Revelation
8:1-13.The Trumpets of Judgment.
Revelation
8:1-13.
American Journal of Biblical Theology
Copyright © 2007, J.W. Carter Scripture quotes
from KJV
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
The seventh seal is broken, and prior to dispensation, a period of silence is experienced. What was taking place during this period of silence? This seventh seal represents a turning point in the characterization of the judgments presented in the first six seals. In each of these there was an obvious restraint placed upon the agents of destruction by God, so that the number of the saints might be completed (7:3). The first six seals were described in terms similar to an "authority given" to allow specific destructive events to take place, but the actual command to engage their forces was not given. We might visualize the four horsemen (Revelation 6) on horses as they struggle with the reigns while fighting to hold their steeds back as they stomp and kick, impatient and ready to run.
After the period of silence these things will indeed take place. This period of silence emphasizes the gravity of the scenario. Up to this point John has described heaven as filled with the praises and worship of God. Now is the time for that worship to be expressed in silence as the worshippers recognize the gravity of the scenario that is about to unfold, demonstrating respect for God on the throne and that awe that often surrounds the recognition of a seminal moment when an earth-changing event takes place.
This pause is a time of preparation as those whom God has appointed to take part in this drama get ready for their task. Verse 3 also describes this time of silence takes place as the prayers of the saints are heard.
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
This final seal uses the illustration of seven trumpets, wielded by seven angels: announcements that precede action.[1] It was not unusual for trumpets to be used in battle to make an announcement. One application of the trumpet is consistent with the context of this setting. The blowing of trumpets was used to inform the attacking group that the time for offense has come. It also strikes a resulting fear in the hearts of those about to be attacked. Like the revealing of the seals, the blowing of the trumpets will take place one at a time with each trumpet announcing a specific manner of judgment.
A note on the organization of the presentation of the revelation may be instructive. The seven seals that have been opened were illustrated in John’s visual vignette as four horsemen, martyrs, anarchy (Ch. 6), and the trumpets (Ch. 8) with a parenthesis between the sixth and seventh seal (Ch. 7). The seven trumpets are also similarly organized with the first four trumpets heralding judgments upon land, sea, water, and sky (Ch. 8). The last three trumpets herald three woes (Ch. 9, 11). Again, as John did with the opening of the seven seals, he inserts a parenthesis between the sixth and seventh trumpets (Ch. 10). The dispensation of the trumpets appear to be a metaphor for the destructive judgment of a large part of the earth. These will be followed by the dispensation of seven bowls that impact the entire planet (Ch. 16), these bowls are directly referred to as the “last plagues.”
As with the other chapters, John starts us off on another vivid portrait that is easy to visualize, and consequently, easy to remember. He starts by laying down a backdrop of silent reverence, implying that reverence in heaven is due as the judgments to come are loosed on earth and the prayers of the saints are heard.
Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.
While the first-century church wonders if their prayers go unanswered while they observe their tribulation at the hands of Rome and Jerusalem, John assures them that those prayers are heard, and God has a plan for response. While evil seemed to prosper so, as it still does, we are reminded that God is not deaf to our prayers, and that in deed those prayers play a paramount part in the drama. The prayers of all of the saints, that is all of those who have placed their faith in God, are heard. They are heard in the presence of God and those at the throne of grace. Note the use of the censer. The traditional and ancient censer is a porcelain, clay, or metal container that holds burning incense and hangs from a chain that is held by the hand. In ceremonial events the one who holds the censer will wave it around in an effort to fill the air with the aroma of its burning contents. This is the same imagery that we see in this vignette, with an angel of God holding the golden censer. The evidence of God’s response to the prayers is immediate and dramatic.
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
The censer was used by the angel in an act of worship through the burning of incense, a metaphor for the centrality of the prayers of the saints in the drama of God’s redemptive purpose. John then describes the use of the censer in quite a different way, using the censer as a tool of judgment. Having burned the incense to God, the angel then fills the censer with fire from the altar and hurls it to the earth with a clearly damaging and devastating purpose.
Fire is often used as a metaphor for the redemptive judgment of God. Fire was used to refine metal, burning away the impurities, leaving the pure and cleansed material. The metaphor is applied in a similar manner as God will put the earth through the refining process, separating the impenitent from the saint, condemning the impenitent to a deserved judgment while He rescues the saints from the wrath to come.
In this vignette John answers the simple question, “is God responsive to our prayers?” For generations those who have prayed for deliverance from the evil of this world have waited, realizing a deliverance through Jesus Christ that comes from forgiveness for sin. Still evil abounds and people continue to pray. John clearly understands that God hears those prayers and will respond to them in a final and profound judgment against the evil that has for so long brought tribulation to the faithful.
As the fire from the altar is thrown to the earth it is accompanied by the sights and sounds of its power. God’s judgment upon the earth will not be a trivial enterprise, but will be characterized by the very power of His might.
As we observe the sounding of the seven trumpets we will be struggling with literal interpretation versus the collections of metaphorical vignettes that we have seen up to this point in this apocalyptic literature style. We should always be reminded that apocalyptic style makes use of broad and dynamic visual illustrations that employ metaphors to represent God’s truth. Those who hold to these metaphors will understand the sounding of each trumpet as a bright and clear message, much like the messages to the seven churches of the first two chapters. A literal interpretation that ignores this literary genre will seek to find a physical parallel to the objects of John’s vision. We will look at both approaches with the intent of understanding the dramatic gravity of God’s judgment. However, we should by no means consider any literal approach as the final interpretation, but rather as a speculation of how such a judgment could actually unfold in a substantive and physical manner.
Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
The time of silence is about to come to an end. The revelation of God’s judgment upon the wicked of this world is about to be realized. God is ready to unleash the four plagues that are represented by the four horsemen. God has had a plan for the redemption of mankind that started with the creation of Adam. However, God also determined that this age of grace would not be eternal, but would have an ending that would take place at a time of His choosing. Furthermore that end would come in a way that all of the world would recognize that it is indeed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who is exercising His sovereignty in judgment upon the wicked of this world. God has been preparing the age of man for this moment. Millions have been saved by their faith in God and are securely protected from the coming judgment. They, the sealed from every nation and tribe, wear the white robes of God’s purity as they surround the throne along with the four beasts and the twenty-four elders. The time for judgment has come as the seven trumpets are about to broadcast their message.
The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
The first of the trumpets demonstrates God’s sovereignty as He brings devastation upon the land. With the sounding of the first trumpet is the destruction of a third of the earth resulting in the loss of grass and a third of the trees. The literal cause of this activity is unclear, but it certainly it culminates in a very severe world-wide drought since all of the grass is destroyed. With the loss of trees and especially grass, the food chain is thrown out of balance, animals will die, and great famine will result. We find similar descriptions of hail and fire mixed with blood in the fourth plague of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt,[2] and in the prophesy of Ezekiel.[3]
Let us digress for a moment and consider how simply God could bring about a literal judgment upon the land in a manner consistent with John’s vision. Blood-red rain has been frequently documented as the result of air pollution caused by significant volcanic activity. This description of world-wide disaster is very consistent with the damage that would ensue if the earth were struck by an asteroid with a diameter of about 1-2 miles. Such asteroids pass near the earth with surprising frequency. One passed a few years ago missing the earth by 260,000 miles, just beyond the orbit of the moon. The next very close approach of a potentially hazardous asteroid will come on November 8, 2011, when 2005 YU55 skims Earth at a distance of 98,000 miles. Though it would not be appropriate to assign the interpretation of these verses to a celestial collision by a small asteroid, it may be interesting to note that if one accepts a literal understanding of John’s vision desiring to embrace a world-wide disaster, the eventuality of such a collision at some time in the future is not fantasy: it is inevitable. For example, on April 13, 2029, the asteroid 2004 MN4, with a diameter of about 400 yards, is expected to pass a mere 18,600 miles (30,000 km.) above Earth's surface, closer than the distance of the orbit of a geosynchronous satellite. If it were to strike the earth it would devastate an area the size of the State of Texas. An asteroid with a diameter of about two miles would destroy a third of the earth and put it into a nuclear winter, producing a world-wide killer drought. Some may recall the 1996 collision of the comet Shoemaker-Levy with the planet Jupiter. Several visible impact craters were larger than the earth.[4] The presence of this threat to the earth only illustrates how simply God’s judgment could be implemented in a manner consistent with John’s literal vision.
John states that a “third” of the earth is devastated, possibly referring to a world-wide event that destroys a large portion of all of the populated continents. However, it may also refer to the horrific destruction of a large section of the world, for example an entire continental region. This latter idea is consistent with Ezekiel’s prophesy of the final destruction of the enemies of Israel.[5] Ezekiel states that when God destroys Israel’s enemies all of the world will know that it was at the hand of God as He defeats them using cataclysmic natural events.
The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
The second of the trumpets demonstrates God’s sovereignty as He brings devastation upon the sea. It is unclear what nature of cataclysm takes place here, but John sees something extremely large and ablaze crash into the sea resulting in the loss of the use of a third of it. Furthermore, everything in that third of the sea is destroyed. Certainly the impact of an asteroid would create all of the cataclysm seen here in a manner consistent with John’s vision. The description is also is reminiscent of the first plague of the Exodus of Israel when the waters of the Nile River were turned to blood.
The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water-- 11the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
At the sounding of the third trumpet a similar occurrence as the second trumpet struck the dry land resulting in the loss of the use of its waters. Up to this point a large portion of the land was no longer of use, a large portion of the sea was of no use, and now a large portion of the fresh water is polluted.
The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
The fourth of the trumpets demonstrates God’s sovereignty as He brings devastation upon the sky. The fourth trumpet represents the last of a series of natural calamities, through their effect is partial. The world is darkened, possibly by air pollution caused by the other calamities, so that one third of the sunlight, moonlight and starlight is blocked.
As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
An announcement is made that the last three of the seven judgments are to be most greatly feared. The first four were natural calamities that God brings upon the physical world, destroying mankind's physical security. Mankind has been self-reliant, not needing God. At this point, man will see the senselessness of such an opinion and will be crying out for security. The four trumpets sound out a message of God’s sovereignty over all of the physical world, the land, sea, water, and sky. God will show all of the people of the world the folly of putting their trust in physical things.
The last three trumpets are described as "woes." These three woes will be supernatural in form, exposing the false spiritual security of the world. The announcements of the seven trumpets clearly show the folly of placing one’s trust in anything or anyone but the LORD.
We do not need to wait until the sounding of the trumpets to place our trust in the LORD rather than in the things of this world, for the things of this world will pass away. However, God’s Word will never pass away and will never be changed by any act of man. Let us be certain that we have turned to God in faith, placing our trust in the certainty of eternity rather than in the shallow things of this dark and temporal world.
[1] 2 Enoch 20:2-8 describes their names as Gabriel, Michael, Saraquel, Raguel, Raphael, Remiel, and Uriel. Note that each of these names ends in “el,” disclosing that each name illustrates an attribute of God.
[2] Exodus 9:23-26.
[3] Ezekiel 38:22.
[4] www.space.com
[5] Ezekiel 38:1-23.