And the second angel sounded, as as it
were a great mountain burning with fire was
cast into the sea: and the third part of the
sea became blood; and the third part of the
creatures which were in the sea, and had life,
died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
Revelation 8:8-9
Oh! How we love the unknown, the possible, the scary, the thought of such as to be seen in E.T, or Star Wars, or Harry Potter, so when it comes to these symbols we get excited and come to believe that which according to our fancy. I present several camps of thought so that you will not be ignorant of what others are teaching, therefore you can come to a decision as what to believe. If our faith is to grow we must become as it is with the cults especially the Jehovah Witnesses that teach not to read other literature than what the Society prints. It is this myopic view that leads people into error. It does not matter if you are a Baptist, a Methodist, an Anglican, a Presbyterian, or Pentecostal, or one of the several Charismatic movements. If you do not know what others teach then how can you oppose them? You cannot! Your faith grows with knowledge and that is why we are told to add knowledge to our virtue. Remember! This blog is all about faith and changing from the inside/out and for this to occur we must study, even from those we oppose to know why we oppose and why we believe and that our belief is in accordance with the truth and not some man-made doctrine. Here are some view about the above verses and the definition for each was presented in yesterday's blog so will not be repeated here.
The Second Trumpet
Revelation 8:8–9
Historicist
Barnes writes that
a mountain is a natural symbol of strength, and hence becomes a symbol of a strong and powerful kingdom; for mountains are not only places of strength in themselves, but they anciently answered the purposes of fortified places, and were the seats of power. … The effect [of this mountain being cast into the sea] was as if one-third of all the fish in the sea were cut off. Of course, this is not to be taken literally. It is designed to describe an effect, pertaining to the maritime portion of the world. … The natural interpretation would be to apply it to some invasion or calamity pertaining to the sea—to the islands, to the maritime regions, or to commerce. This great mountain (v. 8) is the Vandals (428–468) under their king Genseric, to whom historians refer as “the Tyrant of the Sea.” For over six centuries, no hostile ship had disputed Rome’s mastery of the sea. The Vandals left their ancient home on the Baltic to invade Rome, “destroying the ships and commerce of the Romans, and were distinguished in the downfall of the empire by their ravages on the islands and the sea”( Barnes). In addition to their exploits at sea, the Vandals ravaged Gaul and Spain. As Roman ships were sunk and their mariners slaughtered, portions of the sea became blood (v. 8). Having captured Carthage, the Vandals pirated the seas for thirty years before returning to pillage Rome for fifteen days, regarding neither age nor sex. The plunder of Rome was taken away on the Vandals’ vessels, and the capital was abandoned. (I have a copy of Gibbon's "The Rise and Fall of Rome," and suggest that you read it and it can be found online).
Matthew Henry also offers two possibilities:
By this mountain some understand the leader or leaders of the heretics; others, as Mr. Mede, the city of Rome, which was five times sacked by the Goths and Vandals within the compass of 137 years. … In these calamities, a third part of the people (called here the sea or collection of waters) were destroyed. … This storm fell heavy upon the maritime and merchandising cities and countries of the Roman empire.
Preterist
This trumpet can be applied to the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem in the Jewish War of a.d. 66–70 in both a symbolic and a literal sense. Symbolically, the image of a mountain in prophecy often refers to a government or a kingdom. Chilton reminds us that “the nation of Israel was God’s ‘Holy Mountain,’ the ’mountain of God’s inheritance’ (Ex. 15:17). … Mount Zion was an accepted symbol of the nation.” Here John sees a great mountain burning with fire (v. 8). Jerusalem was burned by the Romans, but even if this were not literally true, fire generally is an emblem of judgment. This mountain in the vision is thrown into the sea (v. 8). “The sea” is frequently used in prophecy as a symbol of the Gentile nations, in contrast to “the land,” signifying Israel.
The symbolism could depict the Jewish state collapsing and the resultant dispersion of the Jews throughout the Gentile world. Jesus cursed the barren fig tree in the presence of His disciples, which probably symbolized the cursing of the fruitless nation. When His disciples, the next day, pointed out to Him that the tree had withered, Jesus commented: “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt . … if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done” (Matt. 21:21). Since this comment is connected to the cursing of the fig tree, it is possible that Jesus was referring symbolically to “this mountain” (i.e., Israel) being cast into the sea of Gentile nations as a result of the disciples’ prayers. That would agree with verses 3–5 of this chapter, where the prayers of the saints were offered to God, followed by the fire being cast down on the land. Actually, the casting of fire on the land is a feature both of 8:5 and of the first two trumpets.
There also was a somewhat literal fulfillment of the words a third of the sea became blood (v. 8) and of the destruction of fish and the ships (v. 9). Josephus described a battle in which the Romans pursued many Galileans onto the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee) and slaughtered them there. The words of Josephus, who had never read Revelation, seem almost as if they were calculated to present the fulfillment of this trumpet judgment:
And for such as were drowning in the sea, if they lifted their heads up above the water they were either killed by darts [arrows], or caught by the vessels; but if, in the desperate case they were in, they attempted to swim to their enemies, the Romans cut off either their heads or their hands; and indeed they were destroyed after various manners everywhere, till the rest, being put to flight, were forced to get upon the land, while the vessels encompassed them about (on the sea): but as many of these were repulsed when they were getting ashore, they were killed by the darts upon the lake; and the Romans leaped out of their vessels, and destroyed a great many more upon the land: one might then see the lake all bloody, and full of dead bodies, for not one of them escaped. And a terrible stink, and a very sad sight there was on the following days over that country; for as for the shores, they were full of shipwrecks, and of dead bodies all swelled; and as the dead bodies were inflamed by the sun, and putrefied, they corrupted the air, insomuch that the misery was not only the object of commiseration to the Jews, but to those that hated them, and had been the authors of that misery. (Wars, III:10:9)
Futurist
Here too futurists are not agreed as to whether to take the language of the passage figuratively or literally or both. Ray Stedman writes that
if these are literal events, there is also a symbolic dimension to them. … The symbol of the mountain-like object falling into the sea probably symbolizes the influence of what is popularly called “the revived Roman Empire.”
He then reminds us that the sea is a symbol of the Gentile nations, and concludes that the mountain falling into the sea
suggests a time when the Antichrist-led coalition will fall upon the Gentiles of the world like a flaming, destroying mountain, conquering the Gentile nations and destroying many Gentile lives.
Gaebelein, too, opts for a symbolic interpretation of the imagery of this trumpet:
That this is not a literal mountain is obvious. A mountain in Scripture language represents a Kingdom (Isaiah ii:2; Zech. iv:7; Psalm xlvi:2; and especially Jerem. li:25). The sea is typical of nations. Some kingdom, internally on fire, signifying probably revolution, will be precipitated into the restless sea of nations, and the result will be a still greater destruction of life and commerce, which is represented by the ships.
Ironside takes a similar approach, with a different twist. Pointing out that ancient Babylon was, in Jeremiah 51:25, referred to as a “destroying mountain,” he identifies the burning mountain in this judgment with the spiritual Babylon—so prominent later in Revelation. He equates this spiritual Babylon with “the false church” (apparently meaning Roman Catholicism), which “will be utterly destroyed by the people over whom she once tyrannized.”
As with the first trumpet, Walvoord argues for the more literal approach:
The tendency of expositors is to give a symbolic meaning to this great judgment. It is not impossible, however, to suggest a reasonable literal interpretation. … It may be that the great mountain, instead of being a symbol of a government, as is sometimes the case in Scripture, is actually a large object falling from the heavens.
The very literal commitments of Henry Morris come out again in his exposition of this trumpet judgment:
A mighty mass of rock, hurtling toward the earth, surrounded by combustible gases which ignite as they enter the atmosphere, steered earthward by the angelic host of heaven, seems the most likely physical explanation accessible to us at this time. Maybe a giant meteorite, or asteroid, or even a satellite orbiting one of the other planets, could conceivably be propelled earthward by cosmic forces of which we have little knowledge as yet.
Although its actual collision with the sea will be in only one impact location, it is evident that the entire world will know about it. People will observe it for some time approaching from space, then entering the earth’s gravitational field and spiraling inexorably to the surface itself. Most likely television cameras will be focused on it and the actual splashdown will be seen on TV screens all over the world.
Mounce discourages the attempt to find natural explanations of this phenomenon. He emphasizes that the description is of “an eschatological judgment … beyond any explanation in terms of natural phenomena.” Ryrie seems to agree:
It is not necessary to attempt to find something in the realm of experience which can match this description. John really does not say what the instrument of judgment will be, but he clearly reveals the effect of the judgment.
Finding, nonetheless, “something in the realm of experience” with which to compare it, Hal Lindsey points out that the text does not say an actual mountain, but something like a great mountain (v. 8). He identifies the fulfillment of the effects of the trumpet thus:
This is probably either an enormous meteor or, more likely, a colossal H-bomb. A hydrogen bomb exploded in the ocean would look like a huge, flaming mountain smashing into the sea. In addition to destroying one-third of all marine vessels, the “mountain” will wipe out one-third of all marine life, turning the sea crimson with the blood of the dead …
As much as I would love to be optimistic about a deescalation of the arms buildup, my understanding of Bible prophecy forces me to believe that just the opposite is true.
Spiritual
Homer Hailey thinks that a great mountain burning with fire (v. 8) and cast into the sea is drawn from the images of Babylon’s fall in the Old Testament:
”Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, who destroys all the earth,” says the Lord. “And I will … make you a burnt mountain.” … The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of its waves (Jeremiah 51:25, 42).
Hailey concurs:
This symbolizes the fall of an eminent unidentified power cast down as Babylon of old; it could be any such city at any period in time. … To go beyond this broad application by designating a particular city is unwise, although this pattern fits both Rome and the entire empire when they fell.
Morey suggests that the picture of a great mountain burning with fire (v. 8) “suggests a volcano whose ashes pollute the sea.” Many commentators have felt that the eruption of Vesuvius, in a.d. 79, may have provided either the source of this imagery or else simply a remarkable example of how this kind of scene can be fulfilled in actual historic events. In this disaster, Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered with lava, many people and fish died as the lava reached the sea, and ships far out at sea were showered with burning embers.
Wilson, however, disagrees:
To attempt to interpret the blazing mountain in terms of volcanic eruptions, like that of Vesuvius in a.d. 79, is to misunderstand the nature of such apocalyptic images. The evident meaning of the terrible picture is that the sea can also be used by God to punish and warn mankind. For if the loss of lives and property in all the sea disasters throughout the centuries could be calculated, this vision would not seem at all extravagant.
Wilcock adds that “the particular mention of the loss of shipping … may mean that while the first plague was directed against man’s environment, the second was directed against his commerce.
Gregg, Steve: Revelation, Four Views : A Parallel Commentary. Nashville, Tenn. : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Re 8:8-9.
WOW! Many views, so confusing, and not consensus among these different theologians and scholars. What are we to do? How are we to understand this? You can pick the one that you gravitate too, but to do this and to make this have superior value over the other views is immature. Why? Because these men are proposing, suggesting, but do not have Scriptural warrant, although some will use Scripture to prove their point. I will not speak of their salvation, but to give these views, not has heresy, rather to give us knowledge as to what is being taught. What must hold the highest priority over all that is being taught is our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Gospel that teaches us that He is God, come in the flesh, to pay our debt as man to God and this He did on the cross, and by this now He can make intercession for all who come to Him and be saved. After this, you can choose which camp you want to be in, and what you believe but not to do this above teaching the Gospel.
This is long but important for there are such men who will make their views to be the only truth.
There is a river, the streams whereof
shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles
of the most high. God is in the
midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right away.
Psalm 46: 4-5
You are the City of God
Richard L. Crumb
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