NOTE: This Bible study on the end times comes from the perspective of a pre-tribulation Rapture.
In our last study we looked at the Seven Seals that will be opened, which will mark the beginning of the Tribulation period. Tonight, we are going to look at the Seven Trumpets that will be blown in the last days.
When we read over the descriptions of the events that take place during each trumpet, we must keep in mind that John was seeing visions of future events and devices, the like of which he had never seen during his own lifetime. For instance, when John described a mountain of fire in the sea, this could be referring to the mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb. Since John had never seen or heard of an atomic bomb, how else would he have described such a cloud? Therefore, try to keep an open mind as we begin looking at the Seven Trumpets of Revelation; and please be filling out the related handout.
(Refer to Handout: “The Seven Trumpets”)
The First Trumpet
Turn with me in your Bibles, and let’s read Revelation 8:7:
7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Edward Hinson says that “John’s description of the trumpet judgments sounds very similar to a global holocaust. The entire planet will be affected by massive destruction, loss of life and human suffering” (p. 99). The phrase “mingled with blood” in verse 7 is what indicates bloodshed and the loss of human life. As we go along, keep in mind that the Seven Trumpets describe a world at war.
Verse 7 also speaks of the trees and grass being burned up. Irvin Baxter of “Endtime Ministries” says that he remembers being told in his history class in school about the “Scorched Earth Policy” that many of the generals followed during World War I. The armies made it a point to destroy everything in their path as they invaded a country.
We even see in verse 7, that hail and fire followed, which could refer to guns and tanks that discharge with fire and rain down bullets like hail.
The First Trumpet, therefore, describes the “Beginning of World War.”
The Second Trumpet
Turn with me in your Bibles, and let’s read Revelation 8:8-9:
8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
In verse 8, we read about a mountain of fire being thrown into the sea. In the introduction, I explained how this could represent an atomic bomb, because John did not know how to describe such an event in any other way than a mountain. Think about the mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb. It is as tall as a mountain, and it is on fire. Tim LaHaye thinks it will be a giant burning meteorite that results in the killing of one-third of the living creatures.
Verse 9 speaks about one-third of the earth’s ships being destroyed. War takes a great toll. For example: During World War II, an estimated 52 million people died. There were 105,127 ships on the sea, both merchant and battleships. 36,387 of them were destroyed; therefore, almost exactly one-third of all ships were sunk during World War II, revealing that one-third is not a far stretch for a war (Baxter).
“A destruction of such massive proportions was unknown in the first century. The greatest devastation John could possibly have been familiar with was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. It completely destroyed and buried the city of Pompeii with molten lava and even destroyed a few ships in the Gulf of Naples. But what [John] describes here goes far beyond that, and looks forward to a time of unprecedented catastrophe” (LaHaye).
The Second Trumpet, therefore, describes the “Effects of War at Sea.”
The Third Trumpet
Turn with me in your Bibles, and let’s read Revelation 8:10-11:
10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
The description we see in verse 10 is likely concerning nuclear fallout and radiation reaching inland and polluting the rivers and springs. Some would see here a similarity with a falling asteroid.
In verse 11, we see that the star was called “Wormwood.” Let me share why this might possibly be a description of nuclear fallout. The meltdown of the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl occurred April 26, 1986. For three weeks the atmosphere was exposed to a full-blown nuclear fire and more radiation was released than at Hiroshima (actually 10 times as much). It created a no-man’s-land the size of the state of Massachusetts. The radiation from this nuclear disaster was carried into Sweden, Northern Italy, Germany, England, and to the East Coast of the United States.
Immediately after the disaster, it began to rain for five days and nights and the radiation was carried into the rivers. This is significant to understand, for verse 11 says, “And many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.” An estimated 125,000 people have died from the Chernobyl event and another 2 million people have the radiation in their bodies. The Russian word Chernobyl is actually translated as “Wormwood.”
The Third Trumpet, therefore, describes the “Effects of War on Land.”
The Fourth Trumpet
Turn with me in your Bibles, and let’s read Revelation 8:12-13:
12 Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. 13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
Here we read of the lights in the sky being darkened, which is prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments. In Joel 2:30-31, the Lord declares, “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” In Luke 21:25-26, Jesus said, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.”
There is an interesting statement in verse 12: “A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.” “Day and night will seem to be reversed, for there will be sixteen hours of darkness and eight hours of daylight.” This description could refer to the smoke and haze that accompanies nuclear fallout, and how it will block the light of the sun, moon, and stars. It could also be a supernatural restructuring of the heavenly bodies and time.
The Fourth Trumpet, though, likely describes the “Effects of War on Sky.”
The Fifth Trumpet
Turn with me in your Bibles, and let’s read Revelation 9:1-12:
1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. 7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. 12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
The fifth, sixth and seventh trumpets are known as the three woes. Notice that verse 12 says, “One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.” The word “woe” means, “grief, anguish, and affliction.” The three woes of Revelation are pronounced on the evil inhabitants of the earth in order to spur them to repentance (Revelation 9:20).
Here, in this first woe, in verses 1-2, “the falling star may represent an angel’s moral fall.” Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” The devil is an “angel of light,” shining like a star; and in Isaiah, we read about his fall.
Turn with me in your Bibles, and let’s read Isaiah 14:11-15: 11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your stringed instruments; the maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you. 12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.
Lucifer, or Satan, was cast down to earth, and many of his demons entered sheol, which is a place of confinement and waiting. It is the bottomless pit that we read about here in Revelation chapter 9. Verses 1-12 represent an unleashing of Satan’s demons upon the earth. This is because the creatures are pictured as having been imprisoned in the abyss and they are released with divine permission to torment those who do not have the seal of God.
Verse 3 says, “To them was given power.” The one who wields their power and who commands them is seen down in verse 11. His name is Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek. When translated, both words mean “destroyer” (Baxter). He is called, “king over them” and “the angel of the bottomless pit” (v. 11). We read over in Revelation 11:7, “When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.” The destroyer is also known as “the beast,” and the beast described in Revelation chapter 11 is none other than the Antichrist, and he will take on human form.
• According to verse 4, who will he make war on?
The answer is “unbelievers.” He will torment them, verse 5 says, but not kill them.
Verse 7 provides us with a description of the Antichrist’s soldiers. “Whatever these things are, they fly, make noise, [they] are armored and sting people without killing them.” “Two things are clear: Demons from the bottomless pit are involved, and some kind of modern warfare is implied.” Perhaps what is described are tanks and helicopters using chemical warfare or some other painful weapon. Because they have “the faces of men” (v. 7); a human element is possibly involved in this invasion (NIV Application Commentary).
LaHaye comments on this scorpion-like torment that will be inflicted. He says, “The sting of a scorpion, though seldom fatal, is one of the most painful stings known. The venom seems to set the veins and nervous system on fire, and the effects last for several days. By contrast, the effects of this particular sting will extend five months.” The pain is so intense that men will seek death, but will not find it. “This is a description of the most unimaginable suffering.”
Joel 2:1-6, and verse 25, declares, “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand: A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them . . . So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.”
Craig Keener says this passage in Joel describes the army of the Fifth Trumpet (NIV Application Commentary). He states, “The ‘breastplate of iron’ (9:8) may compare locusts’ scaled bodies with the scales of eastern soldiers, as in some Jewish texts. ‘Crowns of gold’ (9:7) usually designate royalty or high office; hence they may suggest that each locust commands others, suggesting in turn an army far more vast than John can portray” (NIV Application Commentary).
The Fifth Trumpet, therefore, describes how the “Antichrist Heads the War.”
The Sixth Trumpet
Turn with me in your Bibles, and let’s read Revelation 9:13-21:
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed – by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. 20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Back in the fifth trumpet, people were terrorized; however, in the sixth trumpet people are slaughtered. Keep in mind that the sixth trumpet is the second woe. It begins with the release of four angels bound at the Euphrates River; and not much is known about these angels. The Euphrates River “is considered by Bible scholars to be the greatest river of boundaries in the Bible . . . It formed one of the boundaries of the Garden of Eden. It was also a boundary for Israel (Genesis 15:18), the eastern boundary of Egypt, and the boundary of the Persian Empire. It is used in Scripture as a symbol of Israel’s enemies” (LaHaye).
In verses 13-17, we read about an army of 200 million soldiers who will kill a third of mankind. We have right around 8 billion people on the earth right now; therefore, about 2.5 billion people will be killed during this war. The Euphrates is the gateway to the east; and there exists a nation in the East right now that can form an army of 200 million soldiers. Mao Zedong, the late leader of China, boasted that he could field an army of 200 million soldiers.
I would like to add how it is suggested that a war that will kill 2.5 billion people will be a world war with the use of nuclear weapons. Notice the three horses mentioned that represent three plagues, seen in verses 17-18. The three plagues are described as being 1.) fire, 2.) smoke, and 3.) brimstone, sounding like the events surrounding an atomic war.
The Sixth Trumpet, therefore, describes “One-Third of Mankind Killed.”
Between the sixth and the seventh trumpets there is an interlude. We are not going to look at these verses just yet. We will, however, come back to them at a later time. Therefore, continuing ahead in our study of the Seven Trumpets, we will now turn and look at Revelation chapter 11.
The Seventh Trumpet
Turn with me in your Bibles, and let’s read Revelation 11:15-19:
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.” 19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
• In the seventh trumpet, which is also the third woe, what event is being described here?
The Second Coming of Christ and the Millennial Reign. In verse 15 we read, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” This is a picture of Christ ruling for one thousand years, and then for all eternity. After the Tribulation is over, Jesus will descend to earth out of heaven, bringing the church with Him to reign on earth for a thousand years. It is a victorious time for the church, but for the enemies of God it is the greatest of woes. Why? Because in this third woe, as Christ arrives, He judges and makes war.
Listen closely as I read about Christ’s return, mentioned in Revelation 19:11-15: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
Listen as I share the continuing account of His return mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6: “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
The Seventh Trumpet, therefore, describes the “Second Coming and Millennial Reign.”
