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NOTE: This study follows the historicist perspective, which keeps the trumpets in the order of their historical fulfilment.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Chapter 6 portrayed the opening of the first six seals. Chapter 7 interrupted the opening of the seals to show that God has a true people who will be able to stand through all that has been pictured. The return of Jesus is the subject of the seventh seal. The vision now returns to the opening of the seventh seal in chapter 8, which is where the trumpets begin.
1. What happens when the seventh seal is opened?
"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." (Rev. 8:1)
“There was silence in heaven.” This silence has been explained in at least two ways: 1) heaven is empty because all the heavenly hosts are with Christ at the Second Coming (see Matt. 25:31). 2) heaven is silent as it waits in expectation of the opening of the seals and the blowing of the trumpets, which implies that there is more to come (see Rev. 8:6).
2. What was given to the angels standing before God?
“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.” (Rev. 8:2)
“Seven Trumpets.” In the Bible, trumpets were used in various ways. They were used at worship, in the sanctuary, and to declare judgment. In the context of Revelation, the seven trumpets connect to the theme, which is judgment. The blowing of each trumpet announces a judgment against those who have oppressed God’s people.
3. What does the angel do with the golden censer?
"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" (Rev. 8:3).
t with the prayers of all saints.” In ancient Israel, sinners brought their sacrifice to the sanctuary. The high priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the mercy seat while the fragrant cloud of incense ascended to God. Today, Christ our heavenly high priest (see Heb. 6:20; 9:11, 12), pleads His atoning blood for those who confess their sins a mixes them with His fragrance of grace and mercy.
4. What does the angel do after offering prayers?
“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.” (Rev. 8:5)
As the ministration of the prayers conclude, the angel fills the censer with coals of fire and cast it to the earth, symbolizing the close of probation. As for the voices, thunderings, lightning and earthquake, they depict the events that will occur at the end of the seventh trumpet. These events follow the opening of the temple (Rev. 11:19) and before Jesus finishes His role as High Priest, declaring each individual either just or unjust, holy or unholy, (Rev. 22:1). At that time, Jesus utters the words “It is done” (Rev. 6:17). No more prayers will be offered on the altar and the judgments of God will begin to fall.
5. What happened after the first angel sounded his trumpet?
"And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 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." (Rev. 8:6, 7)
“Hail and fire mingled with blood was cast upon the earth.” This signifies that judgment upon those who persecuted God’s people would begin.
NOTE: It is significance to know that God’s people were establishment when Jesus was upon the earth and not before. The Jewish nation had been given the opportunity to become God’s people, but they rejected Christ. (see John 1:11, 12; Daniel 9:24; Acts 7:59, 60). Subsequently, the trumpets begin in apostolic times with the establishment of the apostolic church. Consequently, the first trumpet is a judgment upon the Jewish nation who first oppressed God’s people; the Christians. The apostle Peter says, “Judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17) and the prophet Ezekiel declared that judgment would “begin at my [God’s] sanctuary” (Eze. 9:6).
6. What happened when the second angel sounded?
"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; 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." (Rev. 8:8, 9)
When the second angel sounded his trumpet, John sees a great mountain on fire being case into the sea. The prophet Jeremiah had depicted literal Babylon as a “destroying mountain” that would be made a “burnt mountain.” (see Jer. 51:25). He describes how God would punish literal Babylon for oppressing His people. (Jer. 50:15-18; 51:49, 50). While it is true that literal Babylon had ceased to exist, spiritual Babylon or Rome, remained. Like literal Babylon, spiritual Babylon also oppressed and abused God’s people. Therefore, it will be punished as well.
NOTE: In the literal sense, scholars ascribe the second trumpet’s fulfillment as the attack upon Rome by barbarians. The barbarians destroyed the trade routes of commerce, decimating the entire social and economic order of the Roman Empire. In 378, the Visigoths wiped out an entire Roman army including the Roman Emperor Valens and in 410, Rome was ravaged. In 455, the Genseric and Vandals had great sea victories against the Roman ships and the Vandals looted and pillaged the city of Rome for two weeks.
7. What happened after the third angel sounded his trumpet?
"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; 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." (Rev. 8:10, 11)
“There fell a great star from heaven.” The star which falls from heaven, in this passage, cannot refer to the original fall of Satan from heaven because that occurred before the creation of our world. It also cannot refer to Satan’s fall at the cross because the third trumpet occurred after the Cross. Yet, we cannot escape the reality that the star fell from heaven as did Satan. Here is how the Bible explains what this is.
First, there was a war in heaven. Lucifer, the great dragon, and his angels were cast out into the earth (Isaiah 14:12-14; Rev. 12:7-9). When the dragon saw that he was cast out, he attempted to deceive the world. When he failed to reach that objective, he waged war against God’s church, persecuting her for “a time, and times, and half a time.” But God intervened and the church survived. (Rev. 12:13-17)
Second, Scripture revealed that the dragon passed his power unto the entity which succeeded the Roman Empire; giving it “his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Rev. 13:1-2). History reveals that “Out of the ruins of political Rome, arose the great moral Empire in the ‘giant form’ of the Roman Church” (A. C. Flick, The Rise of the Mediaeval Church [1900], p. 150). (See Daniel 7:23, 24; Rev. 2:13; 13:2). Like its predecessor, the Roman Church first attempted to deceive the people by exalting itself to the height of God. It’s leader, the Pope, sat in the temple of God claiming to be God (2 Thess 2:3, 4). He claimed to have the ability to forgive sins and even change the Ten Commandments. Subsequently, the purity of the gospel and the plan of salvation were contaminated, which subjected those who followed their teaching to eternally damnation. This concept parallels the working of “wormwood.” It is a notoriously bitter herb that contaminated whatever it contacts. When it failed to secure the worship of God’s people, like ancient Babylon, it too persecuted them. Therefore, the great star which falls from heaven can best be represented by the great apostasy that entered the Roman church when Papal Rome rose to power and claimed the prerogatives of God.
8. What happened when the fourth angel sounded his trumpet?
"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." (Rev. 8:12)
The idea of the thirds implies a substantial part, but not the major portion. Yet, they point forward to greater judgments to come.
The historical fulfillment of this prophecy is said to refer to the great luminaries of the Western Roman Empire. Its emperors, senators, and consuls, represented by the sun, moon, and stars, came to an end with the removal of its last emperor, in 476. Later, its senate and consulship also ended.
A secondary last day fulfillment of this prophecy might refer to great signs in the heavens that cause the sun, moon and stars to become partially darkened both day and night. This may be what Jesus referred to when He said, "the powers of heaven shall be shaken." (See Luke 21:26.)
We must remember, the trumpets are not the seven last plagues. The seven last plagues culminate in the very last days just before the return of Jesus while the trumpets cover a more substantial period in both their historical application, which covers centuries, and their last day application which cover a short period of time just before Jesus returns. Also, we must be careful that we are not too dogmatic. God will reveal more insight as the end draws nearer.
9. Before the fifth angel sounded, what did John hear an angel say?
“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!” (Rev. 8:13)
John hears “woe” repeated three times to the inhabiters of the earth. This is because three judgments are yet to come at the blowing of the three remaining trumpets. Each of the trumpets are designated a “woe” (see Rev. 9:12; 11:14). These trumpets will impact the unrighteous who are not kept by the power of God during the hour of temptation that will fall upon the earth. (see Rev. 3:10).
Additional Information
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The trumpets and the plagues fall upon the same things and in the exact same order:
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No.
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Trumpet
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Plague
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1
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Earth
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Earth
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2
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Sea
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Sea
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3
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Rivers and fountains
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Rivers and fountains
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4
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Afflicts heavenly bodies
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Afflicts heavenly bodies
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5
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Heavenly bodies darkened
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Heavenly bodies darkened
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6
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Mention of Euphrates
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Mention of Euphrates
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7
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Kingdom
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Kingdom
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