Author: Charlie Garrett

Saturday, 2 January 2021

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!” Revelation 8:13

John has just reported what he saw in the sounding of the fourth trumpet and the judgments associated with it. Now, his eyes are redirected, and he says, “And I looked, and I heard an angel.”

Manuscripts vary here in saying either, “an angel,” or “one eagle.” For those who believe it properly reads “angel,” their support for it comes from Revelation 14:6 –

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.”

The claim for this view is that the words “another angel” mean that what is presented here in verse 8:13 must obviously be speaking of a first angel. It sounds logical at first, but is the term “another” referring to this angel in Revelation 8:13, or another angel in the succession of angels that are presented in the book?

The term “another angel” (or a close variation such as “another mighty angel”) is used nine times in Revelation (7:2, 8:3, 10:1, 14:6, 14:8, 14:15, 14:17, 14:18, & 18:1) when speaking of a general succession of angels without regard to any other particular angel. Further, with “another angel” presented between verse 8:3 and verse 14:6, the defense does not hold up. Whether the term “another angel” or “one eagle” is correct is debatable, but the defense of tying verse 8:3 to verse 14:6 is unsound.

If this is an angel, it signifies a messenger of any sort. If it is an eagle, it is still a messenger, but the symbolism can be derived from other passages of the Old Testament where the nesher, or “eagle,” is found –

“The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, ⁵⁰ a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. ⁵¹ And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you.” Deuteronomy 28:49-51

“Set the trumpet to your mouth!
He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord,
Because they have transgressed My covenant
And rebelled against My law.” Hosea 8:1

“Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their chargers charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.” Habakkuk 1:8

The Hebrew word nesher comes from an unused root meaning “to lacerate.” Thus, this is an eagle or other large bird of prey. From these and other verses, it is apparent that the eagle represents a quick, decisive creature that strikes at its enemies in vengeance. Such aligns well with what is seen in the coming judgments.

The angel or eagle now being presented is very likely another manifestation of Jesus. This is not without precedent as the Lord of the Old Testament is likened to an eagle several times –

“As an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its young,
Spreading out its wings, taking them up,
Carrying them on its wings,
¹² So the Lord alone led him,
And there was no foreign god with him.” Deuteronomy 32:11, 12

“Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle,
And spread His wings over Bozrah;
The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.” Jeremiah 49:22

These and other verses, and the symbolism of the eagle representing the fourth gospel (the book of John), allow for this to then be another part of the unfolding revelation of Jesus Christ, heralding the events that are to follow upon the earth. And so, whether angel or eagle, it next says it is “flying through the midst of heaven.”

Here is introduced a word that is seen just three times in Revelation, mesouranéma. It signifies the meridian, or the highest point in the heavens (the zenith) that the sun occupies in the middle of the day. It is not speaking of the space between heaven and earth. This divine messenger (whether angel or eagle) is “saying with a loud voice, ‘Woe, woe, woe.’”

The Greek word is an interjection commonly used by Jesus in the synoptic gospels, ouai. It signifies grief, and thus one could also say, “alas.” Repeating this three times is a means of providing strong emphasis, and thus doom is being proclaimed because the denunciation is directed “to the inhabitants of the earth.”

As is common, the Greek word used for “earth” could be speaking of the land of Israel, the Mideast, or even the entire earth. The sounding of the sixth trumpet specifically mentions the area of the Euphrates, and so the word here certainly extends to those coming from that direction and area, but it does not mean that those troops are not destroyed in the land of Israel during the battle described in those verses.

Because of the sheer number of those mentioned in that trumpet judgment, the “inhabitants of the earth,” here, surely speaks of many peoples from many places, if not the entire planet. With that understood, the call of woe continues with the words, “because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

That is specifically speaking of the three final trumpet judgments. There is much destruction and there will be innumerable deaths associated with them.

Life application: The repetition of a word in the Bible is meant to call stress to that word, such as when we use boldface, italics, or when we put an exclamation point at the end of a sentence or word. Only a very few times in the Bible is a word repeated three times. When these occur, they are not just stressing a point, but they are stressing it to the highest degree.

Some other instances of a triple repetition are in Isaiah 6:3, Jeremiah 7:4, Jeremiah 22:29, Ezekiel 21:27, and Revelation 4:8. The above verse is conveying to the world that what has happened so far with the first four trumpet judgments will be nothing compared to what is coming in the next three. The world is headed for immense trouble from these three trumpet judgments, and it will only continue to get worse because another series of judgments will follow the trumpets. What is coming will be targeted and decisive in nature.

In understanding this, one purpose of the book of Revelation is that it serves as a warning to the people of the world of what lies ahead. One could dismiss its contents if it was a stand-alone book. But the terminology used in it is derived from all of the rest of the Bible, a book which has carefully and exactingly produced numerous fulfilled prophecies already. As this is so, and with this impeccable track record, the contents of the book are to be taken seriously. They are to be accepted as true and reliable prophecies of what is coming upon the world. And that is to be based on the world’s rejection of God’s offer of His Son. Man is given the choice to accept or reject what God has done. Be wise. Call out today for God’s saving offer of JESUS!

O Lord, when Isaiah looked up and saw you in the temple, he cried out Holy, Holy, Holy. Your glory overwhelmed him. However, the world today simply shrugs a shoulder and turns its back on You. How can we be held guiltless when we reject our Creator? Surely You are righteous in bringing judgment upon the world. Give us hearts now to understand our state and turn to You through Your offer of grace and mercy – Jesus. Amen.

Friday, 1 January 2021

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. Revelation 8:12

The trumpet judgments continue on now with John saying, “Then the fourth angel sounded.” As will be seen in the next verse, this is the first of the three triple-woe judgments. For now, however, John continues with, “And a third of the sun was struck.”

The previous judgments were directed against the earth (literally or figuratively) in the trees and grass, in the sea, and in the springs of water. This one, at first, appears different as it is directed toward the sun. However, may not be the case. It might be something that occurs on the earth that causes the sun to become obscured. This also includes “a third of the moon, and a third of the stars.”

This is similar to the events of the sixth seal as previously recorded in verse 6:12 –

“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.”

The first question is whether this is symbolic of something else or is it literal. Either way, obscuring of the heavenly bodies is something that almost universally portends evil. When there are eclipses, the nations tend to see them as bad omens. To have light obscured means darkness. Whether it is literal or figurative, darkness carries the same general thought – that of being oppressed and afflicted.

Another question that remains unanswered is, “Is this only over the land of Israel, or is this global in its effects?” The next verse will use the same general word found throughout Revelation that speaks of a particular land, the earth, the ground, the soil, and so on. Therefore, the answer remains open to interpretation.

A third of these heavenly bodies being struck would mean that the light of them is diminished by one third. The sun that is normally seen would be darkened by one third. The same is true with the moon and stars. Thus, many dim stars would be completely obscured.

Considering this as a literal occurrence, it could still have figurative meaning. The sense of judgment, oppression, confusion, and so on, from the darkening of the heavens could translate directly to the same thing occurring in the people of the world. In other words, when Christ was born, there was the star in the east that indicated His coming. The real event in the heavens directed the people to the fulfillment of what it was calling out to be seen. Likewise, the literal event in the heavens (here in Revelation 8) could be calling out to direct the people to the fulfillment on earth – human confusion, oppression, and so on.

Therefore, the scope of the event – it being over Israel or over the whole world – would then have less importance than the event itself. The effects of the star being seen above Bethlehem were realized in the coming of Messiah for the whole world.

Although there are differences, this trumpet judgment is not entirely unlike the ninth plague against Egypt. There, the sun was totally obscured for three days. Here, it is only partially obscured. That was shown to be a judgment against Egypt’s sun god, Ra. Here, the event is showing that the world and how it operates under the heavens is at the control of the Lord. This is certain because the event is prophesied in advance. Thus, it demonstrates His sovereignty over time and over the physical universe.

Assuming this is a literal obscuring of the heavenly bodies, whether it is global or localized, it is a heavenly sign of God’s disapproval of the actions of man and they are being judged for them. That literal sign of judgment is then to be worked out against man in confusion and chaos.

What is certain is that the events of the fifth and sixth trumpets involve real events that will actually happen in and among men dwelling on the earth. This will be seen when we get to those verses.

Life application: During the Gulf War, the oil fields of Kuwait were set on fire. In this, a great parallel is seen between here and the coming trumpet judgments. It may even be that those events were precursors to what will come again – probably against the land of Israel in particular.

There was so much smoke from those fields that it literally obscured the sun, moon, and stars in a large swath of the earth for an extended period of time. The actual event corresponded to the confusion, war, and mayhem that was occurring on the ground as nations gathered in battle against Saddam Hussein and his forces.

We may have been given an advanced demonstration of how these events will be played out during the tribulation. In fact, some of the events to be described in the coming fifth and sixth trumpets amazingly parallel what happened in Iraq.

For now, let us consider that the book is written, the events are going to come to pass, and they will be known as the fulfillment of prophesy after they occur. We don’t need to fret about the cataclysmic things that occur around us as if God is out of control. Rather, prophecy is given to show us that He is in complete control. Let us hold fast to this and not be in fear. Instead, let us direct our hearts to the Lord who is our Peace. Let us direct our hearts to JESUS!

Lord God, how thankful we are to You that, in a world of seeming chaos and confusion, we know that You are in complete control. Events of the future are prophesied to show us that You are in complete control. Whatever happens in the temporary will be overshadowed by the eternal wonder we will experience in Your presence. Thank You that we can live without fear because of the great hope we possess in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thursday, 31 December 2020

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. Revelation 8:11

The words now being seen are the result of the sounding of the third trumpet. As has been seen, the results of this sounding could be literal, or they could be figurative. This commentary leans heavily in the direction of a figurative interpretation, but still provides a second analysis of what could be an actual set of literal events as well.

These could be literal events that are actually symbolic of other things than those described. As an example, the next trumpet says the sun, moon, and stars will be struck. Though that can be taken as a literal darkening of the heavenly bodies, when such occurs, it is the earth’s atmosphere and not actually the sun, moon, or stars that darken.

For now, the verse begins with, “The name of the star is Wormwood.” The Greek reads, apsinthos. It is a bitter plant and so it signifies that which is intensely bitter. It is that which produces extremely sad results. Of this, Vincent’s Word Studies notes –

“Used metaphorically in the Old Testament of the idolatry of Israel (Deuteronomy 29:18); of calamity and sorrow (Jeremiah 9:15; Jeremiah 23:15; Lamentations 3:15, Lamentations 3:19); of false judgment (Amos 5:7).”

What Vincent’s is referring to is the Hebrew word laanah – hemlock, or wormwood. It is from an unused root signifying to curse. Thus, it is that which is poisonous or accursed. As can be seen from the Old Testament references, they are metaphorical. Therefore, there is no reason to assume that the New Testament references here in Revelation must be taken literally. That is an option, but it does not necessarily follow that it must be so.

With that understood, John next says, “A third of the waters became wormwood.” If a literal interpretation is correct, it would mean that the great star that fell from heaven onto one-third of the rivers and springs of water has poisoned them. This could happen from a nuclear, chemical, or biological attack. The water becomes contaminated and deadly.

If the words are to be taken in a symbolic or figurative sense, this very well could be referring to the false prophet (or the antichrist) who will later be described in Revelation. The analysis of the previous verse again showed that stars can (and often do) speak of human leaders. This then would be a great deceiver who seduces those who have missed the rapture to believe the strong delusion that is coming.

As is obvious, many will not believe him because there is a great multitude in white that have already been seen as coming to a saving faith in Christ. However, one-third of those under this apostatized leader will believe the lie. In their following him (or, if taken literally, the results of the poisoning of the waters), it next says, “and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.”

The water is either literally to be taken as poisonous, or it is to be the exact opposite of what Christ spoke of in John 7 –

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  John 7:37, 38

From Christ come rivers of living water. From such a false and apostatized leader comes poisoned waters of wormwood. In such an interpretation, and one which is highly likely, looking at some of those Old Testament references mentioned above will open the meaning. This wormwood represents contamination by sin.

In Proverbs 5, it is equated with following the advice of an immoral woman. The parallel then is clear – the world has followed the advice of the immoral woman of apostasy and false religion led by this vile leader. This is symbolized by the great harlot coming in Chapter 17. The world will listen to the lies of this false religion and will drink the cup of her bitterness. In Jeremiah 9:15, we also read the effects of wormwood –

“Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.”

As you see, the wormwood is connected here with gall that is mentioned in Deuteronomy and Lamentations. Gall is what was offered to Jesus at the cross as well, which He rejected. The rich symbolism shows us the painful effects of sin. The wormwood of this cataclysm is much stronger than ordinary wormwood that normally doesn’t cause death. The wormwood here noted infects the waters, and “many men” will die because of its effects.

Life application: Regardless as to whether the future events are literal or spiritual, the Old Testament clearly shows that the wormwood there is to be taken metaphorically. As this is so, and if these events of the future are also to be taken figuratively, it is evident that even after having the clear evidence of the rapture presented to the people of the world, they will still rather believe the lie they are told than the truth that can save them.

As this is so, and it is clearly true from 2 Thessalonians 2:11, it shows the complete unwillingness of man to accept truth when it is clearly presented to him. This is perfectly evident by following politics. Truth is suppressed in the minds of people because of their dislike of a particular candidate. They will actually believe anything they are told, no matter how ridiculous, rather than believing what is true about the candidate.

The same is true with events in the world around us. Despite all the evidence in the world for the earth being a globe, something that even a junior high school student could prove with a single conference call to friends around the world. People will rather believe the lie of a flat earth, because of their political alliances or allegiances. Blind hatred and constant conspiracy theories can corrupt one’s objective thinking.

How much more willingly do people believe the lies from the religion their families and churches have been teaching them for all their lives! The plain and obvious truth of Jesus Christ’s deity and humanity are expressly stated in Scripture, and yet cults deny one or more of those tenets as if the words printed in black and white have no meaning.

A pretribulation rapture is clearly taught by Paul, and yet those who have been instructed otherwise deny the literal rendering of the words. Some even deny any such doctrine as a rapture at all. Eternal salvation is highlighted as a principal tenet of proper theology. And yet, this fact is denied, argued against, and belittled by countless people who are unschooled in theology and/or biased against that doctrine.

In other words, each of us must come to the pages of Scripture acknowledging that we may be wrong in what we believe. Then, we should determine to put the truth of Scripture ahead of our presuppositions and preconceived notions. Unless we are willing to do this, we could be as wrong about a particular doctrine as a person is wrong who thinks that he could fall off of the edge of a flat earth into the abyss of space.

Such is the nature of sin (of which bad doctrine is) and of our need to stay away from heresies and false religion, even now. The time is coming when these things will lead to great cataclysms and destruction. Hold fast to the truth of the word. Hold fast to JESUS!

Oh God, the effects of our sin, and our willingness to reject the truth and follow after lies and deceit, will lead us away from You and from what is right, moral, and proper. In the end, these things will only lead to troubled lives, and even to bitterness and death. If we will just be willing to take the moral and spiritual truths found in Your word and rightly apply them to our lives, we will be on the right path in ourselves, in our homes, in our politics, and in our relationship with You. Help us to do this, to Your glory alone. Amen.

Wednesday, 30 December 2020

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. Revelation 8:10

John’s attention is now directed to the trumpet sounding of the third angel. With that, he says, “And a great star fell from heaven.”

Here, the word translated as “star” is aster. It is used for meteors and planets as well as other heavenly bodies. It’s also used in a metaphorical sense for people, angels, and even Jesus Himself. Because of this, some commentators have come to the conclusion that this (and the previous object) is actually an angel who has been cast out of heaven and is now in the earthly realm causing havoc.

Others have seen it as a great leader (a prince, ruler, one of high rank, and so on). It could even be a foreshadowing of the lawless one mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. It is impossible to deny these views at this point because they are future to us (based on a dispensational view of the events). This star, however, could be something literal that John is trying to describe. If so, this could be speaking of some type of missile with a chemical, radiological, or biological warhead.

Because the word “star” has been (and will be) used both literally and figuratively in Scripture, both literal and figurative views must be considered. This continues to be true with the thought of it falling from heaven. Both real objects will fall from the heavens, such as meteors and missiles, and also spiritual objects, such as the angels being cast out of their heavenly realm or human leaders that fall away from the truth of God. Any of these may be correct. Whichever John sees, it next says it is “burning like a torch.”

If this is to be considered a literal meteor or a missile, this is exactly what such an object would look like to John. If a missile, the effects of such a warhead would be as one might anticipate, and as will be next described. If this is to be taken figuratively, with the Lord simply providing a physical object to describe a spiritual truth, the result would be the same – death and destruction. It would, however, be spiritually applied.

John next says, “and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.” If taken literally, the same thing must be considered as before. Is this speaking of the entire world, or only the land of Israel where the main focus of attention is? Again, to be dogmatic may be barking up the wrong tree. If on a global scale, the same truth would be applied as if only in Israel. However, it would simply be on a greater scale.

If this is speaking figuratively, Albert Barnes provides one possible explanation, saying, “if it be understood as having a more metaphorical sense, to regard it as affecting those things which resemble rivers and fountains – the sources of influence; the morals, the religion of a people, the institutions of a country, which are often so appropriately compared with running fountains or flowing streams.”

If figurative, then speaking more from a spiritual sense, it may be a corruption of religion as in a great turning away from the gospel that is being foretold during the tribulation period.

Any of these views are, at this point, equally to be considered. The Bible speaks of both literal and figurative fulfilling of such things. It also is applied to spiritual and non-spiritual entities (such as human leaders in religious matters and humans leaders of governments). What is certain is that once the events are complete, they will be understood as the fulfillment of them.

Life application: It is good to consider every aspect of these events, and to not get caught up in too much arguing over points that are both future and that have various possible explanations. In the end, those of the church will be taken out of the world to be with Christ before these events come to pass. Our hope is in Him, not worrying about who the antichrist will be, or whether we will be directly affected by the plagues that are prophesied to occur.

Because of this, let us have our hearts and minds focused on Christ, and let us trust that what is coming will be properly revealed and perfectly fulfilled in their due time. Until then, let us fix our eyes on JESUS!

O God, we look to the events prophesied about the future, and they often seem incredible and yet distant. But these things really are coming to pass, and real people will be affected by them. Help us to get the word out that there is salvation in Christ Jesus. The more we delay, the more people won’t hear the good news. The time of the fulfillment of those things is coming. And so, may we stir our hearts to action. Amen.

Tuesday, 29 December 2020

And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. Revelation 8:9

The words of this verse describe the effects of the “great mountain burning with fire” that was thrown into the sea. As noted in the previous verse, the effects stated in this verse seem to disprove a symbolic meaning of the “sea of people.” Instead, it more likely appears to be the literal sea. As it says, “And a third of the living creatures in the sea died.”

If this is a literal interpretation, then it would mean exactly as it states. Those living creatures in the sea are affected. But that brings in a question as to what “sea” is being referred to. As the events are focused on the land of Israel, it would mean either the Sea of Galilee (which is more like a lake) or the Mediterranean Sea. It does not have to mean the entire scope of the world, although this is still a possibility.

If the interpretation of the previous verse is speaking in imagery, even these words have a possible symbolic meaning. The living creatures would be those of the tribulation period churches or those who are evangelized by the churches. Jesus used such terminology when comparing the people of Israel to those who are being fished for –

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ ²⁰ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” Matthew 4:18-20

Another argument for a symbolic meaning is that John says they are “the creatures that are in the sea” (YLT). He does not say they are “sea creatures,” as James does. In James 3:7, he uses the word enalios, signifying things of the sea.

Therefore, with neither possible interpretation excluded thus far, John continues by saying, “and a third of the ships were destroyed.” Again, this seems to argue against a symbolic interpretation. Ships belong on the sea, and it is ships that are destroyed – as would be described in a literal interpretation. However, both concepts can be brought into a symbolic meaning as well. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown says –

“The symbolical interpreters take the ships here to be churches. For the Greek here for ships is not the common one, but that used in the Gospels of the apostolic vessel in which Christ taught: and the first churches were in the shape of an inverted ship: and the Greek for destroyed is also used of heretical corruptings (1Ti 6:5).”

This is confirmed by the Jesus Walk commentary, a portion of which says –

“The ship (bark or barque, barchetta) was an ancient Christian symbol. [It is] the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. Part of the imagery comes from the ark saving Noah’s family during the Flood (1 Peter 3:20-21). Jesus protecting the Peter’s boat and the apostles on the stormy Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41). It was also a great symbol during times when Christians needed to disguise the cross, since the ship’s mast forms a cross in many of its depictions.”

Even today in Israel, there is a church of which the pulpit is in the form of a ship. It is on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and it was designed this way to uphold this ancient tradition. And so, a symbolic meaning would be that a third of the churches were affected by the events described here, and are thus destroyed (literally or through corruption of doctrine).

The things analyzed in the previous verse, and in this verse, are given to provide various interpretations of what is coming in the future. The truth of the interpretation will be known after the events occur. For now, we can only look forward with evaluations that may or may not match what will actually take place.

Life application: If the events of this verse are literal, human life will still be lost, even though such is not specifically mentioned here. This is because ships don’t sail themselves. In other words, human life will be lost on those ships and probably many will die from the coastal tsunamis. The tsunamis generated by the Indonesian earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people all along the Indian Ocean. The disaster of the second trumpet will, then, probably be much, much worse.

Another result of this would be the economic chaos that would result from the loss of all the shipping and the loss of the coastal industries. Finally, the loss of marine life for food would continue to strip the world of food resources.

If the events are to be taken symbolically, it does not diminish the tragedy that will be faced by the people who are affected by them. In the end, the events of the trumpet judgments will be harmful in the extreme, and when they occur, they will be understood by those who live through them because of what is now presented by John.

But the best part for those who have called on Christ now is that we do not need to be worried about them affecting us personally. We are safe in Christ, and these events will be worked out in a world that has rejected Him. Those who come to Him after the rapture, however, will have to face them head on. Get the word of the gospel out now, while there is time for people to respond. It is our duty to tell of what God has done in Christ for the world. It is our duty to tell of the great things accomplished by JESUS!

O God, if the people of the world would just bow their hearts to You now, things would be so much better. But they refuse to do so. In this, they will come under Your judgment. But in Your wrath, remember mercy, O God. Nobody deserves your grace and Your favor, and without it nothing would be left. But we know the outcome already from Your word, and we do know that mercy will be coming as well. Thank You for this, O God. Amen.