seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 8:6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
In the Old Testament.... people didn't just blow their horn. They used it to celebrate, congregate, and go to war.
This is from Revelationcommentary.org.
Trumpets have a rich tradition in the Old Testament Scriptures. Predominantly, trumpets were used to (1) call God’s people together; (2) call to repentance; (3) announce judgment; (4) call to salvation; (5) call to the king’s coronation; and (6) announce eschatological judgment.
Studylight.org offers this.
Hail ... fire ... blood ... cast upon the earth ... Neither hail nor blood can actually "burn up" anything. Such expressions are merely to show the violent and destructive nature of the things foretold. The language is clearly figurative. Some have supposed that these symbolize wars, bloodshed, violence, and social upheavals; but the clear distinction between these first four trumpet visions of judgments upon earth, sea, rivers ,and atmosphere and the three trumpet "woes" directly against "men" seems to say that the first four are not against people directly; although, of course, whatever affects the environment necessarily affects people also. For this reason, we interpret the first four trumpets as the perpetual equivalent of the primeval curse upon the earth "for Adam's sake." God does not intend for the sinful race of man to find any earthly situation altogether cozy and comfortable.
In the progression of history, less and less of the earth remains habitable. The great dust bowl of the 1930's in Oklahoma is a tiny example of how the elements themselves are at times hostile "to the land." Look at the damage visible to the eye all over the world, which has been thus destroyed. The deserts, the badlands, the fertile valleys destroyed by soil erosion, etc., are a few examples.
The interlocking and conjunctive nature of the first four trumpet judgments should be noted. They are presented almost simultaneously in a brief six verses, indicating that all four work together, and suggesting that their effect should be understood collectively, all of them working hand in hand to produce a more hostile environment for man in the physical creation that surrounds him. Forest fires, droughts, swamps, rampaging rivers, ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and all such natural disasters have indeed "burnt up" a third of the earth, and the damage is still being done. All of it is God's response to the wickedness of man; but wicked men also contribute to the progressive damage, as indicated in the final three trumpets.
Third part of the trees, and all green grass ... The denuding of the earth of a significant part of its forests is an astonishing and spectacular feature of a third of the earth this very day. Travelers in Korea and other oriental countries cannot fail to be impressed with this feature of the landscape; and even in America today, where are the mighty forests? Let any man ask the price of 1,000 board-feet of white pine or black walnut, and he will suddenly be aware that the trumpet of God still sounds over the trees.
All the green grass ... This is best understood to mean, "All the grass in the one third of the earth mentioned." All these disasters coming upon the land are under the control of God and are limited. Only a minor part of the earth can be affected by such things. Some have called Revelation the Book of Doom; but it is the opposite of that. It is the book which reveals the Father's limitation and restraint of the doom which already had come when man rebelled against his Creator.
In the progression of history, less and less of the earth remains habitable. The great dust bowl of the 1930's in Oklahoma is a tiny example of how the elements themselves are at times hostile "to the land." Look at the damage visible to the eye all over the world, which has been thus destroyed. The deserts, the badlands, the fertile valleys destroyed by soil erosion, etc., are a few examples.
The interlocking and conjunctive nature of the first four trumpet judgments should be noted. They are presented almost simultaneously in a brief six verses, indicating that all four work together, and suggesting that their effect should be understood collectively, all of them working hand in hand to produce a more hostile environment for man in the physical creation that surrounds him. Forest fires, droughts, swamps, rampaging rivers, ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and all such natural disasters have indeed "burnt up" a third of the earth, and the damage is still being done. All of it is God's response to the wickedness of man; but wicked men also contribute to the progressive damage, as indicated in the final three trumpets.
Third part of the trees, and all green grass ... The denuding of the earth of a significant part of its forests is an astonishing and spectacular feature of a third of the earth this very day. Travelers in Korea and other oriental countries cannot fail to be impressed with this feature of the landscape; and even in America today, where are the mighty forests? Let any man ask the price of 1,000 board-feet of white pine or black walnut, and he will suddenly be aware that the trumpet of God still sounds over the trees.
All the green grass ... This is best understood to mean, "All the grass in the one third of the earth mentioned." All these disasters coming upon the land are under the control of God and are limited. Only a minor part of the earth can be affected by such things. Some have called Revelation the Book of Doom; but it is the opposite of that. It is the book which reveals the Father's limitation and restraint of the doom which already had come when man rebelled against his Creator.
Grass and trees seem to be such an ordinary thing..... they just hang there.... seemingly without purpose....
Grass and trees produce Oxygen.
Grass and trees reduce Carbon Monoxide.
Grass and trees cool the earth.
Grass and trees provide homes and food for animals.
Loosing a third of the oxygen production on earth... is bad.
Loosing a third of the protection from carbon monoxide on earth.... stinky and deadly.
Loosing a third of the shade on earth... will warm the earth... and plants won't grow if it's too hot.... and icebergs will melt if it's too hot... and if icebergs melt there will be flooding... and if there's flooding.... there's less food production.
Loosing homes and food for animals.... sends animals into human occupied territory in search of food and shelter.... which creates a danger for humans.... and PITA will be angry.
This will be [or is / or has been] NATURAL. God uses nature. He created it. He knows how to make it work for Him. If God uses His blow torch to scorch the earth.... it'll be natural. I figure.... He'll have the sun.
I got this from space-facts.com.
Eventually, the Sun will consume the Earth. When all the Hydrogen has been burned, the Sun will continue for about 130 million more years, burning Helium, during which time it will expand to the point that it will engulf Mercury and Venus and the Earth. At this stage it will have become a red giant
God's blow torch.
