DAY 354

THE SEVENTH TRUMPET

Micah 1, 2 & 3 and Revelation 11:1 – 18

As promised, today I want to speak about Revelation 10 and 11…but only up to 11:18. I mentioned awhile ago that the Chapter and Verse arrangement is not overly helpful for Revelation. I have been using the idea of a dramatic play, we are in Scene 3 which is a Warning for the World, and that scene ends at 11:18.

Beginning at 10:1 we have been “hearing” these warning as trumpets are sounded.  In chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 we had been reading about seals, and how at the seventh seal there was silence. I had earlier commented that as we read the sequence of what St. John saw and wrote, we should not assume it is the chronological order. It seems as if the Seals and the Trumpets are parallel. The seals describe the suffering of church in the midst of all this earthly tragedy, while it is the trumpets that announce these tragedies to the world. Since the 2^nd verse of chapter 8 we have been in the middle of these Warnings for the World announced by trumpets:

·         The first trumpet—the earth is stricken, The second trumpet—the sea is stricken, The third trumpet—the river is stricken, The fourth trumpet—the sky is stricken, The fifth trumpet—announces torment, & The sixth trumpet—announces destruction

In chapter 10:1-7 we see the beginning of the sounding of this seventh trumpet. It begins with seven thunders, and as John was going to write about the thunder he is told not to…for there will be “no more delay.” It is interesting to look at the Greek  of the word in verse 7 which is translated, “announced”—it could easily be translated “preached the gospel.” With trumpet seven that Gospel age will be completed.

From 10:8 to 11:14 we read in very figurative terms of an unrepentant world. This is nothing new from all we have read in the Scriptures. What do you make of the sweet-then-bitter scroll? It is first as sweet as honey, but then turns bitter in the stomach. Consider Good News when a prophet first hears it. It is delicious, wonderful to the ears and sweet to the mouth. Then, as the prophet declares this Good News to an unrepentant world, there is bitterness as the world rejects it.

Much speculation has been made regarding the two witnesses, but some (many?) believe it is Moses and Elijah based on verses 11:5/6. But we must not allow ourselves to go down and interesting path that might cause us to lose focus…for the Seventh Trumpet is about to sound.

The world has been warned (we might say “is” being warned) and when we get to the point in time that there is to be “no more delay” then there will be no more time…for the Seventh Trumpet has sounded. Here is the tough reality that we often want to dilute…when the trumpet sounds, it is over. The fond hope that God will offer one more chance is contrary to Scripture and reason. The truth we find in Revelation is that time will come to an end.