Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Seven Trumpets
The scroll in God's hand is written on both sides and secured with seven seals. The seventh seal is the opening of the scroll. The contents of the scroll are the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of God's Wrath. I believe the Seven Trumpets are on the front and the Seven Bowls are on the back. In the same context, I believe the Seals are before the tribulation.
I see the Seven Trumpets in two possible ways that make sense to me. If they are truly the actions of God as many believe, then they are actions of love. Throughout history, mankind has a tendency to put God on a shelf while things are good, and only turn to God when things are bad. So God gives us the Seven Trumpets to make things so bad that even the most stubborn who will believe will finally believe.
However, I have recently become more of a believer that the Trumpets are something else altogether. They are the consequences of the Seals. For the Seals say that one quarter of the population will be killed. There is no way I can see this happening without the World War escalating to nuclear warfare. At least the first four Trumpets, I believe, are the description of this event. They are John's first century description of his vision of a nuclear war.
Trumpet-1
Revelation 8:7 (NASB)
7 The first sounded, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
One common interpretation of this is a meteor storm. I just don't see it. I cannot picture a meteor storm burning up all the grass. Nuclear Missiles however would cause earthquakes, which would in turn cause volcanic eruptions. The chemicals and soil thrown into the atmosphere would block out the sun causing the grass to die.
Trumpet-2
Revelation 8:8-9 (NASB)
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
One of my favorite interpretations of the Second Trumpet is of a volcano collapsing into the ocean. There are some powerful volcanoes on islands where they actually hang part ways off the land where they are slowly moving toward the sea. If one of these were to erupt and collapse, it would cause a tsunami that would wipe out many coasts where many of the ships are ported.
John's vision showed him what was possibly a volcano erupting as it fell into the ocean. There is nothing to say it was only one. There are multiple volcanoes that are basically set up perfectly for this to happen. Much more, there are volcanoes that are underneath the oceans that could erupt as well.
Trumpet-3
Revelation 8:10-11 (NASB)
10 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 waters. 11 The star is named Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter.
Clearly something falls from the sky. Something bright. When it hits, it poisons a third of the rivers. Can you not picture nuclear missiles being described in this same way? The nuclear fallout would cause the rivers to be poisoned. If there are many nukes in an all out nuclear war, it would do a lot of damage to the rivers of this world.
Trumpet-4
Revelation 8:12 (NASB)
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
As I have already pointed out, the amount of soil and chemicals thrown into the atmosphere from the nukes and volcanoes would cause the sun to be blocked out. It might allow daylight through, but it would be nowhere near as bright as it should be.
The first four Seals were the antichrist and a World War. Now here we have the first four Trumpets being the description of the war escalating into a nuclear war and its consequences. Just as with the Seals, the fifth one breaks away from that scene and tells of different events.
Trumpet-5
Revelation 9:1-6 (NASB)
1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will flee from them!
Stars are also sometimes used to symbolize angels. This star falling from heaven is an angel. A very particular angel. He is given the key to the abyss and when he opens it, smoke funnels out of it. Out of the smoke comes locusts. I did not include the verses to save space, but if you read this in the Bible it describes these locusts in a way to recognize they are no real locust known to man. Many believe these are actually demons. I believe it is possible they could be real locusts but a breed that has been living underground that has not been discovered.
Notice that it says they will hurt only those without the Seal of God on their foreheads. This seal is likely the same seal that is given to the 144,000 Jews in Revelation 7:4. Which would not be good for the tribulation saints as that would mean they would have to suffer through this as well as those who take the mark of the beast.
Remember how I mentioned that the star that fell from heaven was a very particular angel? In verse 11 it gives his name...
11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
These words in those languages mean "Destroyer". Which is very interesting because an angel named "Destroyer" is mentioned in another place in the Bible. Remember the story of when God put the plagues on Egypt and the first born of every household would be killed? Moses told the people to place lambs blood on the lintel of their doors to protect them. Notice who it is the Lord will not let enter those doors.
Exodus 12:23 (NASB)
23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; but when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you.
The "Destroyer" who is given the key to the abyss and is to have the locusts attack only those who do not have the seal of God on their forehead, is the same angel who carried out the dirty work when all the first born were killed in Egypt.
Trumpet-6
Revelation 9:13-16 (NASB)
13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
The interpretations of the 6th Trumpet are numerous. This could be the entire armies of China united with three other nations (Being there are 4 angels). Others believe that an army this size would have to be an army of demons.
The key to this is not the size of the army, but the consequence of this army. One third of mankind will be killed. In the Seven Seals we had one quarter of mankind dying. With nearly 8 Billion people in the world today, that would be 2 billion who would die. Now a third of what is left will die. A third of 6 billion would be another 2 billion people. At this point, nearly half of today's population will be dead.
I think it is important to remind you at this time that the Seven Seals only needed to begin to open the scroll and start the tribulation. Their consequences could last years. Likewise the Trumpets are the same way. They could take years to complete. The first four Trumpets, in my opinion, being the description of the nuclear war. The one third of the population could take until the midpoint of the tribulation to reach. Now this Trumpet, possibly beginning right after the midpoint of the Tribulation, could take a couple years to finish. So do not think this death toll must happen quickly. It could take more than 6 of the 7 years in the tribulation for half of the population to be killed. Still, 4 billion people dying inside 6 years is a lot of death.
Trumpet-7
Revelation 9:13-16 (NASB)
15 Then the seventh angel sounded; 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 will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give You thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 18 And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
Basically the 7th Trumpet is the victory of the Lord, either for real or foreseen. It could be that the first 4 Trumpets happen in the first half of the tribulation and carry over into the second half. The 5th and 6th I believe are likely in the second half of the Tribulation. The 7th Trumpet could very well be describing the victory of the Lord when he returns at the end of the Tribulation.
Though the Trumpets start earlier, there is no reason why the Bowls could not happen at the same time as some of the Trumpets. Many will say that since the Bible reveals them in their order, that they have to happen in the same order, but the Bible never clearly says the Trumpets all happen before the Bowls. John only writes about them one at a time in an orderly manner. Only the Seals must happen before the Trumpets or the Bowls because the 7the Seal is the revealing of the Seven Trumpets.
The next event in this series of the End Times is the Midpoint of the Tribulation, even though in truth, the events of the Seven Trumpets may overlap the Midpoint of the Tribulation.
I see the Seven Trumpets in two possible ways that make sense to me. If they are truly the actions of God as many believe, then they are actions of love. Throughout history, mankind has a tendency to put God on a shelf while things are good, and only turn to God when things are bad. So God gives us the Seven Trumpets to make things so bad that even the most stubborn who will believe will finally believe.
However, I have recently become more of a believer that the Trumpets are something else altogether. They are the consequences of the Seals. For the Seals say that one quarter of the population will be killed. There is no way I can see this happening without the World War escalating to nuclear warfare. At least the first four Trumpets, I believe, are the description of this event. They are John's first century description of his vision of a nuclear war.
Trumpet-1
Revelation 8:7 (NASB)
7 The first sounded, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
One common interpretation of this is a meteor storm. I just don't see it. I cannot picture a meteor storm burning up all the grass. Nuclear Missiles however would cause earthquakes, which would in turn cause volcanic eruptions. The chemicals and soil thrown into the atmosphere would block out the sun causing the grass to die.
Trumpet-2
Revelation 8:8-9 (NASB)
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
One of my favorite interpretations of the Second Trumpet is of a volcano collapsing into the ocean. There are some powerful volcanoes on islands where they actually hang part ways off the land where they are slowly moving toward the sea. If one of these were to erupt and collapse, it would cause a tsunami that would wipe out many coasts where many of the ships are ported.
John's vision showed him what was possibly a volcano erupting as it fell into the ocean. There is nothing to say it was only one. There are multiple volcanoes that are basically set up perfectly for this to happen. Much more, there are volcanoes that are underneath the oceans that could erupt as well.
Trumpet-3
Revelation 8:10-11 (NASB)
10 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 waters. 11 The star is named Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter.
Clearly something falls from the sky. Something bright. When it hits, it poisons a third of the rivers. Can you not picture nuclear missiles being described in this same way? The nuclear fallout would cause the rivers to be poisoned. If there are many nukes in an all out nuclear war, it would do a lot of damage to the rivers of this world.
Trumpet-4
Revelation 8:12 (NASB)
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
As I have already pointed out, the amount of soil and chemicals thrown into the atmosphere from the nukes and volcanoes would cause the sun to be blocked out. It might allow daylight through, but it would be nowhere near as bright as it should be.
The first four Seals were the antichrist and a World War. Now here we have the first four Trumpets being the description of the war escalating into a nuclear war and its consequences. Just as with the Seals, the fifth one breaks away from that scene and tells of different events.
Trumpet-5
Revelation 9:1-6 (NASB)
1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will flee from them!
Stars are also sometimes used to symbolize angels. This star falling from heaven is an angel. A very particular angel. He is given the key to the abyss and when he opens it, smoke funnels out of it. Out of the smoke comes locusts. I did not include the verses to save space, but if you read this in the Bible it describes these locusts in a way to recognize they are no real locust known to man. Many believe these are actually demons. I believe it is possible they could be real locusts but a breed that has been living underground that has not been discovered.
Notice that it says they will hurt only those without the Seal of God on their foreheads. This seal is likely the same seal that is given to the 144,000 Jews in Revelation 7:4. Which would not be good for the tribulation saints as that would mean they would have to suffer through this as well as those who take the mark of the beast.
Remember how I mentioned that the star that fell from heaven was a very particular angel? In verse 11 it gives his name...
11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
These words in those languages mean "Destroyer". Which is very interesting because an angel named "Destroyer" is mentioned in another place in the Bible. Remember the story of when God put the plagues on Egypt and the first born of every household would be killed? Moses told the people to place lambs blood on the lintel of their doors to protect them. Notice who it is the Lord will not let enter those doors.
Exodus 12:23 (NASB)
23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; but when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you.
The "Destroyer" who is given the key to the abyss and is to have the locusts attack only those who do not have the seal of God on their forehead, is the same angel who carried out the dirty work when all the first born were killed in Egypt.
Trumpet-6
Revelation 9:13-16 (NASB)
13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
The interpretations of the 6th Trumpet are numerous. This could be the entire armies of China united with three other nations (Being there are 4 angels). Others believe that an army this size would have to be an army of demons.
The key to this is not the size of the army, but the consequence of this army. One third of mankind will be killed. In the Seven Seals we had one quarter of mankind dying. With nearly 8 Billion people in the world today, that would be 2 billion who would die. Now a third of what is left will die. A third of 6 billion would be another 2 billion people. At this point, nearly half of today's population will be dead.
I think it is important to remind you at this time that the Seven Seals only needed to begin to open the scroll and start the tribulation. Their consequences could last years. Likewise the Trumpets are the same way. They could take years to complete. The first four Trumpets, in my opinion, being the description of the nuclear war. The one third of the population could take until the midpoint of the tribulation to reach. Now this Trumpet, possibly beginning right after the midpoint of the Tribulation, could take a couple years to finish. So do not think this death toll must happen quickly. It could take more than 6 of the 7 years in the tribulation for half of the population to be killed. Still, 4 billion people dying inside 6 years is a lot of death.
Trumpet-7
Revelation 9:13-16 (NASB)
15 Then the seventh angel sounded; 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 will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give You thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 18 And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
Basically the 7th Trumpet is the victory of the Lord, either for real or foreseen. It could be that the first 4 Trumpets happen in the first half of the tribulation and carry over into the second half. The 5th and 6th I believe are likely in the second half of the Tribulation. The 7th Trumpet could very well be describing the victory of the Lord when he returns at the end of the Tribulation.
Though the Trumpets start earlier, there is no reason why the Bowls could not happen at the same time as some of the Trumpets. Many will say that since the Bible reveals them in their order, that they have to happen in the same order, but the Bible never clearly says the Trumpets all happen before the Bowls. John only writes about them one at a time in an orderly manner. Only the Seals must happen before the Trumpets or the Bowls because the 7the Seal is the revealing of the Seven Trumpets.
The next event in this series of the End Times is the Midpoint of the Tribulation, even though in truth, the events of the Seven Trumpets may overlap the Midpoint of the Tribulation.
