1. Opening the 7th Seal:
Unlike those who preceded him, the decision of the seventh seal is present, one might say, like a pull-out decision, ruling that encloses within 7 others that trigger the sound of seven trumpets. This presentation of things by John might be an explanation. It would indicate an acceleration of time and a shortening of time between the notorious scourges the earth. The seven plagues that frees the opening of the seventh seal would be fulfilled in time for a seal. More rebellious humanity sinks into rebellion against God, the more it is exposed at the time of trial, at an accelerated rate of successive calamities that hit it. Like a body without force led against himself at its center by a swirl of ever faster, mankind is subject to a rate of misfortune ever more intense over which it has no control. Is this not indeed what we are already seeing in our world?
The 7th Seal opened a preparatory period inaugurates the opening of the second series of plagues brought by the sound of trumpets. This preparatory time is built around several components:
- total silence in the sky that John estimates that half an hour: v 1. If the word can sometimes be scary, how can also be silent. More than the absence of noise, silence in the Bible is an invitation to reflection and contemplation, meditation a profound way to consider the merits, weight, value and meaning of our actions: eg Gen 24.21 .
Silence is often an order that God gave to His people before big battles Exodus 14.14 (before crossing the Red Sea), 1.7 Zephaniah, Zechariah 2.17 . He indicated that if it passes at men, the battle will take place is first and foremost a matter of God: Joshua 6.10. The silence that God requires is an invitation to listen to Him: Habakkuk 2.20; Isaiah 41.1; 4.4 Ps. After the series of plagues that humanity has been the object through the opening of the six seals, the question arises: Did she learn anything? Is she, like the prodigal son, returned to itself to repent and return to God? Opening the 7th Seal shows that unfortunately is not!
- the gift given to the seven trumpets, seven angels v 2.
As the silence, the choice of the trumpet as an instrument signal of the operation of God's judgments is not due to chance. The sound of the trumpet was the signal for the outbreak of hostilities and the battle: Joshua 6.16 to 21; Judges 7.18; Zephaniah 1,14.16. The fact that it trumpets, and nothing else, that are given to the angels, testifies that the hour of the great battle of God against sin and evil forces that dominate the world has come!
- the offering by the angel in a golden censer prayers of the saints: 3-5 v
The last time he was mentioned in the prayers of the saints The Apocalypse was at the opening of the fifth seal: 6.9 to 11 . On that occasion the martyrs cried to God asking Him how long his patience would last before He takes revenge of the blood they shed in faithfulness to Him in this world. They were told they take some time to rest again before anger strikes.
The presentation of the prayer of the saints before the trumpet sounds the first evidence that the plagues that are coming are an expression of God's vengeance against the unpunished crimes committed against his people. The time has come, putting first His people free, God of His fate remains to be paid to people in the world price for their crimes against all the righteous: Isaiah 26.20-21 cf Mat 23.34 to 36.
- blending the angel with the prayers of the holy fire of the altar v 5.
This is not the first time he refers to the altar in the Apocalypse. At the opening of the 5th seal is under the altar that John saw the souls of the martyrs seek divine vengeance: Rev. 6.9. In his vision of heaven and the throne of God, Isaiah saw the angel taken lightly an ember that was on the altar to purify it from sin and make it fit for the ministry God wanted to confide Isaiah 6.6. The fire on the altar of purification value. There, according to the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Christ went directly after his death to submit to God offering His life as a cleansing of the sin of mankind: Heb 9 , 23 to 26 .
Half the prayers of the martyrs who, by the response of love, have amassed coals on the heads of their persecutors Rom 12.17-21 , fire hurled to earth from the altar speaks of the fact that the hour of trial and purification of sin came: cf Rev. 14.8, 16.7 . This time, Jerusalem has known in his time: 10.2 Ezekiel, but here the whole world is concerned!
- raw and frightening consequences of the jet of fire from the altar on earth v 5: there were thunders and voices and lightnings and an earthquake! An effect that reminds us that Moses lived at the time of giving of the law on Sinai. Exo of 20.19. The vision was so frightening that the whole people, however, to be held away, begged Moses to mediate between God and him, the fear he felt for the simple fact of the terrorizing hear His voice: Heb 12.18-21. The presence of these elements, when the trumpets gave the signal for the battle about to sound, reflecting the fact that, having refused the grace He gave them the time of His patience is at god of law and justice that men will now report: see Rev. 4.5.
2. The first four trumpets v 6-13
The preliminary stage of the series of new plagues completed, it is time for the seven angels who had received the seven trumpets give the signal that would be triggered by hostilities. One after another, the first four angels embouchèrent their trumpets:
first trumpet, hail, fire and blood: v 7
The Curse of the trumpet reminds us one of the plagues that struck Egypt in the time of Moses: Exodus 9.23 to 24. The curse refers either a "natural" on an unprecedented scale, or, for some, a catastrophic nuclear explosives (Book: War and atomic biblical prophecy: Bernhardt Philbert: page 82). The book of Job reminds us that there exists in the stratosphere of huge deposits of hail reserved by God for the days of war and battle Job 38.22 to 23. The fact that God uses the small intestine in its battle to defend His cause and His Name is not new. Aside from Egypt, God re-offend in the time of Joshua, Joshua 10.11 then later in the Apocalypse: Apo c 16.21. Fire, hail and blood components that are part of the prophets refer to as performers His judgments: Ps 18.12 to 13, 148.8; Isaiah 30.30; Ezech 13.13; Joel 3.3 to 4.
The consequences of the first plague are dramatic in terms of impact and destruction. Quarter of the land affected by the wounds of the first three buckets together in the 4th: Rev. 6.8 is happening here in one third scourge.
second trumpet: a burning mountain in the sea: v 8 and 9
After the land is the sea that is attacking the scourge following. If John could describe hail the previous scourge is a comparison he called here to tell us what he sees.
Several possible explanations have been given to the phenomenon:
- the fall of a giant asteroid
- the gigantic eruption of a volcano
- or thermonuclear explosion of a bomb causing in the sea a shock wave destroying everything in its path (Bernhardt Philbert: page 84)
The scourge of the second trumpet for the creatures that live in or on the sea, a similar impact to that of first. Knowing the proportion occupied by the oceans on the planet, the second plague in terms of power than the first. Note that the change in the sea of blood was also part of the plagues that struck Egypt in the time of Moses: Exodus 7.20.
3rd my trumpet a star called Wormwood poisoning water sources : v 10 and 11.
Coming from the sky, this falling star and contaminates water sources could be identified with the explosion of an artificial satellite. "The fall of an artificial satellite from a few tons would appear dramatically huge white-hot star, with smoke blazing B. Philbert: page 85. "Bearer of a toxic chemical weapon, the explosion of such a machine" would fatally infect entire regions mainly by the fact that, through the rain, these radioactive poisons entering streams: B Philbert, page 86.
fourth trumpet fixtures losing a third of their clarity: v 12
John does not tell us here what exactly comes the loss of clarity of the stars being created by God for light on the earth: Genesis 1.16 to 17. The stars are very far from the sun and moon, the most likely explanation is that a thick veil due to any pollution spreading in the atmosphere obscures the brightness of the stars in all the earth (Recent volcanic explosions demonstrate the possibility of such a phenomenon).
Note that with the first four trumpets, are the elements arranged by God during the first 4 days of the creations that are affected: land, sea, trees, grass, stars ... Before reaching the men themselves themselves directly, the trial reached the frame in which they live (as he was also in Egypt).
3. A pause before the next three trumpets: v 13
While it is through silence that introduced the new series of plagues that were to hit Earth, it is here a verbal warning that the next three supernatural plagues are announced. We do not know if the inhabitants of the earth to hear, but we think that this pause is again given to make them think.
I am coming soon!
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