Revelation 8:6-9:21

This passage can be quite a hard one to get our minds around.

The channel

When we handle the Bible we have to look in 2 “channels”: the old testament and the new testament.

The passage is directly referencing the plagues of Egypt. Here God battled and won against the powerless Egyptian gods. So remember that as you read this passage, as well as the reference of the trumpets of judgement before the battle of Jericho. These trumpets are warnings of judgement and victory over evil. God is going into battle for freedom of His people and the bringing of a new world for them.

The structure

We also need to take into account the structure of Revelation.

An important artefact here is the number 7. The number seven in scripture represents completeness and fulfillment. God's perfection is represented as 7. In this passage specifically we are looking at God's complete and perfect judgement. When this judgement takes place is not clear, nor is it linear. But the message is clear: God will judge the world perfectly and we must be ready.

God is answering the prayers of His people

We see at the start of chapter 8 and in chapter 6 that the saints by God's altar are praying for judgement and peace.

We should be praying likewise! Pray for justice in the world, as many followers of Jesus are persecuted and murdered for their devotion to Him.

We should also pray for God to come and bring His kingdom. The trumpets of judgement are God's answer to the cries for justice from His church and in heaven throughout history. This is the answer to “Your will be done”. The Christian knows that the best world is to come and so we work and pray for that to happen. We want to show everyone around us that a better world can exist, and we pray that it is made true soon.

God is working out His purposes in history

In chapter six we saw the Lamb open the seals and reveal the plan for history. All that happens in the world does not happen without the involvement of Jesus, the Lamb on the Throne. The trumpets are blown at the command of Christ.

You may notice that in judgement only a third is destroyed. This represents a boundary put on the judgement. The time and scope of judgement is limited.

God holds the reigns still on this brutal scene. This reminds us that in the darkest hour, God still has control and power over it all. Jesus stands with us as those things come upon us. So reading this passage shows us that there is a future.

Part way through the seals being released earlier in the book we saw the servants of God being sealed on their foreheads. As the abyss is opened in chapter 9, those people are protected from the destruction and harm. Whilst that doesn't guarantee our immunity from death or pain, it means our certainty of life in Christ is secure.

God tells believers to pray, and unbelievers to repent

This passage reads tragically. Yet it is a clear warning to unbelievers to repent. God has given them a chance and if they still do not change by the time He returns, it will be too late. Despite all warnings and judgements against them, some people will not change their hearts. If you do not hear God as He shouts to you through all this, then you will be alone on that day.

Today and every day until then is a day of salvation. Pray for the salvation of those who don't know God so they might be spared from the perfect judgement. Pray with “long eyes” focussed on the future, knowing that the things of today will pass and be replaced with better things when we come to God in glory.