Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

In Revelation 6, the lamb opened seals on a scroll releasing violence and chaos on earth. 

Next, Revelation 7 paused the action while the lamb’s servants on earth received God’s mark on their foreheads. 

And now, in Revelation 8, the interlude ends, as the lamb opens the final seal on the scroll. 

But it’s not a simple finale, because this seal releases 7 angels, each with a trumpet. They’re not auditioning for a symphony. Nope! These trumpets summon war and violence. Another set of seven troubles for earth.  

But before the seven trumpets blow, a lone angel holds a bowl of burning incense before the throne of heaven, and offers incense mixed with human prayer. Then the angel replaces the incense with fire from an altar and hurls hot coals to earth, causing thunder, lightning, and earthquakes.

Now the first trumpet sounds, throwing hail and fire and blood on earth. The fire consumes a third of the land. 

When the second trumpet sounds, a blazing meteorite smashes into the sea, destroying a third of the sea creatures and a third of the ships. 

Still another trumpet blast, and a great star crashes to earth. A third of the rivers and springs become bitter, undrinkable. 

The fourth angel’s trumpet darkens a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars. 

Then, a pause. Relief at last? Nope. An eagle sails across the sky calling, “Trouble, trouble, trouble”, preparing us for three more blasts of trouble that accompany the last three trumpets.

The fifth trumpet opens the abyss, home of the dead. The angel of the abyss, whose name is Destruction, leads a huge army of battle-hardened warriors.

The sixth trumpet releases four angels who command an army of 200 million horsemen, on a mission to kill a third of the humans on earth.  

John thinks these troubles should cause people on earth to repent and worship God. 

Doesn’t happen. The survivors of the troubles continue their idol worship, murder, magic arts, sexual immorality, and theft. 

Which leaves us waiting for the eagle’s third trouble when the seventh trumpet blows.

Let’s pray. 

Our father, The Troubles in Northern Ireland were 30 years of civil conflict and strife.   But the troubles in Revelation, announced by an eagle and delivered by angels, dwarf the struggle of nations.

The disasters heaven delivers are monstrous, on the scale of nuclear war, climate-changing meteorites, irreversible pollution, and mass extinction. 

O Lord, who can stand in the day of your wrath? 

We pray, as Jesus taught, “Save us from the time of trial. Deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory.” 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

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