Revelation Chapter 8 (Part IV) THE SECOND ANGEL

By Odon Bulamba (24th June 2005)



Revelation 8: 8-9


The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.


The second angel will blow his trumpet and fire will come from heaven thrown to the sea and the sea will be changed to blood. Before the first angel has finished blowing his trumpet, the second one will start. Notice that fire will come into the sea, instead of coming to us, people. Consequently a third of the species in the sea will die and the sea will be changed to blood.


In Exodus 9, remember that Moses was sent to Pharaoh, which was supposed to give the people freedom. Pharaoh accepted to receive Moses but was unwilling to release them because they served him. They were doing everything he wanted so if they left, who will replace them and do their work?


If today NZ says: Let’s close the churches around this country, what would happen? It’s likely that many people will lose their faith, many children will change their Christian lifestyle into a different one, and within ten years everything will be changed in this society because people will not pray anymore, God will not protect the country anymore and we will lose some of our privileges. This will happen just because the politicians will do their work and forget God.


Pharaoh knew he’d be a loser if he allowed these people to leave the country and he decided to keep them for the best interest of his people, the Egyptians. He wanted them to stay. Today Christians around the world have been used for their work.


I have another friend who worked for the CIA for more than 20 years and he is very famous in the world. He could go to countries and preach the gospel but at the same time he was carrying a bag of plagues. For example, he’d invite Steve to come to the prayer meeting and because of his fame, Steve will come. After meeting with Steve, he’d give him an appointment at a certain place and time. But Steve reaches that place he’d be arrested on his way, killed or kidnapped. That man of God spent more than 20 years doing this job, he is called the Paul of the 20th century.


But one day God knocked at his door and told him he’s been doing Satan’s work for so long, he had to stop now. So, he decided to stop. But the government of America pushed him again to work for them as a contract, because he had committed himself, he had to keep his word. He defended his cause and told them he was old and didn’t want to work for them anymore, but the government tormented him and wanted him till the day of his death. It was really hard. This man testifies today that people he betrayed to get arrested 40 years ago are now coming back in his dreams asking him why he killed them. He completely lost peace in his life and went to live in another country. But still sometimes, the American government force him to work with them, threatening to kill him.


Because he started badly, he will also end up in a bad way. But I thank God so much because God accepted his prayer and forgot his sins and said: “Just change your ways, follow me and I’ll be with you”. This person is really kind and nice on the outside but behind he is holding something that can destroy the church.


After blowing the trumpet, the second angel will say fire will come from Heaven, a fire that will go straight to the sea, not to the earth. The sea represents the Word of God. As the prophet said, fire will come from heaven, a spirit will come from heaven and mislead many. That spirit is not a spirit of God that can bless us but a spirit filled with curses. It will come to churches and people will start to misinterpret the Word of God: for example, they’ll say if the Bible says this, it was only for the people from Corinth, not for us today. Why do we read the whole Bible that was written many years ago, do you think it’s really for us today?


“Paul went to the Corinthians but I am not a Corinthian so I don’t need to read that book and people will find it’s better to remove this or that from the Bible or write a note to tell readers this was only for the church of Ephesus or the Egyptians”. This is wrong, God says there is nothing new under the sun, and everything is the same yesterday, today and forever. In fact, everything that is written in the Bible concerns us too. For that reason, many people, preachers and servants of God will start to mislead people.


For example someone would say: How come Jesus didn’t marry?


“According to my knowledge, I think Jesus didn’t marry because … he couldn’t control his family. He was not responsible, he was just every day on the street going everywhere, so how could he be with his wife and family, he didn’t even have a house where he could sleep? So I think he just lacked the sense of responsibility and that’s why he didn’t marry. Others will say he couldn’t marry because he liked women so much everywhere he went there were women around Him. So which one could he marry among all of them? Others say he couldn’t marry because he was God”.


People will give reasons that might make sense but are not from the Bible and someone who doesn’t know the Word of God will say:


- Yesterday Odon, Catherine, Peter told me such and such, brother or sister where is it written?

- Oh, … it’s not written I just thought that would make sense.


By doing that you are adding something to the Word of God. If you don’t know why Jesus didn’t marry, just say you don’t know.


One day he will come back and marry the church, and he’s been preparing himself to marry us, and one day he’ll come back and take us. As for now, keep quiet and wait. He just came to visit us as a fiancé and he found the church, found it beautiful and decided to go back to prepare the ceremony and a house, that’s why he didn’t marry. That might make sense but if you start talking about your own thoughts, you might be misled.

 Most of the preaching today are just philosophy. What is preached is not the gospel anymore but psychology....
“If you want to become famous, you must pray.

- How to pray? …

- To pray properly come with me, 3 days on top of the tree and sit there and pray. When you get down from that tree you’ll be famous.


- How to be healed? …

- Go to Peter’s garden, collect some leaves, make a juice, drink them and you’ll get healed.

- How long shall I take this? … Maybe 6 years or 3 months”.


Because you were told you’d be healed, you feel better psychologically, so it works. And you come back: Praise God, it works, this is a testimony.

 I visited another man and he prayed for us, when he touched people, they would just fall. That man used to be a magician and he had left magi and became a Christian. One day, we went to see him. He sat on a chair, and decided to pray for me so that I could speak in tongues. Which tongue? He told me to just talk about anything I wanted and the Holy Spirit will guide me. In my mind I thought this is not true, to speak in tongues I don’t need to organise my words. He started to mutter a “bla bla bla” prayer, he came to me and put his fingers in my ears, clapped his hands and “prayed”. I was looking at him: “What are you doing?” He came again to me, touched me, and did lots of things. I just looked at him. Finally, he said:

 - God said that you must get what you want.

- So tell me what do I want?

- God said you will get it.

- What is that?

- I think you need a car.

- No, I’ve got more than ten.

- You need a house.

- I’ve got more than 6.

- You’ll need this.

- I’ve got more than that.

- I can see now,


He went to a small cross on the wall, brought it and said

- Do you believe Jesus died for you?

- What? This is just two pieces of timber from your wall and you say Jesus died for me. I can’t believe in that, brother.

- The Bible says you’ll become someone.

 - Look, if you allow it I will help you. What you are doing is not from God and you need to repent. You are teaching people something that is not correct. It’s not written in the Bible you must teach people like that. To touch them, give them leaves from your garden and ask people to drink it. If God says so, then we can do it. But what you are doing is wrong. Let me pray for you.


We prayed for him and he had more than 17 evil spirits. They came out, they were screaming and talking and talking. Hundreds of people use to come to him everyday to find solutions to their problems. They understood this man was used by Satan and Satan was guiding them.

 Today, churches are like that. Don’t be surprised when your pastor picks up his Bible, stands up in front of you and says: from today on, women in my church must wear mini skirts, young boys can pierce their ears to put whatever they feel like, be free, women and men are equal. We are all the same because in the kingdom of God, “there is no longer male and female”. If you hear something like that, just step back, sit down and ask God to intervene.


When someone stands up in front of an assembly, some people will not accept wrong teaching but others will and remember it forever. In many places people are trying to use the Bible as a springboard. They use it so that their life will fit into the Word of God and the Word of God will fit into their lives. There is a danger. This fire is already in the Word of God, that’s why people have already changed its meaning.


When Moses reached Egypt, he told pharaoh many times to release the people and Pharaoh answered: “What can you teach me, Moses? You were here, fed by my daughter and you grew up here? Who are you Moses, do you remember who I am, the king? You know me very well. What God sent you here? We don’t even know that God you are talking about.

 In Exodus 7, Moses looked at his brother and told him to do whatever God said. Aaron threw his staff, and it was changed to a serpent. Pharaoh was surprised and scared but the people at his side reassured him, they told him they could do the same and they did it.


So, God sent his people to do miracles and on the other side, Satan also proved the people of God their miracle is nothing because they can do the same.


Look, how science and politics have been fighting the gospel. The Bible says at the end of the times this and that can happen but science comes along and tells us they can do it too. Or they give us reasons why this and that God said can’t happen. It’s to the point that today, you can take a Bible in front of scientists but you don’t know what to say because they know everything! They can read the Bible and study it for 10 years and do their research not to know the gospel but to find traps for you and I.


So Pharaoh answered Moses:


- What are you talking about? These men can also do the same thing.

- Oh, God, we didn’t succeed. What’s next?

- The next thing will be water changed to blood. Maybe everyone will realise God can do it and believe in God.


Moses did this miracle but the magicians, Jannes and Jambres did the same too. Jannes was a powerful man in witchcraft. Jambres was powerful in magic. So, these two people were really respected in the Kingdom of Egypt.


Moses wondered what he could do next. He thought God could show Pharaoh He is God but now this has become a competition.

 How many times have you reached a point in your life having wondered if God is really alive because your situation becomes harder and harder? Does God really exist, where is He? Every time you start something, others things come and contradicts what you want to do, and you must stop. You wonder if it’s better to trust in God or to just give up. You have been praying every day and there is no result, you have been studying your Bible instead of your course, you have been spending time coming here to meetings instead of working somewhere, without success. How to overcome this?


This is God’s answer: “Don’t worry, I’ll keep doing something for you”.


As for us, we keep praying: “God, educate our leaders and support us so that we can feel free and live in the way many people will be saved. God, you gave us that mission to go around the world and spread the gospel”.



The Gospel is something to pray for. If our leaders mislead souls how will people turn to Jesus tomorrow? If they hear to not believe in God but in evolution for example, how will we convince these people tomorrow to become Christian? It’s a fight.


God told Moses to persevere. Day after day Pharaoh told him he could believe what they were saying a little bit but… anyway, he’ll see tomorrow. “Just tell your God to heal us and then I’ll let your people go”. But the following day, he changed his mind because he wasn’t under the plague anymore.


Every time we pray and claim our rights, our government say they understand our problems but … not easy to accept it. For example, when Maori or Pakeha claim their rights to the government, the answer is sympathetic but they do nothing about it. Who will accept or believe that today in our parliament people vote for things that are not pure, bills that dishonour this country?



Around the world, many people testify that NZ is a unique country: good people, nice things… beautiful testimonies from outsiders. But what our politicians are doing doesn’t sometimes reflect the image of our country. Their decisions are made according to their ideology. We can’t blame them because we know this is the end of the time. Let’s accept it and pray to God that we want to see 99% of NZ in His Kingdom. That’s our mission, to give freedom to these people.


We are doing the same as Moses who gave freedom to the captive people, we also need this country to be saved and the entire world to be saved. We’ll do it through prayer and also through spreading the truth. If we change the meaning of the Word of God then we’ll cause the world to get lost.