Seven Trumpets

God is aware of every injustice committed against His people. Revelation 8 and 9 present seven trumpets blown by seven angels who announce judgments that fall on those who have attacked the children of the Lord (see 6:10). Trumpets are used in the Bible for worship, battle, and celebration. The language of the sanctuary opens this section of Revelation showing that the incense (prayers of the saints) rises up to God and judgment follows. The Lord responds when trumpets are blown. The sequence of trumpets not only depicts a span of history from the cross to Jesus' second coming, but also a preliminary judgment coming upon the wicked just before Christ comes. The trumpets and judgments are filled with symbols that show God hears the cries of His people.

⋅ The First Trumpet: When the first angel blows a trumpet (Revelation 8:7) there is hail, fire, and blood thrown to the earth. It burns up a third of all vegetation. Some see this trumpet portraying judgments which fell on Jerusalem in the 1st century (see Luke 21:20—24). It is important to remember these judgments do not fall on "the saints" (8:5 and 9:4).

⋅ The Second Trumpet: The first judgment destroys one third of all vegetation. The second judgment strikes one third of the ocean (8:8, 9). Animals and ships are destroyed. Some see this judgment as depicting the fall of Rome in the fifth century A.D. which would have been, for the first readers of Revelation, a dream come true. God will act on behalf of His people at the proper time.

⋅ The Third Trumpet: In the third judgment one third of all fresh water is struck and becomes so bitter it destroys people (8:10, 11). If pure water represents the truth of Christ, then bitter water speaks of idolatry and false teachings, which became prominent during the apostasy of the church in the Middle Ages. It may also portray the invasion and ravages of the Huns in the 5th century. In the first four trumpets there is a pattern of "one third" which shows these are not the complete or final judgments.

⋅ The Fourth Trumpet: The impact on nature continues to symbolize the judgments on the wicked that harm God's people. In the fourth trumpet the heavens are struck with one third darkness. Certainly spiritual darkness came during the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment when doubts about God and Scripture were raised. This could also describe the extinction of the Roman government.

⋅ The Fifth Trumpet: The next three trumpets are introduced with the words, "Woe, woe, woe ..." (8:13) indicating an intensity in judgments. The fifth trumpet is filled with evil imagery of a bottomless pit, smoke, locusts, and scorpions. The demonic language shows Satan's increasing focus to delude people. It describes the growing secularism and skepticism of the 19th century. This was when doubts about creation were proposed. Some also see this trumpet applying to the ascending power of the Saracens.

⋅ The Sixth Trumpet: Similar to the fifth trumpet but growing in intensity, this judgment uses military imagery which leads up to the battle of Armageddon. It represents opposition to God's children at the end of time. It has also been applied to the Middle East and the Turkish Empire. Using the day for a year principle, time frames have been applied to the Ottoman's tormenting the Byzantine Empire. What is clear is that Satan wants to destroy God's people, but the Lord protects them. There is an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets in which John, in chapters 10 and 11, describes the experiences of God's people just before the close of probation. Satan has been gathering and preparing his army for battle, so God is preparing a people to stand against the devil's threats.

⋅ The Seventh Trumpet: The seventh trumpet marks the beginning of the end of probation for people on the earth (10:7), yet more events must happen before Christ's return. The last trumpet describes the third "Woe" (11:14). We read, "The nations were angry ..." (11:18). The Lord is also angry at injustice. His response is the righteous "wrath of God" when further judgments are poured out in the seven last plagues (Ch. 16). Reference to the heavenly sanctuary (11:19) points to the end of the 2,300 day prophecy which took place in 1844 A.D.