Hail and Fire
Mingled with Blood
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We invite you to pray with us:
Father,
We aren't worthy to open Your inspired Word and to study it, but we know that You give us
the great privilege of searching the Scriptures, in order to understand what is Your will,
and what You expect from each one of us.
We humbly ask You to help us, and to guide us as we discover the messages You intended for
us in the prophetic book of Revelation.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 8:1,2
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.
As we have seen in our last lesson, a new set of seven prophecies was presented
to the apostle John right after the seven seals: the seven trumpets.
The aim of the first six trumpets is to warn rebellious men, and to call them to
repentance, before the seventh trumpet, which will sound the hour of their destruction.
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Revelation 1:11
What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven
churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to
Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 4:1; 5:5
Come up here, and I will show you things which must take
place after this. (...)
Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the
scroll and to loose its seven seals.
Similar to the letters to the seven churches and the seven seals, the seven
trumpets describe seven periods of history, from John's time until the end of time.
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Isaiah 58:1
Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet;
tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Ezekiel 33:5
He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take
warning; his blood shall be upon himself.
But he who takes warning will save his life.
Let's remember that the seven trumpets aim at denouncing the apostasy inside
and outside the Church.
Now, history reports that there were some periods when apostasy and rebellion against God
were almost absent...
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Revelation 6:1,2
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I
heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, «Come and see.»
And 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.
Let's look at an example: the Apostolic Church in the first century A.D.,
described in the first seal, was remarkably victorious, proclaiming the gospel throughout
the nations with zeal and faithfulness.
So the first trumpet doesn't denounce this period which was so fruitful for God's work.
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Revelation 6:3,4
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living
creature saying, «Come and see.»
And another horse, fiery red, went out.
And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people
should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
But, in the period of the second seal, from A.D. 100 to 313, things got more
and more complicated for the fast-growing Church.
The severe persecutions it had to face slowed its evangelical progress considerably.
So, the seven trumpets begin to sound from this period onward.
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Revelation 8:7
The first angel sounded.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a
third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Revelation 6:4
And another horse, fiery red, went out.
And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people
should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
The first trumpet indeed confirms the content of the second seal, with a
picture calling to mind war and bloodshed.
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Revelation 8:7
The first angel sounded.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a
third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Revelation 2:10
Do not fear any of those things which you are about to
suffer.
Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested.
Consequently, the first trumpet also confirms the letter to the second church,
Smyrna, reporting the persecutions from A.D. 100 to 313.
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Revelation 8:7
The first angel sounded.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth.
Luke 12:49,51
[Jesus said:] «I came to send fire on the earth (...).
Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather
division.»
In our last lesson, we have seen that Jesus threw fire on the earth, an act
meaning that His message, not being accepted by everybody, then became a source of
conflicts, divisions, wars, and persecutions.
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Revelation 8:7
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they
were thrown to the earth.
Exodus 9:23,24
And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the
Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground.
And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail.
With the picture of hail mingled with fire, the first trumpet's symbolism goes
even further, calling to mind one of the ten plagues in Egypt.
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Revelation 8:7
The first angel sounded.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a
third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Exodus 9:25
The hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all
that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and
broke every tree of the field.
The first trumpet and this plague in Egypt are strikingly similar.
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Revelation 8:7
The first angel sounded.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a
third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
The plague of hail and fire in Egypt is the key to understanding the first
trumpet.
But before going on, let's look at the meaning of the other symbols found in the first
trumpet.
Let's begin with the words «a third». What does this
expression mean in Bible prophecy?
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Zechariah 13:8,9
«And it shall come to pass in all the land,» says the
Lord, «that two thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one third shall be left in it:
I will bring the one third through the fire.»
Revelation 6:8
And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of
him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him.
And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth.
In Bible prophecy, as we have seen in previous lessons, a fraction («a third», «a fourth», etc.)
indicates that the events foretold will touch only a part of the world.
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Usually, the trumpets affect only «a third»
of the world:
«Then the second angel sounded: (...) And a third of the
sea became blood; and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the
ships were destroyed.» (REVELATION 8:8,9)
«Then the third angel sounded: (...) And a third of the waters became wormwood.»
(REVELATION 8:10,11)
«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; and a third of the day
did not shine, and likewise the night.» (REVELATION 8:12)
«Then the sixth angel sounded (...). So the four angels, who had been prepared for the
hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. (...) By these
three plagues a third of mankind was killed - by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone
which came out of their mouths.» (REVELATION 9:13,15,18)
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Revelation 8:7
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they
were thrown to the earth.
Genesis 11:1
Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
The Word of God sometimes uses the word «earth»
to designate its inhabitants, as we can notice in the second verse, taken from the Tower
of Babel story.
So «hail and fire with blood thrown to the earth» indicates
that the first trumpet affects the people living on earth.
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Revelation 8:7
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they
were thrown to the earth; and a third of the trees were burned up.
Ezekiel 15:6
Therefore thus says the Lord God:
«Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire
for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem.»
In the Bible, trees are another symbol used to represent people.
So the burned trees of the first trumpet symbolize people handed over to the fire of God's
punishment, «a third» indicating a partial punishment.
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In the Word of God, trees often symbolize people:
«Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the
ungodly (...). He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth
its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall
prosper.» (PSALM 1:1,3)
«Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain (...). [They are] late autumn trees
without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots.» (JUDE verses 11 and 12)
«But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but
weep for yourselves and for your children. (...) For if they do these things in the green
wood, what will be done in the dry?"» (LUKE 23:28,31)
«Say to the forest of the South, "Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God:
Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry
tree in you (...). I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and
wicked from you."» (EZEKIEL 20:47; 21:3)
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Revelation 8:7
The first angel sounded.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a
third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
1 Peter 1:24
All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the
flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and its flower falls away.
Just as the trees symbolize people, green grass, frail and short-lived, is
often used to represent people, illustrating the short life of men.
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The Bible uses grass to symbolize the frailty of men:
«Their inhabitants had little power; they were dismayed
and confounded; they were as the grass of the field and the green herb, as the grass on
the housetops and grain blighted before it is grown.» (2 KINGS 19:26)
«Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they
shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.» (PSALM 37:1,2)
«When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it
is that they may be destroyed forever.» (PSALM 92:7)
«As a flower of the field [the rich] will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with
a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance
perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.» (JAMES 1:10,11)
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Exodus 9:17,18
As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you
will not let them go.
Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has
not been in Egypt since its founding until now.
Now, let's come back to the plague of hail in Egypt, in order to understand the
message of the first trumpet.
Seeing His people oppressed by Pharaoh, God sent this plague as a reprisal, to persuade
him to free the Hebrews and let them go out of Egypt.
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The rain of hail and fire punishes those who oppress God's people:
«The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most
High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered
the foe.» (PSALM 18:13,14)
«He also gave up their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to fiery lightning. He cast
on them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending angels of
destruction among them.» (PSALM 78:48,49)
«The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard, and show the descent of His arm,
with the indignation of His anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering,
tempest, and hailstones.» (ISAIAH 30:30)
«I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on
his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones,
fire, and brimstone.» (EZEKIEL 38:22)
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Isaiah 28:1,2
Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim,
whose glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the verdant valleys, to
those who are overcome with wine!
Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying
storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, who will bring them down to the earth
with His hand.
Even more precisely, the tempest of hail indicates that those who oppress God's
people will be punished through men aroused by God Himself.
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Revelation 8:7
The first angel sounded.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a
third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Using the same description as the plague of hail and fire in Egypt, the first
trumpet announces the divine punishment of those who oppress the people of God.
Now, during the period of the second seal, between A.D. 100 and 313, the oppressor of
God's people was the Roman Empire.
Now, does history confirm the message of reprisal announced by the first trumpet?
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Revelation 8:7
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they
were thrown to the earth; and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was
burned up.
At the end of the second century, as the persecution of the Christians was at
its height, the Roman Empire, though firmly founded for more than 300 years, entered into
a state of unprecedented chaos.
In less than one year (192-193), four emperors succeeded one another, being murdered one
after the other. The legions were contesting the official power.
Taking advantage of this political instability, Barbarian tribes began to threaten the
Roman Empire.
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Exodus 9:27,28
And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said
to them,
«I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.
Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough.
I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.»
Just like Pharaoh, who was driven more by ambition than by sincere repentance,
the Roman Empire then tried to draw closer to God.
In A.D 313, Emperor Constantine I decreed the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity the
Empire's official religion, and put an end to persecution.
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Exodus 9:29,30
And Moses said to [Pharaoh],
«As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the
thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is
the Lord's.
But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.»
Moses knew that Pharaoh hadn't really repented, and that, once the plague of
hail and fire was over, he would oppress the people of God again...
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Exodus 9:33-35
So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out
his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured
on the earth.
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet
more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.
So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the
Lord had spoken by Moses.
... and Moses was right.
But another plague was in store for Pharaoh, just as a second trumpet is about to sound
for the Roman Empire oppressing God's people.
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2 Chronicles 13:11,12
We keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have
forsaken Him.
Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to
sound the alarm against you.
O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not
prosper!
Before moving on to our next lesson, let's remember that the responsibility for
taking seriously the warning messages of the trumpets is up to us.
May we always respond to these calls to repentance and obedience to the Word of God.
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Let's pray together:
Lord,
Jesus Christ said: «Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine,
and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the
rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not
fall, for it was founded on the rock.» (Matthew 7:24,25)
Please help us to be founded on the Rock, on Jesus, so that we may always remain faithful
to You, and be kept from the tempest of hail and fire awaiting unrepentant men.
In the precious name of Jesus our Savior we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #16,
JJ000242.JPG. Screen 2: «Seventh Seal: The Distribution of the Trumpets
to the Seven Angels» (c.1255-60), The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. In: «Revelation
- Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.22.
Screen 3: HARLAN, Russell. In: «Votre Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.),
Press Publishing Association, p.286. Screen 4: MANISCALCO, Joe. In:
«Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM237.BMP.
Screen 5: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD»,
Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM230.BMP. Screen 6: STEEL, John. In: «God
Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.175.
Screen 7: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD»,
Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM227.BMP. Screen 8: In: «The Watchtower»
magazine (November 1, 1991), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.8.
Screen 9: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (November 1, 1990), New York, Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.10. Screen 10: MORRIS, Tony. In:
«Guideposts #10 - Let My People Go!» (FRANK, Penny), Lion Publishing, 1986, p.17.
Screen 11: In: «My Book of Bible Stories», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1978, p.33. Screen 12: «Wildfire, near Polson, Montana».
In: «The Elements - Fire» (ROBBINS, Ken), New York, Henry Holt and company, 1996, n.p.
Screen 13: DORÉ, Gustave. In: «La Bible de Gustave Doré», Lausanne, Edita,
1994, p.245. Screen 14: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited,
1986, lesson #23 («Les trompettes annoncent la chute de Rome»), p.1. Screen 15: BRUEGEL,
Pieter. «The Tower of Babel», Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. In: «Great Bible
Stories and Master Paintings» (RACHLEFF, Owen S.), New York, Abradale Press Publishers,
p.35. Screen 16: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred
History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM227.BMP. Screen 17: Cover of
Compact Disk. «GLAZUNOV, Orchestral Works - Volume 10», Naxos, 1996. Screen 18: Photo
in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #16, TF000277.JPG. Screen 19: «Tallgrass
Prairie, Red Cloud, Nebraska». In: «The Elements - Earth» (ROBBINS, Ken), New York,
Henry Holt and company, 1995, n.p. Screen 20: In: «The Bible in Pictures
for Little Eyes» (TAYLOR, Kenneth N.), Moody Press, Chicago, 1956, p.43. Screen
21: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.130. Screen 22: In: «The
Children's Bible, volume 3», Golden Press, 1981, p.158. Screen 23: Photo
Georges Goldner, Paris. Louvre Museum. In: «Histoire Mondiale des Guerres», Librairie
Plon, 1965, p.180. Screen 24: In: «Histoire du Monde: Volume 6 -
L'Occident au Moyen Age» (BAILEY, A. and REIT, S.), Les Éditions Maisonneuve, 1967,
p.488. Screen 25: GRUGER, Frederic R. In: «Bible Readings for the
Home», Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1972, p.482. Screen 26: MAIRANI,
Alvaro, and Carlo TORA. In: «Great Bible Stories for Children» (EASTERLY, R. Lane), New
York, Royal Publishers Inc., 1974, p.48. Screen 27: MOLAN, Chris. In:
«Forever Stories, volume 3» (BYERS, Carolyn), Review and Herald Publishing Association ,
1990, p.7. Screen 28: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (January 1, 1987),
New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.18. Screen 29: Photo in:
«Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #16, SSGP5491.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 40 is waiting for you!