8. The Seven Trumpets, Part 1 - Amazon Web Serviceslogosdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/.../008-The-Seven-Trumpets-Pt-1.pdf · The Seven Trumpets, Part 1 3 If we thought things were bad

Lesson#8TheSevenTrumpets,Part1

(8:3–9:21)

1TheSevenTrumpets,Part1

AsJohnstoodbeforethethroneofGodthefiguresi3ngonthethrone

morphedinto“aLambthatseemedtohavebeenslain”(5:6),andthe

Lambwasholdingascroll,sealedDghtlywithsevenseals.Asinadream,

Johnweptandwept,forheunderstoodthatnoonewasworthytoopen

thescroll.Then,oneofthetwenty-foureldersseatedaroundthethroneof

GodcomfortedJohn,tellinghimthattheLamb—“thelionofthetribeof

Judah,therootofDavid”(5:5)—hastriumphed,andhewouldopenthe

scroll.

Thetwenty-foureldersthencriedoutasoneinpraise:“Worthyareyouto

receivethescrollandtobreakopentheseals”(5:9).

ThentheLambopenedthescroll...andwewitnessedtheresultsin

graphicdetail!


“SevenTrumpets,”BambergerApocalypse(illuminatedmanuscript,MSA.II,fol.19v),c.1000.

BambergStateLibrary,Bamberg,Germany.

.


Ifwethoughtthingswerebad

whenthesevensealswereopened

andunleashedthefourhorsemen

oftheApocalypse,blowingthe

seventrumpetsescalatesthe

dramaexponenDally,raisingittoa

cosmicplane,withthevery

heavensrainingdownfireupon

theearth!

Asweendthislessononlysix

trumpetshavesounded.

ThereissDllonemoretogo!

WeleVLesson#7withdeadsilenceforhalfanhour,thetensionrisingpalpablyas

sevenangelsstandpoisedtosoundseven

shinningtrumpets.

Thesequenceofseventrumpetsfollows

thesamepaZernasthesequenceof

sevenseals:

• Thefirstfourtrumpetsformaunifiedwhole,

asthefourhorsemenformedaunifiedwhole;

• ThefiVhandsixthtrumpetsaredifferentin

kind,asthefiVhandsixthsealsweredifferent

inkind;and

• Atwo-partinterludeseparatesthesixthfrom

theseventhtrumpet,asatwo-partinterlude

separatedthesixthfromtheseventhseal.


TheacDonsofthefourhorsemenmirror

theacDonstriggeredbysinfulmen:1)

enforcedpeace;2)all-outwar;3)famine;

and4)death.

Incontrast,thefirstfourtrumpetsmirror

thecataclysmicacDonsofnature:1)hail

andfire,mixedwithblood;2)alarge,

burningmountainishurledintothesea;

3)astarlikeaflamingtorchfallstoearth;

and4)thesun,moonandstarsgodark.

Movingfromthesevensealstotheseven

trumpetsescalatesthecatastrophesfrom

human-causedeventsontheearth’s

surfacetodivine-causedevents

pummelingtheearthfromabove.

NoDceagainthecascadingmovement

fromsealstotrumpetstobowls:


ThePreamble

TheSevenSeals

1. Whitehorse

2. Redhorse

3. Blackhorse

4. Palehorse

5. Soulsoftheslain

6. Earthquake

7. Silence

TheSevenTrumpets 1. Hailandfire,mixedwithblood

2. Hugemountainablaze

3. Blazingstar

4. Sun,moonandstarsturneddark

5. Star,fallentoearth

6. Fourangels,released

7. Templeinheaven,opened

TheSevenBowls 1. Uglyandpainfulsores

2. Bloodlikethatofadeadman

3. Riversandspringsturnedtoblood

4. Sun,scorchingpeoplewithfire

5. Satan’skingdomplungedintodarkness

6. EuphratesRiverdriedup

7. Massiveearthquake


Anintroductoryscene,or

“overture,”precedesthe

movementfromdeadsilence

totheblastofthefirst

trumpet:



“Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with burning coals from the altar, and hurled it down to the earth. There were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” (8: 3-5)

“SevenTrumpetsandtheAngelwithCenser,”BambergerApocalypse(illuminatedmanuscript,MSA.II,fol.19v),c.1000.


.


Asthe“AltarofIncense”stoodinthe

HolyPlaceofIsrael’stabernacle,

flankedbytheMenorah(the“golden

candlesDck,”withitssevenbranches

andsevenflames)totheleV,andthe

TableofShowbread(withitsbread

andwine)totheright,alldirectly

beforetheArkoftheCovenantand

thepresenceofGodintheHolyof

Holies,sodoesagolden“Altarof

Incense”sitbeforeGodinthegenuine

tabernacle,whichisinheaven

(Hebrews8:1-5).


Atthegenuine“AltarofIncense”an

angelapproacheswithagoldencenser,

filledwithincenseandtheprayersof

thefaithful,andheoffersitbeforeGod,

muchasZechariahofferedincense

beforetheLordattheTemplein

JerusalemattheopeningofLuke’s

gospel(1:8-10).

Here,though,inatotallyunexpected

move,theangelhurlsthecenserfilled

withburningcoalsdownuponthe

earth:lightningflashes,thunder

booms...andatremendous

earthquakestrikestheland!


Notme.

TheSevenTrumpets,Part1

You’reso

insighnul!

Whatanoverture,operaDcinits

drama!Ican’thelpbutthink

thattheprayersarefromthe

martyrsbeneaththealtarin

the5thseal.

12

Italsocallstomindasimilarscenein

Ezekiel:

“ThenIlookedandthereabovethefirmamentovertheheadsofthecherubimwassomethingthatlookedlikeasapphire,somethingthatlookedlikeathrone.Andhesaidtothemandressedinlinen:‘Gowithinthewheelworkunderthecherubim;fillbothyourhandswithburningcoalsfromtheplaceamongthecherubim,thenscaPerthemoverthecity.’AsIwatched,heentered.”

(10:1-2)



“The seven angels who were holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. When the first one blew his trumpet, there came hail and fire mixed with blood, which was hurled down to the earth. A third of the land was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all green grass.”

(8: 6-7)

“FirstTrumpet,”BambergerApocalypse(illuminatedmanuscript,MSA.II,fol.20r),c.1000.


.


InthegreattheophanyatMt.Sinai,Godcalls

Israeltothemountainwithaloudtrumpet

blast,whichincreasesinintensityandvolume

astheIsraelitesgather,terrifyingthem(Exodus

19:16-19).GodinstructsMosestomaketwo

silvertrumpetsfor“summoningthecommunityandinbreakingcamp”(Numbers10:2),aswell

asforsignalinginbaZle(Numbers31:6).And

JoshuawillbringdownthewallsofJericho,

accompaniedbytrumpetblasts(Joshua6:

4-20).

JesussaysthatattheendDme,God“willsendhisangelswithatrumpetblast,andtheywillgatherhiselectfromthefourwinds,fromoneendoftheheavenstotheother”(MaZhew24:

31).

So,thetrumpetssoundingnowherald

judgmentsonthe“inhabitantsoftheearth”

(8:13).


Atthesoundofthefirsttrumpetcomes“hailandfiremixedwithblood”(8:7),anobviousallusiontothefirstandseventhplagues

broughtonEgypt,“blood”and“hailmixedwith

fire”(Exodus7:14-24;9:13-35).

OnlythisDmeitaffectsnotjustEgypt,butone

thirdoftheearth!

InScripture“thelifeofthefleshisintheblood”(LeviDcus17:11);thereverse,“thebloodofadeadman”isahorror,onewhichRevelaDoninvokeswhenanangelpoursout

thesecondbowl,andthesea“turnedtobloodlikethatofacorpse”(16:3).

Withtheblastofthefirsttrumpet,“hailand

firemixedwithblood”ishurleduponthe

earth.


JohnMarDn.TheSeventhPlague(oiloncanvas),1823.MuseumofFineArts,Boston.

.



“When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a large burning mountain was hurled into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were wrecked.”

(8: 8-9)

“SecondTrumpet,”BeatusdeFacundus(illuminaDononparchment,MSVit.14.2,fol.166r),c.1047.

BibliotecaNaDonal,Madrid.

.


Withthesecondtrumpetblast,“somethinglikealargeburningmountainwashurledintothesea”(8:8).Asaresult,athirdoftheseaturnedtoblood,anotherovertallusiontothe

firstplagueofExodus(thewatersoftheNile

Riverturnedtobloodandallthefishinthe

riverdied);inaddiDon,withthesecond

trumpetathirdofalltheshipsinthe

Mediterraneanarewrecked.

Theonlynaturaleventthatcouldparallelthis

disasterwouldbeahugemeteoritesmashing

intothesea.Althoughsmallmeteoritestrikes

arerelaDvelycommononearth,thelargest

impactistheVredefortcraterinSouthAfrica,

whichmeasures190milesacross,causedbyan

objectmeasuring9-12milesindiameter,an

asteroid,notameteor!

Ithappenedsome2billionyearsago.


VredefortCrater,SouthAfrica..



“When the third angel blew his trumpet, a large star burning like a torch fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The star was called ‘Wormwood,’ and a third of all the water turned to wormwood. Many people died from this water, because it was made bitter.”

(8: 10-11)

“ThirdTrumpet,”BeatusdeFacundus(illuminaDononparchment,MSVit.14.2,fol.167r),c.1047.


.


Withthethirdtrumpetblast,“alargestarburninglikeatorch”shotthroughtheheavensandstrucktheearth,affecDngtheriversand

springs.Asthesecondtrumpetblastturneda

thirdoftheseatoblood,sothethirdtrumpet

blastpoisonsathirdofthedrinkingwater,

turningitto“wormwood,”biZer.

Similartothesecond,thethirdnaturaldisaster

seemstobeameteorite,flamingthroughthe

sky.Somecommentatorstakethefallingstar

tobeBabylon,drawingonIsaiah14:12(“Howyouhavefallenfromtheheavens,OMorningStar”),andothersonSatanandthefallenangelsofRevelaDon12:9(“Thehugedragon,theancientserpent,whoiscalledtheDevilorSatan,whodeceivedthewholeworld,wasthrowndowntoearth,anditsangelswerethrowndownwithit”).


Notme.


Goodpoint!

RevelaDon12isaflashback,givingusthe

“backstory”ofRevelaDon,andIsaiah

couldbeapossibleallusion,butthefour

trumpetsarenaturaldisasters,not

poliDcalorreligiousones.IthinkIsaiah

andRevelaDonareastretch.

26


“When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them became dark. The day lost its light for a third of the time, as did the night.”

(8: 12)

“FourthTrumpet,”BeatusEscorial(illuminaDononparchment,MsII.5.fol.94v),c.950-955.

RoyalLibraryofSanLorenzodeElEscorial,Madrid.

.


Obviously,thedayturningtonightrecallsthe

ninthplagueonEgypt,theplagueofdarkness

“sothickitcouldbefelt”(Exodus10:21-29),as

wellasJesussayingintheOlivetDiscourse:

“thesunwillbedarkened,andthemoonwillnotgiveitslight,andthestarswillfallfromthesky,andthepowersoftheheavenswillbeshaken.”

(MaZhew24:29)

Butwhatcouldcausesuchaphenomenon?

RecallourintroducDontoRevelaDon,whenwe

examineditshistoricalandculturalcontext:

Mt.VesuviuseruptedinA.D.79,blankeDnga

largeporDonoftheMediterraneanwith

volcanicash,doubtlessblo3ngouttheskyand

turningthedayintonight.


Infact,PlinytheYounger,aneyewitnesstothe

erupDonfromacrosstheBayofNaples,notes:

“Thoughitwasnowmorning,thelightwasexceedinglyfaintanddoub[ul;thebuildingsallaroundustoPered...wethereforeresolvedtoquitthetown.Apanic-strickencrowdfollowedus....Beingataconvenientdistancefromthehouses,westoods^ll,inthemidstofamostdangerousanddreadfulscene...Ontheotherside[ofthebay],ablackanddreadfulcloud,brokenwithrapidzigzagflashes,behinditvariouslyshapedmassesofflame;thesewerelikesheet-lightning,butmuchlarger....Soonaèrwards,thecloudbegantodescend,andcoverthesea...adensedarkmistseemedtobefollowingus,spreadingitselfoverthecountrylikeacloud.”

(“LeZer66,”toCorneliusTacitus)

ThiswouldhavebeenaveryrecenteventforJohn’saudience.



“Then I looked again and heard an eagle flying high overhead cry out in a loud voice, ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth from the rest of the trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to blow!’”

(8: 13)

“TheEagle,”BeatusdeFacundus(illuminaDononparchment,MSVit.14.2,fol.168r),c.1047.


.


ThisisahaunDng,nightmarishvision,abirdof

preycirclingandcryingoutinaloudvoice:

“ou∆aiv,ou∆aiv, ou∆aiv”[oo-eye,’oo-eye,’oo-eye’];“Woe!Woe!Woe!”

Remember,thesealsandthetrumpetsare

preludestojudgment,notjudgments

themselves;theyfuncDonmoreasdire

warnings,warningsthatarecompletelyignored

byhumanity,whoconDnuesdownthesame

worn,twistedpathtoperdiDon.

BytheDmethesevensealsareopenedandthe

seventrumpetsblown,klaxonsareblaring,

sirenswailing,yethumanityremainsdeafand

defiant.

Whenthesevenbowlsarepouredout,total

destrucDonwillfollow.


Wenowfacethefinalthreetrumpets—

thethree“Woes!—“ou ∆aiv,ou∆aiv, ou∆aiv”—uZeredbythescreechingbird

ofprey.

Thebirdisanajetovß [eye-ee-toss’].MosttranslaDonsrendertheword

“eagle,”butitmightalsobea

“vulture.”Sinceeaglesdonoteat

carrion,thisisprobablywhatitis.

WhenthedustseZlesaVerthe

climacDcbaZleofArmageddon,with

slaughteredcorpsesstackedhigh,we

readthat“allthebirdsgorgedthemselvesontheirflesh”(19:21).

Irdi



“Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. It was given the key for the passage to the abyss. It opened the passage to the abyss, and smoke came up out of the passage like smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the passage. Locusts came out of the smoke onto the land, and they were given the same power as scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or any tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill them but only to torment them for five months; the torment they inflicted was like that of a scorpion when it stings a person. During that time these people will seek death but will not find it, and they will long to die but death will escape them.”

(9: 1-6)

“FiVhTrumpet,”ValladolidBeatus(illuminaDononparchment,MS433,fol.120r),c.970.

BibliotecadelaUniversidad,Valladolid,Spain.

.


• BlowingthefiVhtrumpet—thefirstou∆aiv—launchesthemostterrifyingimageryinallof

Scripture,anightmarishcollageofgrotesque,

hideousmonsterswithwingswhirring,teeth

snapping,tailssDnging.Inthedarkofnightwe

feelthewhisperofhot,rancidbreathattheback

ofournecks.John’svisionsnapsfromTechnicolor

toImax®3d;fromstereotoDolby®

Surroundsound;fromfascinaDoninthegrotesque

toall-out,heart-stoppingterror.Westruggleto

breathe.

• Astarfallsfromthesky(theimagerecallsJesus

saying,“IhaveobservedSatanfalllikelightningfromthesky”inLuke10:18),andwithasetofkeysSatanopenstheshaVtothea”bussoß [ah’-boo-sauce],the“abyss.”Rustyhingesscreechand

groan,andastheheavylidopens,smoke,heat

andahorriblestenchbelchesforth,andlocusts

andscorpionsbythemillionsswarmout.


The“Deathstalker”scorpion,only2incheslongandnearlytransparent,isoneofthemost

deadlyscorpionsintheworld.It’ssDnginflictsexcruciaDngpain,leadingtotachycardia,

skyrockeDngbloodpressure,convulsions,coma...andoVendeath.Deathstalkers(Leiurusquinquestriatus)arecommonthroughoutIsraelandtheMiddleEast.

Ifyou‘restungbyoneandsurvive,youwillneverforgettheexperience!




“The appearance of the locusts was like that of horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, and they had hair like women’s hair. Their teeth were like lions’ teeth, and they had chests like iron breastplates. The sound of their wings was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots racing into battle. They had tails like scorpions, with stingers; with their tails they had power to harm people for five months. They had as their king the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon.

The first woe has passed, but there are two more.”

(9: 7-12)

• Intheeighthplague,locustsaZackedEgypt:“Theycoveredthesurfaceofthewholeland,sothatitbecameblack.Theyateupallthevegetaôninthelandandallthefruitofthetreesthehailhadspared.NothinggreenwasletonanytreeorplantinthefieldsthroughoutthelandofEgypt”(Exodus10:15).

• LocustsaZackIsrael,aswell,inJoel:“BlowthehorninZion,

soundthealarmonmyholymountain!Lettheinhabitantsofthelandtremble,

forthedayoftheLordiscoming!...Nothinglikeithaseverhappenedinagespast,

norwillthefutureholdanythinglikeit,eventothemostdistantgeneraôn.”

(2:1-2)

Avastarmyoflocustsswarmstheland,stripping

treesbareanddevouringeverybladeofgrass.


• ButthelocustsinRevelaDonarelikelocustsonsteroids,massivecreatures,

geneDcally-engineeredmonsters,as

largeashorses,withhumanfaces,

women’shair,lions’teethandiron

breastplates;theirtailshavemassive

sDngersandtheirwingswhirlwith

thunderoussound.

• Atthecomingofthesecreatures

John’saudiencemightreactaswe

mighttoafully-armedbaZalionof

M1A2AbramsBaZleTanksrumbling

downthefrontstreet;asquadronof

F-22Raptorsscreechingoverhead;or

theskyblackenedwithAH-65Apache

AZackHelicopters,bristlingwith

hellfiremissilesandM230automaDc

canons.


AH-64DApacheLongBowAPackHelicopter.

Thesecreatures—thedemonic

scorpionsandlocusts,swarming

likeverminoutoftheabyss—are

commandedby“theangeloftheabyss,whosenameinHebrew[actually,Aramaic]isAbaddon[Ajbaddwvn,“DestrucDon”]andinGreekApollyon[Ajpolluvwn,“Destroyer”].

ThecommanderisSatanhimself!



“Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the [four] horns of the gold altar before God, telling the sixth angel who held the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the banks of the great river Euphrates. So the four angels were released, who were prepared for this hour, day, month, and year to kill a third of the human race. The number of cavalry troops was two hundred million: I heard their number.” (9: 13-16)

“SixthTrumpet,”BeatusdeFacundus(illuminaDononparchment,MSVit.14.2,fol.173r),c.1047.


.


• Thevoicefromthehornsofthegoldenaltar

belongstotheangelwhopresentedtheprayersof

the“holyones”in8:3-5,andwhothenhurledthe

censer’sburningcoalsdownupontheearth,

accompaniedby“pealsofthunder,rumblings,

flashesoflightningandanearthquake”(8:5).

• Thesixthtrumpetunshacklesfourangelsatthe

banksoftheEuphratesRiver,whoreceiveorders

to“killathirdofthehumanrace”(9:15).

• Perhapsthefourarefallenangels,sincetheywere“boundatthebanksofthe[river]”(9:14).

• ToJohn’saudience,nothinggoodcomesfromthe

EuphratesRiver:Assyrian,BabylonianandPersian

invadersallcamefromthatdirecDon,wreaking

havoc,andtheEuphratesisthefareastern

boundaryoftheRomanEmpire,beyondwhich

livedthefearedParthians.


• Thesixthtrumpetmarksthefinalwarningina

seriesofescalaDngdisasters:1)thesevenseals

embodyhumanacDons,witheachacDon

escalaDnginseverity;2)theseventrumpets

embodynaturalorsupernaturalacDons,each

escalaDnginseverity.Now,fourfallenangels

(REALLYbadguys!),accompaniedby200millioncavalry[iÔppikovß,hippi-kos’],theshocktroopsoftheancientworld,setouttokillonethirdof

humanity!

• 200milliontroopsisahugenumber,hyperbole

suggesDnganenormousslaughter.TheGreek

wordisdismuriavß [dis-mu-ree-ahs’];itisthe

largestnumberintheGreeklanguage,murivoß =10,000,mulDpliedbyitself,andthendoubled!


Notme.


I’mdefinitelygoingto

hideunderthebed

now!

ItlookslikeGodisunleashing

overwhelmingforceinalast-

ditchefforttobringsinful

humanitytoitssenses.Thisis

“severemercy,”indeed!

48


“Now in my vision this is how I saw the horses and their riders. They wore red, blue, and yellow breastplates, and the horses’ heads were like heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. By these three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths a third of the human race was killed. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like snakes, with heads that inflict them.” (9: 17-19)

Theseareindeeddemoniccreatures,

breathingfire,smokeandsulfur,images

foreverassociatedwithhell.Thesefire-

breathingmonsterswithheadslikelionsand

tailslikesnakesresemblethemythological

Chimaera,firstdescribedbyHomerinhisIliad.

Inthestory,Proetus’wifeAntealustsaVerthe

youngandhandsomeBellerophon,andwhen

ProetusfindsouthesendsBellerophonto

Lycia,witha“secretmessage”forthekingof

Lycia,suretogethimkilled.AVerdining

together,thekingsendsBellerophonona

suicidemissiontokilltheChimaera,a“grimmonstersprungofthegods,nothinghuman,alllioninfront,allsnakebehind,allgoatbetween,terrible,blas^nglethalfireateverybreath!”(Iliad6,209-215).

Thankfully,Bellerophonsucceeds,killingthe

beast...butthey’rebackinRevelaDon!


ChimaeraofArezzo(bronze),c.400B.C.NaDonalArchaeologicalMuseum,Florence.


“The rest of the human race, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, to give up the worship of demons and idols made from gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic potions, their unchastity, or their robberies.” (9: 20-21)

Withathirdofhumanity

killed,thesurvivorsbecome

evenmoreintransient.Like

PharaohinEgypt,witheach

disaster,theyhardentheir

heartsevenmore.

Andthat’saverysad

commentaryonthehuman

condiDon,resulDngin

consequencesthatare

inevitable,aswe’llseeinthe

nextlesson.


.

1.   Howdotheseventrumpetsdifferfromtheseven

seals?

2.   WhatliteraryfuncDondoesthe“overture”tothe

seventrumpets(8:3-5)serve?

3.   Whyisthestarthatfelltoearthwiththethirdtrumpet

called“Wormwood”?

4.   WhatinJohn’sdaymightserveastheantecedentfor

thesun,moonandstarsbeingbloZedoutwiththe

blastofthethirdtrumpet?

5.   Howdothefirstfourtrumpetsdifferfromthelast

three,the“Woes”?


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8. The Seven Trumpets, Part 1 - Amazon Web Serviceslogosdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/.../008-The-Seven-Trumpets-Pt-1.pdf · The Seven Trumpets, Part 1 3 If we thought things were bad