Destruction Is Coming
Sermon Notes
Today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the bible called Revelation, and it’s a series about finding peace in a world of chaos. The text we’re studying today is about finding peace when it comes to the end of the world, the final destruction of the world. For years skeptics and believers have talked about the end of the world, the final destruction of the world. We’ve talked about our human extinction coming from some major event like a global war, famine, plagues, an asteroid, or the effects of global warming. According to a few articles I read, scientists believe the top 5 ways the world could end are: (1) Nuclear War, (2) The sun dying and causing catastrophic climate change, (3) Ecological Collapse, (4) Asteroids, (5) Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce breaking up...
My point is there are so many theories on how the world will end. It’s because deep down inside both skeptics and believers know our world isn’t eternal, we know our world is headed for final destruction, and today’s text affirms that belief. Today’s text teaches destruction is coming to our world. But it also teaches we can find peace when the destruction comes, because there’s restoration after the destruction. So let’s turn to Revelation 8 and get into it. You’ll find Revelation in the back of the bible, it’s the very last book of the bible, and we’ll be in Revelation 8:1-13. Title of the message is Destruction Is Coming. The big idea is destruction is coming, but there’s restoration after the destruction...Destruction is coming, but there’s restoration after the destruction...
Here’s your context. The book of revelation is about the 2nd coming of Jesus, and what will happen at the end of history when Jesus finally returns. We divided the entire book into four major sections based on four major visions Jesus gives to John the author, and right now we’re in the 2nd vision which is of Jesus and the Cosmos. It’s of Jesus ruling over the entire cosmos, and his wrath being poured out against sin and evil. In ch 6 Jesus gives John a glimpse of some of the future tribulations that are coming at the end of history. He shares six tribulations with John, then in ch 7 John sees a multitude of people coming to faith in Jesus during these tribulations. But here in ch 8 Jesus shows John there’s a seventh seal, a seventh tribulation that’s coming, and it’ll unleash multiple catastrophic events that’ll cause greater destruction than the others. Let’s check it out.
Revelation 8:1-13 states, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”When Jesus opened the 7th seal, there was.........silence in heaven. So far we’ve studied seven chapters in Revelation and those seven chapters have been anything but silent. If anything there’s been a lot of noise, a lot of chaos from things like wars, famines, plagues, even people praising Jesus for their salvation. Ch 6 ended with a lot of people running and hiding from tribulations, but ch 7 ended with a multitude of people praising Jesus for their salvation. So the first seven chapters of Revelation have been anything but silent! Yet here in ch 8 Jesus opens this 7th seal and there’s...........silence in heaven. It’s a very eerie moment where everyone in heaven becomes silent and still, including the angels, because they know what’s coming next. It’s the quiet before the storm Jesus is about to bring, with his final judgement and destruction of the world.
Again vs. 1, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God, and seven trumpets were given to them.” The seven trumpets implies there’s 7 stages to the final judgement and destruction of the world. It’ll happen in 7 stages, instead of all at once. The first 4 stages are briefly described here in ch 8, but the last 3 are described in greater detail throughout ch’s 9-16. So what we’re studying today is the beginning of the final stages, of God’s judgement and destruction of the world.
Again vs. 2, “Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel with a golden incense burner came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand.” Notice John the author repeatedly mentions the prayers of the saints, meaning the prayers of Christians. Historically we know priests would pour incense on coals during prayer times, and as the smoke ascended into the sky it was symbolic of the people’s prayers ascending to God. Most scholars believe the specific prayers mentioned in this text, are a reference to the prayers of the believers who were killed for their faith in Jesus in ch 6. In ch 6 we learned they prayed asking Jesus when he’s going to judge the world and bring justice against those who persecuted them. But here in ch 8, those prayers are about to be answered.
Vs. 5, “The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” The angel hurling the incense burner to the earth, is symbolic of the believers prayers finally being answered on earth. Jesus heard their prayers, he kept their prayers stored in heaven, and now he’s answering their prayers. When the angel hurls the incense to the earth there’s thunder, lighting, an earthquake, and the implication is their prayers have the power to shake the earth! Their prayers have the power to shape history, because Jesus will answer their prayers for judgement and justice at the end of history. Jesus is showing them and us our prayers have the power to shake the earth and shape history. John Knox was a famous Scottish preacher in the 1500’s, and Mary Queen of Scotland once said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox, more than all the assembled armies of Europe.” The reason she said that is because she felt the effects of John Knox’s prayers, and what we’re learning is a time is coming when the world will feel the effects of our prayers. A time is coming when Jesus will answer every prayer we’ve prayed, that’s in alignment with his will.
Now that doesn’t mean he’ll answer every prayer, because not every prayer is in alignment with his will. But he will answer every prayer that’s in alignment with his will. It also doesn’t mean he’ll answer every prayer when we want or in the way we want. I mean the people in ch 6 didn’t have their prayers answered immediately, instead they were killed for their faith in Jesus and were told they had to wait for their prayers to be answered. They prayed in ch 6, but they have to wait for the events of ch 8 to unfold before their prayers are finally answered. So the point isn’t for us to pray expecting Jesus to answer our prayers when we want and in the way we want. The point isn’t for us to pray and treat Jesus like he’s our butler, instead we’re to pray and trust Jesus as our Savior. We’re to pray and trust Jesus with our prayers. We’re to pray and trust Jesus will eventually answer every prayer that’s in alignment with his will, when it’s best and in a waythat’s best. The point is our prayers have the power to shake the earth and shape history, like the prayers of the people in ch 6. Their prayers for judgment and justice, are about to finally be answered next.
Vs. 6, “The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.” This 1st Trumpet brings hail and fire mixed with blood, and scholars aren’t 100% certain of what’s being described here or with the other trumpets. I’ll give a few possible explanations for what these trumpets are describing, but keep in mind there are other explanations. Regardless scholars do agree that these trumpets are the beginning of the final stages of God’s judgement and destruction of the world. With this 1st Trumpet, with this 1st stage, there will be hail and fire mixed with blood, which some scholars believe is the result of a major earthquake and volcanic activity.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago Dr. Henry Morris is known as The Father of Modern Creation Science, and he’s the founder of The Institute for Creation Research. He’s written over 60 books on the topics of science, creation, evolution, the origins of life. He explains from a scientific standpoint, that the hail and fire mixed with blood could be the result of the earthquake in vs 5. He said a big enough earthquake could cause global volcanic eruptions spewing fiery blood red lava into the atmosphere. The atmospheric disturbance could then trigger violent thunderstorms producing large amounts of hail, possibly hail mixed with blood from those who die from these atmospheric shifts. Dr. Morris states,“The masses of water vapor blown skyward might condense into the intense updrafts as hailstones.…The blood of entrapped people and animals might be mixed into the hail. It could also be showers of liquid water drops so contaminated with dust and gases, that they appear blood-red.” Regardless of the scientific explanations Dr. Morris and others have for these events, the point is this 1st Trumpet will cause a third of the earth to be burned up. That means a third of the earth’s fruit and vegetation will be gone, leading to the death of many species that are dependent on that fruit and vegetation, which will then lead to famine and the death of many people. When this 1st Trumpet happens, it’ll bring death and destruction to the earth.
Vs. 8, “The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea. So a third of the sea became blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” This 2nd Trumpet brings a great mountain ablaze with fire, which some scholars believe is the description of a large asteroid. As an asteroid enters the earth’s atmosphere it leaves a trail of fire the from friction of the earth’s atmosphere, which could certainly look like a great mountain ablaze with fire. This is the moment when all the end of the world movies we’ve watched about an asteroid wiping out humanity comes true. The news will report it, people will see it, the best thinkers in the world will get together to try to figure out how to stop it, but they won’t be able to stop it. If you notice the 1st Trumpet affects the land, but this trumpet affects the seas. It hits the seas with such force that a third of the sea becomes blood, a third of the creatures in the sea die, and a third of the ships are destroyed. Some scholars say the blood color of the sea is the result of all the blood coming from a third of the sea creatures dying. Others say it’s the sun shinning through the smoke from the asteroids impact, and it’s giving a reddish appearance to the ocean waters. When it says a third of the ships at sea will be destroyed, most scholars believe that’s because a giant asteroid in the ocean like this, would cause a massive tsunami destroying numerous boats and docking ports. It’d lead to a tremendous amount of travel issues, trade issues, exporting issues, importing issues, causing even more deaths because of all the shortages in supplies. When this 2nd Trumpet happens, it’ll bring more death and destruction.
Vs. 10, “The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.” This 3rd Trumpet brings a great star, which once again could be an asteroid or some other object from space. Last week I mentioned in the original Greek manuscripts the word star is asteres, and it means any large or small object in space like a star or asteroid. But the earth couldn’t survive a star impacting us like this because a star is too big and too hot. So it’s most likely another asteroid or a meteor hitting the earth. The Greek word for torch is lampas, and it’s the word they used in ancient civilizations to describe meteors or comets. So it’s possible the 2nd trumpet was describing an asteroid and this 3rd trumpet is describing a meteor or meteor shower. It causes lots of debris to fall into a third of the rivers and springs, which leads to our fresh water supplies becoming bitter, polluted, and poisonous. It’s why this star is called Wormwood. It’s because Wormwood is a plant that’s often associated with being bitter, poisonous, and deadly. In this case it’s displaying the bitterness of God’s judgement and destruction of the world.
Vs. 12, “The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light and also a third of the night.” This 4th Trumpet brings darkness to a third of the sun, moon, and stars. It causes a massive blackout in our world. Some scholars say this might be description of smoke coming from burning cities due to the destruction of the previous events, while others believe it’s a literal falling apart of our universe. Regardless the loss of daylight and heat from the sun alone, would cause temperatures to decrease in ways that would disrupt the entire earth’s atmosphere affecting more of our crops, our vegetation, our livestock, everything on earth. Our world leaders will gather their best scientists hoping to find answers and solutions to our heavily damaged ecosystem, but they won’t be able to give any answers and solutions. When these 4 trumpets happen, it’ll cause destruction to our world in ways that’s far beyond human repair.
Vs. 13, “I looked and heard an eagle flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound!” There are 3 woes given for the 3 remaining trumpet blasts, and it’s because those final 3 trumpet blasts will be worse than the first. The first 4 trumpets will bring judgement and destruction from physical objects, but the final 3 trumpets will come mostly from spiritual objects. It’ll come when Satan, the antichrist, demons, and global violence is unleashed, making it far worse than the other trumpets. But where’s the hope in all this? I mean there’s a lot of doomsday in this text, so where’s the hope? I think we can find hope and peace in knowing...
#1 Jesus Will Answer Our Prayers = See there’s an even greater prayer being answered than the ch 6 prayer for judgement and justice. It’s the prayer Jesus taught us to pray which is “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The things happening in ch 8 and the rest of revelation are the beginning stages of that prayer finally being answered. It’s an answer to the millions and millions of Christians praying for nearly 2000 yrs, for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. So the destruction in this text is also a restoration. It’s the beginning stages of Jesus cleansing the earth of sin and evil in preparation for creation’s restoration, so heaven and earth can finally become one. We’ll learn about this more in Revelation 21 when John the author sees heaven and earth coming together as one. He says in Revelation 21:1, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.”The first heaven and first earth are what exists today, but when Jesus returns they’ll pass away. They’ll pass away because they’ll be combined together as one, causing God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven since they’ll now be one. Richard Trench states, “Prayer isn’t getting our will done in heaven, it’s getting God’s will done on earth.” We send our prayers up to heaven like the incense, so God’s kingdom will come down to earth. We send our prayers up to heaven, so God’s will and his kingdom will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We can find hope and peace in knowing every prayer aligned with Jesus and his kingdom, will be answered. All this destruction is preparation for creation’s restoration. The good news is Jesus invites anyone who repents and turns to him to be a part of that restoration, which leads to the 2ndthing we can find hope and peace in. It’s knowing...
#2 Jesus Still Offers Mercy = Jesus is still offering mercy, even during this destruction. If you noticed a third was mentioned 13 times throughout the text. There was a third of destruction with each trumpet, meaning these events are causing partial destruction instead of full destruction, which is mercy. It’s Jesus still offering mercy, still giving people a chance to repent and turn to him, even during these tribulations. But they’ll need to repent and turn to him before it’s too late. They’ll need to become a part of the multitude in ch 7 who’ve been sealed, who’ve received salvation and shelter through faith in Jesus. 2 Peter 2:8-9 states, “Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. 9 The Lord doesn’t delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” City Awakening don’t mistake God’s patience for indifference. His patience in holding back his full judgement, destruction, and restoration at this point in history, is so others can repent and turn to him. He showed mercy when he died for our sins on the cross, but he’s also showing the world mercy by allowing others time to repent and turn to him before it’s too late. He’s allowing others a chance to receive salvation through faith in Jesus, so they can be a part of the restoration that’s coming, after the destruction.
The big idea of the message is that destruction is coming, but there’s restoration after the destruction...Like I said in the intro both skeptics and believers know our world is headed for final destruction, and today’s text affirms that belief. It affirms that destruction is coming to our world, but it also teaches we can find peace in knowing there’s also restoration coming for our sin fallen world. We can find peace in knowing Jesus will bring restoration after the destruction. There’s so much destruction in our world already, but there’s even more destruction that’s coming later. Jesus wants you to be a part of the restoration, and to help lead others to be a part of the restoration. So may our prayers go up, and his kingdom come down. May our prayers go up, and his mercy come down, for the restoration of our lives, our relationships, our city, and our world.