05/31/2026
Sunday May 31, 2026
Pastor Tom Rowan
"THE SILENCE BEFORE THE STORM"
REVELATION 8
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: Vegetation Struck
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: The Seas Struck
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: The Waters Struck
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: The Heavens Struck
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!”
INTRO: ~ (Quick Summary) - Pointing out a few things before we look at the Seventh Seal.
• The Parenthesis between 6 and chapter 8 is over.
• The pause between the Sixth Seal and the Seventh Seal is now over.
I. THERE IS SILENCE
A.) The Possibility Of A Nuclear Attack.
Dr. Ed Hindson – The 21st Century Commentary: "John Phillips notes that Pet's prophecy of a great end-times conflagration of the earth and its atmosphere uses precise terminology that accurately describes a nuclear explosion. Liddell and Scott's Lexicondefine the elements (Greek, stoicheia) as "the components into which matter is divided" (or atoms), and the term dissolved (Greek, luo) comes from the basic Greek word meaning to "loose" that which is bound (as in nuclear fission). The term great noise (Greek, rhoizedon) is found nowhere else in the New Testament and signifies "a rushing sound as of roaring flames." The term fervent heat is derived from the Greek medical term kausoo, denoting a fever. But Peter's use of it in application to inanimate objects is the only such known usage anywhere in Greek literature. Thus, Phillips concludes, "Peter described in accurate terms the untying of the atom and the resulting rushing, fiery destruction which follows its. John's description of the trumpet judgments (Rev. 8:2-11:19) sounds very similar to a global holocaust. The entire planet will be affected by massive destruction, loss of life, and human suffering. The chaos that results will destabilize both the global economy and the world government predicted in chapter 13."
B.) The Possibility Of A Variation In The Earth’s Orbit (or the orbit of other celestial bodies).
Dr. John MacArthur – MacArthur New Testament Commentary: "Henry Morris suggests that the blood may be actual blood, or John may be using descriptive language: "The masses of water v***r blown skyward might well condense in the intense updrafts as hailstones...The blood of entrapped men and animals might be mingled with them, or possibly showers of liquid water drops might be so contaminated with dust and gases as to appear blood-red. Morris also offers an alternative explanation for the fiery phenomena: "It may be possible that angelic hosts will divert the path of one of the many comets with which the solar system abounds so that the earth will pass through its tail. The most spectacular comet with which we are familiar - Halley's Comet - would not need to stray too far from its normal orbit to envelop Earth in its fiery train. Whether such an experience would produce the phenomena described in this passage, we do not know, since our scientists have no experimental data to go on yet."
II. THERE ARE SAINTS AND ANGELS
A.) The Seven Angels Are Given Seven Trumpets - (Use Of The Trumpet in Scripture)
In The Old Testament
• The Trumpet was used to gather the nation of Israel together in Numbers 10:2.
• The Trumpet was used to sound the alarm for war in Numbers 10:9; II Chronicles 13:12; and Ezekiel 33:3.
• The Trumpet was used to gather the nation together for religious feasts in Numbers 10:10 and Psalm 81:3.
• The Trumpet was used to announce news in I Samuel 13:3.
• The Trumpet was used to proclaim a new king in I Kings 1:34; 39.
• The Trumpet was used to call the nation of Israel to repentance in Joel 2:1; Joel 2:15-17.
In The New Testament
• The sound of the Trumpet announces the Rapture in I Corinthians 15:52 and I Thessalonians 4:16.
• The sound of the Trumpet is used to announce Judgment in Revelation 8:2.
Joshua 6 - The Wall Of Jericho
B.) Another Angel, Having A Golden Censer, Came And Stood At The Altar.
Revelation 6:10 "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
Dr. Warren Wiersbe's - The Bible Exposition Commentary: "Like it or not, the prayers of God's people are involved in the judgments that He sends. The throne and the altar are related. The purpose of prayer, it has often been said, is not to get man's will done in heaven, but to get God's will done on earth - even if that will involves judgment. True prayer is serious business, so we had better not move the altar too far from the throne!"
Matthew 6:10 "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven."
III. THERE ARE SEVEN TRUMPETS
A.) The First Trumpet Will Burn Up A Third Of The Trees And Green Grass. - V. 7
~ Try to imagine what this will do to pastureland, livestock, and agriculture.
~ Try to imagine what this will do to our air.
B.) The Second Trumpet Will Turn The Sea Into Blood, And A Third Of The Sea Will Be Killed, And A Third Of The Shipping Industry Will Be Destroyed. - V. 8-9
The Preacher's Outline And Sermon Bible: "The explosion will apparently be as forceful as an atomic explosion, forceful enough to explode a mass of rock as large as a mountain into some ocean." "Again, picture the shortage of sea life for food, the devastation to the fishing industry and businesses, the interruption of shipping commerce and trade, and the financial loss because of the destroyed ships and their cargo. Commerce and food supply will be cripped world-wide by the blast of the first and second trumpets."
Exodus 7:18 "And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river."
Exodus 7:21 "The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
Dr. Warren Wiersbe - The Bible Exposition Commentary: "As of January 1, 1981, there were 24,867 ocean-going merchant ships registered. Imagine the shock waves that would hit the shipping industry if 8,289 valuable ships were suddenly destroyed! And what about their cargoes!"
C.) The Third Trumpet Will Fall On The Fresh Water Supplies And They Will Become "Wormwood." - V. 10-11
Dr. Warren Wiersbe - The Bible Exposition Commentary: "The word translated "wormwood" gives us our English word absinthe, which is a popular liqueur in some countries of the world. The word means "undrinkable," and in the Old Testament was synonymous with sorrow and great calamity." "The U.S. Geological Survey reports thirty large rivers in the United States, beginning with the mighty Mississippi (3,710 miles long). One third of these rivers, and their sources, will become so bitterly polluted that drinking their water could produce death."
Dr. John MacArthur – The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: "Because of its deadly effects, the star will be called Wormwood, although the text does not reveal who will name it. Wormwood translates apsinthos, a word used only here in the New Testament. Wormwood is a shrub whose leaves are used in the manufacture of absinthe, a liqueur so toxic that its manufacture is banned in many countries. Wormwood is mentioned eight times in the Old Testament, where it is associated with bitterness, poison, and death (Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4; Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Lam. 3:15, 19; Amos 5:7; 6:12). In three of those uses, wormwood is connected with poisoned water. In Jeremiah 9:15, for example, God says of rebellious Israel, "Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink" (cf. Jer. 23:15; Lam. 3:15).
Dr. Warren Wiersbe - The Bible Exposition Commentary: "The U.S. Geological Survey reports thirty large rivers in the United States, beginning with the mighty Mississippi (3,710 miles long). One third of these rivers, and their sources, will become so bitterly polluted that drinking their water could produce death."
D.) The Fourth Trumpet Will Strike A Third Of The Sun, Moon, And Stars. A Third Of The Day And Night Will Be Affected. - V. 12-13
Revelation 8:13 NASB “Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"
Revelation 8:13 NIV “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels.”
Dr. John MacArthur – The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: "While double woes are used for emphasis (cf. 18"10. 16. 16' Ezek. 16"23), the eagle's triple pronouncement of woe, woe, woe introduces one threat for each of the remaining three trumpets about to sound (9:1-21; 11:15ff.)."
Dr. Ed Hindson - 21st Century Commentary: "The fourth trumpet sounds and the air becomes polluted (perhaps with nuclear fallout). The sun, moon, and stars are "darkened" for one-third of the day. While this may refer to an eclipse, it seems more likely that it refers to some cosmic destruction of the atmosphere. The sun, moon, and stars are obscured by particles in the air. In the judgment of the fourth bowl (16:8-9), the sun "scorched" people as a result of this pollution. The implications is that the ozone layer of the atmosphere has been severely damaged and people are suffering from radiation poisoning. However one interprets this destruction, it is obvious that the air pollution is life-threatening. The chapter ends with an eagle (some texts read "angel") flying through heaven crying with a loud voice: "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on earth" (v. 13).
Revelation 8:13 “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!"
Angel/Eagle: G105 (Strong) ἀετός aetos ah-et-os' From the same as G109; an eagle(from its wind like flight): - eagle. Total KJV occurrences: 4
II Thessalonians 2:8-12 “8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
