Revelation – The Seven Trumpets

(Revelation 8:6-11:19)

Like the Seals the Trumpets start out with a sense of a singular purpose and as we get closer to the end of the Trumpets they become more intense. One vast difference between the Seals and Trumpets is that we are looking for all of them to sound, while there is only one Seal that has not been opened yet. In that last Seal we see the Seven Angels receiving their Trumpets. The Trumpets also signify the avenging of the blood of the saints that was crying out from under the Altar in the Fifth Seal. Though the scriptures never state the rate that the Trumpets are sounded, but I have always felt that there was less time between each Trumpet sounding than between each Seal. Even if the time is shorter, we know how time is seen by The Almighty and His son Jesus, so again we will have to be alert Watchmen to see how it unfolds.

Revelation 8:6-7 “And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. [7] The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”

First Trumpet: Here we see a worldwide meteorite shower that starts fires all over the earth and the mingling of blood is referring to the blood of the saints for the Trumpets begin the avenging of the saints that we have previously read about in the Fifth Seal (Revelation 6:9-11).

Revelation 8:8-9 “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; [9] 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.”

Second Trumpet: When this angel sounds his trumpet an asteroid, a large one at that, which would appear as a mountain on fire falling through the sky, is cast into one of the earth’s seas (oceans) such as the Pacific, Atlantic or Indian Ocean’s killing and destroying all that is in the waters of that ocean and possibly some in the surrounding areas. Regardless of which ocean it falls into we are looking at a third of life and ships being destroyed.

Revelation 8:10-11 “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; [11] And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”

Third Trumpet: This star named wormwood that falls as a lamp is what we call today a ballistic missile. If you look at the description given to us by John as it were a burning lamp you can come to that conclusion; a long metal object that has fire at one end falling towards the earth. Other translations use the word torch instead of lamp and even if you view as such would still present a picture of an elongated object with fire coming from one end. There are a couple locations where if a missile (nuclear) hit it could contaminate a lot of the freshwater of the world. I have believed the area of the Great Lakes plus the surrounding waterways could come close to being a third of the available fresh water in the world. Making those waters bitter and killing those that drink from them.

Revelation 8:12-13 “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. [13] And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”

Fourth Trumpet: At the sounding of this Trumpet a third of all heavenly lights are darkened. This could be the actual light that they shine is darkened by a third or a third of them are darkened. What is also interesting is that it mentions that a third part the day and night was affected. I wonder if that shows the timing of the darkening, so that it would darken both a part of the day and a part of the night. The significance of this Trumpet is that the Angel proclaims that there will be three Woes to come and for the Angel to relay this message there must be more to the next 3Trumpets than the first four.

Revelation 9:1-12 “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. [2] And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. [3] And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. [4] And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. [5] And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. [6] And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. [7] And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. [8] And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. [9] And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. [10] And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. [11] And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. [12] One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”

Fifth Trumpet: This is the first of three Woes that are to come. The length of this Trumpet blast goes on for five months and during those months any and every one that does not have the seal of God on their foreheads can be afflicted by the sting of these beings. This means only the 144,000 are immune from their attacks. We also know these beings are spiritual because of where they come from, the Bottomless Pit. Just as God had used an evil spirit to plague King Saul, he again uses spiritual beings to plague mankind during this time of the end. Unlike the common belief that Satan is over these beings, it is Abaddon “the destroyer” who was also sent from God to strike down the first born of Egypt that is given the key to the Bottomless Pit and command over these beings, these Locusts. We are shown how painful their sting is when it says that during those five months those stricken by their sting will seek death but will not find it. That’s enough of a description for me at least to know that it isn’t going to be a walk in the park for mankind.

Revelation 9:13-21 “And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, [14] Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. [15] And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. [16] And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. [17] And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. [18] By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. [19] For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. [20] And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: [21] Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

Sixth Trumpet: The voice that comes from the four horns of the golden altar is from the blood of the saints that are mention in the Fifth Seal that cry out to be avenged. If these Angels were bound at the Euphrates River, how long have they been there? Are these the Cherubim that have stood guard at the east end of the Garden of Eden awaiting for their last command to be loosed from their station? When they are loosed at the sounding of the Sixth Trumpet the First Angel will go out for an hour, the Second Angel will go out for a Day, the Third Angel will go out for a month, while the Fourth Angel will go out for a full year, but they all go out at the same time just for different lengths of time. They are also released at a specific hour of a specific day of a specific month of a specific year. When you get down to this army that is two million strong the question is who or what is this army. Many have said at times that this was a literal army of our time that brings about the death of a third part of men, but in verse 20 it speaks of them as plagues that brought about the deaths of men. The colors on the breastplates of these horsemen correlate to the fire, smoke and brimstone mention in verse 18. As the Locust of the Fifth Trumpet are spiritual beings these Horsemen could also be spiritual beings bring about the plagues of fire, smoke and brimstone that kills the third part of men. Even after all of this the people refuse to repent of their sinful ways.

Revelation 10:1-11 “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: [2] And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,[3] And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. [4] And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. [5] And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, [6] And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: [7] But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. [8] And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. [9] And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. [10] And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. [11] And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”

Message to John: John was allowed to hear, but not record what the Seven Thunders had uttered and there will be a time in the future after the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet that God’s prophets will be told what was spoken of by the Seven Thunders. What the Seven Thunders had spoken was in the little book that the angel held in his hand and it contained the mystery of God. This message that is hidden in the little book is for God’s prophets for the end times to declare before peoples, nations, tongues and kings. John found the message hidden in the little book at first to be good and sweet, but as he had time to digest what he was allowed to know it became bitter in his belly for it was going to be a strong message against the World and mankind. The contents of the little book will become apparent in the days of the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet. Also the description of the Mighty Angel and the placement of his feet showed that there was no time left for all of creation that it was time to face the music. The right foot on the sea and left foot on the earth also showed that by this time God favored more the things of the sea than that which was on the earth because of their rejection of Him.

Revelation 11:1-14 “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. [2] But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. [3] And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. [4] These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. [5] And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. [6] These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. [7] And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. [8] And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. [9] And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. [10] And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. [11] And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. [12] And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. [13] And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. [14] The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”

Second Woe: This shows that the Temple would be rebuilt and during a period of forty-two months (3 ½ years) the Gentiles (Those that are not of God’s people) would only be able to enter as far as the court yard and the city tread under foot because of the masses coming to see the Temple and the Two Witnesses. Those that worship within the Temple will be measured in the sense that they will be measured according to God’s standards to see if they measure up to it. During this time the Two Witnesses (Elijah and Enoch) will prophecy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (3 ½ years). Zechariah 4:11-14 makes mention of these Two Witness as Olive Trees, “Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?[12] And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?[13] And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.[14] Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth.” These Two Witnesses are given power and authority to stop rain from falling and to turn water to blood along with smiting the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. Fire proceeding out of their mouth is making reference to what Elijah had done in the past by calling down fire from heaven to devour those that came against him to do him harm. They will eventually be killed and for three and a half days the World rejoices to the point of giving gifts. Their joy quickly turns to fear as they also witness their resurrection and taking up to heaven to be with The Almighty once more. The Beast that makes war against the Two Witnesses is the same Seven Headed Beast that Satan gives his power to mentioned in Revelation 17:8 “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit…”

Revelation 11:15-19 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. [16] And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, [17] Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. [18] And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. [19] And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”

Seventh Trumpet: The sounding of the Seventh Trumpet signifies the ownership of the earth and all that therein is will be turned over to The Almighty. The four and twenty elders speak of all that is to come from this point on, from the rewarding of His people to the coming wrath that will befall all those remaining upon the earth that have not repented and received the mark of the beast in one way or another. If you ever wondered where the original ark of the covenant ended up then all you need to read is verse 19 to see where it is located, in the Temple in heaven.