by Rev. Dan Bergman
Introduction to the Trumpets
In viewing the previous judgments the Lord will pour out upon mankind in the seven year time period known as the Tribulation, it can easily be seen that as time progresses, these judgments escalate. The final seal judgment segues into the seven trumpet judgments – each more severe than its predecessor:
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets… And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Revelation 8:1, 2 & 6
As we walk through the next few chapters together, we can take comfort in the fact that as believers, we will not have to experience this horrible terror that is God’s holy wrath. The Bible teaches that all believers will be taken straight to heaven before the Tribulation begins. However dear reader, if you have never by faith trusted Jesus as your Savior, and accepted His death, burial, and resurrection as payment for your sin, you are not exempt from the fearful period of time described within these pages. Nor can you escape an eternity of judgment in a place called Hell, without trusting Jesus as the Messiah/ Savior. If that is you, I urge you to turn from your sin and trust Jesus to forgive your sin and be your Savior. Please contact us if you would like us to further explain to you how to do this! We would be glad to help!
First Trumpet
Having been through the Seal Judgments at the onset of the tribulation period, you can imagine those that are still alive are horrified. At this point billions have died. Those that remain are wishing they had not. Then comes the hail…
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.1
One can only imagine what this apocalyptic storm might look like. This judgment is reminiscent of something that the Egyptians experienced thousands of years ago by God’s hand. The loud knocking and crashing on exterior walls and roofs permeates the air. Screaming, breaking, the sounds of a warzone along with the overwhelming heat and crackling of fire – are everywhere. Is it raining? The heavy hits of something thicker than water can be heard… it’s blood! Everything is red! The hiss of blood hitting the fire is an eerie reminder of the innocent blood of the Lamb of God, Whom they rejected. As a result of this hail ALL of the world’s green grass, and 1/3rd of its trees are gone – burnt by fire.
According to sciencefocus.com, seven or eight trees are needed to provide the amount of oxygen for one person to survive:
Trees release oxygen when they use energy from sunlight to make glucose from carbon dioxide and water… A mature sycamore tree might … produce around … 100kg of oxygen per tree per year.
A human breathes about 9.5 tons of air in a year, but oxygen only makes up about 23 percent of that air, by mass, and we only extract a little over a third of the oxygen from each breath. That works out to a total of about 740kg of oxygen per year. Which is, very roughly, seven or eight trees’ worth.
Those who are still alive at this point will find that it is getting harder to breath. It will only get worse from here.
Second Trumpet
With the 2nd Trumpet, the earth loses 1/3rd of its water, 1/3rd of its sea life, and 1/3rd of its ships.
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.2
Our world is over 75% water. Its oxygen has been drastically reduced by the last judgment. Next to oxygen, water is our most precious commodity. One third of the oceans, seas, and lakes are now blood. At least our rivers and streams are still safe – until the 3rd Trumpet.
Third Trumpet
Wormwood! You may not be familiar with that word, but for those enduring the Tribulation, it will be a “house-hold name.” It is the name of the burning star that poisons 1/3rd of the planet’s rivers, streams, and fountains. We are told that “…many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”3
Fourth 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.4
Adding to the chaos of the first three Trumpet judgments, the fourth brings with it a new dimension – darkness. Cries, destruction, devastation, are all to be experienced with lack of light. A normal summer day will be shorter and darker than a normal winter day. These verses may be to us words on a page describing a time yet to come, but to those within the Tribulation period, every word is life changing.
Many will be grasping for some sign that the worst is over, or that they could maybe have some respite from the earth shattering trauma they have experienced thus far. For them, the terror is only beginning:
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.5
Fifth Trumpet
The bottomless pit is opened. Its smoke darkens the already darkened sky. Swarms of disgusting terrifying creatures emerge from this pit. They are given five months to torment men who have not been sealed by God as described in Revelation chapter 7.
They are described as having:
…shapes…like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails.6
This will be a torturous torment. These vicious creatures will find whom they seek out. To the suffering they cause, there will be no relief. In fact, we are told in the same passage that “…in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them…7
Sixth Trumpet
With the sounding of the sixth trumpet, four fallen angels are set free from their bounds within the Euphrates River. They lead an army of 200 million terrifying supernatural horsemen! These are described vividly in Revelation 9:16-19:
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand…having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed… For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
One third of the earth’s remaining population of men perishes in this judgment. The death toll is catastrophic, and yet those that remain refuse to repent!8
Seventh Trumpet
This last trumpet is somewhat different from all the others. At its sound, great voices are heard in heaven praising Jesus the Messiah! His eternal reign is proclaimed! There is then worship of the Lord in heaven for all that He has done, and all that He is worthy of. We are then told that God’s temple in heaven is opened. The Ark of the Covenant is there! Thunder, lightning, and hail then follow with an earthquake!
Conclusion
What a horrifying time! Oh that we would be pressed to tell our lost friends and loved ones of the judgments that await them if they neglect God’s gift of salvation! Many shadows of the Tribulation period can be seen today. Will you, or someone you know, be left behind when Jesus calls all believers to heaven? At that point it will be too late. Trust Jesus today!
Endnotes
1 Revelation 8:7 KJV
2 Revelation 8:8,9 KJV
3 Revelation 8:11 KJV
4 Revelation 8:12 KJV
5 Revelation 8:13 KJV
6 Revelation 9:7-10 KJV
7 Revelation 9:6 KJV
8 Revelation 9:20,21 KJV