Scripture Reading: Revelation 8:6-9:21 (The Six Trumpet Judgments)

Key Verse:

The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Revelation 9:20-21

The Beginning of Discipline

I remember the first time I had to discipline my oldest child, my son. I was sitting in the living room and he was toddling around, constantly moving until, for the first time, he noticed the outlet. He stopped moving, squatted in front of it, put his hand on it and started to pick at the outlet covers. I knew this was the moment I had been dreading as a parent. The moment discipline would begin. I cleared my throat and said for the first time the word I would repeat often as a parent.

No.

He turned to look at me with a surprise on his face. Then after a moment’s pause, he reached out his chubby fingers and touched it again. Again, I said “no” then my mind started planning. What should I do if he did it again? And what if that didn’t work and he did it again? My inexperienced parent brain used all its might to come up with a detailed discipline plan. Each step of my discipline plan was more involved because I wanted to get his attention that what he was doing was dangerous. I wanted him to learn to stop and turn away from the outlet.

God’s Measured Discipline

In a similar way, the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments are measured discipline from the Lord designed to wake mankind up to repentance. In Revelation chapters eight and nine, the trumpet judgments, we repeatedly see that the Lord is carrying out a detailed discipline plan. Each trumpet shows that God is holding back and just giving out enough of a wake up call to get people’s attention in hopes that they would come to repentance. Only a third of the sea, and third of the ships, and third of the sun, a third of the moon and a third of the stars are destroyed. The locusts were given limits to their destructive force. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or the plant or the tree (Rev. 9:4).

God is not unleashing His full fury. There is a plan. A plan that is designed to bring people on the earth to repentance. Sadly, after the trumpet judgments, many still did not repent of their demon and idol worship. But the trumpet judgments are not the end of God’s discipline plan. There is more judgment to come in the book of Revelation, judgment that is carefully planned out and designed for repentance.

I am thankful for our patient, loving, and merciful God who is holding back. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Comment below: In what way have you seen that God is patient with you?

More from the Summer Series on Revelation:

• You are Blessed: Revelation 1:1-8
• Drawn to the Light: Revelation 1:9-20
• Security Guard: Revelation 3:7-13
• The Focal Point: Revelation 4:1-11
• The Two-Way Street: Revelation 7:1-17