Lesson One

Chapters 8, 9 & 11

Trumpet Judgments

a) Introduction

- The seven trumpets' plagues that follow neither recapitulate each of the seal judgments, nor do they follow the seals in a strictly chronological sense. They do cover the same period of final travail but from a different perspective.

- While the first four seals depicted judgments that are the inevitable consequences of human sinfulness, the trumpets reveal the active involvement of God in bringing punishment upon a wicked world. It is described in greater severity than the seals as well. It goes beyond the seals in detail of the judgment of God on evil.

- The church during this period is mentioned in chapters 11 to 13. It is kept form the demonic assaults during this period.

- Trumpets are directed against the world because of its hostility toward God. As the intensity of the judgment increases, so also does the vehemence with which people refuse to repent (9:20-21; 16:9, 11, 21).

- Trumpets are not final. They affect only one third of wicked.

- The purpose is not so much retribution but to lead people to repentance. It is like the watchman on the wall in Ezekiel 33, where they are warning people of impending danger.

- Trumpet pattern: Sets of 4 - 2 - 1

* The first four trumpets-plagues are directed toward world of nature (Rev 8:7-13).

* The second set of trumpets (fifth and sixth) are separated by the last trumpet by an Interlude (chapters 10-11).

b) First Four Plagues (8:6-12)

- First trumpet sounded brought about series of calamities: hail, and fire mixed with blood.

- The imagery comes from seventh Egyptian plague (Exodus 9:13-35).

- The Old Testament reference of this comes from Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:31; cf. Acts 2:19).

- The syntax suggests that the blood-red storm appears in heaven before it is cast upon the earth. The colour red signifies the fire and destructive nature of the storm.

- Note: the fire in each of the first three trumpets is connected to 8:5 when the angel hurled down the censor of fire on the earth.

- The first four trumpets are divine warnings:

- First trumpet: violent electrical fire (v 7)

- Second trumpet: fire in the sea (v 8) - blazing mountains turns the sea into blood, killing the fish and making the water undrinkable (Exodus 7:20-21).

- Third trumpet: burning star falls and lands in waters (v 10) - it turns these waters bitter and causes the death of many people. The burning star may be a great meteorite that falls on a third of the rivers and springs of water. This may be John revealing divine displeasure against the widespread worship of supernatural spirits associated with rivers and springs. The star is named Wormwood for the effect that it has on the water, which is to make it bitter and bring sorrow. Note the passage in Proverbs about the immoral woman (Prov. 5:3-4). This is the reverse of Exodus 15:25. What John is saying here is that the inland waters were contaminated by a spectacular act of God and many people died as a result of drinking the water. The restriction of this judgement was limited to one third of the rivers and springs.

- Fourth Trumpet: one-third of the sun, moon, and starts were struck with a blow such that it darkened a third of the day and the night. This seems to speak of a decrease in the intensity of available light as a result of a third of the luminaries being darkened. However it seems that there was total darkness for third of part of both the day and night. This recalls the ninth Egyptian plague with a thick darkness that spread of the land for a period of three days (Exodus 10:21-23).

- In the Old Testament, darkness is a symbol of judgment (Amos 5:18) and in the New Testament, it is associated with the demonic (Matt 8:12; 2 Cor. 6:14-15; Col 2:13-15)

- The darkness of the fourth plague marks the transition from divine warning to demonic woes.