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The seventh trumpet of Revelation is also the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52. It is the one that heralds the return of Jesus to rule on the earth. This is the day the saints have been longing for. But it will not be a happy day for those who reject Jesus.
Revelation 10:6-7
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Notice something important in this passage. It mentions “days” rather than just saying “the day.” This tells us something significant: the final events may take more than a single day to conclude. But there will be no grace period.
In verse 6, it tells us that the angel declares there will be time no longer. This is not a pronouncement of eternity. It cannot be, because there is still a thousand measured years of Christ’s reign to come. This phrase means there will no longer be any delay.
Everything that follows will take only as long as necessary to complete the events. That means what comes next will not be delayed. It will be carried out without hesitation. If something can happen instantly, it will; if something takes time, it will take only the time absolutely required.
This will not be like the delays seen in the earlier trumpets, where God was giving people time to repent. This is the final trumpet, in which God has ended the days of holding back. The judgment is ready, and He will no longer plead with mankind as He did during the first six trumpets.
The Dividing of Sheep from Goats
But before He pours out His wrath upon the earth, there is still one thing that needs to be done. The saints who were sealed have been protected on the earth during the last six trumpets. They must now be removed from the earth, because what comes next will not come upon only a third of the world, as in the previous trumpets.
It is time for Jesus to divide the sheep from the goats.
Matthew 25:31-33
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
The Bible promises a time when Jesus will return and sit upon His throne on the earth. This will last for a thousand years before God makes all things new. It is at the beginning of the seventh trumpet that the reign of Jesus will begin (Revelation 11:15).
We see in the passage in Matthew that on the day He returns, there will be a division between those who know Him and those who do not. We also see that the nations will be gathered before Him. As we move through the events of the seventh trumpet, you will see how this takes place.
Matthew 13:30
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:38-42
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
This is another passage that promises a separation between the saved and the lost. Once again, we see that this takes place at the end, when He sends His angels to reap the earth. We are told explicitly that this occurs when the kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our God, because the wicked are gathered out of His kingdom.
These are all indications that show this seventh trumpet is the time of the events described. And indeed, the first thing that happens at the seventh trumpet is a declaration that the Lord now reigns over the kingdoms of the world.
The Seventh Trumpet Sounds
Revelation 11:15-18
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
At the sound of the seventh trumpet, a proclamation is made in heaven that now it is time for Jesus to return. It is also declared that now is the time for the dead to be raised and for the saints to receive their reward.
But another proclamation is also made: it is time for those who are destroying the earth to be destroyed in the wrath of God.
Revelation 14:10-11
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
These are the events we are about to witness immediately after the seventh trumpet has sounded.
The First Reaping of the Earth
Before God unleashes His wrath, He gathers the dead in Christ, and then those saints who are alive and remain on the earth.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-16
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Revelation 14:13
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Revelation 20:4-6
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Their works follow them because they are no longer remaining in the grave—they are moving. This is the resurrection of the dead in Christ, which was prophesied to take place at the last trumpet. This happens when Jesus returns to reign.
At the time of the seventh and last trumpet, the dead are raised, and immediately afterward we see the next phase of this gathering take place.
Revelation 14:14-16
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
1 Thessalonians 4:17
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
We see Jesus coming in the clouds and thrusting in the sickle to reap the earth. These are the living saints who were sealed and remain alive until His coming. In the parables in Matthew, they are the wheat and the sheep. This is the gathering of the saints before the final wrath of God is poured out upon the earth.
But notice in the parables Jesus gave—the wheat and tares, and the sheep and the goats—that there is another gathering as well. The tares are gathered, and the goats are set aside to be judged.
We see a second gathering in Revelation as well.
The Second Reaping of the Earth
Immediately after Jesus has raised the dead in Christ and gathered the living saints with Him in the clouds, another shout is heard. This shout is a command to reap the earth once more. But this harvest is for destruction.
Revelation 14:17-20
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
This is the gathering of the tares and the goats. Those gathered here are compared to grapes being collected to make wine. The way grapes produce wine is by being crushed. John tells us that those gathered for this event will be killed by the wrath of God, which we are about to see.
Revelation 15:1
1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
John will often give an overview and then revisit it in greater detail. Typically, we see indications that he is expanding on a vision when he introduces a new sign, as he does here.
In this case, John has already told us that the wrath of God produces blood that rises even to the horse bridles for a distance of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. Now he is about to show how that wrath is administered.
Yet he begins by reassuring us that the saints will not endure it.
Revelation 15:2-4
2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; true and just are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
At the seventh trumpet, we saw the resurrection of the saints and those who were alive caught up to meet Jesus in the air. John gives us a picture here of the great gathering and the joy of the saints. But while the saints rejoice, John also shows that something else is happening on the earth.
Revelation 15:5-8
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: 6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Jesus has not returned simply to bring the saints into heaven. He has returned to rule and reign with them on the earth. So while we see them celebrating with Him, we do not see them resting in the temple. Instead, we see them as witnesses while the wrath of God proceeds from the temple.
The Seven Vials of God’s Wrath
Some translations call these the seven bowl judgments. These are the seven last plagues of God’s wrath to be poured out. These plagues are what the world endures while the saints celebrate the return of Jesus.
The First Bowl Judgment
Revelation 16:2
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
The Second Bowl Judgment
Revelation 16:3
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
The Third Bowl Judgment
Revelation 16:4-7
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
I want you to notice the last portion of this passage. The angels acknowledge that the judgment is severe. Yet unlike many unbelievers today, they do not accuse God of being too harsh or unjust. They say, “Even so,” as if to say this is grievous, but still right.
The Fourth Bowl Judgment
Revelation 16:8-9
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Even in the midst of the wrath of God, we see that people still do not repent. What stands out is that God chooses to highlight this.
The time of judgment has come. God is no longer granting mercy. Yet even here, it seems He takes note of their unrepentance. That is why this day has been chosen for judgment—a day in which no one left would repent.
The Fifth Bowl Judgment
Revelation 16:10-11
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
The Sixth Bowl Judgment
Revelation 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Here we see the second gathering mentioned earlier. The entire world has been in chaos during the wrath of God, but now suddenly they are organized for war.
The Bible does not say they simply gather by coincidence. It says they are driven there by demonic spirits. They are not there to fight for land or against one another. They are gathered to fight Jesus.
This reveals the audacity of mankind and the fallen angels. They are not unaware that the Bible speaks of this battle, yet they go to it willingly, as if they believe they can prevail against God.
Yet this is the day God has declared for the birds of the air to gather for a feast. The nation of the Antichrist that has occupied Israel is being gathered for destruction. This is the final culmination of the Gog and Magog prophecy.
Revelation 19:11-18
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
When they are defeated, Israel will spend the next seven years burning the weapons brought to this battle, while Jesus rules from Jerusalem.
The Seventh Bowl Judgment
The final judgment is poured out upon the earth.
Revelation 16:17-21
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Jesus does not defeat the army at Armageddon with weapons. He simply steps onto the Mount of Olives many miles away, and the entire earth shakes. Mountains crumble, and the armies in the valley of Armageddon are crushed under stones falling from the sky, just as grapes are crushed to make wine.
Every nation that fought against God is judged and destroyed. Isaiah gives a list of many “burdens” for various cities that take place at this time, in which they are destroyed. And the Antichrist has no defense. Jesus has come, and the Antichrist will be cast alive into the lake of fire.
Revelation 19:20-21
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Finally, Satan himself is bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:1-3
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Jesus begins His thousand-year reign on the earth at this point. Everything God has foretold has been fulfilled. Israel is regathered as a nation. And just as the world was after the flood of Noah, so it will be then—at peace.
Yet after the thousand years, there will be one final battle. We will cover that in the next study.
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