The First Four Trumpets

v. 1) 7th Seal: Silence in heaven

We finally finish up the with the seals. Where the sealed scroll was introduced in chapter 5, and the seals were opened up one by one. This seal begins with a silence in heaven.

What is the importance of this silence?

Some see it as giving “breathing room.”

Beginning of the sabbatical rest for the millenium.

The pause of a brief cessation of judgement and not a literal silence.

A temporary reprieve from heavenly vision.

A focus on the prayers of the saints.

In my opinion, the most likely interpretation is that this is demonstrating a sober, awestruck silence at the judgement to come, now that the seals are off and the scroll can be opened.

I also take this to mean that sometime the worship of God can also be silent. Whereas in chapters 4 and 5 it is a lot of praise and adoration for our God.

Why 30 minutes?

A half-hour silence is not that long to us, but things seem long or short in their context. If a preacher were to stop his sermon and remain silent for that long, it would seem like an eternity. Since heaven is a place of constant praise and worship to God, this is probably a long time too.

But at the end of the day, I simply do not know. However, it is probable that the pause it used for dramatic effect and serves the purpose of alerting the reader to the significant turn in the narrative.

v. 2) Seven angels with seven trumpets

No specific judgment is mentioned when the seventh seal is broken. The narrative moves directly to seven trumpet judgments. From this we infer that the seventh seal consists of the seven trumpets.

What I found fascinating was according to Jewish tradition there are seven angels who stand in the presence of God. Apparently, based on this verse, that traditional idea was accurate.

In the OT trumpets sounded the alarm for war and three the enemy into a panic, or they called the assembly of God’s people. These seven trumpets will sound as God’s battle-alarm during the great tribulation.

There is a debate on what type of trumpet these angels were given. Apparently there is only one Greek word for trumpet, and it is used interchangeably between two different types of trumpets. The shophar and a silver trumpet.

Whichever the case, as the plot unfolds, the sounding of each of these seven trumpets will announce a new judgement.

vv. 3-6) The angel with the golden censer

Then another angel: Some do see this angel as Jesus, functioning as the mediator and because of the OT reference to Jesus as the “Angel of the LORD.” And this interpretation is understandable and not impossible.

Much more likely, however, the terminology used “another angel” (ἄλλος ἄγγελος) generally depicts “another” of the same kind while a different Greek word, (ἑτερος) or “another” angel of a different king and suggests that this angel is not ontologically distinct from the seven angels who were given the seven trumpets. He simply is another angel with a different assignment.

Like the high priest in the holy place, he has a golden censer, or fire pan, and he stands at what is apparently the altar of incense. The altar of incense was critical to the function of the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement, the high priest, upon entering was preceded by the smoke of the incense, which provided temporary covering of the prayers of God’s people until such time as he could sprinkle blood of the sacrificial goat on the mercy seat.

As this angels stands before the altar of incense, he is given much incense mixed together with the coals of fire in his fire pan, and the incense is said to be the prayers of all the saints offered on the golden altar before the throne.

Prayer and incense are often associated in the Bible. The idea is that just as incense is precious, pleasant, and drifts to heaven, so do our prayers. So here, before anything happens at the opening of the seventh seal, the prayers of God’s people come before the Lord God.

There is something hear within these verse that is really neat and we might miss it if we are not carefully reading. The golden altar is no longer placed in the holy place immediately in front of the veil leading to the holy of holiness but rather is now before the throne of God.

Here the thing, there are two apparent antithetical aspects of the nature of God are brought together in this metaphor.

God is transcendent and holy. As such, the approach to God is specific as to its nature and encompassed with gravity. Nevertheless, transcendence and holiness notwithstanding, the approach of God’s people to commune with the eternal Creator is seen here not only as welcoming and encouraging buy also as something in which God delights.

Just as the smell of burning frankincense and certain other kinds of incense are pleasant to our nostrils, so the approach of God’s creation to their Creator is not a matter of indifference to God.

Significantly, the prayers of God’s people set in motion the coming consummation of history.

“More potent, more powerful than all the dark and mighty powers let loose in the world, more powerful than anything else, is the power of prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth.”–Torrance

2 Peter 3:10–12 NKJV

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

Indicates that there is a sense in which we can hasten the Lord’s coming by our holy conduct and godly lives. But here we see that we can also hasten the Lord’s coming through prayer, even as Daniel asked for a speedy fulfillment of prophecy regarding captive Israel in Daniel 9, we can and should also pray Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)

Revelation 22:20 NKJV

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

[5] As God’s people pray for the resolution of all things, their prayers were touched by the fire from the altar in heaven, and then thrown back down to earth. All thing will not be resolved on this earth until judgment comes and when the prayers of God’s people “come back” to earth, they bring the groundswell of judgment.

[6] We waited for the seven seals to be opened and saw them loosed one by one. But when the seventh seal was finally loosed, the end did not immediately come. It has set in motion the seven trumpets that would sound upon the earth.

We have now in all likelihood have now come to the middle of the Tribulation. The first four judgments affect man’s natural environment; the last three affect man himself. Many commentators note the resemblance between these plagues and the one which fell on Egypt.

Plagues of Egypt: Water to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, darkness, and the firstborn dying.

Trumpet judgments: Vegetation struck, sea, waters heaven, demonic locusts, onslaught of another demonic horde.

seventh trumpet:

Revelation 11:15 NKJV

15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

Revelation 11:18 NKJV

18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Revelation 11:19 NKJV

19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

v. 7) 1st Trumpet: Vegetation Struck

Hail and fire followed, mingled with blood:

What is the deal with this judgement mingled with blood?

Perhaps this indicates the color or the result of the phenomenon described here. We do not know if the hail and fire was red in color or if it brought forth red blood, but one way or another this should be understood straightforwardly, without escaping into creative symbolism.

Because of this judgment one-third of the vegetation of the planet is burned up.

How will this happen? Many wonder if it will happen through phenomenon we know today, like nuclear war, fallout, pollution, meteors, and so forth. These ideas are interesting and possible, but they should never obscure what the text states or with the essential truth that: God brings judgement. He isn’t passive bystander.

It is perfectly clear that people on the earth know and understand that these judgments come from God.

Revelation 16:9 NKJV

9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

Revelation 16:11 NKJV

11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

Revelation 19:19 NKJV

19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

vv. 8-9) 2nd Trumpet: The Seas Struck

John carefully said that this is not an actual mountain because he uses the word like...

This disaster is a cataclysm, perhaps a meteor that crashes into the sea and results in our oceans experiencing upheaval with residual pollution.

Researches today say that this sort of phenomenon has happened before in the history of the earth, sometimes resulting in great ecological disaster. No the blood mention may either be the cause or the effect of the widespread death in the oceans of the world.

Pertaining to the sea, this may specifically be a reference to the Mediterranean sea and not to all the oceans. The world of that John lived in had little knowledge of other oceans.

It is common to take this “great mountain” to mean a nation that will be judged. It is true that mountains are sometimes used as figures of governments or nations: Jeremiah 51:25,27,30. But in this context, the symbol doesn’t make sense.

What does it mean that the great mountain is burning with fire?

What does it mean for it to be thrown into the sea?

What does the sea symbolize?

Who are the living creatures in the sea?

What are the ships?

It raises more questions then giving solutions.

vv. 10-11) 3rd Trumpet: The Waters Struck

We may easily associate this with a comet or meteor crashing into the earth and bringing disaster.

What do you think?

Some say the star means Attila and his Huns; others, Genseric with this vandals falling on the city of Rome; others, Eleazer, the son of Annus, spurning the emperor’s victims, and exciting the fury of the Zealots; others, Arius, infecting the pure Christian doctrine with his heresy… It certainly cannot mean all these; and probably none of them.

Wormwood is a very bitter substance, and proverbial for bitterness and sadness.

What I found interesting is the proportion of these disasters stay the same. 1/3.

vv. 12-13) 4th Trumpet: The Heavens Struck

This does not describe a 1/3 lessening of light, but 1/3 of the day and night are plunged into absolute darkness.

Matthew 24:29 NKJV

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

The angel’s woes are well founded, because 1/3 of the earth’s population will die in the next three trumpets.

Observations:

These first four trumpets reveal the severity of God’s judgment. He strikes at the critical things, such as food and water.

What I want to leave you with tonight is that these first four judgments also reveal the mercy of God too. These are all partial judgments striking only 1/3, and are meant to warn and lead a rebellious world to repentance before the final curtain. For now, God spares more than He smites.

Numbers 6:24–26 NKJV

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’