Let me first admit that I do not know you nor anything about you. What I am about to say is a general observation that I have seen in most people who spend a great deal of time obsessing over the book of Revelation. I have noticed that when many people begin to entertain the idea of studying scripture it seems they are drawn to the mysterious nature of this book. Rather than beginning with basic principles and learning to study scripture on a fundamental level, they begin with the book of Revelation and attempt to understand this book with little or no understanding of the its O.T. roots. When one does this they will never be able to grasp this book nor the imagery that is represented therein. This creates great gaps in one's biblical education and invariably leads to unwarranted speculation and misunderstanding of the book. When one engages in the study of mathematics, one does not begin by studying calculus. One must begin at the beginning. In order to arrive at calculus and be able to understand the mathematical principles behind this level of math one must begin by first learning what a number is.
In order to understand the book of Revelation, one must learn to appeal to the O.T. in order to understand the symbolisms given in the book. John does not simply pull these images out of thin air. These images are rooted in O.T. writings. In order to understand their significance in Revelation one must first understand how these images were used by the prophets from which they are taken. What I am about to share with you on Rev. 8:7 may not make a lot of sense to you if you do not have sufficient background knowledge to put the pieces together.
Looking briefly at the context of the chapter beginning with the opening of the seventh seal in verse one, the sounding of the trumpets announced the beginning of the end of Jerusalem. This would be accompanied by the destruction of the Temple and the collapse of the O.T. sacrificial system. This is the end of the world that Jesus speaks of in Matt. 24:3 and 14. This is not the literal destruction of the world of humanity but of the Jewish economy. God is about to bring THEIR world to an end. The imagery of the seven trumpets certainly brings to mind Joshua's destruction of the city of Jericho in Joshua 6. In this narrative, the seven priests broke the seven pictures and blew their trumpets on the seventh day of the siege and the city fell. The sounding of the seven trumpets of Revelation 8 in like manor will signify the destruction of Jerusalem. This was to herald the fall of the "faithful city" who had become a harlot and persecutor of the Church. She would be replaced by the "New Jerusalem" of Rev. 21. The seven trumpets signaled a series of judgments woes and plagues that would befall the nation. When the seventh trumpet sounded in verse 7, it was followed by plagues of hail, fire, and blood, (reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt in Exodus). These are pictures or symbolisms of devastation brought upon the nation represented by the destruction of one third of the trees and the grass. The three woes pronounced in verses 7-10 each boast a destructive power of one third - one third destruction of the vegetation, one third of the water, one third of the marine life, and one third of the ships.
To understand the book of Revelation you must first learn the nature of judgment figures.
In order to understand the book of Revelation, one must learn to appeal to the O.T. in order to understand the symbolisms given in the book. John does not simply pull these images out of thin air. These images are rooted in O.T. writings. In order to understand their significance in Revelation one must first understand how these images were used by the prophets from which they are taken. What I am about to share with you on Rev. 8:7 may not make a lot of sense to you if you do not have sufficient background knowledge to put the pieces together.
Looking briefly at the context of the chapter beginning with the opening of the seventh seal in verse one, the sounding of the trumpets announced the beginning of the end of Jerusalem. This would be accompanied by the destruction of the Temple and the collapse of the O.T. sacrificial system. This is the end of the world that Jesus speaks of in Matt. 24:3 and 14. This is not the literal destruction of the world of humanity but of the Jewish economy. God is about to bring THEIR world to an end. The imagery of the seven trumpets certainly brings to mind Joshua's destruction of the city of Jericho in Joshua 6. In this narrative, the seven priests broke the seven pictures and blew their trumpets on the seventh day of the siege and the city fell. The sounding of the seven trumpets of Revelation 8 in like manor will signify the destruction of Jerusalem. This was to herald the fall of the "faithful city" who had become a harlot and persecutor of the Church. She would be replaced by the "New Jerusalem" of Rev. 21. The seven trumpets signaled a series of judgments woes and plagues that would befall the nation. When the seventh trumpet sounded in verse 7, it was followed by plagues of hail, fire, and blood, (reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt in Exodus). These are pictures or symbolisms of devastation brought upon the nation represented by the destruction of one third of the trees and the grass. The three woes pronounced in verses 7-10 each boast a destructive power of one third - one third destruction of the vegetation, one third of the water, one third of the marine life, and one third of the ships.
To understand the book of Revelation you must first learn the nature of judgment figures.
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