Explore how the seemingly apocalyptic scenes written so vividly in the ancient text could relate to modern times. The discussion also highlights David’s in-depth Bible study resources, offering foundational insights into the prophetic pastimes of Zechariah and the expected future revealed in Revelation. Be prepared to reflect on your spiritual journey and what the anticipation of these biblical prophecies means for believers today. Don’t miss out on understanding these crucial chapters that provide hope and a call to preparedness amid forewarned tribulations.
We began back in chapter 6 to notice the terrible judgments and awful tragedies that are going to occur in this period of time we know as the Great Tribulation. Jesus said it’s going to be worse than anything history has ever known. And it certainly is. And the intensity of these judgments is picking up as we go through the judgments. We have first the seven seals. Then when the seventh seal is opened, we have the seven trumpets. And when the seventh trumpet blows, it announces the seven last plagues. And we are right where the seventh seal is broken.
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Thank you.
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This is Hope for Today. And today on the program, the trumpets keep sounding. In Revelation chapter 8, God’s judgment doesn’t just shake the earth. It targets every corner of creation. Heaven has been silent, but now angels are moving. Trumpets are blasting, and the world is feeling the weight of God’s wrath. These aren’t natural events. They’re supernatural strikes. Precise, terrifying, and absolutely righteous. Stay with us as David Hawking continues his powerful journey through Revelation chapter 8 right now on Hope for Today. Matt and I want to help you go deeper into the Word with a great Bible study, a great book study by David. Matt?
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Hope for today is all about the Bible. The whole Bible. And nothing but the Bible.
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Nothing but the Bible, yeah.
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And that’s why my dad has written a thorough study of Zechariah titled, Visions of the Future.
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Zechariah is often referred to as the little revelation of the Old Testament.
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Visions of the future will show you all of the vivid details, historical context, explanations of crucial original text terms, cross-references, and fascinating applications for our lives today.
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Well, Matt, may God open our hearts and the hearts of everyone listening to the glorious future awaiting all of us. who have put our faith in the coming Messiah. Visions of the Future is our featured offer for August, and we have your copy for just $15. And when you purchase, please consider adding an extra amount as a donation to Hope for Today or make a donation by itself. Your gift makes you a part of this ministry. And always, please start by praying for Hope for Today. Pick up your copy of Visions of the Future at DavidHawking.org or by calling us at 800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And Bible is 24253. And I’ll repeat that contact info at the end of the program. Right now, here’s David.
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Revelation 8, beginning at verse 1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer. And it was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and cast it upon the earth. And there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth. And the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were, a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea. And the third part of the sea became blood. And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died. And the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as though it were a lamp. And it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters, and the name of the star is called Wormwood. And the third part of the waters became Wormwood, and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld and heard an angel flying to the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound. Will you join me, please, in prayer? Lord, as we approach the awesomeness of your judging hand in the future, may there be a deep and profound sense of humility before you, a holy and just and righteous God. Lord, we thank you that you’ve invited us to come to you. that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And that invitation was sounded forth when you told us that one day the sun would be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come. You have told us, Lord, to flee the wrath of God to come. You’ve told us to repent and be converted for the times of refreshing will be coming from Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, that one day soon Jesus will come and take over. King of kings and Lord of lords in the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. And Father, I pray that our hearts will be centered in you. We remember Paul said, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do. Forgetting those things which are behind and Reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press toward the mark of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Lord, I pray that you would help us all to understand that the greatest day of our life is yet to come. That the most wonderful experiences we have ever known, the greatest joy in all of its fullness, The most exciting things that eye has not seen nor ear heard nor has ever entered the heart of man. You have prepared for those who love you. And one day Jesus will take us to our real home. Thank you, Lord. We do pray for those listening now who are not sure of their relationship with you. God, we thank you for those who came to Christ last week. Thank you for those who gave their hearts to the Lord. and knew the judgment day was coming. And Lord, you’ve been gracious to give us another week. And I pray for those in our audience who still do not know that if they died tonight, or if the Lord Jesus would return, that they’d be caught up to meet him in the air. God, I pray that they’d settle their personal relationship with you before it’s too late. Thank you, Lord, for what you’re going to do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Verse 6 mentions the seven angels again, just briefly. Again, they are the seven spirits who are standing before the throne, whom God sends into all the earth. Chapter 5, verse 6, they stand before God. Chapter 8, verse 2, and now they’re ready to sound. Let’s take a look at the punishment which these judgments will bring. Four terrible judgments. I’m going to give you a title of each one, and then we’ll take a look at it. In verse 7, Judgment number one, plant life devastated. Plant life devastated. For those of you who have a biological background, you can only imagine what’s going to happen here. Plant life devastated. Number two, in verse 8 and 9, marine life destroyed. Marine life destroyed. The third judgment, verse 10 and 11, drinking water defiled. Imagine the result of that, drinking water, defiled. And then the fourth one in verse 12, natural light diminished. Now let’s go back and take the first one, plant life diminished. is devastated chapter 8 verse 7 says the first angel sounded there followed hail and fire mingled or mixed with blood and they were cast upon the earth and the third part of trees was burned up and all green grass was burned up turn please to exodus chapter 9 there’s a lot of parallel between the judgments god brought upon egypt back in the plagues the time of moses exodus chapter 9 Now, trees not only produce food, as you know, but they are essential protection from storms and flooding. Imagine, a third of the trees destroyed. We obviously know that animal life also will be affected by the loss of green grass. The globe will become a virtual wasteland or desert. Hail and fire mingled with blood? No. Well, there’s only one explanation of that, according to all commentators, and that is that it indicates people are going to be killed when the judgment hits. So this has got to be some unusual hail. Hail and fire, it says, mingled with blood, meaning loss of life. People are being killed. What’s happening here? There are people who describe a nuclear explosion. There’s all kinds of things being described by people. But whatever hits the planet, by God, all green grass is destroyed. the barren wasteland. Some writers who are astounded by what is said here and know the literalness of it say, well, these judgments must be pictured over long periods of time. It’s sort of the same thing they do with the book of Genesis in terms of creation. You know, how do you explain the six days of creation? It must be over long periods of time. Well, friends, all you need to put into the equation is almighty God. He can do it whenever he wants to. Now look at Exodus chapter 9, verse 22. It says, The Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, upon beast, upon every herb of the field throughout the land of Egypt. 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. So there was hail and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt, all that were in the field, both man and beast. The hail smote every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Almost like it’s quoting this passage. Yes, folks, it has happened before. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Bible says so. So don’t think this is any problem to God. We don’t need to have a nuclear war to create this trumpet judgment. Now, God may use that to produce the results. But I want you to know that my God has done it before, and he can do it again. He can literally rain from heaven, fire and brimstone, fire and hail, mingled with blood means there’s going to be a lot of people die. That happened back in Egypt also, as well as Sodom and Gomorrah, and it’s going to happen in the tribulation period only to a greater extent. Terrible. Turn to Joel chapter 2 again. Joel chapter 2, and look at verse 30 and 31. God predicts some unusual signs in the heavens. Joel 2.30. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth. Wonders. Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, the moon into blood, before that great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered. That’s very important to see that even in the prophecies about the tribulation, many of the events and details that are mentioned in Revelation about the judgments and the sequence of them have… previous statements in the Old Testament dealing with them. This is one of them. Wonders in the heavens, blood, fire, pillars of smoke. Come back to Revelation chapter 8. The second terrible tragic judgment hitting the tribulation period, I personally believe we’re still in the opening phases of it. It’s getting worse. Marine life is destroyed. Look at verse 8 and 9 of chapter 8. The second angel sounded, and as it were, a great mountain burning with fire. I’ve heard people laugh at this. Liberal critics are critical of it. But remember what we told you about similes and metaphors and revelation? Here’s one. As it were. It doesn’t say it was a mountain. It doesn’t say that. It says it was like that. This obviously being described by John in the first century could indeed be an atomic or nuclear explosion of some sort or a giant meteor. We do not know. And God can do whatever he wants to do. He doesn’t have to use that either. But according to this passage, it’s going to be, in John’s words, like a great mountain was burning with fire and it was cast into the sea. And a third part of the sea becomes blood. Third part of the creatures in the sea had life died. And a third part of the ships were destroyed. We just mentioned a number of things about this. First of all, the power that causes this disaster is described as a great mountain burning with fire, shows something coming from the outside so that people see there’s judgment coming to this planet. The point is that there isn’t any explanation of this or what’s happening. It’s something unlike what we’ve ever seen before, and the consequences are enormous. Now, the place where it happens, I want you just to think with me for a moment. It says in verse 8, it was cast into the sea. Not just the sea, not just the ocean, the sea. It is very possible, since this is the normal way it is used, that it’s referring to the Mediterranean Sea. It says that’s the center of God’s prophetic program and what he’s doing at the end. It’s very possible that this tragedy, whatever it is, could be nuclear explosion, could be, who knows, a nuclear-powered submarine that explodes. I don’t know what it’s going to be, but God is bringing a disaster, apparently, right into the Mediterranean Sea. The center of the new empire, the new world order. The center of all that’s happening in the Middle East, this disaster comes. But look at the pollution that results from it. A third part of the sea becomes blood, so we’ve got the death of fish. We’ve got a third part of the creatures that had life died. Take your Bibles and turn to Hosea chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Hosea chapter 4. And look at verse 3. It says, therefore shall the land mourn. Hosea 4, 3. Therefore shall the land mourn, and everyone that dwelleth in it shall languish with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of the heavens. Yea, the fish of the sea also shall be taken away. Interesting. Look over to Zephaniah chapter 1. Zephaniah chapter 1. To the right a few books. Zephaniah chapter 1 and look at verse 2 and 3. Interesting what you find in these prophecies as you compare them with what’s in the book of Revelation. And speaking about the coming day of the Lord, which is what Zephaniah is all about, verse 2 says, I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. I will consume man and beast. I will consume the fowls of the heavens and the fish of the sea and the stumbling blocks with the wicked, and I’ll cut off man from the land, saith the Lord. Well, this statement about fish of the sea dying is not news to the Hebrew prophets who knew about the coming day of the Lord and what was going to happen. And I also think there’s a terrible price being paid by the world shipping industry because of this disaster. If you look at Revelation 8 verse 9, it says a third part of the ships were destroyed. Now, I have one of those inquiring minds. I do not read the inquire. But I have an inquiring mind, and so I decided to look into this a little bit. I wonder if you know that the majority of the Soviet Union’s former navy, its shipping industry, and now, of course, it’s split up, but most of it is owned by Russia. I wonder if you know that the majority of all of their ships, which they far outnumbered the United States, far outnumbered. are all located in the same area. You know, in 1970, when I flew over from Moscow, Egypt, down to Cairo, Moscow, Russia, down to Cairo, Egypt, we flew over in a Russian plane over the Black Sea. And as you look down the Black Sea, there were these spots all over the sea. Just unbelievable. And I asked the flight attendant, what are those spots? And we were informed, that is the great Russian Navy. And it’s still in my mind, looking at it, the thousands, it seemed like, of spots all over the sea. They have an enormous naval armament, not only in the Black Sea, but all over the Mediterranean. And, of course, that’s why the United States Southern Fleet stays in the Mediterranean. The point is, it’s a very serious place in terms of the shipping industry. Can you imagine this disaster hitting here? And the Bible says a third part of the ships were destroyed.
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That’s David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David will be back in a moment with some additional teaching, so do stay tuned. Right now, Matt’s here, and we have a book by David that will show you how skimming through Zechariah isn’t enough to get all that God has for you in this Old Testament book.
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Matt? Zechariah was a young man among the captives who returned from Babylon, and God called him in 520 BC to preach repentance to the returned exiles and restore proper worship.
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Zechariah reminded the people if they would repent and return to him. he would return to them the blessings of protection he had promised.
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And Zechariah was a new voice from the Lord to renew enthusiasm for completing the temple restoration, remaining faithful to him, and rebuilding a God-honoring community from the ruins.
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Zechariah is also a wonderful book of Bible prophecy. The ministry of the Messiah is clearly laid out, both the first coming and the second coming.
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Jim, there’s no other Old Testament book that has as much detail. Zechariah has numerous powerful And there’s even more. Wow.
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Israel’s experience during the time of Zechariah is a foreshadow of their future.
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By the fires of the tribulation, Israel will be purified from its sin of sins, the rejection of the Messiah.
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That’s it. Well, this and more awaits you inside Visions of the Future by David Hawking, our featured resource for August, and it’s just $15. To get your copy of Visions of the Future, call 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And Bible is 24253. Or go to davidhocking.org and order right now. Now let’s talk straight. If this broadcast has opened your eyes, if you found your faith strengthened and encouraged, if the Word of God has come alive, maybe in a way that you didn’t expect. We need you. And that’s because this ministry, Hope for Today, is a listener-sponsored broadcast, and it only moves forward when God’s people step up. We’re not backed by megachurches or corporate sponsors. We’re backed by believers who want to see the Bible proclaimed loud and clear without compromise. When you give, you keep Hope for Today on the air and online, sending the Word of God to hungry hearts in dark places. To co-labor with us in ministry to be a part of this work, call us at 1-800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. You can also make a contribution online at davidhawking.org. Click on the Donate button. It’s quick and secure. Mail your gift to Hope for Today. Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, BC, V2S 8P1. And thank you for standing with us in ministry. Here’s David.
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I am so blessed by many of you who write us and tell us what a blessing the study of Revelation has been to your heart and to your family and friends. And spread the word in your area. May we see many, many folks come to know the Lord through the study of the book of Revelation. I hope that you realize this is a study of that deals with the salvation of God’s people. And I pray that you will be open in your heart to what God has to say. It’s a terrible time, and you don’t have to go through the tribulation. According to the Bible, believers are not appointed to the wrath of God. And that’s what Revelation tells us way back in chapter 6, verse 17. It’s a day of the wrath of the Lamb. Terrible judgments are going to fall upon planet Earth. I hope you’re ready. This is nothing to just ignore. It’s time that you know that when our Lord returns, you’ll be caught up to meet Him. Read 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18, on the rapture of the church. Well, we’re going to keep studying the trumpet judgments. There’s a lot of judgments. in the book of Revelation. So plan to be with us for each one. God bless you.
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Well, thank you, David. And friend, if you missed any part of today’s program, do what a growing number of listeners are doing. They hear it again and share it with friends at our website, davidhawking.org. You’ll find today’s broadcast along with our most recent teachings for a limited time, all free to stream. And while you’re on the website, dive into our resource library. Wow. We have David’s books, MP3 series, video, study notes, and a number of amazing free resource tools. It’s all there to help you dig deep and get grounded for the days ahead. Again, that’s DavidHawking.org. Well, next time on the program, the trumpets keep sounding and the judgment intensifies. The sky goes dark. The waters turn to blood. The earth reels under the weight of what’s coming. This isn’t climate change. It’s God moving exactly as he said he would. Revelation chapter 8 doesn’t pull punches, and neither do we. That’s why we’re here, to bring you the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible. No fluff, no filter. Stay in the Word, and join us next time on Hope for Today.
Explore how the seemingly apocalyptic scenes written so vividly in the ancient text could relate to modern times. The discussion also highlights David’s in-depth Bible study resources, offering foundational insights into the prophetic pastimes of Zechariah and the expected future revealed in Revelation. Be prepared to reflect on your spiritual journey and what the anticipation of these biblical prophecies means for believers today. Don’t miss out on understanding these crucial chapters that provide hope and a call to preparedness amid forewarned tribulations.
