God Reveals His Awesome Power -- Loyal OK Peace UCC

God Reveals His Awesome Power

One Sunday morning a Sunday school teacher was trying to teach her class that we all need God's forgiveness. After the story she quizzed one of the girls. "Lisa, when is a time you might need God's forgiveness?"

This really perplexed Lisa. The teacher’s son reassured her, "It's okay, you don't have to tell her."

Then the boy looked the teacher straight in the eye and said, "Mom, we don't have to tell you our problems. This isn't the Oprah Winfrey show!"

(Ranai Carlton, Waterford, California. Christian Reader, "Kids of the Kingdom.")

With that word of wisdom from the teacher’s son, let me assure you that your sins are between you and God – and mine are between God and me. I just want to challenge us to consider our eternal relationship with the creator of the world… and to consider how we might help others.

Revelation 8:1- 13

When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, 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 turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

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!

Today we resume our study of Revelation. We took a month off to celebrate the birth of our Savior, but now its back to work! Chapter 6 listed the first five seals:

1. The White horse – representing peace; probably a false peace as the antichrist establishes himself

2. The Red horse – representing war, which removes peace from the earth

3. The black horse – symbolizing famine

4. The pale green horse – representing death (death always follows war and famine!)

5. The martyrs – we then journeyed to heaven where the martyrs cried out for vengeance against their murderers.

6. Signs in the heavens – signaling that the great day of God’s wrath has come! There is a great earthquake, the sun becomes black as sackcloth, the full moon becomes like blood, and the stars of the sky fall to the earth. People cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb of God….

Chapter 7 was an interlude where God’s servants are sealed for safety. People from all across the world call out to God, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Chapter 7 ends with the statement, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Chapter 8, which is our scripture for today, opens with an attention-getting silence of 30 minutes! It is a dramatic pause before the next series of plagues. Folks, serving God is more than sleepy-eyed congregations sitting stiffly in church enduring boring sermons full of long words that loose their significance because the sermons are theological spewings that make no sense!

Put it in another way, God speaks plainly, and in this case loudly… followed by a dramatic pause!

Let me reiterate: Chapter 6 is full of drama and punishment. Chapter 7 moves to heaven where God is comforting those who have suffered. Dramatic worship is taking place. Revelation 7 ends:

"Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Then 30 minutes of absolute silence ...

Followed by seven angels standing before God, each one with a trumpet!

As the angels with trumpets stand by, another angel with a golden censer – probably something like the ones that Catholic priests use today – is brought in. The incense is either mingled with the prayers of the saints, or represents the prayers of the saints. As God receives the prayers, the angel "fills the censer with fire from the altar that is before God, and hurls it to earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightening and an earthquake."

Then the angels with the trumpets prepare to sound the trumpets – one at a time.

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, 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 turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

And then ...

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!"

People say that God is a God of love, therefore we do not need to fear Him. And they are partly right. He is, indeed a God of love. But He is a righteous God that demands righteousness on our part. Someday there will be a payday for our sins. Either we let Jesus pay the bill by letting Him forgive our sins – or we pay it ourselves with the second death.

What decision have you made?

Read about the fifth angel next week in "The Devil Can't Get You."