Revelation 8:13; Three Woes and Four to Come

Revelation 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! 

The world was just panting after the 7 seal judgments when the 7-trumpet judgments were unleashed after a brief half-hour interval. Trumpets played a major role in warfare as signaling instruments (Num. 10:8-9):

8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance forever throughout your generations. 9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

We recall the use of 7 trumpets to defeat God’s enemies as seen in the destruction of Jericho when the 7 priests blew the 7 trumpets for 7 days before its walls collapsed (Joshua 6:4-20).

The trumpet call, which signaled judgment came to have a special eschatological association with the Day of the Lord:

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

Zeph. 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

1st trumpet (8:7): l/3 Earth on fire, I/3 Trees on fire, all grass burned.
2nd trumpet (8:8-9): 1/3 Sea becomes blood, 1/3 ship sunk, 1/3 fish dead
3rd trumpet (8: I 0-1 1): 1/3 A falling star poisons: 1/3 Rivers and 1/3 Fountains
4th trumpet (8:12-13): 1/3 Sun darkened, 1/3 Moon dark, 1/3 Stars dark
5th trumpet (9:l-12): Demonized locusts torture men 5 months
6th trumpet (9:15,18): 1/3 Mankind dead, 200 million men from Asia goes to MiddleEast
7th trumpet: Earthquake, 7000 die in Jerusalem

In the 3rd trumpet judgment, while bitter water came to symbolize disobedience and wormwood was linked with judgment. After the Exodus, the Israelites came to the spring of Marah and tried to drink its bitter water. Although the people grumbled against Moses, God provided a piece of wood to sweeten the water before testing them to see if they would keep his commands (Ex. 15:23-25J.

23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them.

Total deaths at Tribulation…one fourth at first half (Rev. 627-8) and one-third at second half (Rev. 9:18-19)…Total: one-half left.

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 Anil the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood; which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk 27 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Amen.

[Paul Lee Tan]