And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” v.13
Read chapter 8
How do you picture angels? Are they little babies with wings flying in the air shooting arrows to make people fall in love? Oh wait that's just a picture hallmark made up. Did you know this is the first and only place in the Bible we read of an angel flying? And it's not even detailed enough to know if it had wings or not. In this chapter we ready of four angels sounding trumpets for four different judgements of God sent on the earth to destroy; definitely the opposite of an arrow to make people fall in love I'd say. Each angel sounds a trumpet before the judgement of God falls on the earth. The blow of trumpets were a sound made to announce something significant like the fall of the walls of Jericho before battle (Joshuah 6) or to reign in the year of Jubiliee (Leviticus 25) or announcing the Lord's presence (Exodus 19). The four angels in this chapter are announcing destruction on the earth of hail and fire falling from heaven killing people, of a third of the sea creature dying, water becoming poison killing men that drank it, and darkness. These four things appear similar to some of the plagues in Egypt with Pharaoh and Moses. And this angel that is flying is giving warning to the inhabitants of the earth to take heed because there's still three more trumpet sounds which follow three more judgements.
How does this change your view of angels? Well take heed that for the believers in Jesus during this time they will be saved through it. For though these judgements are poured out on the earth the Lord is powerful enough to only destroy the wicked and preserve His people. For just as we have smart missiles today that can pinpoint an exact location to go off, the Lord's missiles are even more accurate!
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