Revelation 8   “God withholds Judgment.”

Intro…   One of the fundamental lessons we all learn early on is to own up to what you did, clean up your mess, take responsibility.

Apologizing, asking for forgiveness.  These are all important steps in maturity.

In the Christian life, repentance is important…clears things up between us and God.

All this is important because we know judgment will come.

Although we may not admit it, we need God’s judgment, his standards to keep up in line.

We need to be thankful for God’s limited judgment…

Big Pic:  God gives us plenty of warning before his judgments come.  Let’s not wait for the huge, “acts of God” for him to get our attention.

Text:  Revelation 8 (1-5)

8:1-5   “Silence for about a half an hour”

This silence adds to the suspense before it gets crazy.

This doesn’t mean God is being indifferent in his slowness to judge.

This brief period is between the ceaseless praises by the living creatures, angels and elders.

Silence is appropriate in anticipation of the Lord’s coming judgment.   Kinda like silence or respect in the courtroom.

These judgments are so terrible that the angels stand breathless in wonder.

God sends a fiery response to the people’s pleas, “Who can stand?”

This displaces the entire rebellious humanity, land and sea, sun, moon, sky etc.

Yet, God shows divine restraint (1/3).

What a great side of God to know that he can show restraint.

However, Rev. 8-11 now issues in a time of judgment.

v. 13 “Woe, woe, woe…”

Anyone who rebels against God will endure eternal punishment and condemnation.

Now, as bad as that sounds, remember that God always offers his grace, love and mercy to those that repent.

v. 2-4      7^th seal, censers, prayers, 7 angels standing before God with 7 trumpets,  another angel stood at the Altar with a  golden censer praying for the saints.  Incense in the censer.

The 7^th seal is a view into the future…

v. 2-4  is a glimpse into God’s heavenly sanctuary.

The incense rising up symbolize the prayers of the saints.   

 In the OT, the sanctuary in the tent had two altars, one for bloody sacrifice in the courtyard and the other for smoky incense inside, adjacent to the veil into the Most Holy Place.

The angel took the censer, threw it on the earth, thunder, lightning, earthquake.

These angels initiate limited judgment (in thirds) that warn of the coming destruction and summon rebels to repent.

“For our God is a consuming fire…” Hebrews 12:29

Just as God finally destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah when they would not repent, there is a time when the fire of God will descend upon this earth in punishment.

8:6-13

7 Angels with 7 trumpets ready to blow them.  We’ll look at the first 4.

These judgments sent to earth are in response to the prayers of the saints.

Again this is a limited judgment from God.  However if we continue to ignore his warnings, we can expect his full judgment.

I believe these will be actual calamities suffered by unrepentant non-believers.

This is punishment from God.  The devil is not doing this. It is done on orders from God.  God can do this if he

v. 7  First angel, trumpet blow, hail, fire mixed with blood.  1/3 of the earth burned up.

This reproduces the 7^th plague of Egypt.  (Ex. 9:24)

The purpose?  To call rebellious nations to repentance.

v. 8  Second angel, trumpet, great mountain burning with fire thrown into the sea. 1/3 of the sea became blood.  1/3 of sea creatures died, 1/3 of the ships destroyed.

This shows God’s sovereignty over another sphere of human life, the oceans, 70% of the earth.

The first plague in Egypt turned the Nile into blood.  That echoes Jer. 51:25 & 42 where God announced he would make Babylon a “burnt mountain” and cover it with the sea.

Ezekiel 38:22 "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone."

v. 10  Third angel, trumpet, great star falls from heaven, blazing like a torch or star, fell on 1/3 of the rivers and springs.  That star is named Wormwood.

C.S. Lewis?  Screwtape letters?   A series of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, a junior "tempter" named Wormwood.

This book shows the importance of taking a deliberate role in living out Christian faith by portraying a typical human life, with all its temptations and failings, as seen from devils' viewpoints.

Chernobyl means wormwood…interesting…This accident that occurred in Russia affected mostly communist countries (those who deny God)…maybe God’s judgment???

1/3 of the waters became Wormwood, many people died because of the bitter water.

Just as the Nile’s bloody waters became undrinkable…

Cities could be forced to surrender by sheer thirst.

This “blazing torch” (Wormwood) could represent a huge meteorite falling to earth.

v. 12  Fourth angel, 1/3 of the sun was struck, 1/3 of the moon, 1/3 of the stars, 1/3 of their light will be darkened, 1/3 of the day will be kept from shining likewise, 1/3 of the night.

This resembles the 9^th plague on Egypt (Ex. 10:21-23)

The billowing smoke from burning cities may be causing this darkness, but the ultimate source is God’s reign and judgment.

All this judgment…but it’s going to get worse.

v. 13  John looked and saw an Eagle crying with a loud voice flying overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

Almost like, you thought that was bad…

These last three trumpets signify escalating judgments on rebellious humanity as the end approaches.

Application:

Where does all this rebellion start?  At birth…

Bible verses on disobedient children…2 Tim. 3:1-5 

 “Man's most basic problem has never been a lack of intelligence or education, but a nature that is fallen and morally corrupted.  Unless man experiences a new birth, in which he receives  a new spiritual nature from God, he is doomed to the destructive influence of his fallen nature.”

As bad as these judgments of God are…thank God Christians will be spared that wrath.

Now you see why I started with the basic need for every human to “clean up after themselves.”

And remember, our title today is “God withholds judgment.”

It could be so much worse!

Continual repentance, spiritual breathing…