found within the pages of the New Testament.

Acts 4:1-3 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them…[3] And they arrested them and put them in custody

2 Cor. 11:24-25 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned…

Acts 5:17-18 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy [18] they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.

Acts 12:1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.

Acts 23:24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

They were arrested, beaten, imprisoned and killed. They stood before governors and kings. They did all this for the sake of the Gospel and were persecuted by the Jews. This is just as described in the Olivet Discourse and pictured here in the fifth seal of Revelation.

The call for vengeance is proclaimed and predicted by Jesus in the story of the unjust judge. The cry for retribution fell on the deaf ears of the unjust judge for a while, but even he was overcome be the constant cry of the victim. So how much more would the Father in Heaven hear the pleas of His elect and avenge them?

Jesus even hints at the way in which this vengeance will be carried out at the hands of the Romans.

Luke 13:1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Here Jesus warns the Jews that they were in danger of suffering at the hands of the Romans just as the ones mentioned. This even includes being thrown off the towers of the wall.

Finally it is important to note that those who did these deeds - including those who pieced His side - were alive at the time of the writing. These first century martyrs were crying out for vengeance against those that persecuted and killed and who were currently living “in the land.” This couple with the statements above from the Olivet Discourse and the fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse makes this passage most obviously related to the first century. No other generation could fulfill these predictions and deserve these judgments.

Revealing Revelation - The Fourth Seal

With the breaking of the fourth seal we have the unleashing of the fourth and final horseman of the apocalypse. As with the first three we should best understand these introductions as belonging to the soon coming sentence against apostate Israel and it’s divorce from it’s covenantal husband that it rejected and placed upon a cross.

The events in question are simply the sentence, not actual events. They hint as to what the document will reveal once completely unsealed.

We have also seen the direct connection between these descriptions and the early warnings of Jesus in the Olivet Discourse of those things that would best be called ht e”birth pangs” of the Tribulation.

We have also noted the obvious connection between these events and the sevenfold judgments promised in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. These will be made even more clear and expanded upon with this final horse and rider.

Rev. 6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

This final horse and rider carry with it the ultimate picture of the death, destruction and devastation that would impact the city of Jerusalem as events that would “soon take place.” These sevenfold judgments are also found in the book of Ezekiel relating to Israel’s breaking of covenant with God. Note how John here borrows directly from Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 14:21 “For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!

The parallel is unmistakable and the promise of unfaithful results continued until the ultimate breaking of covenant was found in the death of crucifixion of the Messiah. This prompts the final divorce in which Israel is sent away with accusations of unfaithfulness and Harlotry that are so many that both sides of the scroll would be needed to document them.We are then introduced to the new Bride adorned for her husband, Jesus Christ.

These four acts of judgment noted first in Ezekiel regarding the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians and then here in Revelation are the end results of the coming tumult and war. They also are found within the sevenfold promised of judgment in Leviticus and Deuteronomy as noted below.

Lev 26: 14 ” ‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant,

16 then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.

22 I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.

25 And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands.

26 When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

36 ” ‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them.

37 They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies.

38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you.

Deut. 28:15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…

[21] The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you…

[25] “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.

[26] And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air

[33] A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground

[36] “The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation

[42] The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground

[49] The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle

Death by the sword, hunger, pestilence and beasts (wild animals). They are all listed here under the promised sevenfold judgment for covenantal unfaithfulness. This should not be missed, though it is so often missed or ignored.

What should not be missed is the connection to the Olivet Discourse. Note the comparisons below:

Luke 19:41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Matt 24:6 and there will be famines

Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences.

20″But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near…22for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword

37And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.“

28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

Again we see the direct connection between the events prophesied in the Olivet Discourse and those presented in the book of Revelation. The connection should not be missed.

Josephus’ description of what was seen is repulsive, yet it mirrors perfectly the truth found within these promises. These things included intense famine, parents eating their children and dead bodies littering the streets being devoured by roaming dogs and other animals. In fact on passage from Jospehus describes how the zealots would throw the dead bodies over the wall of the city into the valley below to be left to rot and have their carcasses picked away at by wild animals and birds.. Even the grizzled military general Titus was said to have groaned over the horrific site.

So ends the first for seals and the famous four horsemen of the apocalypse. In the next seal we find the purpose behind these soon coming tribulational judgments against apostate Israel.

Revealing Revelation - The Third Seal

The third seal continues the calling out of the horses and their riders. This time the horse is black and it’s rider is carrying a pair of scales.

Rev. 6:5-6 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. [6] And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

With this horse you have the obvious result of war and civil disruption. In fact, one unique oddity of the Jewish Civil Wars and the resultant siege of the city by the Romans is that there was, at the very beginning, plenty of food in storage within the city. The warring factions “within” the city would actually damage the food supply out of sheer spite of their internal enemies. These foolish actions eventually led to acts of cannibalism as recorded by Josephus; even the eating of small children by their parents.

Even the color of the horse being related to famine can be directly traced to an Old Testament image…

Lam 5:10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.

Now considering what we know, it would once again prove a great benefit to look at Leviticus 26 and note what promised sevenfold punishments would impact the covenantally unfaithful apostate state of Israel. This even includes the necessity of measuring out the grains as represented by the scales.

Lev 26:26 When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied. 27″But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters.

This was clearly fulfilled in the first century siege and destruction of Jerusalem. But also note the following promises of sevenfold judgment as they apply to the first two horses and riders as well. remember they listed as conquering king (with a crown) and one who brings war.

Lev 26:17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you,

…25And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant.

…31 And I will lay your cities waste and will make your sanctuaries desolate

…33And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.

Deut 28:17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

…25 “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.

..36 “The LORD will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known.

These promised result of covenantal unfaithfulness see their fulfillment even in these first few seals. These promised are given as reminders to the apostate ones that they were given fair warning and that soon these promised judgments would be arriving. The same will be said of the following horse as we will see.

This promised horse and rider and the results they bring can also be clearly seen in the Olivet Discourse.

Matt 24:6 and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines

The Bible and history itself records these promises as they began to unfold…

• Acts 11 - records a great famine that took place during the time of Claudius - 44 AD

• “And famine did oppress them at that time, and many people died…” Josephus

• This year (51 AD) witnessed many prodigies; repeated earthquakes…shortage of corn, resulting in famine…” Tacitus

• “As the famine grew worse, the frenzy of the insurgents (Jewish zealots) grew worse.” Josephus

• “Many secretly bartered their possessions for wheat, or barley if they were poor…” Jospehus (see Rev 6:6)

• “In a single autumn, 30,000 deaths from plague were registered…” Seutonius

• “…mothers killed, roasted and ate their own children…” Chilton quoting Josephus

What is interesting is the command not to harm the oil and wine. This most obviously refers to the religious and Temple worship artifacts. The Romans actually did their best to avoid harming the temple and originally decided not to destroy it until the rebellion of the zealots got out of hand.

That call to the gentile war mongers not to destroy the religious artifacts was ignored, though, by the zealots themselves. Jospehpus writes of a Jewish zealot leader named John Gischala stole the sacred vessels that contained the wine and oil and distributed them amongst his men for consumption. This exemplified the horror of the famine and the lengths some would go to eat and sustain life in those circumstances.

The following post will look at the last of the four horsemen and the eventual result of the war.

Revealing Revelation - The Second Seal

With the breaking of the second seal we are introduced to the rider of a red horse who’s given the ability to take peace away from the earth.

Rev. 6:4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another, and he was given a great sword

Before dealing directly with the work of this horse and a discussion of the possible identity of the rider, we must first deal with the term “earth.” Again, as seen in chapter one, the word here is “ge” which is actually best translated land and not earth. This word is most often associated the land of Israel while the words cosmos and oikomene are best related to the whole earth and the known world respectively.

So, in this case, the rider is given the power to take away peace from the land of Israel. This is a mirror image of the Olivet Discourse in which the Disciples are told that one of the warning signs of the soon coming destruction of Jerusalem would be “wars and rumors of war.”

Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

As discussed during the writings on the Olivet Discourse there was a time when wars and even rumors of war could be seen as a sign. The only way these could be seen as a sign would be during a time of relative peace. Historically the time leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem was known as the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace.

This rider is given the power to remove the general peace and to bring war. This is best and most obviously understood to be the Roman Army, especially under the guidance of Vespasian and the direct command of Nero. Nero’s association with the color red has been noted previously as his full name actually means red beard.

The association of the color with the Roman army is also obvious as the Roman army was clothed in red and gold colored armaments. The color also most likely represent the bloodshed that would occur as the result of the removal peace.

It should be noted here that this is the only horse that goes “out.” to do something. The first horse and rider, most possibly representing Christ, stays seated at the right hand of the Father as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to lead in the conquering. The other two that follow are the results of the going out of this horse and rider as we shall see in upcoming posts.

One other note is worthy of consideration. Not only does this rider bring way, but also removes peace. This is interesting in light of Josephus’ description of the times leading up to the Jewish War.

“Every city was divided into two armies encamped one against another…so the daytime was spent in shedding of blood and the night in fear.” (Wars)

So not only did the Lord bring an army against apostate Israel He caused them to fight one against another. Later we will find that the camps split yet again and that three factions divided the city and warred against each other.

Consider the punishment in light of Jesus’ own words against Israel…

Luke 19:41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

By rejecting the Prince of Peace first century Israel brought upon itself it’s own destruction and rejected the peace that was offered by Christ. It was then hidden from them so that the purposes of Christ would be fulfilled.

Revealing Revelation - The First Seal

We now begin our discussion of the actual seven seals and how commentators and theologians have interpreted them throughout the ages. As noted in the previous post, some (myself included) argue that these seals are actually the verdict and sentence handed down against apostate Israel, but are not the actual actions themselves. They serve as a warning as to the coming tribulation, but are not the actions themselves. Others have argued that they are actually actions and have interpreted them in such a way.

This difference really is not as significant as one would assume. I am simply more comfortable in the former understanding because of how later in the book we are told that the earth was not yet to harmed until the sealing of God’s elect. This takes place after the seals have been broken, therefore making the “sentence” view more consistent with the overall flow of the theme of judgment.

On an initial note, many will find some similarities between these opening of the seals and the initial warning found in the Olivet Discourse. Throughout these passages those connections will be noted.

THE RIDER ON THE WHITE HORSE

Rev. 6:2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

In somewhat of an irony nearly all views have those who regard the rider of the white horse as Jesus Christ. This is found in the Preterist, Spiritualist and even Futurists camps. They all agree that this is a picture of the advance of the Gospel. The differences would lie obviously within the time frame of that advance. The reason is the stark similarity between the rider presented here and the rider of a white horse in Revelation 19 that is clearly the Christ.

Rev. 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

The only significant difference is the weapon that is used. The rider of the first seal is armed with a bow while Christ is shown in Revelation 19 as possessing a sword that comes from His mouth. But note for those that argue Christ does not bring about war, famine and destruction, not that in Revelation 19 that imagery is present.

Others in all three camps argue that this can by no means be the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather a picture of a tyrannical leader who brings in his wake war, death, famine and destruction. To the Preterist and Historicist this rider appears best to be the roman army and it’s Imperial Leader. Some futurist argue that this is some soon coming Antichrist.

I have wavered between the two options presented by Preterist in that it is either represnting Christ or the Roman army. I have concluded, though, that this picture best represents Christ for a few reasons.

• It would seem both odd and frustrating to the reader if John represented two different riders on these two horses that are nearly identical in every way. To do so would seem to be purposely confusing the reader which John says in exactly the opposite of his primary theme of revealing Christ
• The first rider stays where he is when summoned. He is able to accomplish his task without leaving his position. This image reflects the nature of Christ acting as judge against apostate Israel and send the Roman army to accomplish His task. The is different than the second rider who brings war as he actually does “go out” (v. 4)
• The dual nature of the conquering is both with the Gospel and with the use of the Roman armies. Only Christ could accomplish such.
• The following horse is more clearly the Roman armies and it’s leaders since it brings war, which was obviously the word of the Roman army.
• This mirrors the Olivet Discourse where the Gospel is proclaimed throughout the known world before the “end” which would be signified by the destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple.
• The differences in weaponry has been explained that before the fall of Jerusalem the Gospel was more precise and pin pointed in particular areas throughout the entire Roman Empire. This would require the precision of such a weapon. But after the Fall of Babylon (Jerusalem) the Gospel’s spread is wider and deeper with one of the early Churches primary enemies having been destroyed.

Also remember that Jesus declared in the Olivet Discourse that He would “come” in judgment against the enemies of the Church found in first century apostate Israel. This quite possibly what John has in mind here.

Another feasible interpretation is that the white horse and it’s rider are simply the concept of conquest. With conquest comes war, famine, pestilence and the rest that follows with the other horsemen.

The following horses depict a much more obvious action and continue the similarities with the Olivet Discourse.

Revealing Revelation - The Seven Seals Introduced

Previously we discussed the scroll itself and paid little attention to the actual seals. though we discussed the importance of the sealing in this post we will deal directly with the seals and how they have been understood or interpreted throughout history. This places us in Chapter 6 of the book of Revelation.

Before we look at the actual opening of the seals let’s first deal with what one should expect with openings. There are really only two views worth consideration. the first is that the events unfold as described as the seals are broken. This is a common, though not exclusive, view in Church history.

The other view (which this writer proposes) is that the opening of the seals only hints as to what the judgment held within the document presents. imagine watching this scroll being unsealed. With each seal being broken the scroll reveals a little more about it’s contents, but at no time is the document’s contents fully revealed until after the seventh seal is broken and the the scroll unfurled.

In other words, the verdict and sentence cannot be carried out until the document is fully opened. This can only be accomplished with the breaking of the seventh seal. That means that no actual actions take place with the breaking of the seals, but rather a glimpse or hint as to what the scroll conceals. This would be akin to a verdict being read in a courtroom, but the sentence is not carried out until some time later.

This is later supported by a pronouncement after the seventh seal is broken. Note the following passage in chapter seven:

Rev. 7:13 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. [2] Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, [3] saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.“

So, well after the six apparently destructive seals are broken we are told that the sea, earth, trees, etc are not to be harmed until the sealing of God’s elect. This is after war, death, famine, pestilence and cosmic disturbances are declared. this lends strong credence to the idea that the seals are judgment sentences and not actual events. The actual carrying out of these proclamations will be seen in the seven trumpet and bowl judgments.

This leads to an important discussion of the importance and significance of seven in the judgment cycles in Revelation. This can be found, like so much of John’s allusions, in the Old Testament passages describing the judgment of God’s covenant people for covenantal unfaithfulness. The following passage was discussed during the sections on the Olivet discourse and will show quite often in our discussion here in Revelation as well.

Lev 26:18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins…21 “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins…24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins…28then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins.

Over and over the Lord declares a “sevenfold” punishment for their sins. This covenantal unfaithfulness deserving of this sevenfold judgment is found in the crucifixion of Christ and the persecution of his church. The demands the sevenfold judgment that is seen in the book of Revelation. Hence why there are seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls. The acts of that generation were deserving the sevenfold judgment promised for their actions. Again remember that Christ declared that all of the blood of all of the saints would be held against that generation. No generation could or would receive such a sevenfold judgment against them.

The following posts will deal directly with the seven seals themselves and what their breaking alludes to. In other words, what should the recipient of these judgments expect to encounter after the verdict is determined and the sentence in read.