Revelation Chapter Eight

The First Four Trumpets

God’s Final Warnings

Revelation 8:1

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

Revelation 8:1

“When the Lamb opened”

• In the throne room Jesus is described as the Lamb Slain (Rev. 5:6,8,9,12)
• Only Jesus can open the seals on His book

“silence in heaven”

• Heaven is empty while Jesus goes after His people on earth
• The seventh seal represents the 2^nd Coming

“half an hour”

• A short time period or a prophetic week

Revelation 8:2 

“Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.”

Revelation 8:2

“Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God”

• These 7 angels have not been previously mentioned
• These 7 angels are standing before God
• These 7 angels messages will come from God

“seven trumpets were given to them.”

• Trumpets in the Bible were used to sound an alarm for warning, to celebrate, to go to war, and to call to worship
• In the context of Revelation chapter 8 the first four trumpets are sounded as warnings
• The last three trumpets are not warnings but are woes (Rev. 8:13)

Revelation 8:3

“And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne”.

Revelation 8:3

“And another angel came and stood”

• Now John sees “another angel” standing at the altar before the throne
• This is not Christ as some suggest, since Christ is described as a Lamb slain when seen in the Judgment scene (Rev.5:6,8,9,12,13;6:1,16,;8:1)
• Also John had just described Jesus as a Lamb in Rev. 8:1

“with a golden censer”

• The angel is seen with a “golden censer”

“he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints”

• The censer is filled with “incense”
• The censer was used to burn incense before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1)
• The incense represented Jesus intercession for His people before the throne
• The “incense” was mixed with the prayers of “all the saints,” meaning Jesus intercedes for us with our prayers
• The context of Revelation 8:3-6 is within the context of the seven trumpets
• The seven trumpets are introduced before the censer and immediately after it
• The casting down of the censer will precede the blowing of the seven trumpets

Revelation 8:4

“and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.”

Revelation 8:4

“The smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints”

• This verse describes the intermingling of Jesus’ merits (incense) with His saints’ prayers making those prayers acceptable

Revelation 8:5

“Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, loud noises, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

Revelation 8:5

• Now the angel is seen throwing the censer down “on the earth”
• This implies judgment on the earth
• The censer is filled “with fire”
• The “fire” suggests judgment
• The censer is no longer being used for intercession but for judgment
• John hears thunder and loud noises and sees lightning and an earthquake
• The thunder, noise, lightning and earthquake also suggest judgment
• Some suggest that the casting down of the censer is the end of the investigative judgment
• This would mean that the trumpets would fall after the close of probation
• However, the first four trumpets are warnings which be of no value if probation had closed
• God’s people are sealed at the close of probation which occurs prior to the 5^th trumpet (Rev.9:4) not prior to the 1^st
• Some suggest that the trumpets are God’s wrath
• However, the wrath of God is the plagues, not the trumpets (Rev.15:1)
• If the casting down of the censer represents judgment then who or what is being judged?
• The answer is found in Psalms 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”
• Just as literal Israel lost its special status with God when it rejected Jesus message, so will God’s favored nation in the last days
• In the last days one nation on earth stands out as blessed by God
• That nation is described in Rev. 13: 11 as lamb-like, having two horns and speaking like a dragon
• That nation is the United States of America and its two horns are religious liberty and civil liberty
• When the United States loses its first horn, which is religious liberty, it will become an image to the leopard-like beast (Rev. 13:14) and a church-state union
• The leopard-like beast (Papacy) is a church-state union
• When the United States enacts a universal Sunday Law and becomes the image of the beast it will lose its special status and lose God’s protection
• God has blessed this country because it has provided religious freedom
• The casting down of the censer represents God’s withdrawal of His special protection and blessings on the United States once the Sunday Law is passed
• The casting down of the censer represents the close of probation for the United States as a favored nation under God
• Just as literal Israel lost God’s protection when it began to persecute God’s people, even so the United States will lose its special protection when it forsakes freedom of religion
• The casting down of the censer is God’s response to the Sunday Law

Revelation 8:6

“Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made ready to blow them.”

Revelation 8:6

• “Now” means that the seven trumpets will follow shortly after the passage of the Sunday Law (censer cast down)
• Some place the seven trumpets parallel to the seven churches and seven seals in history
• However, the context of Revelation chapter 8 suggests that these are last-day events which occur after 1844
• The trumpets begin after the judgment process described in Revelation 4&5
• The trumpets begin after the seals begin in Revelation 6
• The trumpets begin after the censer is cast down in Revelation 8

Revelation 8:7

“The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, which fell on the earth; and a third of the earth was burnt up, and a third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”

Revelation 8:7

• There are three approaches that have often been used to interpret the trumpets: historical, literal and spiritual
• Historically, this trumpet has been applied to the Roman empire in 396 when it was invaded by the Visigoths
• A literal application would suggest the destruction of a large part of the world by natural causes: hail, lightning, and fire
• This would lead to worsening famine which was already ongoing under the third seal
• The spiritual application is the most important since the book of Revelation is describing the conflict between Satan and his followers and the Lamb and His people
• The trumpets will begin to blow as a warning to the world that time is running out
• The trumpets are preceded by the passage of the Sunday Law which is a significant spiritual event
• Satan will now be trying to convince the world that he is Christ returned
• Satan will be working “with all power and with pretended signs and wonders” (II Thess. 2:9)
• The Greek word for “earth” can be translated “land”
• “land” here can be referring to the promised land of Israel
• “trees” in the Old Testament can refer to people (Psalms 1:3)
• “grass” in the Old Testament was also applied to Israel (Isaiah 40:5-8)
• If “grass” represents literal Israel then “green grass” represents the youth of Israel
• Thus, this text could be describing the destruction of one third of Israel’s land, one third of Israel’s people and all of Israel’s youth
• This text would be describing a battle in the Middle East centered on Israel, which is consistent with what Daniel described in Daniel 11 prior to the abomination being “set up” (Dan. 11:31)
• Daniel’s “abomination” (Dan. 11:31) is John’s 8^th king (Rev. 17:11)
• However, there is one other spiritual application which  can apply to this verse
• The “trees” and “grass” may refer to God’s people living at the time of these events, which would then mean that one third of His people will die during this trumpet
• Rev.9:4 suggests that the trees and grass can represent God’s people

Revelation 8:8, 9

”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, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”

Revelation 8:8, 9

• Historically, this text has been applied to the Vandals whose navy attacked the coasts of Italy, Spain and Greece and invaded Rome in A.D. 455
• In the last days this text represents Satan’s overthrow of Israel in order to reign in Jerusalem
• The sea turned to blood corresponds to the time when the two witnesses are under attack but have “power over the waters to turn them into blood” (Rev. 11:6)
• In the Old Testament God’s holy city, Jerusalem, is equated with His holy mountain (Psalms 48:1)
• The “mountain, burning with fire” represents Jerusalem being destroyed
• The “sea” represents the populated world
• The “blood” represents the loss of life
• The “third” represents the Christian nations involved in this battle
• 1/3 of the world claims to be Christian
• This battle corresponds to Daniel 11:29,30 which occurs just before the abomination is “set up” (Dan. 11:31)
• The abomination will be set up in the temple in Jerusalem
• The abomination is Satan as the false Christ and the 8^th king
• The 8^th king (Rev. 17:8,11) is the beast who “ascends” (Rev. 11:7) and kills the two witnesses in the city “where their Lord was crucified” (Rev 11:8)
• The city where their Lord was crucified is Jerusalem
• Jerusalem is where Satan will reign as the 8^th king
• The second trumpet describes a naval and land battle which leads to the overthrow of Jerusalem, Israel
• This same battle is described in Daniel 11:29,30

Revelation 8:10

“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 fountains of water.”

Revelation 8:10

• Historically, some have applied this trumpet to Attila the Hun who ravaged Europe and died in A.D. 458
• In the last days this trumpet applies to Satan who is the “great star fell from heaven”
• Satan’s angels are described as “stars” in Rev.12:4 and are thrown down with the dragon
• Satan is the dragon (Rev.12:9)
• Satan is the great star
• In Isaiah Lucifer (Satan) is called the “Day Star” who wants to become God (Isaiah 14:12-14)
• This same fallen “star” (Satan) is described in the 5^th trumpet where he is released from the bottomless pit (Rev.9:1), meaning he will then be allowed further freedom
• This “star” is seen blazing “like a torch” which means that Satan as the false Christ will light up the world with falsehood
• This fallen star falls “on a third of the rivers” representing the third of the world affected by the false Christ
• In the year 2000 one third of the world’s 6 billion people were Christian
• The false Christ will poison 1/3 of the world (the Christians)
• This star will fall “on the fountains of water” which represents the water of life
• Jesus is “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14)
• When Satan convinces the world that he is Christ the fountain of life will be poisoned

Revelation 8:11

“The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the water, because it was made bitter.”

Revelation 8:11

• Historically, this text has been applied to Attila the Hun when he ravaged Europe
• In the last days this “star” is Satan as the false Christ (8^th king)
• This star is called “Wormwood”
• Greek “Apsinthos” refers to the bitter herb Artemisia absinthium
• Wormwood implies a bitter taste or poisoned
• One third of the water = one third of the world (the Christians)
• When Satan initially reigns as the false Christ he will poison the Christians of the world, not the non-Christians
• The water made bitter or poisoned represents what Satan will do to the water of life
• The poisoned water represents Satan’s falsehoods accepted by Christians

“many men died of the water, because it was made bitter”

• Many of those who drink these falsehoods will die
• This poisoning will occur when the beast ascends from the pit (Rev. 11:7) and kills the two witnesses (God’s Word)
• When Satan reigns as the 8^th king he will interpret God’s Word as his own thus killing God’s Word (the two witnesses)
• This beast that ascends is the 8^th king (Rev. 17:8,11) and the fallen “star” of Revelation 9:1 who ascends from the pit

Revelation 8:12

”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 was darkened; a third of the day was kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.”

Revelation 8:12

• Historically, the fourth trumpet has been applied to the gradual fall of the Roman Empire beginning in A.D. 476
• Sun= emperors; moon = senators;                     stars =consuls
• A third represented loss of power
• In the last days this trumpet is connected to prior trumpet
• This trumpet portrays a spiritual darkening in the world
• This darkening begins with Satan’s reign as the false Christ
• The “sun” represents Jesus and His gospel of light
• The “moon” represents God’s Word which reflects the light of the Son (sun)
• The “stars” represent God’s prophets and people who reflect God’s light to the world
• When Satan reigns as the 8^th king he will claim to be Christ returned
• As the false Christ, Satan will obscure God’s light from His Son, His Word, and His people
• The one “third” represents the portion of the world’s people affected by Satan’s lies
• The one “third” are the Christians of the world
• The fourth trumpet symbolizes the spiritual darkness during the reign of the 8^th king

Revelation 8:13

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

Revelation 8:13

• John now sees an eagle “crying with a loud voice”
• This eagle is flying in “midheaven”
• This means that this message will involve the entire world
• The first four trumpets emphasized one third of the world because they are warnings to God’s people (Christians)
• The eagle was involved with the fourth seal (Rev 6:7) and a rider named Death
• The fourth seal involved the 8^th king
• The eagle represented God’s protection of His people after Satan’s reign
• The “loud voice” is a call to judgment (Rev. 14:7,16:1,18:2,19:17)
• The last three trumpets are called woes because they are no longer warnings but will involve God’s judgments
• During these woes God’s people will especially need His protection (the eagle)
• The plagues will overlap these woes, since God’s people are sealed during the first woe (Rev. 9:4)
• These woes will occur once probation has closed and God’s people are sealed
• This means that the investigative judgment has ended and God’s wrath can begin since all His people are accounted for (Rev. 6:10,11)
• The beginning of the fifth trumpet (1^st woe) marks the close of probation and the sealing of God’s people
• The 5^th trumpet will also overlap the first plagues

Summary

• The seven trumpets are introduced with the casting down of the censer
• The casting down of the censer represents the close of probation for the United States as a favored nation under God
• The casting down of the censer occurs because the United States has formed a church-state union and enacted the Universal Sunday Law
• The seven trumpets begin after the Sunday Law is enacted
• The first two trumpets describe the spiritual and literal warfare that occur in the world just prior to the setting up of the abomination that makes desolate in Jerusalem
• The abomination is the 8^th king, who is the false Christ (Satan)
• The third trumpet describes the fallen star or Lucifer once he reigns as the 8^th king
• This fallen star will claim to be Christ returned and will poison God’s truth and His people
• Satan will poison one third of the world’s population (those claiming to be Christians)
• This spiritual darkness is further described under the fourth trumpet
• The following are affected:
• Sun   ---  Jesus and His gospel of light
• Moon ---  God’s Word
• Stars  ---  God’s people and His prophets
• All of these are obscured by Satan’s lies as he interprets God’s Word
• The fourth trumpet ends the time of warning
• The eagle now introduces the next three trumpets called woes
• The eagle represents God’s protection of His people which will be critical during the woes
• The woes represent the beginning of the judgment on the wicked
• The woes begin with the sealing of God’s people and the close of probation (Rev.9:4)
• The woes will over lap the seven last plagues