The Trumpets Blow

Revelation 8:7-13

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.

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.

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.  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. 

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.

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!

We have seen the seven seals broken by the Lamb of God, and with each seal, a further revelation of God’s plan for the end of days.  With the seventh seal, we are introduced to the seven angels and seven trumpets.  At the sound of each trumpet, we see further details of God’s plan for wrath on the Earth in the days of tribulation.  We do not have a full understanding of these revelations, but simply a knowledge that God is fully omnipotent and aware of the devastation these events will cause to the inhabitants at that time.

With the first trumpet’s sound, hail and fire fall from heaven and destroy the vegetation.  Trees and grass are referenced, but it is easy to presume that all vegetation would be impacted but such an event.  God also used fire and brimstone to rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:24-28 and destroyed the cities.  He has done it once before and can do it again, but recognize His restriction to 1/3rd of the vegetation.  Why?  Why would God hold back and not just burn it all at once?  His patience for those who would yet still come to believe because of His wrath.  Yet, there will still be many who will deny Him and blame these events on natural causes.  Woe to them.

At the second trumpets sound, a large mountain “like” burning with fire was cast into the sea, killing 1/3 of the living creatures in the sea, and 1/3 of the ships on the sea were destroyed.  Sea’s will turn to blood, could be poetic in that the color appears read, or it could be literal as the blood of those that are killed.  One can assume this is something like a large meteor because John was careful to refer to it as “like a mountain”, not specifically a mountain.  Here again we see death and destruction caused by the wrath of God, but only to 1/3rd of the living creatures and ships.  God’s mercies are still being played out as He demonstrates His sovereignty and authority over all things.  Some in the sciences, politics, and media will play this off as a cosmic event, and not an example of God’s wrath, as they continue to deny His existence.  But there will be some who see this as the fulfillment of God’s promise and prophesy.  It is those that God seeks to connect with during this time of tribulation.  

As the third trumpet sounds, a star falls from the sky, striking the Earth, landing in fresh water rivers and springs, and turning the water to “wormwood”, a very bitter substance.  We can presume this to be a meteor or comet as well.  In this case though, it impacts the ecological system of the Earth, and begins killing off people as a result.  With 1/3rd of the Earth’s fresh water being poisoned, many will die around the globe.  There is no direct correlation to assume 1/3rd of all mankind, but this proportion is consistent across all of these events of wrath.  This will impact the food industry, the beverage industry, the farming industry, the entire ecological system we know today will be devastated.  Much like the wrath called out in the breaking of the 3rd seal, the economic impact will also be enormous.  We rely heavily on water in today’s world, and without it, many will suffer and die.

The 4th trumpet is blown, and the skies and cosmos as we know them are forevermore impacted.  1/3rd of the sun, the moon, and the stars are darkened forever.  Similar to what we saw with the breaking of the 6th seal, men will look to the skies with wonder and fear.  God created the sun, the moon, and the stars on the fourth day to provide light and separate day from night, as well as years and seasons (Genesis 1:14-19).  Here He is once again demonstrating His control over everything, including the skies.  He can take away everything He has created, and by removing the 1/3rd of the light from the skies, mankind will know that there is a Creator, and many will turn back to Him.

Chapter 8 concludes with an angelic warning, “an eagle flying overhead” to all mankind – Woe to the people on earth for the coming wrath of the Lord when the final 3 trumpets sound.  Evidence that God truly wants man to turn to Him and not be destroyed.  But, alas, there are those who are hard-hearted and determined to live for themselves, despite His warnings and the opportunities He has given them.  For those people, the final days will be unbearable.  Woe to them indeed.