Revelation Lesson 9
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The Book of Revelation
Lesson 9, Chapter 8
By Cindy Ketron
On The Edge of Eternity
The brief rest and relaxation is over! This week we pick back up from chapter 6. Remember, we had a bit of an interlude in chapter 5 where we got to take a sneak peak into the throne room of heaven. The 6th seal was broken at the end of chapter 5. The final seal will be broken this week. From chapters 8 to 18, it’s all downhill in regards to the pain and anguish that will be poured out upon the earth. But then, when we get to chapter 19, we can have a celebration because Jesus returns! Oh what a day that will be! We have a ways to go before we get there and a lot happens in the next 10 chapters.
The opening of the seals appears to be an overview of the last 3 ½ years (The Great Tribulation) and the rest of the book of Revelation. What happens now is that we go back and fill in the gaps with new information. There may seem to be some repetitiveness, but that is just the Holy Spirit’s way of making sure we understand this information. The real question is, how did we get here in the middle of the 7 years of tribulation?. Lots of things have happened to get us to this place. Some of those things are mentioned implicitly and some of them must be pieced together by looking at other Biblical passages.
Here’s what we know at the 3 ½ year mark:
God took the believers out of the world via the rapture of the Church. (somewhere between chapters 3 and 4)
A new temple has been built in Jerusalem.
The Antichrist has “saved the world” by confirming a peace treaty between Israel and other countries.
The Antichrist has gone into the Jewish temple on the Temple Mount to do something the Bible refers to as the abomination of desolation.
144,000 Jewish men have been saved and sealed.
We addressed the rapture of the Church in detail in the first few lessons. We also looked at the fact that a new temple would have to be built in Jerusalem. This week, let’s revisit that so that we understand the timeline.
1.Read Daniel 9:27. Who will make a covenant with God’s people, Israel?
2. When will the daily sacrifices stop?
The assumption is that if the daily sacrifices stop, then at some point they had to start. We’re not exactly sure about that starting point. So, if they were started and stopped, we can absolutely know that there will have to be a 3rd temple to be built in Jerusalem. Again, we have no idea of knowing exactly when that is going to be.
3. What will this person who goes into the temple do when he gets there?
The terminology on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, is the same thing as the abomination of desolation.
4. So what exactly is the abomination of desolation? Read Matthew 24:15. What is the reader to understand?
When Jesus spoke these words to His inner circle, they knew exactly what He was talking about and so did these disciples.. In 167 BC, a Greek ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes IV went into the Jewish temple and set up an altar. The abomination of desolation took place in Herod’s temple, although it wasn’t called that at the time of the abomination. This was the 2nd temple that was built after Solomon’s temple was destroyed during the Babylonian invasion. In the 1st century, this temple was added to and was then referred to as Herod’s temple. After Antiochus Epiphanes built his own altar, he offered a pig on the altar, which was an abomination to God because the people were forbidden to eat swine.
5.So, how do we know that when Jesus spoke these words in the book of Matthew in the 1st century, that He was not referring to the 167 BC event? (You may need to return to Dan. 9:27.)
Reasoning through this, it would make NO sense for Jesus to be telling His believers that something was going to happen that had already occurred. However, what He could have been saying was that the same kind of event that the Jews knew as the abomination of desolation was going to reoccur at some point in the future. Also, another key point was that Antiochus Ephiphanes IV never confirmed a treaty with Israel, so we know that Jesus could not have been talking about him in this passage.
6.Read Rev. 13:14. What are the people forced to worship in this verse?
The Antichrist (who will later be known as the Beast) will fashion some kind of idol of himself and force people to worship his image inside the temple of God. This will be an abomination. This event marks the 3 ½ year point in the 7 year tribulation and kicks off what Scripture refers to as the Great Tribulation. We’ll learn more about that when we get over to Rev. 13.
Let’s backtrack just a little bit more. We know that the Antichrist confirms a treaty with Israel. Why does He do this? What kind of shape is the world in at that time? To find out the answers to these questions, we can examine Matt. 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13 again. For purposes of this study, we’ll stick with Matt. 24 as it contains the most extensive information. In Matt. 24, we have a list of events that will happen prior to the tribulation:
The destruction of the 2nd temple…..occurred in 70 AD.
Misleading teachers and preachers claiming to be preaching in His name……startedoccurring right after Jesus ascended and is still happening today. There are too many to count.
Wars and rumors of wars………occurring now. Periodically, I go to warsintheworld.com just to see how many wars are going on around the globe. I’m always shocked. I started counting and lost count. There are hundreds. And there are rumors and rumblings of Muslims in America declaring jihad because we know that there are many already here and that number is growing exponentially. Frighteningly enough, we have Muslims serving in Congress right now. I thought when President Trump did not get back into office on his 2nd attempt that there was going to be a civil war in America. We dodged a bullet at that time, but the day will come in the future when the political horizon will be even more dangerous than it is today.
Nation rising against nation……occurring now. Look at America and China and Russia and North Korea and Turkey and Ukraine. Those rumblings are nothing compared to what is currently going on between Gaza and Israel, and Israel and Iran, and Israel and Yemen, and Israel and most Middle East countries. The average person has no idea of the tension that truly exists between countries.
Famines……occurring now. Famines speak to a food crisis that involves a lack of food and malnutrition. Oxfam International, a global organization to assist with food scarcity reports that right now, over 30 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen are facing famine. That is not to mention all the other countries that might have a food crisis. Think back to the days of Covid when the grocery store shelves were empty and you were not permitted to buy large amounts of certain items. Covid was a dry run for Satan. He is preparing for this future time of tribulation. That was a frightening time in America, but this famine spoken of in Matt. 24 will not just cover a particular geographical area, it will cover the entire planet.
Earthquakes…..occurring now. As I am writing this in August 2025, Earthquakes Today reports that there have already been 9706 earthquakes this year around the world. And just recently, there was an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia, the strongest one in centuries. The earth is groaning and has been groaning for many, many years.
Those who know God will be hated…..occurring now. Christians around the world are being persecuted and even put to death for their faith. USA Today reported in 2018 that Christian persecution was one of the biggest human rights issues of this era with more than 245 million Christians living in places where they experience high persecution. In the fall of 2025, there are increasing reports of brutal attacks on Christians in Nigeria. Millions of Christians have been driven from their homes by Muslim extremists and thousands have been slaughtered. President Trump is threatening to intervene militarily if this situation does not change. Those of us in the U.S. really know nothing of the suffering in some other places around the world. But, we are quickly becoming a hated minority and for those of us who support Israel, that hatred is growing every day.
Many falling away from the faith…..occurring now. There are so many “Christian” leaders who have fallen away from the faith and denounced Jesus Christ. Josh Harris, author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, decided that after marrying and having 3 children, he wanted to be gay. He left his family and his faith. Dave Gass, a former pastor, renounced his faith after 20 years as an evangelical pastor, describing it as “a massive bomb drop in my life, but it has been decades in the making”. Paul Maxwell, a writer for Desiring God announced his departure from Christianity, citing a desire for connection and a weariness with anger. And the list goes on and on and on.
False prophets leading others away….occurring now. Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, the list is a long one.
Lawlessness……occurring now. Look at the thugs in our country who wreck and burn cities and who attack our ICE agents and police officers. Look at the corruption in government at the highest levels. What is currently being uncovered by the FBI in regards to the whole “Russia-Gate” scenario is incredibly dangerous and frightening.
Love growing cold…..occurring now, Even those of us who are believers are finding that it is hard to not have some level of hatred in our hearts towards people who inflict pain and chaos upon our country. I, personally, am a pretty intolerant person. I have to keep an eye on the spiritual condition of my heart towards these people.
The gospel of the kingdom preached to all the world….? The Joshua Project says that there are about 7000 unreached people groups around the world, representing 40% of the global population. This means that 40% of the world has little to no access to the gospel. Does this verse mean that every single individual in the world must hear the gospel before Christ can return?
We studied a little bit about this last one in last week’s lesson. The word, oikoumene is a Greek word that means the known world. If Christ meant the known world at the time of this prophecy, then it is possible that this verse was fulfilled a long time ago. But we also have to distinguish between whether this verse is referring to the rapture of the Church or to the 2nd coming of Christ. A careful reading of Matt. 24:14 says before the end can come, the gospel must be preached to the whole world. Therefore, this means that before Christ returns the 2nd time, the whole world will hear the gospel. We looked at this last week as well and when we get to Rev. 14, we will see just how the gospel will make its way literally to the ends of the earth.
The wrath of God is getting ready to be poured out upon mankind. I’ve heard those who say that all the death and destruction in these next several chapters is a result of Satan. Satan might have ushered evil into the world, but it is not Satan’s wrath that is raining down, it is God’s.
There is no doubt according to Scripture, things in the world will continually get worse before it gets better after the 2nd coming of Christ. I want you to imagine the chaos, civil unrest, emotional turmoil, and political mess that will follow the rapture of the Church. The man with a plan, the Antichrist, will bring a calming and reassuring effect to the peoples of the world. He will have answers for what happened and a great delusion will be upon most people to believe him and the message he bears. People will be like little children, longing for a parent to protect them from harm. Therefore, as we head into Rev. 8 and the rest of the book, understand that the Antichrist is already on the scene at this point and is already working his evil.
7. I want you to think about the characteristics of a person you trust and one that has a calming effect on you. What are those characteristics?
If I need calmness and reassurance, I often go to my parents who have always been steady, always given me godly advice, and always loved me. President John Adams once said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” This begs the question, are we moral and religious in the U.S.? I dare say that more are not than are. Taking believers out of this world will take out the moral and religious people until others (the tribulation saints) come to a saving knowledge of Christ.
8. Go ahead and read Rev. 8:1-5. What is the first thing that happens in chapter 8?
We ended Rev. 7 with God’s sheltered protection of the martyred tribulation saints. In my mind, the sight of God sheltering these saints forever brings me such peace. Thus far, the Lamb has opened 6 seals. When the 7th seal is opened, it gives way to 7 successive trumpet blasts. And with every opened seal, trumpet blast, and bowl poured out on the earth, the pain inflicted on humanity becomes progressively more intense. Friends, things are getting ready to get really gnarly! I firmly believe that the seals are an overview of the last 3 ½ years. If they are, then with the preceding chapters, we are filling in the gaps or expounding on what we have already learned with the opening of the first 6 seals.
Many of you have probably read J. Vernon McGee’s commentaries or heard his radio program. He’s been in heaven for a long time, but his sermons live on through many different sources. He had a very peculiar voice and when I read his commentaries, I somehow hear that voice in my head as I’m reading. He is famous for saying of Rev. 8:1, “See, this verse proves there are no women in heaven because there’s 30 minutes of silence!” That is very funny Dr. McGee! Look back to the last few verses of Rev. 7.
9. What precedes this half hour of silence?
The scene in heaven goes from jubilant praise to a sudden holy hush. Scripture does not tell us why the silence is prolonged for 30 minutes. Many Bible commentators have made educated guesses. One theologian said that this time period could be viewed as the calm before the storm. In any event, we go from praise and worship in heaven before the throne of God to silence from God, Jesus, all the angels, and everyone else.
Once the 7th seal is opened, Jesus takes possession of the earth because He has in His hands the title deed to the earth. It is a deed that only He could open as the only One who met the requirements to redeem the earth. I wonder when the scroll was unrolled, if all of heaven could gaze on the contents inside it. Remember those souls underneath the altar in chapter 6 crying out for vengeance and wondering when it was going to come? Well, God is getting ready for a big ole showdown by raining down His wrath from heaven. Interestingly enough, those souls under the altar were not crying for those on earth to be saved, but rather, for God’s vengeance to rain down on them.
10. In Rev. 8:1-5, how many total angels are involved in this scene and what are each of their duties?
The angels in these verses are not the same angels who pour out the 7 bowls of wrath yet to come, nor are they the 7 spirits of God that we studied about in previous chapters.
To really understand what is going on in this scene, we must understand the sacrificial system and Jesus’s current role as our Intercessor. What John saw was very possibly the end to the daily services of intercession in heaven on behalf of those who remained on earth.
11. Look up the following verses and record what you learn about our High Priest:
Heb. 1:3
Heb. 7:25
Heb. 8:1-5
When Jesus returned to Heaven after His resurrection, He became our High Priest. He sat down at the right hand of the Father and He serves in Heaven’s tabernacle, the one that Scripture says was not made by hands. The tabernacle made during Moses’s day was only a copy or shadow of the one made in Heaven.
The priests would burn sweet-smelling incense at the golden altar of incense in the morning and in the evening. Any priest could do this if his order was designated for service. However, only the High Priest could go behind the veil into the Most Holy Place and he went only once a year, on the Day of Atonement to offer a sacrifice for the corporate sins of the people of Israel. The altar of burnt offerings was where individuals would bring sacrifices for their individual sins. Therefore, they had a corporate and an individual means of sacrifice for the payment of sin.
12. Read Lev. 16:12-13. Scripture is speaking here of the work of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. What is the High Priest supposed to do regarding the golden censer?
The golden censer and the golden altar of incense are 2 separate items, but they are related. The High Priest would go into the Holy Place and take coals from the golden altar of incense and put them into the censer.
Then, he would walk behind the veil into the Most Holy Place (aka - The Holy of Holies), and would put the incense from his hand into the censer. The smoke would fill up the Most Holy Place and reside like a cloud over the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant. Although nothing is mentioned in the Revelation verses about what the incense was made of, I’m assuming that it would hold the same ingredients as the censer in the Old Testament tabernacle held.
13. Read Ex. 30:34-38. What 4 spices were to be included?
This blend of spices was so holy to the people, that it was forbidden for common use. In his commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, John F. Walvoord says the following:
The incense speaking of the perfections of Christ is inseparately bound up with any ministry of intercession, and the believer’s petitions are coupled with the worthiness of Christ in their presentation at the heavenly altar, testifying at once to the necessity of praying in the name of Christ and to the efficacy of such prayer when faithfully ministered on earth. p. 152
14. In Lev. 16:14, what does the High Priest do next?
15. What does Gen. 2:17 say about those who sin?
Here’s the thing, all sin carries a capital (death) punishment and that punishment is to be executed immediately. We are not killed on the very day we commit our first sin because before mankind was ever created, Jesus had already begun corporate intercession on our behalf in heaven! When I say that He went before you, He went wayyyyyy before you to make a way for you to be with Himself.
16.The altar of burnt offering was made of bronze and the altar of incense was made of gold. Which one do you think is more important and why?
17.Read Hebrews 9:7, 11-12.. Regarding the heavenly tabernacle, where was the blood of Christ placed?
The heavenly tabernacle, the true tabernacle, not made with hands, has the blood of Jesus Christ on it within the Most Holy Place. He put His own blood there for us! Therefore, this golden censer in Rev. 8 must have come from the Most Holy Place in heaven and according to Hebrews 9:12, once Christ put His own blood on this altar, redemption was achieved for all mankind who believed and who was yet to believe, from the beginning til the end of time.
18.Read Ex. 30:37. What was special about the incense used at the altar of incense?
19.According to Rev. 8:4, what is in the censer and is mixed in with the incense at the golden altar before the throne?
God does not waste anything that we offer to Him, especially our prayers, for they are a fragrant aroma to HIm. The thing that has kept God from raining down His wrath on sinners from the moment of their first sin is the intercession offered by Christ as our Great Intercessor before this altar in heaven. The angel took the golden censer and filled it with:
Incense
Prayers of the saints
Fire from the altar
20. Is it possible that the corporate intercession for the earth ended at this time?
This is pure conjecture on my part, but I believe that is exactly what happened because the golden censer was cast to the earth. Therefore, the golden censer was no longer in heaven to serve the purpose for which it was created. God’s wrath is getting ready to be released from heaven onto the earth. He is getting ready to answer the prayers of those under the altar from the 5th seal. We saw this group in heaven near God in Rev. 7. Because of their great suffering, God will always be physically close to them.
21. In Rev. 8:5, what happens when the angel throws the censer to the earth?
This scene will truly be fire heaven! Friends, we simply cannot imagine the sights and sounds of such wrath. I remember a few years ago singing a congregational song in a church in Chattanooga and the lyrics in the song contained the words “Rain Your fire down from heaven”. I don’t really think I want God’s fire to rain down on me! But, the fierceness of His wrath will rain down like fire upon all who are on the earth. Think of all the prayers from the saints of God who have been persecuted through the ages. This is an answer to all those prayers, especially the ones we just read about, the tribulation saints. God has had enough of the sins of mankind and the earth will feel His wrath.
For all of those times where God’s people have wondered why evil was allowed to triumph and run rampant, the end to evil is about to happen. Pastor John MacArthur said, “Judgment is God’s holy response to human sin.”
I am so glad that we will be safely tucked away in heaven with the Lord. And then, the 7 angels with 7 trumpets prepared themselves to blow those trumpets. One of the ways that God gave messages to His people in the Old Testament was through the blowing of trumpets.
The horns/shofars/trumpets were an integral part of life when the children of Israel were wandering around in the wilderness. A shofar is a ram’s horn and it is not easy to blow. In addition to the ram’s horn, there were 2 silver trumpets that were blown by the levitical priests. The Jewish people came to recognize the sound of the trumpet as the voice of God and this was especially true during wartime when God assisted them in battle. So, which kind of trumpet will be sounded by these 7 angels? I’ve seen many commentaries that say those trumpets will be shofars, but the Greek word used here in Rev. 8 is the word salpinx. This is not a shofar, but a long, straight, trumpet that was either made of silver or brass.
In Lev. 23, there are 7 appointed times or holy days that are initiated by blowing a silver trumpet: (We studied about these last year)
Passover
Feast of Unleavened Bread
First Fruits
Pentecost
Feast of Trumpets
Day of Atonement
Feast of Tabernacles
When the golden censer is thrown to the earth by the angel, the 7 angel trumpeters are ready to sound their blast. These trumpets are warning sounds of what is coming. This is not the first time we’ve read about the sound of a trumpet in Revelation, nor will it be the last. Trumpets were common to the nation of Israel and were used for different reasons.
22. Read Num. 10:1-10 and explain what these trumpets were made of, how many were used, by whom were they used, and for what reason.
The wrath of God is getting ready to be poured out upon the earth.
The sound of the trumpet was a familiar sound for the nation of Israel and when it sounded, the people moved to a particular activity whether it be preparation for war or preparation to celebrate a festival. The story of Joshua and the conquest of Jericho is an amazing story that involves trumpets. There’s even a children’s song about Joshua and the battle of Jericho. But there is something deeper in this story that relates to Revelation as a whole and to the blowing of the trumpets that we are studying this week.
23.Read Joshua 6. List all the instructions Joshua gave to those who would be marching:
We studied about the conquest of Jericho last year. That conquest was a 7-year campaign. The conquest for Israel will be a 7-year campaign (the tribulation period). The conquest of Jericho was against 7 of the original 10 nations in the land. We will discover in a few more chapters and also from the book of Daniel, that there will be 10 nations who unite during the last 7 years, and the Antichrist will subdue 3 of them, leaving 7 of the original 10 to be defeated by Christ at His 2nd coming. Before they went to take possession of the land of Canaan, Joshua sent in 2 spies to scout out the area. Before Christ returns, He sends in 2 witnesses into Israel.
24. What did Joshua tell the men to do in Joshua 6:10?
25. In Joshua 6:15-16, Joshua instructed his men to do something different on the 7th day. What was it?
The first 6 days, they marched around Jericho without talking or shouting. The first 6 times on the 7th day, they marched around the city of Jericho in complete silence. It was not until the 7th time around that the priests blew their trumpets and all the men shouted.
26.What did you just read about in Rev. 8:1?
Could the battle of Jericho be a pattern of what we’re seeing here in Revelation? I think it could and if it is, this would partly explain the silence in heaven for 30 minutes. Perhaps silence will precede the destruction of the earth just like silence preceded the destruction of Jericho. We have no way of knowing that right now. But in both of these scenarios, silence goes before destruction. The only people saved from Jericho were the harlot, Rahab, and her family, because she helped give information to the 2 Jewish spies. She ends up being in the lineage of Jesus Christ and in Heb. 11 in the hall of fame for those who displayed great faith. If you read the entire book of Joshua, you will find even more patterns of prophecy that connect with the book of Revelation. For example, Israel’s enemies join together under a commander in the book of Joshua much like Israel’s enemies join together under the Antichrist in Revelation. In Joshua, Israel’s enemies are defeated and hailstones and fire from heaven fall upon them. Sound familiar yet? The kings in the book of Joshua hide in caves and in Rev. 6:15, we also find kings and great men hiding in caves. I think all of this is quite compelling and much more than coincidence. I believe it is the grand pattern of God’s tapestry in the intelligent design of Scripture and human events.
Here’s a breakdown of the similarities between the conquest of Jericho in the book of Joshua and the book of Revelation.
27. In Rev. 8:7, describe what happens when the 1st trumpet sounds.
28.What happens when all this vegetation is burned up? Does this sound like famine in the land?
In our hermeneutical tools, I want us to be consistent. If Scripture does not say that something is “like” something, then take it literally. There is no reason for us to not take this verse literally. God has already done this in the 10th plague in Egypt in Exodus 9:18-26. What I’m not sure about is the “blood”. It could be that God rained down actual blood from heaven or that when the hail stones and fire came down and killed man and beast and it was their blood that is spoken about here. We don’t really know.
In the seal judgments, the first 4 seals were unified in some kind of group and were different from the last 3 seals. Here as well, the first 4 trumpets are unified in a group and are different from the last 3. At a glance, you can see this on the trumpet chart we just looked at.
29. In Rev. 8:8-9, when the trumpet sounds, what happens that is “like” something else?
30. What do you suppose this is?
A lot of Bible teachers believe this is an asteroid or meteor. I don’t know and we can’t say with any certainty what will be thrown into the sea. But we do know that it will be large enough to cause ⅓ of the sea to become blood. A large part of the surface of the earth is oceanic. This makes some of these end-of-the-world movies seem very real! However, there is no movie that could ever depict the true horror of what is yet to come! Here again, we see a link to the plagues of Egypt when Aaron stretched out his rod and the Nile River and all the other bodies of water in Egypt turned to blood.
31.In Rev. 8:10-11, describe what happens when the 3rd angel blows his trumpet.
Interestingly enough, the word Wormwood in Ukrainian actually means Chernobyl. For those of you who are old enough to remember Chernobyl, it was the worst nuclear disaster in history and it happened in 1986 just north of Ukraine, which was at the time, part of the USSR. Chernobyl was founded in 1193 and its name means mugwort or common wormwood, which is a species of plant coming from the daisy family. During WWII, the Jews in this area were murdered by the German occupation.
Even today, it is described by visitors as a sad and kind of desolate place. This is a statue that was erected after the nuclear accident and it is called the Monument of the 3rd Angel.
There’s a lot of conjecture and disagreement amongst Bible scholars regarding the identity of Wormwood. Some believe that Wormwood is a great star, others believe that Wormwood refers to Satan or Apollyon, or another great angel. I don’t want to spend a lot of time focusing on something that we can’t know for sure, but we will look at different possibilities. As with other passages that we can’t interpret with absolute certainty, you’ll just have to make up your own mind with direction from the Holy Spirit.
We know from reading the book of Job that Satan had access to the 3rd heaven. In fact, he used to live there. But at some point, he was cast out from being able to live there. However, that does not mean that he doesn’t still go before God to accuse the brethren on a regular basis. (1st heaven = atmosphere, 2nd heaven = outer space, 3rd heaven = heaven where God resides) At some point, Satan will be cast down to earth and no longer have access to the 3rd heaven at all. He will also not have access to the 2nd heaven either, but only to the atmosphere. This is one reason the Apostle Paul referred to Satan as the prince of the power of the air in Eph. 2:2.
32. Read Eph. 6:12. Where does Paul say the spiritual forces of evil currently reside?
There is also no universal agreement as to when Satan was cast out of heaven. In Rev. 1, we learned that the 7 stars of the 7 churches could either refer to the pastor or to the angel of each of those churches as stars are frequently used as analogies for angels. This then begs the question, is this (Wormwood) an angel being cast from heaven to the earth or is it an actual star? The Greek is not very helpful here as the word could be literal or figurative. Let’s say it’s literal. If so, then an actual star will fall out of the heavens to the earth and you’d be seeing scenes similar to the ones from the movies Armageddon,Lucifer’s Hammer, and Deep Impact. (I don’t recommend any of these movies as they are all big time downers!) Scientists say that if an asteroid large enough hit the earth, it could actually knock the earth off its axis. NASA reported that if a large, unknown asteroid, say a mile wide, were to hit the earth’s surface traveling at 30,000 mph, then that would be equal to a 1 million megaton bomb and would wipe out most of the life on the planet! Imagine what happens when there is a lack of fresh water. The entire ecosystem would begin to break down. This would also affect the ozone layer of the earth, causing extreme heat from the sun. So for all of the climate change soldiers, there will be true climate change! But it won’t come from natural phenomena, it will come from the supernatural hand of Almighty God.
{Interestingly enough, as I update this lesson on Nov. 2, 2025, there is a rare interstellar comet that has been named 3I(i)/ATLAS and it has entered our solar system. This is only the 3rd such object that has ever been detected in our own solar system. Some of the world’s top astronomers, including Avi Loeb, who is an Israeli/American astrophysicist and a professor at Harvard University are sounding the alarm that this object in space is very different from what they have discovered in the past. Here’s where this gets interesting, there is debate as to whether this is an actual comet or an artificial object with unknown origins. It is apparently not acting like other comets. It is displaying “non-gravitational” acceleration that might suggest an internal engine. It is also bluer than the sun which might explain it as a hot engine or an artificial light source. Its trajectory is within 5 degrees of the ecliptic plane, which means it is not likely that it is a natural object. International astronomers agree that it has an “extreme abundance” of nickel and iron which is unnatural for a comet. Comets have a natural “tail” that points away from the sun. This 3I/ATLAS has an “anti-tail” which points towards the sun. But perhaps the most interesting thing about this object is that it is maneuvering to avoid the Earth.
In the scientific world, most scientists are agnostics or atheists. They would tag this kind of phenomenon as extraterrestrial. But perhaps, just perhaps, we are seeing dark spiritual demonic forces getting ready for the final showdown of those last 7 years. I have no idea. It is interesting and we should keep our ears open.
There will be an explanation as to why so many people around the earth have disappeared when the rapture of the Church occurs. The Antichrist will be able to explain this and settle the fears of people around the world. People will buy into the extraterrestrial explanation far easier than they would a supernatural gathering up of Christians by Jesus Christ.
If you recall, in 2014, Pope Francis announced that if aliens from another planet were to come and ask to be baptized, then he would baptize them. In 1993, the Vatican took partial ownership of the US Observatory in Arizona at Mt. Graham. They spent 10 years in US courts appealing for ownership and finally it was granted to them. They have their own astronomers. Now you tell me why any religious group would need to have astronomers and the most advanced telescopes in the world! By the way, the telescope at the Mt. Graham observatory is called LUCIPHER. It stands for Large Binocular Telescope Near-infared Spectroscopic Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research. Friends, you can’t make this stuff up! Is the Catholic Church going to be behind the explanation for why people vanish at the Rapture? Perhaps they will!}
Now, back to Rev. 8. Let’s say the word star is a figurative word for angel, then we have a whole different scenario here. You’ll have to make up your mind as to what you think is being spoken about here. Regardless, ⅓ of the fresh water from rivers and streams will be destroyed and many people will die as a result.
Let’s ponder the possibility that this word star as it is used here in Rev. 8:10 means angel, and let’s look at Satan as that star. Read Isaiah 14 focusing heavily on vs. 12-23. I realize that this is a long chapter, but it could pertain to what we are reading in Rev. 8 in regard to Satan’s fall from the heavens. There is so much prophecy in the book of Isaiah.
33.There are 5 “I will” statements made in this chapter by Satan. What are they?
I will……
I will…..
I will…..
I will….
I will….
At some point in Rev. 13, the Antichrist will begin to be something that he didn’t start out being. Does this sound familiar from Lesson #1? Isaiah 14 is partly about Satan being cast out of heaven and partly about someone else who Satan is empowering, namely, the Antichrist. The Antichrist will start out as a man, but at some point (Rev. 13) he will become the Beast and will inhabit supernatural powers. Who else do you remember who began to be something that he didn’t start out being? Who wanted to ascend to the heavens and what did he want to do? (Gen. 11:4, Gen. 10:9-10) And, does this person meet the requirements of the 5 “I will” statements above?
Here we are again with a man named Nimrod. He started out as a man, but the Hebrew wording in Genesis states that he began to be a Nephilim. Very interesting that this name continues to come up!
34.In Rev. 8:12-13, what happened when the 4th angel sounded his trumpet?
The first 3 trumpets affected the earth by means of the waters and the green vegetation. This 4th trumpet affects the heavens. These verses contain the 1st set of woes. Anytime Scripture uses a word twice, we need to take notice. But when Scripture uses a word in triplicate, we need to sit and listen to what God is saying.
35.Why did the eagle (or angel depending on the version you have) flying in midheaven say, “Woe, woe, woe”?
As if the things we’ve already read about weren’t frightening enough, Rev. 9 will make your toes curl! These 3 woes are a warning that the next 3 trumpets will bring even greater devastation than what we’ve already seen. We take for granted the beauty of the earth. I’m so glad that I live in East Tennessee. If I look out my front window right now, I see mountains and trees and cows and bees.
36.What does the Apostle Paul say in Rom. 1:20 about God and nature?
Friends, we live in the age of grace today. We should enjoy it and we should enjoy the world around us. There is coming a day when mankind will not be able to enjoy the earth. People everywhere need to get right with God before it is too late. We have the promise of heaven as believers! Thank God for that and share that promise with as many people as possible while you are still on this side of heaven.!
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