Christian
Churches of God
No.
CB96
The Seven Trumpets of Revelation
(Edition 1.0 20060711-20060711)
The
Seven Trumpets of Revelation are introduced with the opening of the Seventh
Seal, following half an hour of silence in the heavens. In this paper we will
examine what the messages of these trumpets reveal.
Christian Churches of God
E-mail: secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright ã 2006 Ruwani Wijesuriya, ed.
Wade Cox)
This
paper may be freely copied and distributed provided it is copied in total with
no alterations or deletions. The publisher’s name and address and the copyright
notice must be included. No charge may
be levied on recipients of distributed copies.
Brief quotations may be embodied in critical articles and reviews
without breaching copyright.
This paper is available from the World
Wide Web page:
http://www.logon.org
and http://www.ccg.org
The Seven Trumpets
Silence in Heaven
In the prequel to
this paper (CB95), we learned that the seventh seal opened with a silence in
heaven. We don’t exactly know what this silence is caused by or how long it
will last according to how we calculate time. We can speculate that the length
of the silence could be from an actual half hour to a prophetic time frame that
could last up to 20 years. We can also speculate that the silence is caused by
the four winds being held back by the four angels.
Revelation 7:1
After
this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back
the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the
sea or on any tree. (American Standard Version)
It is after this
silence that the seven trumpets were given to each of the seven angels.
Revelation 8:1-2
When
the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an
hour. 2 Then
I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to
them. (RSV)
If we think back to
the Seals, it was the Lamb or the Messiah, who opened each of the Seven Seals.
However, with the trumpets, each one is sounded by a different angel. Christ,
at this point, is involved in sealing the elect (made up of the 144,000 and the
Great Multitude) and preparing for his Advent.
As the seven angels
prepare to sound their trumpets, another angel causes thunder, lightning and an
earthquake to take place (Rev. 8:3-5). This angel has a golden censer and
offers up incense at the altar, just like the High Priest of the temple did
(see paper The Tabernacle in the Wilderness (No. CB42)).
This angel might be assumed to represent the High Priest.
As we examine each
trumpet, let’s keep in mind that the trumpets generally deal with thirds. That
means that one third of most things are torn down and destroyed while two
thirds are spared. This is because God is teaching us that physical things
represent spiritual things (Heb. 8:5). In the case of the trumpets dealing in
thirds, we are reminded that one third of the angels rebelled against God (Rev.
12:4).
The First Trumpet
Revelation 8:7
The
first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they
were thrown to the earth. And a third
of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. (NKJV)
This sounds a lot
like the plagues of Egypt (Ex. 9:22-26). Egypt, being a type of this world,
sees the destruction of its grass and trees by the hailstorms. It is a
depiction of what is to come at the sound of the first trumpet. The prophet
Ezekiel also seems to be referring to this event in chapter 38, verse 22.
The hail and fire
could come in many different physical forms. It could be meteors, storms or
other things that kill one third of the vegetation. This means that there will
be a famine in the land and people will become ill or die of hunger.
Another possibility
is that the hailstorm is referring to a fallen angelic being that will be cast
down to earth and by whom the destruction takes place (Isa. 28:2). People
worship many things today (trees, animals, objects) and these things become
gods to them. If we go with this idea, then the angel that is cast down
represents a god of this world who is destroyed. This is very much like what
Moses did in Egypt. He destroyed all the Egyptian gods one by one. (See the papers Moses and the Exodus (No.
CB16) and Moses and the Gods of Egypt (No.
105)).
Second Trumpet
Revelation 8:8-9
Then
the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire
was thrown into the sea, and a third
of the sea became blood. 9 And a third of the living creatures in
the sea died, and a third of the
ships were destroyed. (NKJV)
The mountain here
could be referring to physical disasters like volcanoes erupting under water
and causing massive tsunamis. These would destroy not only sea-life and ships,
but also nearby coastlands. We saw a forerunner, or an example of this, when
the volcano erupted in the Indian Ocean in December 2005.
On the other hand,
the mountain here could also be figurative, meaning that it represents
something else. It could be referring to an angel, as in Jeremiah 51:25,
causing destruction. Sometimes oceans represent people as nations or states,
creatures sometimes represent people, and ships sometimes represent false
religions. Is it the gods of this world being destroyed just as Moses did in
Egypt?
It seems that the
prophet Amos was given a vision of this event.
Amos 7:4
Thus
hath the Lord GOD shown to me: and behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by
fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part. (Webster)
Third Trumpet
Revelation 8:10-11
Then
the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a
torch, and it fell on a third of the
rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood,
and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter. (NKJV)
When water in rivers
and lakes is polluted, that means the fresh water supply that people use for
their daily needs, like cooking and drinking, is diminished. Drinking polluted
water causes illness and death, which is what will happen. Already, people are polluting the water
supply by careless living. It will only be made worse, and quite fast, at the
third trumpet.
Jeremiah 9:15
Therefore
thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them,
[even] this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. (NKJV)
Jeremiah 23:15
Therefore
thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them
with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of
Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. (KJV)
Once again we can
speculate that this star is an angelic being. Angels are often referred to as
stars in the Bible (Deut. 4:19; Job 38:7). It could mean that this star is
responsible for further polluting and destroying pure religion or the worship
of the One True God, which is depicted by the fresh water. We know that water
is often used to represent the Holy Spirit in the Bible (Jn. 7:38).
Fourth Trumpet
Revelation 8:12
The
fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a
third of the sun was struck, and a
third of the moon, and a third
of the stars, so that a third of
their light was darkened; a third of
the day was kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. (RSV)
With this trumpet,
the three sources of light –sun, moon and stars – are reduced in capacity by
one third. It may be that God will literally hold them back from giving light,
however, it is more likely due to other reasons such as nuclear explosions,
volcanic explosions or both.
Isaiah 13:10
For
the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light:
the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her
light to shine. (ASV)
There are many other
Scriptures that talk about this time. Ezekiel 32:7-8; Joel 2:10; Amos 8:9; Mark
13:24 are just some of them.
So the days will be
made shorter and the nights longer. When the balance between night and day is
disrupted, a great many natural disasters could take place as a result.
A reverse example in
increased sunlight would be global warming and ocean levels rising because
these two events are controlled mainly by the strength of the sun and the cycle
of the moon.
So what is the
spiritual application of this event? Is
it again referring to the rebellion of a third of the Host and the effect it
has on Christ, the Church and all beings that have ever lived?
With the first four
trumpets we saw many a disaster take place. Heaven and earth were shaken and
stars have fallen from the sky.
Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens shall be shaken.
(NKJV)
When we think it
couldn’t possibly get worse, it does. However, God does nothing without warning
the people (Amos 3:7).
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! (KJV)
So here, God is
having the angel give a solemn warning to the people on earth that when the
last three trumpets sound, horror and misery are going to follow. This is why
these next three trumpets are called Woes. This separates them from the four
that preceded them in that what’s to come is much worse than what the world has
ever seen to this point.
So let’s examine the
last three trumpets, also called the three woes.
Fifth Trumpet (1st Woe)
Revelation
9:1-10
And the fifth angel blew his
trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key
of the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2 he opened the shaft of the bottomless
pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the
sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came
locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of
the earth. 4 they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any
green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of
God upon their foreheads; 5 they were allowed to torture them
for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture
of a scorpion, when it stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek
death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from
them. 7 In
appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were
what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's
hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had scales like iron
breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots
with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and
stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails.
(RSV)
The first woe is when the bottomless pit is opened and the locusts are released. There could be actual locusts plaguing man but more importantly, in a figurative sense, this is talking about war and chemical weapons that cause massive destruction. This will be planned and carried out by Satan and his demons. It will be such a bad time that people will want to die but will not be allowed to because Satan’s desire is to torment them and make them suffer (Jer. 8:3; Hos. 10:8; Luke 23:30).
The first woe has passed;
behold, two woes are still to come. (RSV)
Sixth
Trumpet (2nd Woe)
Revelation 9:13-19
Then the sixth angel blew his
trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before
God, 14
saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels
who are bound at the great river Euphra'tes." 15 So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the
hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the troops of cavalry
was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this was how I saw the horses in
my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and
of sulphur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and
smoke and sulphur issued from their mouths.
18 By
these three plagues a third of
mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulphur issuing from their
mouths. 19 For
the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are
like serpents, with heads, and by means of them they wound. (RSV)
With this trumpet, four destroying angels are released. They have been bound, maybe since the rebellion up to this point, perhaps because they are so evil. They are given power to destroy one third of mankind. Just like the previous trumpet, this trumpet is also referring to destruction by war, but with more intensity and damage. The mention of troops, cavalry, breastplates, horses and chariots, gives us clues that it is talking about war. This is probably John’s perception and description of modern- day war items such as tanks, guns, bombs and other weapons. In his day, these were not yet invented so he is describing it using war symbols of his day that are familiar to him.
We know that Satan is the commander of this army because of the imagery John uses of serpents here. The serpent represents Satan in the Bible (Rev. 12:9; 20:2).
So by this time there is utter destruction and death of one third of people on this earth. That means one out of every three people is dead. This is a lot of human beings. Well, we would think that the remaining people, who have seen all this, would repent and turn to God, but they don’t. They are not willing to give up the evil desires and habits of human nature.
Revelation 9:20-21
The rest of
mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of
their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze
and stone and wood, which cannot either see or hear or walk; 21 nor did they repent of their murders or
their sorceries or their immorality or their thefts. (RSV)
At this time the two Witnesses of God
are still telling the world to repent. They are warning the people who are left
of what will happen if they don’t repent. Once again, God is so merciful that
He allows the people to be warned one last time. Instead of seeing their error
and repenting, these people go as far as to kill the two Witnesses that warn
them. See the paper The
Witnesses (No. 135).
Another important event that takes place during
this time is called the Seven Thunders. These are mysteries because John was
told to seal them up and let them remain secrets until the end (Rev.10:3-4).
The meanings of these will only be known at the Seventh Trumpet, when Christ
returns to this earth and all the mysteries of God are revealed (Rev. 10:7).
The
Seventh Trumpet (3rd Woe)
God gives a sign that the Seventh Trumpet and the final woe are just about to come. This sign is that the two Witnesses are brought back to life after lying dead in the streets for 3 ½ days, and they ascend up to heaven in a cloud. At this time there will be a great earthquake that will kill 7,000 people (Rev. 11:11-14).
After these things have occurred we know the
Seventh Trumpet is ready to sound.
Revelation
11:15
Then the seventh angel blew his
trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the
world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign
for ever and ever." (RSV)
With this trumpet, Christ returns to earth to judge the people according to his Father’s will.
People will not accept him at first and will form
a great army to try to fight against him, under Satan’s direction (Rev. 16:14).
God then deals with the god of this world (Satan) and his followers. As a
result another sequence of events start to take place. These are called the seven bowls of God’s
wrath.
Let’s keep in mind what happened in Egypt when
Pharaoh (a type of Satan) and his people the Egyptians (a type of people of
this world) rejected Moses (a type of Christ). This kindled God’s anger and
certain plagues followed as a result. We read this in Exodus chapters
7-11. This is a prototype (something
that points to the future) of what is to happen when this world rejects Christ.
After these bowls of God’s wrath are poured out, the great battle between Christ and Satan comes to an end. Christ wins the battle and Satan is bound for one 1,000 years.
Revelation 20:1-2
Then I saw an angel coming down
from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great
chain. 2 And
he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years. (RSV)
This is the beginning of the Millennium where Christ will rule and God’s Law will be established on this earth again.
Isaiah 11:6
In that day the wolf and the
lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and
yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all. (New
Living Translation)
This world does not need to experience all these
horrific events if only people would repent and turn to God. So we see that it
is through obedience to God that we are saved.
For further study see the paper The Seven Trumpets (No. 141).
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The Seven Trumpets |
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Exact timeframes unknown. |
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(Uncertain as to when Witnesses arrive; they are here 3½ years before Messiah
returns.) |
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(144,000 are sealed and great multitude wash their robes in the blood of the lamb before Messiah returns) |
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Silence for half an hour |
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1 |
Trees & grass burned |
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2 |
Seas struck |
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3 |
Water struck |
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4 |
Heavens struck |
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1st
Woe |
5 |
Bottomless pit opened |
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2nd
Woe |
6 |
1/3 of man killed |
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7 thunders and Witnesses killed |
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3rd
Woe |
7 |
Christ’s
Return |
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The
Seven Bowls |
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1 |
Malignant sores |
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2 |
Seas turned to blood |
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3 |
Water turned to blood |
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4 |
Scorching sun |
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5 |
Darkness and pain |
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6 |
Kings of the East |
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7 |
Great earthquake |
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