Lena's Journalin' to Rock Church Daily Bread Revelation 8

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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Revelation 8:1-13
1When the Lamb ripped off the seventh seal, Heaven fell quiet--complete silence for about half an hour.
Blowing the Trumpets
2I saw the Seven Angels who are always in readiness before God handed seven trumpets. 3Then another Angel, carrying a gold censer, came and stood at the Altar. He was given a great quantity of incense so that he could offer up the prayers of all the holy people of God on the Golden Altar before the Throne. 4Smoke billowed up from the incense-laced prayers of the holy ones, rose before God from the hand of the Angel.
5Then the Angel filled the censer with fire from the Altar and heaved it to earth. It set off thunders, voices, lightnings, and an earthquake.
6The Seven Angels with the trumpets got ready to blow them. 7At the first trumpet blast, hail and fire mixed with blood were dumped on earth. A third of the earth was scorched, a third of the trees, and every blade of green grass--burned to a crisp.
8The second Angel trumpeted. Something like a huge mountain blazing with fire was flung into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 9a third of the living sea creatures died, and a third of the ships sank.
10The third Angel trumpeted. A huge Star, blazing like a torch, fell from Heaven, wiping out a third of the rivers and a third of the springs. 11The Star's name was Wormwood. A third of the water turned bitter, and many people died from the poisoned water.
12The fourth Angel trumpeted. A third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were hit, blacked out by a third, both day and night in one-third blackout.
13I looked hard; I heard a lone eagle, flying through Middle-Heaven, crying out ominously, "Doom! Doom! Doom to everyone left on earth! There are three more Angels about to blow their trumpets. Doom is on its way!"


Copyright Statement: THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary LanguageThis edition issued by contractual arrangement with NavPress, a division of The Navigators, U.S.A.Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

~Lena’s Journalin’~
As I read this today all I keep seeing is 1/3rd , 1/3rd , 1/3rd over and over again, it immediately took my thought to a significant 3rd in the OT. 1/3rd of the angelic hosts in rebellion to God fallen to earth. Then I thought how 1/3rd of 100 is 33.33…..Jesus was 33 when He died to save the world and turn around the effect of the rebellion of those who’d fallen to earth in their defiance of God. This was not the 1/3rd that He brought redemption to, but the effect of their sin on the earth that He’d come to reverse, the opportunity for change, eternal change, where all opportunity had been taken away by the defiance of the 1/3rd . I am thinking of how the 1/3rd is angelic in nature, they were messengers of God, servants of the Most High, yet defied Him. Their defiance was cast out of heaven to earth and the earth became a place of judgment, a place of chaos, the chaos of the effect of defiance to the Almighty. Heaven and earth had to be made separate, there was a big gap, a chasm.
God made people to save the chaos with His presence, yet they also defied, so He sent His Son to save and bridge that heaven and earth gap.
All of the judgments listed here I see as effects that the “fall” has had and is continuing to have on earth. Weather unrest, disease, tragedy, hunger, thirst and eternal darkness came over a 1/3rd , a 1/3rd, a 1/3rd ….This is a curse, effects of a curse stemming from pride and rebellion. Jesus came to reverse the curse. Gal 3:13 ( 3-1/3rds ???) Are we joined with the prideful rebellion or the crucified redemption?
How did Jesus reverse this curse and is effects on man? He died, He gave- His life, He was nailed to a tree. He did not rise up with an angelic army, 2/3rd of a host of heaven, or even natural men on horses arrayed for battle, He laid down His life for any who would receive Him, any who would believe in His freely given sacrifice.
Those of us who receive this forgiveness of our indebtedness to God, do we pray for the earth to be saved? Do we lay down our lives that they will be? Do we gather with others for this same purpose? The angels took out the incense, collected the prayers. I’ve read scriptures that say one will send 1000 running and two compounded together will have the power in Christ to send 10,000 running away, how many would a whole local church full of agreeing people accomplish? One body of Christ on a tree, crucified was enough to bring the offer of salvation to the world. What would one living body of Christ be able to do? He arose from death’s grip and told men to follow Him, be Him in earth.
If the measure of prayers, unified ones for the world, would make a difference on how much judgment comes to people, what should one do? What if? What if the time of judgment came to the people of earth and the prayers of those who gather with the mind and heart for mercy were collected and weighed against the judgment to see which was more powerful, the cry and called for mercy or the cry of the eternal realm for justice, if weighed would one outweigh the other, would the prayers be considered and the judgment be executed accordingly?
Jesus was one man. Are we that man, not alone but together? It’s easy to be one man alone, but can one be one man together with others? Can even one man agree with another, or do we all live and have our own way? If just two o us can agree we can have what we pray, what about 3 or 4 or 400? That is sweet.
Ever read scriptures where it says, He measured , he sent the angel and he measured? And measured and measured? What is being measured?.....Think about it. Unity? That is expressed as anointing oil, Prayer? That is expressed as incense. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Oh God have mercy and save , through us, use us, help us to be in place and equipped for Your use. Save this world oh God.

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.