Revelation 8:6-8:13--The Seven Trumpets (Part 1)

Revelation 8:6-8:13
English Standard Version

The Seven Trumpets
6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing 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 people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

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I'm going to split up the Seven Trumpets into a few different passages.  We'll discuss the First Trumpet through the Fourth Trumpet today and then the Fifth Trumpet and Sixth Trumpet next time.  There will then be several passages before we return to the Seventh Trumpet, but we are going to be told at the end of today's passage (which makes a nice breaking point in the narrative) that the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Trumpets will be the worst of the plagues that are going to come upon the rebellious and wicked people of this time (remember that none of the plagues will touch those that God has marked with the seal that God put on them).

The seven angels with the seven trumpets prepare to blow them!  When the first blows his trumpet, there is a plague of hail and fire that is mixed with blood that is thrown upon the earth.  One-third of the earth (the land) was burned up, one-third of the trees were burned by fire, and all of the green grass was burned up.

We get no sense that there was any relief from the first trumpet before the second angel blasts his trumpet.  When the second trumpet is sounded, a great mountain, burning with fire, is thrown into the sea, and one-third of the sea is turned to blood, and one-third of all the sea creatures died, and one-third of all the ships were destroyed.  This will be devastating for the food supply of the world (many nations primarily eat fish and other seafood) and the world economy because most international shipping still occurs by sea.

The third angel blew his trumpet and a star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch and fell on one-third of the the rivers and springs of water (fresh water that was moving).  The name of this star was Wormwood (a word we use today to mean something bitter or grievous).  The affected waters became bitter (undrinkable) so that they were called wormwood, and many people died from drinking the affected water supply. 

When the fourth angel blows his trumpet, the sun will be darkened so that it will lose one-third of its light (and one-third of the daylight will be gone from the earth) and one-third of the moon's light will also be done and one-third of the light from the stars will also be gone.

Then John looked an heard an eagle (not just a bird of prey, but one that eats dead things) cry out with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow."  This is a message for those who have ears to hear that they need to repent now before the really bad judgments come upon them--nothing is going to stop those judgments from coming, but perhaps there is still time for them to be saved from these judgments and the even worse judgment that is to follow.  As bad as these judgments will be, they are nothing compared to the Vials of the Wrath of God to come nor The Lake of Fire that is prepared for the devil and his angels, but is also the place of eternal judgment, confinement, and torture for those who choose to side with the devil and the world by refusing the salvation offered by Christ alone.

I will include two YouTube videos today to help us remember that the plagues described in this book are not reserved for those of us who are in Christ.  (I'm posting Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) to focus particularly on the third and final verse, which speaks of these plagues and reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord)

With all these terrible judgments, we might think that the people are pretty hard-headed to not see that something worse is coming and they should repent now, but isn't that the story that we see in the Old Testament?  Mankind has really not changed.  People of this time would rather die knowing they are going to hell than give their lives to Christ.  Revelation 9:6 say, "And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them."  Revelation 9:20 says even after the first two Woes, "The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts."

​That is a sad commentary on the hearts of men, but it sounds much like the commentary of the hearts of men prior to the Flood, "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5).  See how the LORD has been gracious and kept His covenant that He made with Noah and his descendants (that's all of us) all those years ago:

“I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:21b-22).

and

11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:11-17)

That time of God holding back His judgment on the whole earth is about to come to an end.  Let me include one final passage to bring this all together as we see both the judgment and the salvation that the LORD is providing.

2 Peter 3:1-13
English Standard Version

The Day of the Lord Will Come
3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.