Read: Revelation 8
If yesterday’s angels brought joy, today’s angels bring
terror.
Despite the images you may see in pictures of angels playing
harps, and assorted other instruments, the only instrument which angels play in
the Bible is the trumpet. In the book of Revelation there are seven trumpeting
angels, each one announcing some new chapter in the devastation which is
hitting the earth.
Trumpets were used by armies to convey instructions to the
troops in battle, from ancient times until at least WW1, and there was at least
one bagpiper who piped the troops onto the Normandy beaches on D-Day. These are
not angels who are providing soothing music as a backdrop to heavenly
rejoicing, but angels who want to wake us up and get us ready for action.
John, in exile on Patmos, wants his churches, from whom he
has been separated to know that their current suffering is not the end of the
story. God will intervene in world events to bring down the oppressive powers
which rule them and bring in his kingdom. This can’t happen without conflict,
though, and the disasters the angels announce are a symbol of this.
·
Have you
ever had to hear and take on board bad, but necessary news? How easy was it for
you to hear it?
·
Why are we
so ready to deny the reality of bad news, like the challenge of climate change?
·
What
realities do you need to accept at this moment, and what changes might you need
to make to respond to them?
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