Bible Study Notes for Lord’s Day,
November 29, 2009
Revelation 8-9
The Prayers of the Saints Vindicated
Introduction The Revelation is the Apocalypse, the sudden unveiling
of Jesus in His full glory, as the rightful Heir and King of the
Universe.
Ch 1 - the introduction to the unveiling of Jesus.
Ch 2-3 Jesus’ messages to His churches in the meantime.
Ch 4-5 John’s first glimpse of the Throne Room in Heaven,
and the praise and worship going on there, for Creation and Redemption.
Ch 6-7 God’s judgment on the evil world system begins. His
people are sealed and protected. To Philadelphia, “I will keep
you from the hour of trial which is coming up the whole world.”
Ch 8-9 The 7th Seal becomes 7 Trumpets. Judgments upon the people
of the world because of the prayers of the saints - all the times
we cried out to God because of having to live in this evil world
system, our longing for God's kingdom to come, and His will to be
done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
When God begins to judge, the prayers of the saints are the catalyst.
Prayer is the most important thing, the thing the devil fights hardest
against, the one mandatory thing Christians have a really hard time
accomplishing.
Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets
Revelation 8:1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence
in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who
stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then
another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar.
He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers
of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints,
ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel
took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it
to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and
an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets
prepared themselves to sound.
First Trumpet
Revelation 8:7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed,
mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third
of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Second Trumpet
Revelation 8:8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like
a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and
a third of the sea became blood. 9 And a third of the living creatures
in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Third Trumpet
Revelation 8:10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star
fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of
the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star
is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men
died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Fourth Trumpet
Revelation 8:12 Then the fourth angel sounded: 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 did not shine,
and likewise the night.
13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst
of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the
inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the
trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
Fifth Trumpet
Revelation 9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen
from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless
pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of
the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air
were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the
smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power,
as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded
not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree,
but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment
them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion
when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will
not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle.
On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces
were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair,
and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 And they had breastplates
like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like
the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They
had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails.
Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king
over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew
is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after
these things.
Sixth Trumpet
Revelation 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice
from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14
saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the
four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15
So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and
month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now
the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million;
I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the
vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth
blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the
heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by
the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their
mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails;
for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they
do harm.
Would they repent?
Revelation 9:20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by
these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that
they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass,
stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And
they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their
sexual immorality or their thefts.
Conclusion
The saints cried out to God because of evil in the world. God withheld
His judgment because it was a time of grace. Finally, during the
Great Tribulation, at the end of the age, in response to the prayers
of the saints, God brings a partial, limited judgement, in order
to bring about repentance from the very evil the saints prayed about.
Evil doers still refuse to repent, and we still refuse to stop praying.
Matthew 6
9 Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Pastor Steve Boggan
Living Waters Christian Fellowship
Heritage Ranch by Lake Nacimiento, CA
Website - livingwaters.cc
