Sunday School Notes: An Introduction to the Seven Trumpets

Last week’s Revelation study found us finishing up the seven seals (8:1-5), and what appears to be “the End” or “the beginning of the the End.” In that passage, seven angels standing around God’s throne are given seven trumpets. This reminds us that everything about to happen comes directly from the throne of God. This is not a mistake, or a surprise, or something outside God’s control. He is sovereign, and has ordained all that is about to take place.

We began by reading Revelation 8:6-9:21, which covers the first six trumpets. There’s a break at the end of the sixth trumpet while John has a vision of a little scroll (chapter 10), and the two witnesses (most of chapter 11). The seventh trumpet comes at the end of chapter 11 (vv. 15-19). The seven seals followed a similar pattern, where John told us about six of the seals, then broke for the vision of the multitude and the 144,000, and then came back to the seventh seal. This might be significant–in fact, I think it is. More about that later.

The angels each blast their trumpets in succession, and after each trumpet blast there is some kind of calamity:

• Trumpet 1 (8:7): Hail, fire, and blood burning 1/3 of the earth, trees, and grass.
• Trumpet 2 (8:8-9): 1/3 of the sea turned to blood, 1/3 of the sea creatures killed, 1/3 of the ships destroyed.
• Trumpet 3 (8:10-11): A star falls on 1/3 of the waters and springs making them bitter; people die as a result of drinking from them.
• Trumpet 4 (8:12-13): 1/3 of the sun, 1/3 of the moon, and 1/3 of the stars are darkened; 1/3 of the day kept from shining as well as 1/3 of the night.
• Trumpet 5 (9:1-12), the first Woe: The abyss, and the sun darkened by smoke; ferocious locusts harming all those without the seal.
• Trumpet 6 (9:13-21), the second Woe: Four angels with mounted troops kill 1/3 of mankind by fire, smoke, and sulphur.
• Trumpet 7 (11:15-19), the third Woe: The reign of God begins–whatever that means… 🙂

We discussed last week how we need to pay attention to frequently repeated numbers since they often carry some kind of significance. Here, not only do we have seven trumpets, but we also have one-third recurring frequently. We’ll discuss the importance of “one-third” later. Another point of interest is the fact that more space is given to the last three trumpets, also called three “Woes.” There’s a lot more going on in these three than in the previous four, something else we’ll have to explore.

Why trumpets? What is the significance of blowing trumpets? To answer this, we considered the Old Testament use of trumpets to see if that gave us any clues. Trumpets were used for a variety of reasons, but among the most popular were:

• A call to worship, or a call for the people to gather (e.g., Exodus 19:13-19; Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 10:2)
• Judgment (e.g., Joshua 6; Isaiah 58:1; Hosea 8:1)
• A call to arms, or a battle announcement (e.g., Numbers 31:6; Judges 7:18)
• Within the context of worship (e.g., 1 Chronicles 15; 2 Chronicles 5)
• The enthronement of kings (e.g., Solomon in 1 Kings 1:34)

Of these, the one that appears most applicable to our context in Revelation 8 is judgment. Could they also be a call to repentance? Does the blowing of the trumpet signal an opportunity for the world to turn to Christ and avert disaster, or does it signal the inescapable judgment of God?

The first Old Testament account that sprung to mind was the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6. We read that passage and noted a number of similarities. First, there were seven priests who were blowing seven trumpets–there’s that number seven again, just like our seven trumpets in Revelation 8! Then, God instructed Joshua to have the people march around the city one time for six days, then seven times on the seventh day. On that last day, they were to blow the trumpets and shout, causing the wall to collapse. This seems to follow the six-then-seventh pattern of the trumpets in Revelation 8-9, then 11:15-19. Also, those that God had chosen (Rahab and her household) were rescued, just as those sealed will find protection in the Lord (Revelation 9:4).

We also observed that at no stage in the Jericho account did anyone make a call to the city for repentance. God’s people were making their way to Canaan, the Promised Land, and Jericho stood in the way. This was not a city full of God-fearing people who didn’t deserve the wrath of God. Like all of us, apart from Christ, they were sinful people at enmity with God. They didn’t deserve His mercy, and so any judgment God poured out upon them was completely just. As it happened, He did show mercy to Rahab and her household, but that was on account of the fact she did, by God’s grace, turn to the Lord and help those sent by Joshua to spy out the city. And if we take Romans 1 as our inspired insight into the human condition, these were people who were suppressing the knowledge of God, refusing to see His handiwork in creation, and not looking to His chosen people, to whom special revelation had been given, in order that they might know the one true God better. So when the trumpets blasted around Jericho, they sounded a warning that the judgment of God was about to fall. Clearly none of them were too concerned since there is no account of anyone surrendering.

This seems to be the same case with the trumpets in Revelation. There is no call to repentance given, only the blast of the angels’ trumpets, and the disasters that follow. What happens on the earth is as sure to happen as the destruction of Jericho’s walls, and no-one will do anything to prevent it.

Another Old Testament passage to consider in comparison with the seven trumpets is the account in Exodus of the ten plagues that fell upon Egypt. These plagues came from the hand of God via Moses in response to Pharaoh’s refusal to let Israel go. Each plague represents a judgment against one of the Egyptian gods, so both Egypt and all that the Egyptians held sacred were targeted by the Lord. Four plagues in particular seem to be paralleled in the seven trumpets:

• In the first plague, the Lord turned the water to blood, killing the fish in the Nile (Exodus 7:20-25); this is echoed in the second trumpet.
• In the seventh plague, the Lord sent hail which destroyed all trees and plants (Exodus 9:22-25), echoing the first trumpet.
• In the eighth plague, the Lord sent locusts to destroy everything, fruit, plants, and all that was left after the hail (Exodus 10:12-18); this is echoed in the fifth trumpet.
• In the ninth plague, the Lord sent a darkness that prevented anyone from going anywhere (Exodus 10:21-28); this is echoed in the fourth trumpet.

Again, we note that the plagues didn’t affect Israel, so there is some kind of protection for God’s people going on. I made the claim that the protection offered the saints in Revelation is spiritual, not physical, so we’ll have to look at this more closely as we consider each trumpet.

So I think we can say that the primary function of the trumpets in Revelation 8-11 is to pronounce God’s judgment. They may also be issuing a warning, but this is not a call to repentance. Rather, it is to warn the recipients of judgment that their time has come.

We’ll start looking at the individual trumpets next time, Lord willing.