Revelation 8

You can understand New Testament prophecy and the book of Revelation for yourself! To help you, we offer several resources to provide background, key components, and tools. The video below is an excellent presentation of the meaning behind Revelation chapter 8 and the entire book. There is no way you can’t learn from this presentation.

Being unable to understand New Testament prophecy is typical today due to awful teaching. Dr. Baldwin alleviates this malady by doing several things in this video. This is the first time we’ve seen somebody connect Old Testament Prophecy language, adequately defined, to concisely present the meaning of Revelation by illuminating those verses. The teaching here is masterful.

This instruction is essential. The American churches are awash in a sea of ignorance and lies. We’re going to provide study notes and linked materials. All the information presented and linked here will leave you without excuse for remaining ignorant of the real meaning of much of New Testament prophecy. Your churches are not teaching the truth; you remain ignorant and are losing your civilization for it. There is no reason for your continued lack of biblical understanding but willful unfamiliarity, for which you will have to reckon with God Almighty one day soon.

If you begin to watch this video and are lost, it’s ok; that means you first need the requisite background. In this case, start here with Matthew 24. Take your time, examine all ten short posts, praying to God for truth and knowledge according to His will. Understanding Matthew 24 in context is required to apprehend the New Testament’s broader context, and specifically the meaning of Revelation.

Generally, the terms used in Revelation are not defined in that book. But, there’s something in Bible analysis called the Rule of First Use. That is, the first time a term appears in the Holy Bible, it is the most accepted definition and the springboard for usage throughout Scripture. Dr. Baldwin uses some of the simplest verses from the Old Testament as examples to teach the true meanings in Revelation Chapter eight.

Tracing back terminology to its other uses in the Old Testament and proper contextual understanding of Matthew 24 as a background is the only way Revelation can be understood.

Note: There is another fatal flaw in teaching by today’s churches. The correct method is that the New Testament interprets the Old Testament rather than the other way around. The Rule of First Use does not override this different interpretive principle. The Old Testament does not change the contextual meaning of a passage of Scripture in the New Testament. Quite the contrary is true; the New Testament shows the true final meaning in fulfillment of the Old Testament both in total and when specific Old Testament verses are quoted or cited in the New Testament.

A few Old Testament definitions used in New Testament prophecy were provided at TCJ. You must know these terms to understand prophecy in the New Testament.

Prophecy is full of hyperbolic and symbolic language, and Revelation, along with Ezekiel, are the most symbolic books in the Holy Bible. In fact, Revelation verse one of chapter one uses the word signified (KJV), which can mean symbolized. The angel provides John with the symbols of actual events both in heaven and on earth.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John” – Revelation 1:1

Dr. Baldwin will help you immensely to understand the signs to glean the substance of the text.

The video contends that each trumpet and woe should be viewed separately and analyzed. We agree for study purposes, but it’s the only rough spot in the video. He doesn’t lay out the format very well. Literary context matters, but structural context also matters. Some time ago, we had written an overview of structure to help with format context for those studying Revelation; it’s called, Structure of the Book of Revelation Chapters 6 through 11: 7 seals, 7 Trumpets, 3 Woes, glorious depictions of Heaven and blessings of God. That post will help you keep your place and understand the action any time you explore this section of Revelation. Please read this first and perhaps keep it handy as you watch the video.

Dr. Baldwin cites some videos from The Israel Packages, which are available for purchase, or you can find each video in this exhaustive series by searching the web. These messages are critical to demolishing Israel-based prophetic futurism. We’ve seen every one of them. The series is worth watching because it will topple the years of false teaching you’ve been under in American evangelical churches.

Verse Studies from the embedded video:

-Rained hail, fire, brimstone – Revelation 8:7

“And 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.” – Exodus 9:23

Not mentioned in the video but germane – “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven” – Genesis 19:24

“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” – Revelation 11:8

-Mountain moving/burning – Revelation 8:8

“Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.” – Jeremiah 51:25

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” – Matthew 21:21

– Wormwood – Revelation 8:10-11

“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.” – Jeremiah 9:15

“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.” – Jeremiah 23:15

“He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.” – Lamentations 3:15. See verse 19

“Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,” – Amos 5:7

– Block out the sun – Revelation 8:12

“7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.” – Ezekiel 32:7-8

“9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” – Isaiah 13:9-10

“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:” – Joel 2:10

“30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” – Joel 2:30-31

There’s more. Watch the whole video.

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Additional New Testament prophecy and eschatology study resources:

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Notes on the Destruction of Jerusalem, Part One and Part Two

Two brief Studies on the date Revelation was written and why that matters; here and here

Structural Strands in NT Eschatology

Why you can’t understand the Book of Revelation