I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. Revelation 10:1-3

We begin this chapter with “another strong angel” coming down from heaven. Many believe this is Christ himself however it clearly says its “another angel”. Notice a Rainbow was on his head, what do we know about the Rainbow? It was the covenant God made with humanity from the judgement of the flood. The covenant is clearly still on the mind of God and he wants everyone to become saved

What are the 7 peals of thunder? Remember 7 is the number of completion in the Bible. Thunder is typically symbolic of judgement. The original Greek word for “thunder” is bronte which also means “to roar” So the 7 peals of thunder are loud yells of judgement to the world

When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” Revelation 10:4

Whatever was spoken during the “7 Peals of Thunder” it has been sealed up by God Almighty. We can’t even begin to speculate what was said, because these words have been sealed and not revealed anywhere in the Bible.

Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets. Revelation 10:5-7

When the 7^th and final Trumpet sounds, the mystery of God is finished! What does this mean? What is about to be revealed by God? I think this is the final warning by God for sinners! Its time to repent and be saved through Jesus Christ, after this trumpet will be the seven bowls of wrath poured out onto the Earth

Notice the angel says “there will be delay no longer” many question why didn’t Jesus return yet. Because God wants everyone to be saved! He is delaying his wrath as long as possible, however people just never want to repent. The time is running out!

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. Revelation 10:8-10

The little book that was in the angels hand was given to John. Why was the book bitter and sweet? First off let’s be clear, the message in this little book was the Word of God. The Word of God is very sweet to those who understand its salvation and redemption. However those who reject God and his word, we know the bitterness of his wrath and judgement! This makes the Word of God very bittersweet

How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. Ezekiel 3:3

And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” Revelation 10:11

This is setting the stage for the 2 Witnesses that we will see later in Revelation. They will preach the Truth to the entire world! But also us, since we are digesting the prophecy here in Revelation, we need to witness to the entire world before its too late!

Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. Revelation 9:1

This Chapter we begin the start of the “3 Woes” things are going to get very bad for whoever is left on the Earth. The 5^th Trumpet has sounded, and a “Star” from Heaven  is thrown down to Earth. What is this Star? The correct question is Who is This Star?

The Star is reference to Satan himself, being cast down to Earth and given permission to open the Abyss (bottomless pit)

How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! Isaiah 14:12

And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Luke 10:18

He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. Revelation 9:2-3

Satan now on the Earth and has opened the Abyss (Bottomless Pit) What is the Abyss? It’s a holding cell for demons. We remember the story when Jesus cast out the demons of Legion, they begged him not to send them into the Abyss (Bottomless Pit) I believe the Abyss is also referred to as Hades

We see the demons described as Locusts coming out of the ground. Have you every accidently uncovered a bees nest or something similar? I have recently and I can understand what John is trying to describe here. There are so many demons, that they are being released in swarms. What a scary sight, the Earth is covered with Demons and Satan himself

And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. Luke 8:31

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell (Tartarus) (Bottomless Pit) and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 2 Peter 2:4

They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. Revelation 9:4-5

Anyone who is not sealed by the Holy Spirit, the Demons are permitted to torture you for 5 months. As bad as this sounds, the fact that the Holy Spirit is still on the Earth, means that people still have a chance to repent and come to salvation through Christ

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Ephesians 1:13

And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them. Revelation 9:6

With all the evil and torment on the Earth, many will seek to die however God wont allow death. Notice even after all this torment, the wicked people still will not Repent! However God is granting them time to still repent and be saved

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. Revelation 9:7-10

Here we see the Demons described:

• Horses prepared for Battle Terrifying and intimidating. I would guess they are rather large and strong
• Faces of Men Meaning highly intelligent..Demons are very intelligent…this is why the world is so easily deceived
• Hair of Women Meaning physically beautiful…remember Demons/Angels are beautiful creatures not how we portray them…they can be very deceiving
• Breastplates of Iron Meaning they are indestructible to us….those left won’t be able to kill them or fight them off
• Tails of Scorpions They have been given the authority to torment anyone who is not sealed by the Holy Spirit

They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things. Revelation 9:11-12

The world seems to be spinning out of control, but notice even in judgement, God is still in complete control. The demons even have a King over them (Apollyon) to keep them in line. And the demons are only permitted to torture and not kill

Abaddon/Apollyon means destruction or destroyer. Is this angel Satan himself or the Anti Christ? I don’t think so, remember the Bible never teaches that Satan controls Hell or anything. God is always in control, I believe this angel is under Gods authority

This completes only the 1rst Woe and the 5^th Trumpet

Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” Revelation 9:13-14

The 6^th Trumpet has sounded and the 2^nd Woe will begin.  What is symbolic of the Euphrates River? Its been an important river through the Bible, it was a river in the Garden of Eden and also a River that divided the “Promise Land” to the nation of Israel. The Euphrates is the dividing line for Armageddon. When this river dries up it will enables the enemies of Israel to cross over and attack them..stay tuned

And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. Revelation 9:15-16

More Demons are released, and it’s says about 200 million of them! Think about that staggering number. And these demons didn’t come to just torment, they came to Kill this time. They kill 1/3 of mankind that is left on the Earth! Think about that we could be talking about millions maybe billions of people

And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. Revelation 9:17-19

Not only are these demons terrifying to look at, but they are also powerful and deadly. They obviously have more power and authority then the first batch of demons. They kill 1/3 of mankind with fire and brimstone!

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts. Revelation 9:20-21

However despite all the death and destruction, there are still many people who will not repent! People may wonder why God would send all these plagues and demons, because God wants us all to be saved! He wants us all to repent and come to Jesus Christ!

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8:1

Finally, the 7^th and final seal is Broken. Notice this Seal is complete silence in Heaven, just like a Sabbath of Seals. God rested on the 7^th day of Creation, there is a break/silence on the 7^th seal of the great tribulation. This marks the beginning of the next phase of judgement, natural disasters,  the 7 trumpets

(Remember from previous chapters, 7 is symbolic for completion)

In this Chapter we will only see the first 4 Trumpets sounded

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Revelation 8:2-4

In this scene we see the 7 Angels (who represented the 7 Churches) and the 7 trumpets that are now given to them. Each trumpet will represent a different judgement/natural disaster upon the Earth, some of them are very similar to the plagues of Egypt. We will break them down in more detail as we go along.

Remember our prayers are collected by God and released like a sweet-smelling incense. Just think of all your heartfelt prayers to God are not only heard but are being collected and used to glorify God!

May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. Psalm 141:2

Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. Revelation 8:5-6

The censer filled with all our prayers is now thrown down to Earth to begin massive judgement of the wicked and evil. Now all that is left is judgment for the wicked!

The trumpets have now been sounded…Judgement is now beginning! Judgement that is on a scale that has never been seen before!

The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. Revelation 8:7

The 1rst Trumpet,  1/3^rd of the entire Earth is scorched! Imagine this scene, we see the wildfires going on in California, imagine 33% of the Earth is on fire! No green grass is left on the entire Earth! Its beginning to look like Hell on Earth already. Compared to the fire and brimstone God sent down on the Earth during the plagues of Egypt

And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. Exodus 9:23

The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. Revelation 8:8-9

The 2^nd Trumpet, 1/3^rd of the sea turns to Blood! 33% of everything living in the sea dies! Again very similar to the plagues of Egypt.

So Moses and Aaron did even as the LORD had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. Exodus 7:20-21

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 waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. Revelation 8:10-11

The 3^rd Trumpet is sounded, and now 1/3^rd of all the fresh drinking water is contaminated. A great star named “Wormwood” is thrown into the water and poisons it, so what is Wormwood? Wormwood is a popular bitter herb , even still used today. So when you say “Wormwood” people generally associate it to “Bitterness”. However as we read, the water are not only Bitter but Poisonous. This will cause great distress among the Earth

The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. Revelation 8:12

The 4^th Trumpet is sounded, and darkness is cast upon the Earth, as the Sun, Moon, and 1/3^rd of all stars are struck. Again this is very similar to the plague in Egypt where God cast darkness upon Egypt for 3 days.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” Exodus 10:21

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” Revelation 8:13

The ending of this Chapter is very interesting, the finally 3 Trumpets are known as the 3 Woes because of this warning upon the Earth. The word “Woe” in the Bible is often used to describe a Judgement that is beyond description. Jesus used the warning of Woe throughout his Ministry

As bad as the first 4 Trumpets were, the last 3 Trumpets (Woes) are going to be even worse! Get Ready!

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! Matthew 18:7

Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2

The Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) has now broken the 1rst of 7 Seals of Judgment

The Great White Horse is released, who is on the Great White Horse? Many will falsely believe its Jesus himself, but it’s actually the Anti-Christ looking to deceive and destroy the entire world. Notice he has a bow instead of a sword (Word of God) The white horse is symbolic of war, the Anti-Christ is coming to deceive the entire world and destroy them. Notice he’s also wearing a crown which is symbolic of great authority or power

“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. Matthew 24:5-6

When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him Revelation 6:3-4

The 2^nd Seal is broken! The Second Seal is a Red Horse which equals War! Notice it says this Horse has the authority to “Take Peace” from the world. There will be death and war like has never been seen before! A great sword has been given to him meaning “Great power to destroy humanity”

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Matthew 24:7

When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” Revelation 6:5-6

The 3rd Seal is now broken, the black horse represents “Famine”. A denarius equals a days wages, so its saying food is going to become very scarce. Its going to be very costly to feed you and your family. The people who are left on the Earth will suffer greatly.

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Matthew 24:7

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8

Now the 4^th Seal is broken, this seal , this horse is described as a pale green is representative of Death! Because of the great wars and famines, many people will die. It says over 25% of the population of the Earth will be immediately wiped out. There is nearly 8 billion people on this Earth, so imagine 2 Billion people immediately wiped out. This is how devastating this judgment will be on the Earth

“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Matthew 24:9

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth? And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. Revelation 6:9-11

The 5^th Seal is broken, and this is the martyred souls for Christ, the Tribulation Saints! It tells us that many Christians or many who come to Christ during the Tribulation, will be forced to renounce their faith in Christ or be put to death! The blood of the saints and martyrs cries out for Jesus revenge, which will happen soon!

This also applies to all the prophets, apostles, and Christians who have been murdered in the name of Jesus throughout the history of the world. Abel being the first prophet to be killed by his brother Cain

He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Genesis 4:10

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Revelation 6:12-14

The 6^th Seal is broken, and a great earthquake as never seen before will happen to the world and will destroy a majority of the planet. Not only that , the moon will turn blood red, meteors striking the Earth. Total chaos and terror happening, such as Sodom and Gomorrah , to those left on the Earth

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. Joel 2:31

Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:15-17

No matter who you are, rich or poor, man or woman, black or white, doesn’t matter. If you are still alive on the Earth at this time, you will face the Judgement of God. People will try to escape the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords , Jesus Christ. But its too late, The Lion of Judah has returned for Judgement! Who can stand in the Day of The Lord?

Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble. Isaiah 2:19

• 1rst Seal – Anti-Christ

• 2^nd Seal – War

• 3^rd Seal- Famine

• 4^th Seal – Death

• 5^th Seal – Tribulation Saints

• 6^th Seal – Natural Disasters