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The seventh seal of Revelation is opened after the sixth seal, at the end of the tribulation, as we discussed in the previous study. The seventh seal begins a time of final warning to the people on earth before the return of Jesus. These warnings come in the form of seven trumpets being blown, heralding His return, with limited judgments being poured out on the earth.
Revelation 8:1-2
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
God isn’t racing toward this. It is a solemn moment in heaven. You can almost sense the hesitancy. For the space of half an hour, all of heaven—which is normally filled with the sound of praise and joy—has suddenly fallen silent. This is a serious moment, marked by mixed feelings of dread and resignation.
Amos 5:18-20
18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Today, there seems to be a longing for the end to come—not just among Christians, but in the world as well. People get excited when they see wars and rumors of wars. Some even make jokes about hoping the end comes before their next work shift.
For Christians, we look forward to the coming of Jesus. But even so, we should not be longing to see judgment come upon the world. Instead, we should be praying for people and doing our best to bring them to Jesus, so they can be saved from it.
1 Peter 3:18-20
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
When God destroyed the earth in the days of Noah with a flood, He preached repentance through Noah by the Holy Spirit for a hundred and twenty years as he prepared the ark. God has never been quick to pronounce judgment, but He does not withhold it forever either.
These trumpets and the judgments they produce are not for the sake of destroying mankind. They are not simply meant to inflict suffering in vengeance. They are, in fact, one last plea from God for people to repent and be saved.
Revelation 9:20-21
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
This is the final state of mankind. By their own words in Revelation 6:15–17, they know Jesus is coming. They know God is in charge and commands repentance. They are being shown just a taste of the wrath of God and know that hell is coming. Yet, with all of this, they still refuse to repent.
Many people today say, “If God just showed up and made Himself known, I would believe.” But it is revealed that even if they believed, they would not repent in the face of it. The real heart of the matter has never been that people lack information—it is that they do not want to repent.
And so it is time for one last call.
The Prayers Of The Saints
In the fifth seal, we saw the saints pleading with God for justice. Throughout history, the world has had its hand against the saints. Many have been killed and have suffered, and many more have prayed for the return of Jesus simply because they love Him.
Revelation 8:3-6
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
God has heard every cry. He will not ignore the prayers of the saints. But He has waited until now for the sake of those who would repent. Yet we have come to the point where there will no longer be any who repent. So the time has come.
The prayers of the saints are a testimony against the wickedness on the earth. I personally think the voices are the voices of the saints as they prayed. I believe they are voices of testimony against the wickedness of mankind. I believe the charges are laid out before the world and heaven—but that is just my personal take on it. I am not saying the Bible explicitly teaches that.
The Seven Trumpets Of Revelation
Most of the trumpet judgments are self-explanatory. There are a total of seven, and most only have two verses each. I’m just going to go over the first four in this study.
The First Trumpet
Revelation 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
This is the first in a series of judgments, but notice it only affects a third of the earth. God is still holding back—partly because the saints are still on earth and protected from the wrath, and partly because He is still pleading with mankind.
This restraint is seen through all four of the first trumpets.
The Second Trumpet
Revelation 8:8-9
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
Notice there is nothing showing that this is symbolism. This is an actual mountain burning with fire. It’s description fits that of a volcano exploding.
The Third Trumpet
Revelation 8:10-11
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
Though stars often symbolize angels, this one has nothing indicating it is symbolic. Typically, we call meteors “shooting stars.” That is what this is talking about.
The Fourth Trumpet
Revelation 8:12
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
The first three trumpets would certainly cause the description of the fourth. But this could be an entirely separate event altogether.
We are not told how much time passes between each of these trumpets. It is possible they could happen almost simultaneously or in sequence. The remainder of the text seems to indicate a sequence, but whether that is the case or not, these four trumpets are only the beginning. The next three trumpets have clear indicators that they are not blown at the same time, but rather in sequence.
Revelation 8:13
13 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!
For a moment, before the next three trumpets sound, a cry is made that the following trumpets will be even worse.
Imagine that. In the previous four trumpets, a third part of everything was destroyed—yet what is coming will be worse for those not sealed by God.
We will look at the fifth trumpet in the next study. It is one of the harshest of all the judgments against mankind. I’ll explain the meaning of its locusts and what they do.
Continue To Unit 7:26 – The Fifth Trumpet of Revelation: The Bottomless Pit and the Locusts OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 7 – The Latter Days – A Detailed Look