Trumpet Judgments - Part 1 - Revelation 8:7

Welcome to God First with Brian C. Thomas, a program committed to encouraging you to put God first while viewing life through the window of the Bible. Now, in honor of the one and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let's join Brian C. Thomas for today's message. And I am being joined today by my lovely wife and co-hosts. Hello, my name is Danita Thomas, and we greet you today in the name of our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Well, today we're going to talk about a very popular subject. We're going to talk about the justice and judgment of our Lord. And I say that tongue in cheek because you go to churches today and you very rarely hear anything about justice. From a godly standpoint, you hardly ever hear anything about God's judgment. And you know, Danita, we have visited some churches. Of course, when you look at all the churches in the country, there are thousands, maybe even millions. So, of course, we haven't visited all of them.

But from the churches that we visit and the churches that you hear on television and radio, you rarely hear anything about the judgment of God. Right. A lot of times there is some tickling of ears and things like that, not wanting to scare the congregation in a sense, want everybody to feel great when they leave. So, yeah, I understand what you're saying.

And the thing about it is, and I do talk about this a lot. Some people may say, well, there he goes again. But it's because it is such a void in churches today, because what you typically hear is the stuff that makes people feel good.

Right. And a lot of people in something that I hear that makes me cringe is when I hear people say, well, God has a loving side. But then God also has a judgment side as if it's two different things, as if like God is love on one side. But on the other side, he's something bad or he's mean. All of God is love is not like just part of him.

All of it. All of him is love. It's like we as parents, when we hand out judgment to our children for disobedience, we still love them.

Right. We don't stop loving them. So all of God is love. But I get I get the point that people are trying to make because people tend to equate love with feeling good.

And if it doesn't feel good, they tend to say it's not love. But all of God is love. But we're going to continue today. We're going to look at Revelation, chapter eight, and we're going to focus on a single verse. And if you remember before, as we've been going through this series, we looked at the opening of the seventh seal. And when that seal was open, that was silence in heaven for half an hour because all the angels, the heavenly host, they were mystified upon seeing the judgment that was about to come upon the earth. So today we're going to look at a judgment in which the Bible tells us a third of the earth's vegetation is going to be burned. So let's read verse seven of Revelation, chapter eight. 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. So you ask yourself the question when you're going through the Book of Revelation in these judgments. The question comes, are these literal?

Are these trumpet judgments literal? But, you know, if you compare the plagues of Egypt in Exodus chapter seven verse, I'm sorry, chapter seven through 11, we won't read through them all, but during your own time, go and read through those. But you can compare and you see the parallels and the similarities because we see in Exodus Aaron did what? He waved his rod over the waters, turning the waters physically to blood. And then we saw the Aaron.

He put out his rod over the ground and physical lice appeared. And then in Exodus seven, verse 23 through 24, the Bible tells us 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.

So very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And yes, these are very literal because, you know, these were ways that God showed that he is God. You know, his miraculous acts were his and that Egypt's gods, their pagan gods could not save the Egyptians.

You know, he wanted to make sure that they understood. And even, you know, when the magicians wanted to reproduce some of these plagues, God would not even let them reproduce some of them. For instance, the third plague about the when the lice appeared. And then there was no record that God relieved them of that particular plague. God wanted to make a point. And because his works were so miraculous, they were literal and they were miraculous that this would become the testimony for his people saying, how great is our God?

God is great and mighty and can do miraculous things. So this shows God's power and who he is. And if you look again at the plagues of Egypt and then you look at the Book of Revelation, you see that there are five of the plagues of Egypt that are repeated in the Book of Revelation. And so here in verse seven, we're looking at it says this literal judgment will be one third of the Earth's surface will be burned. And if we look at Genesis Chapter 19, we see similar events with Sodom and Gomorrah, with all their immorality, the sexual immorality in which God rained down brimstone and sulfur and consume those cities.

And then if we look at Joel Chapter two, verses 30 through 31, and I will show wonders in heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke, the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. So there is a judgment that is coming for the unsaved and people need to be warned about it. And that's why we talk about these things, because there are so many churches that they don't talk about seeing. They don't talk about turning away from seeing and repentance is there. They want to talk about all the feel good that God loves you. He loves you as you are and no need for change. And of course, God does love us, but he also calls us to repentance because he does love us.

Right. And one of the big words there is warned. He gives us the warning because he loves us. He gives us the warning because he wants as many people as possible. He does not want anybody to perish. And so he gives the warning and he expects that, especially those who are shepherding or those who are sharing the gospel with other people, that you share the you know, this warning with those with people so that they will have an understanding of God, his power, that he loves us so much. He's giving us this his word, the word of God, so that we can get in it, understand it, know what to look out for, know what to be watchful for, know who he is and how much he loves us and how much he desires for us to be with him, how much he delights in us.

Those are all wonderful things. And the fact that he gives us this warning lets us know he wants to be with me. So are so us as Christians, we are to warn people of God's judgment so that they will not perish. And so it's up to those who hear whether they obey or not. But you want to give them that gift, get, you know, present them with the opportunity. Because if you see people driving down the road and people have given this example a lot, but if you know there's a bridge that's out and people are driving, they want to go that direction, you know, the bridge is out. Are you going to say, well, I don't want to bother them, so I'm going to let them be and let them go and drive off into the river.

No, you're going to warn them out of love because you don't want their destruction. And so that begs the question when we look at this judgment and again, folks, this this trumpet judgment, this is where it's just really beginning in the tribulation as far as God pouring out his wrath. And it makes me think about what is it that's bringing about this kind of judgment from God. And one of the things that came to mind for me as I was preparing for for this message today, I remember a few years ago, the New York legislators, when they passed law, they passed legislation allowing abortion all the way up to birth. Nine months now, all the way up to birth, anytime it can happen, these legislators were when they signed the law, they started giving each other high fives. They were celebrating.

They were laughing and cheering. And I thought about the wrath of God that's going to come because God is not pleased with that type of thing. And then as we look today at the lawlessness in our nation and you see people that are out rioting, people feel like they have a right to commit crimes and that the police can do should do nothing to them. And then we have political leaders that are blaming the police. And we know Maxine Waters, she was just recorded a few days ago saying to get confrontational, get more confrontational. And she's encouraging people to commit acts of violence. And folks, these are just a couple of examples of many of the things that God is going to bring judgment because these are ways that are not his ways.

Yes. And I can help but think also about how people today and in the past as well, but people have a lot of other gods before him, before the one and only true God. And they have idols such as themselves. People worship self. The government, they want the government to be their God. It's all about vanity, you know, beauty, sex, status and power, especially, you know, we look at the political realm.

There's a lot of power grabbing going on. Some people even make acceptance and idol. They want so bad to be accepted by the world, unfortunately, instead of God. They want to be accepted by the world that they're willing to set aside or not entertain what the word of God says. Some people have made money their idol.

Some people have made blackness their race, their idol, their political party, even down to labeling and categorizing people. They're so focused on those things. There is no place in their life for God. They you know, they don't entertain him.

They don't, you know, care anything about who he is. And so people start to worship these things and define themselves based on those things. And I think God is not pleased with that because you're saying, I don't need God.

I have all of these other things that are more important to me. I can be politically correct. I can be in with the in crowd. And people have really become so enthralled with what the world says that they've pushed God out in so many ways, through many institutions where God used to where God was present. You know, they've pushed him out. And I think God is saying, hey, I am God Almighty. I am that I am.

And I am in control of all these things. And I think, too, that people are not receiving what God has to say in his word. They're not fully receiving it. They may hear it, but they don't hear it.

Do you see what I'm saying? They may see, but they don't see. And I think it's because their minds are on so many other things. They're so focused on other worldly things. A lot of people now worship, they worship deception, the worship of deception.

How many people can I bamboozle today? So some people actually thrive on lies and manipulation. And God is truth. God is truth. And I think that people feel like they don't need Jesus or Christianity. You know, they they can look at other things to feel, fulfill emotion, emotion related things.

They feel like they can do everything on their own. They can just deny Jesus and not exalt him. And they're willing, you know, they're not even willing, actually not even willing to say his name when they pray.

Isn't that terrible? And so his precious name, Jesus' precious name is not even welcome in public anymore in some places. God is not pleased with this.

Yeah. And the thing about it is, as you were talking about pushing God out, that's happening in churches. And that's why we're giving this message, because a lot of churches are not preaching repentance. And a lot of churches are not speaking against sin and people in high places, political leaders.

And when I talk about I mentioned Maxine Waters a little while ago, and, you know, we tend to think about people who are in Congress, vice president, the president, that they are wise people and make wise decisions. But let me remind you what the Book of Job says in Chapter 32, verse nine. It says great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice. And then Proverbs 28, verse five says evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all. So I just want to leave you with that in this segment, because, again, we see today in our nation, leaders who are not going about things in the proper way, not following the just ways of God wanting to take the law into their own hands.

Like Maxine Waters says, get confrontation, confrontational with people. If you don't get the verdict that you want, that is not the way to go about doing things, folks. We must do things in the ways of God. And I also want to say really quickly, you know, churches are starting to compromise and muddy the waters and not calling sin sin and not standing on righteousness.

They're willing to muddy the waters. And that's not good. And in Psalm 111, verse 10, it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All who follow his precepts have good understanding. His God's precepts are rules that he gives us to regulate behavior and thought. And if we're not going to have our thought and our behavior governed by the word of God, he's not going to give us wisdom. God gives wisdom and understanding. And if you don't have his wisdom and understanding, then you're going to stray away. Well said.

Well said. So we're going to wrap things up there with segment one. But please don't go away, folks. We're going to come back in a segment two. We're going to talk about a prophetic warning for our nation and for the world in its entirety, concerning how we're living and the things that are to come.

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Box 266, Knightdale, North Carolina 27545. All right. So tribulation is coming. God is going to bring judgment. And there is also a prophetic warning that we want to share with you that was published by Charisma News just a few days ago.

So, Danita, can you share with our listeners? Read the article in its entirety concerning, again, the prophetic warning from Charisma News. Father, help us to heed the warning you give to us and to be sensitive towards your Holy Spirit speaking to us.

We need you, Father. While I was recently studying Matthew 7 verses 22 through 24 and asking God for increased revelation, I had one of the most disturbing prophetic dreams of my life. The scripture I was studying in Matthew says, Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name and done many wonderful works in your name? But then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice evil. In the prophetic dream, I was taken to hell where I saw all these ministers and individuals who had performed miracles, cast out demons and prophesied. What I was shown next I will never forget. The Holy Spirit showed me long lines of people behind all of these ministers and individuals. He immediately revealed to me that these were all the people that had received the miracles, prophecies and had been at one time delivered. As I gazed at the people in these lines, he said to me, Did they not receive miracles, prophecy and deliverance?

Yet I never knew them. Editor's note. He then woke up from this dream and this is what he said to the Holy Spirit. So there are not only people that will perform signs, wonders and miracles who will be sent to hell, but also people who received all these things who will also be in hell.

Why? Immediately, the Holy Spirit spoke again to me and said, Because those who worked miracles, prophesied and cast out demons never preached the full gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the message of repentance. Wow.

They were so in love with the gifts I had given them that people became trophies and souvenirs to them. When my power would manifest in their ministries, they would tell people that I loved them, but never that they needed to repent for their sins. I tell you that a great deception will sweep over the sweep over the signs and wonders movement in the earth. Beware of the ministries where miracles and prophecies will flow. But the message of repentance is a no go.

You have been warned. Will you pray with me today that ministers and individuals who move in God's power will not only live a lifestyle of repentance, but also preach it? What if people getting healed, delivered and prophesied to and told God loves them isn't the full gospel message?

I'm going to tell you, that's that's heavy. And, you know, I look at the statement, because those who work miracles prophesied and cast out demons never preached the full gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the message of repentance. That goes back to what we were talking about in the beginning, because you go to the average church today and you don't hear things about repentance. You don't hear people say and turn away from your sins. You hear the things about how no matter what you're going through, God can bring you out.

Yes. You hear that whatever your struggle is, your breakthrough is around the corner. And God loves you and all of that kind of thing.

You're an overcomer. Yeah, that's that's what you always hear. And those statements are not wrong in and of themselves. They're true, but they're not balanced because you have to say, OK, yes, God will bring you out of what you're going through. But you have to be obedient to him.

Yes. That's why Jesus said, if you love me, you keep my commandments. You can't go live in a life of sin, not repenting. And then when you go through things, you go crying to God, you go into the altar every Sunday thinking that he's going to turn things around. But you're continuing to live your life of repentance. The problem is churches will not preach this today, though, because they don't want to offend people.

They don't want to drive people away. So they're more concerned about the applause of man than they are the applause of God. You can't live a life without repentance and think that God is going to bless you and grow you. And there's a verse that I came across after reading this article.

It really touched me. Second, Peter, chapter two, verses one through three. And it says, But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying the master who bought them and will bring swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and the way of truth will be blasphemed because of them.

They will exploit you in their greed and deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle and their destruction does not sleep. And when I read this, I was thinking about how there are people within the church who are teaching things that they're help. Some are helpful, but then it's also what they're not teaching and what they're not teaching is destructive. Some of them do teach things that are destructive, too. But when I thought about how not teaching about repentance and judgment, how that is destructive, because not teaching about those things is a way of denying the master who paid the price with his life.

You know, he died so that we could become have that complete atonement and to protect us from eternal judgment. Why would you not want your people to know about what is judgment and, you know, fully who Jesus is? And I think that that minimizes Jesus. And it says, too, it says many will follow their unrestrained ways. And when I read that, I thought about how people will not be able to see truth. They will not know the way of truth. And it makes me think about when you talk about judgment, how God will deal with those false teachers, and they will be held accountable for all the lives that they led astray. And sadly, there will be many who will follow them and not seek to understand the word of God for themselves.

They're going to depend so much on that person, that false teacher. That's why it's so important to read the Bible for yourself. And when you read, you ask God, pray and ask God for wisdom and understanding so that you can study it and that God can pour into you through the Holy Spirit. And James one, verse five said, God gives wisdom and understanding generously. But it says you can ask for it.

You need to ask for it. I just want to reiterate the scriptures here that here, this this article in this speaks in Matthew 7, 22, 24. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name and done many wonderful works in your name. But then I will declare to them, I never knew you depart from me, you who practice evil. And then the statement, because those who work miracles prophesied and cast out demons never preached the full gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the message of repentance.

Then the last statement from the article that I want to emphasize. Beware of the ministries where miracles and prophecies will flow. But the message of repentance is a no go.

You have been warned. So, folks, I just want to say, if you're at a church in which sin is not preached, you never hear the issues of our day. And I'm just baffled by that as to how a pastor can get up Sunday after Sunday, not talk about seeing the things that are just destroying our society, not talk about sexual immorality, which is anything with sexual activity outside of a man and a wife, a man and a woman as husband and wife. Anything outside of that is seeing abortion.

How can you go week after week and never talk about these kind of issues? Never call people to repentance. God is going to bring judgment. And as we looked in the first segment, the trumpet judgment is just going to be getting started when he burns a third of the earth as he pours out his wrath.

So, Denita, I'm going to give you the final thought to wrap things up. I'll just say, test the spirit. Ask God to give you wisdom and understanding and get into your word, because it's so important to have that quiet time with God, because that's when he really speaks to you and speak to your spirit. And I want people to know that when you omit the fact that there is judgment to those who reject Christ, it's almost like you're insulting the Son of God because his blood that he shed, the sufferings he endured, provides us freedom, provides the cleansing and salvation. So he died so that repentance could be received and accepted. You know, and I think that when people don't tell about tell people about consequences and non-repentance, then that allows them to end up dying in their sins. And that's something that happens when you omit the power of the blood of Jesus from your teachings, when you omit the fact that you have to repent, because if you don't, then there is judgment.

I think that you somehow you cheapen or make God's the power of his blood more common. And that is, you know, and we know that that is not who he is. So we should all want people to understand the fullness of God, know that he loves us. But when we do not accept him, there is judgment. When we go against him and against his precepts, there's judgment. And so this is, you know, you want to teach truth and the truth is in the word of God and what the word of God says.

We need to share with people completely. Well said, well said, folks, the judgment is coming. You must repent and understand that if you are a sinner, you can come out of the sea. And as you said, Anita, the blood of Jesus Christ will wash away any sin. You can repent and turn to him. But we need church leaders, pastors. We need you to call people to repentance, because if not, they are headed to an eternal damnation in the lake of fire.

And people also, just as you know, if you're not a leader in the church, but you know the word of God, you also are able, equipped, according to God, to share the gospel and tell them about what repentance and judgment is. Amen. Amen.

Well, folks, we are all out of time and we want to thank you for joining us. Please come back next week as we continue to encourage you to put God first while viewing life through the window of the Bible. Until then, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel. To the only wise God, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.

Amen. You've been listening to the Bible teacher Brian C. Thomas, founder and president of God First. Brian and God First reserve all copyright protection under applicable law. Our copyright policy is available at our website, Godfirst.org. Until next time, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel and seek first the kingdom of God.