Six Trumpets

The Source of the Picture

Last week, we unfurled the seals of the scroll and we saw the picture of God’s redemptive work in the midst of a broken and fallen world. In the midst of the calamity of four horsemen, earthquake and judgment, where the governments of earth cry out for the rocks to fall on them, the Lord preserves His people.

Today, we will get a glimpse at another view of reality, God’s plan for those who are far from Him. Before we jump into this glimpse, I want to remind us that in apocalyptic literature in Scripture, none of this is new. The book of Revelation is an echoing of the Old Testament. The things described find their origins in what has already been spoken of in the pages of Genesis through Malachi. The descriptions paint word pictures that were familiar to the common man of the day. It was like making references to the things that define a generation.

As we prepare for the overview of the text, let us begin where we last left off, Revelation 8:1

Revelation 8:1 (NIV)

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

In every scene in heaven, there is praise and worship on endless repeat, but in this moment, heaven is silent at the weight of what is about to be done.

7 angels of the presence surround the throne of God. In the book of Tobit, these were given the distinction of being the archangels, the nearest messengers of God. They each are given a trumpet to call upon the judgment of the Lord.

An announcement

1 angel - hail, fire mixed with blood - 1/3 of the earth burns up

2 angel - mountain crashes into the sea - 1/3 of the sea turned to blood, 1/3 sea life dies, 1/3 ships destroyed

3 angel - Wormwood falls from the sky crashing into the fresh water sources - 1/3 water turns bitter

4 angel - darkness - 1/3 sun, moon and stars go out

Pause. Revelation 8:13

Revelation 8:13 (NIV)

As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

These first four trumpets seemingly mirror the assault of the Lord on the Egyptian gods in the book of Exodus. In the same manner, the Lord attacks the false deities of the modern age.

The Unseen Collides with the Seen

Angel 5 - The opening of the abyss - demonic locusts who bring torment but not death. All we desire is death and yet all we have amassed can not purchase it. Why would God allow this? To show that their is a death greater than physical death.

Angel 6 - The army of death - 1/3 of mankind falls at the hand of the army

All this was done to show mankind where their faith lies. This was all done to bring about repentance, to show the ultimate reality, God rules and reigns.

But the sin of man is our death. Revelation 9:20-21

Revelation 9:20–21 (NIV)

The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

What are we holding onto and placing our faith in that is not of God? How is the ultimate reality being lived out in our everyday lives?