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The Seven Trumpets - The First Five
I. The seven letters instructed, the seven seals revealed, and now the seven trumpets warn.
A. Trumpets used to give warning
1. Joel 2:1 - To give warning (also Amos 3:6, Hosea 5:8)
B. For the trumpet to be effective, the warning must be heeded - Ezek 33:2-5
C. The warnings vaguely remind us of the plagues of Egypt, each getting successively severe.
II. Preparation - Revelation 8:2-6
A. An angel brings out a bowl of incense
1. All the prayers of the saints before the altar are added to it (the ones asking how long until retribution - Rev 6:9).
2. The smoke and the prayers go before God.
a. Recall Jesus’ statement in Luke 18:7-8
3. This a description of worship under the old law. - Lev 16:12-13
a. Fire is obtained from the altar.
b. It is used to light the incense, which is placed on another altar before God.
c. As the incense was burned, prayers were offered - Luke 1:9-10
B. The angel then fills the censor with fire from the altar
1. The bowl and the fire are thrown to the earth with devastating effects.
C. The seven trumpets are then sounded
1. The first four are described as impacting nature
2. The last three impact mankind
III. The sounding of the seven trumpets
A. The first trumpet - Revelation 8:7
1. Hail and fire, mixed with blood were thrown to the earth.
a. Hail and lightening causing death
b. A common arsenal of God - Job 38:22-23; Isa 30:30
c. General devastation and destruction.
2. One third of the earth, trees, and grass were burnt.
a. One third of the earth is thought to mean, a large portion of the Roman Empire.
b. When man sins, God’s judgment comes on all - Jer 7:20
B. The second trumpet - Revelation 8:8-9
1. Something like a volcano was thrown into the sea
a. Government toppled
b. Similar to Jeremiah’s description of the fall of Babylon - Jer. 51:24-25, 42
2. One third of the sea became blood and one third of the sea life and ships were destroyed.
a. The sea and waters often represent the general populace of the world - Rev 17:15
C. The third trumpet - Revelation 8:10-11
1. A star, named Wormwood, falls on the rivers and springs
a. A star represents a ruler, such as in Isaiah 14:12, the Babylonian ruler is called a star.
(1) Num 24:17 - The rule of Jesus from Judah
b. Wormwood is a bitter, nauseating plant.
(1) Those who go after idolatry would yield wormwood - Deut 29:18
(2) God said he would feed the idolaters wormwood - Jer 23:12-15
c. A ruler would arise, whose rule would be like a meteor and the effect of his rule would be bitter to the people.
2. One third of all the water becomes bitter, killing many.
D. The fourth trumpet - Revelation 8:12
1. The sun, moon, and the stars a smitten
a. Divine judgment - Amos 9:8, Joel 3:15, Jer. 15:9
2. One third of them were darkened
a. Seeing light as the wisdom of God - Ps 119:105, 130
b. That word being the basis for all wisdom - I Cor 2:6-7
c. Then the removal of light is the removal of wisdom
(1) Before Judah was destroyed, her wise men were removed - Isa. 29:14
(2) Before Edom was destroyed, her wise men were removed - Obad. 8; Jer 49:7
E. An eagle warns those who dwell on the earth about the effects of the last three trumpets.
1. Three woes with the last three trumpets.
2. In those days, the eagle was seen as the bearer of ill tidings, as we see ravens or vultures today.
a. The King James Version translates this word as “angel,” which is considered a mistranslation.
b. An eagle is keen eyed - Job 39:29, and sweeps down rapidly on its chosen prey - Job 9:26
c. In warning of Judgment, Hosea uses the image of an eagle swooping down on its prey - Hos 8:1
d. Or the invading Babylonian army - Hab. 1:8
F. The fifth trumpet - Revelation 9:1-12
1. A star fallen opening the pit
a. Satan has fallen from heaven - Luke 10:18
b. Later he is named the destroyer - Rev 9:11
c. Satan is both a murderer (destroyer) and a deceiver - John 8:44
2. Smoke pores forth from the pit
a. It blocks the light.
b. Again, seeing the light as God’s word, Satan is veiling the truth from those who will not see - II Cor 4:3-4
3. A swarm of locust come from the bottomless pit
a. Locust is a common punishment by God on a nation -Ps 105:34-35. Deut 28:37-38
b. They are not ordinary locust, these have the power to sting like scorpions.
(1) Scorpion bites are rarely fatal, but they are extremely painful.
c. The plague would last five months.
(1) Thought to be a set, definite period of time.
(2) Some see it as a period of 150 years (1 day = 1 year).
d. They would only plague non-Christians
e. Life would become bitter - Job 3:20-23
f. They are described to be like an invading army as Joel describes in Joel 2:1-5
(1) They have victory crowns like gold (i.e. fake crowns which will not last).
(2) They have human faces - intelligence
(3) They have long hair - dishonorable - I Cor 11:14
(4) Teeth like a lion. Similar to Joel’s invading army - Joel 1:6
4. Here is spiritual warfare that deceives the non-Christians, causing them great anguish for a period of time.
IV. Satan wages a great battle against all the world
A. We sometimes think that he only wages war against the followers of God.
B. But he also deceives and torments the non-Christian to keep them from obedience to God.
C. Is your life miserable? There is a way of escape. Come to the protection that God offers his followers.
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