The Seven Trumpets

Have you ever seen something that was hard to look at, but it stirred something within you? Let me share with you a few of examples of what I mean:

The Passion of the Christ - Although the movie is filled with questionable theology, the visceral image of Jesus being flogged and crucified helped me emotionally connect in a deeper way with the sacrifice Jesus made for me. It re-enforced the idea that Good Friday is a solemn day for reflection, communion and repentance.

To a lesser degree, the movie Lone Survivor also sparked something in me. The movie may be filled with more swearing than I can count, glorifies violence and promotes the American military, the way that it was filmed left me in a profound state of awe that made me pray for those serving in the military.

Finally, I want to show you a disturbing image: this photo was taken in 1863, right in the middle of the American Civil War. His name was Gordon and he had escaped slavery in Louisiana and fled 64 km on foot over 10 days until he reached the union army in Baton Rouge. This photo, which was widely published in a magazine called Harper’s Variety, dispelled the notion that slaves were treated well and galvanized many people in the North to join the Union army and work to end it. It’s a photo that many people, even today, don’t want to see, but we need to see it because it changes things in us.

In a similar way, the seven trumpet blasts in chapters 8, 9, 10 and some of 11 are images and pictures I don’t really want to see. I don’t really want to read them, much less preach and teach on them. But they are important images that remind us of God’s power, his justice and, yes, his mercy.

Now, before we get into reading our passage today, it’s important that you remember that the book of Revelation is written in a style that is meant to draw pictures in your mind. It uses symbolism, metaphor, exaggeration and other tools to spark your imagination. Much of what is written is not designed to be taken literally at face value, nor is it written purely chronologically. Many scholars look at the 7 seals, the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls (which we’ll look at in two weeks), as three perspectives of the same thing - God’s judgment. The seals show us the view of God’s judgement from the perspective of the people of God. The trumpets show it from the perspective of the sinful world. The bowls show it from the perspective of the throne room. So our goal is not to get lost in the imagery, but to gain some insight for following Jesus in the here and now. So let’s read starting in verse 6 of chapter 8.

Revelation 8:6–13 NLT

6 Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow their mighty blasts. 7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire, one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned. 8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became blood, 9 one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed. 10 Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star was Bitterness. It made one-third of the water bitter, and many people died from drinking the bitter water. 12 Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark, and also one-third of the night. 13 Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.”

Prayer: Oh gracious and all-powerful God of the cosmos, Lord of our lives, and Savior of our souls - would you illuminate these scriptures for us by the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth and through them, empower us to live more fully for you. May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. We pray in the precious and holy name of Jesus. Amen.

When it comes to the first four trumpets, there are two things I want to draw your attention to today:

1. Notice the trumpet

Why are these catastrophe’s preceded by a trumpet? The trumpet is about declaration, it’s about warning. It’s a dramatic means to getting people’s atttention. Look at what the prophet Joel says in the Old Testament.

Joel 2:1 NLT

1 Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us.

The trumpet was about alerting the people that God was going to do something and it required action. The prophet Ezekiel, who also wrote apocalyptic literature in his book, wrote:

Ezekiel 33:2–6 NIV

2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

The sounding of the trumpets is a warning to the world of the coming judgement of God.

We don’t like to talk about judgment in 21st century Canadian Christianity - at least in my circles. It feels uncomfortable and it’s why so many Christians avoid the book of Revelation. But we can’t be afraid of the truth. The harsh reality is that God will judge all humanity at some point in time, no matter what you believe. And because that judgment is coming, God, in his infinite mercy, gives us these seven trumpet blasts, as a warning - as a wake up call - for all of us to turn away from our idolatry and turn back to the living and true God.

2. Notice the 1/3

The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, wrote:

Romans 6:23 NLT

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Throughout the history of Christianity, those who follow Jesus and hold to an authoritative view of the Bible have always held that all of mankind has sinned against God in some way and that because God is perfectly just, the penalty for sin is death. We all deserve death and to be cut off from God forever. But God, in his mercy, forgives our sin and draws us into spiritual life with himself, through our faith in the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, who is God incarnate. The struggle is that our salvation from death is contingent on our faith, which means that not everyone will experience what we have experienced and what we will experience with God.

But God desires to see everyone choose life over death and put their faith in Jesus. The Apostle Peter writes,

2 Peter 3:9 NIV

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

When we read about these terrible catastrophes in Revelation, we see that over and over in the first four trumpet blasts, it keeps saying 1/3. Remember, numbers within this book are symbolic, not literal. This is a picture of God’s mercy to us. Instead of destroying everything and everyone, like we deserve, he has mercy and only destroys 1/3 as a warning to us. The first four trumpets are a warning of a more complete judgment that is still to come so that more people can turn to God and put their faith in Jesus.

That’s the first four trumpets and they follow a pattern - a rhythm. Whether it’s the seals, trumpets or bowls, the pattern is a quick blast of the first four, then two lengthy descriptions for numbers 5 and 6, and then a pause, and then the 7th. Now that we have done the first four, let’s look at trumpets numbers 5 and 6 which mark the beginning of what are called the three “Terrors” or the three “Woes”

Revelation 9 NLT

1 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke. 3 Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. 4 They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting. 6 In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them! 7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces. 8 They had hair like women’s hair and teeth like the teeth of a lion. 9 They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months they had the power to torment people. 11 Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer. 12 The first terror is past, but look, two more terrors are coming! 13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. 14 And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.” 15 Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth. 16 I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops. 17 And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths. 18 One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses. 19 Their power was in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people. 20 But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

From this section I have two things I want you to notice:

1. Notice the protection for God’s people

Revelation 9:4 NLT

4 They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

Last week, when we looked at chapter 7, we talked about how the people of God are sealed by God and that seal protects them from the judgments that are poured out. We see that again here in chapter 9 as the people of God are once again protected from the catastrophe that accompanies the fifth trumpet. But I think it goes farther than that. I think that we, the redeemed of Jesus, those who are sealed with the Holy Spirit, are protected from all the judgments. It’s easy to read these passages and become afraid of the future and think that if what is written happens literally to this world, then we have no hope. But the people of God have nothing to fear because our future is secure and we are protected from the catastrophic judgment of God.

2. Notice the purpose of the judgments

These judgments are terrible to behold. Demonic attack, torture, death, and destruction are rampant and everywhere. And many of us want to cast our eyes away from this gruesome image. But we can’t or else we will miss something important: the purpose.

Revelation 9:20–21 NLT

20 But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

God is giving these judgments as a dramatic, last ditch way to bring as many people into the kingdom as possible. For some people, it takes the literal end of the world before they finally will see their need of Jesus and for others, even that won’t be enough. God doesn’t want anyone to perish but wants everyone to come to repentance so they can have eternal life. God knows that there are worse things than death. Living unrepentant and missing out on life with the Living God is worse and so God gives humanity these judgments to draw as many as he can into life with him.

Let’s move on to the seventh and final trumpet in chapter 11.

Revelation 11:15–19 NLT

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” 16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.” 19 Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.

The seventh trumpet shows us two very cool things:

1. The Victory of God

Revelation 11:17 NLT

17 And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.

The kingdom of God finally comes in its fullness; God the great judge, stops letting any evil and sin have any place in this world and fully asserts his sovereign reign. Evil doesn’t win, injustice doesn’t win, sin doesn’t win. God wins and he is on the throne enacting his perfect justice and setting things right. We called this teaching series Unveiling Hope because that’s what Revelation does - it gives us a peek behind the curtain to give us hope that no matter what we are going through, in the end, God wins.

2. The Third "Terror”

The first terror is the fifth trumpet that sees Satan fall to earth, demonic attack and torture on the world. The second terror is the sixth trumpet that has 1/3 of the earth killed by smoke, fire and burning sulfur. The third terror is…worship?

Revelation 11:14–16 NLT

14 The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly. 15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” 16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him.

How is worship terror? Earlier I mentioned that the trumpets are written with the perspective of the unbelieving world in mind. Earlier, in chapter 8, John wrote

Revelation 8:13 NLT

13 Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.”

“to all who belong to this world” is a euphemism for those who are opposed to the Lamb and his ways, whether by apathy or hostility. They are the ones who the warning judgments are directed to. So to them, the declaration of God’s rule is a woe because it is something they don’t want - it’s something they are against. For us, this worship is encouraging and gives us hope. For those who oppose God, this worship is terrifying because it means they lose.

Conclusion

We have taken a very fast ride through the seven trumpets and there is so much more we could say about them. But I think it’s important that, as we close our teaching time, we take a quick look at three things the vision of the trumpets teach us:

1. The Importance of Repentance

God is passionately pursuing each of us and he calls us into repentance because it is through repentance that relationship is restored. The seven trumpets are God’s call to the world to repent - to re-align their lives with God’s way. The uncomfortable truth for the world is that God is real and this is his world. It work’s God’s way or it doesn’t work at all. So if we violate God’s will and way, it turn back on us. So we need to be people who are continually repenting of everything contrary to God’s will and way. Repent and keep repenting because God values you and desires close intimacy with you. Repentance restores relationship.

2. The Importance of Prayer

The seven trumpets show us the judgments of God from the perspective of those who don’t believe in him. We see how we are protected from these judgments because we are sealed with the Spirit, but for the world, these images are harsh and uncomfortable. But just as the picture showing Gordon’s back made people so uncomfortable that it moved them to action, so too these images should stir in us a desire to pray for those who don’t follow the way of the Lamb. We need to pray that those who oppose God would repent - that they would turn back to God - and be sealed by the Holy Spirit.

3. The Importance of Proclamation

The 7 trumpets are God’s proclamation that a fuller judgment is coming. In chapter 10, which we didn’t have time to cover today, John is commanded to prophesy to the world and in the first half of chapter 11, John’s vision shifts to two witnesses who testify about God, who are killed, but who are then resurrected! God is telling his people of the importance of proclamation. We pray for people but we must also be willing to talk to people about the love and mercy of our God who forgives all sins, who perfectly executes justice and who desires intimate relationship with each of us. We need to proclaim the greatness of our God to a lost world because God doesn’t want anyone to perish! The book of Revelation was written to seven churches, representing every church. So even though the 7 trumpets show us the judgment of God from the perspective of the unbelieving world, it was given to the church so that we would proclaim the gospel the world.

Repentance, prayer and proclamation. May God use us to rescue the world.

Pray.