Introduction to the
Seven Trumpets
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Let's talk to God before beginning this new section:
Our Lord,
We heartily thank You for giving us the wonderful privilege of being able to search and
understand Your prophetic Word contained in the book of Revelation.
After studying the letters to the seven churches and the seven seals, we now wish to start
on the subject of the seven trumpets.
Please guide us during this lesson, so that we may understand the great message You left
for us in the seven trumpets.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 1:11
What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven
churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to
Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 4:1; 5:5
Come up here, and I will show you things which must take
place after this. (...)
Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the
scroll and to loose its seven seals.
We have studied so far the letters to the seven churches and the seven seals,
with their prophecies about the Church from the apostle John's time up to the return of
Jesus.
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Revelation 8:1,2
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
heaven for about half an hour.
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
Immediately after the seven seals, another set of seven prophecies was shown to
the apostle John: the seven trumpets.
But before receiving these new visions, John witnessed a majestic scene taking place in
heaven.
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Revelation 8:3-5
Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and
stood at the altar. And he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the
prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the
angel's hand.
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the
earth.
And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
This scene introducing the seven trumpets is very rich in symbolism.
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Revelation 8:3
Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and
stood at the altar.
And he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints
upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
So Jesus is always the main figure introducing each one of the prophetic
series, in a setting which calls to mind the sanctuary, its furnishings and services.
But in this scene introducing the seven trumpets, the character who is offering incense
upon the altar, making intercession before God's throne, is an angel.
Could this angel be Jesus Christ Himself?
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Exodus 14:19
And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel,
moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind
them.
1 Corinthians 10:4
All drank the same spiritual drink.
For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
First, the Bible sometimes designates Jesus as «the
Angel of God», as we can clearly see here, by comparing these two verses.
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Moreover, the work of intercession before the Father belongs to Jesus:
«It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.» (ROMANS 8:34)
«Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him,
since He ever lives to make intercession for them.» (HEBREWS 7:25)
«My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone
sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.» (1 JOHN 2:1)
«We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord
erected, and not man.» (HEBREWS 8:1,2)
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Revelation 8:3,4
Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and
stood at the altar.
And he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints
upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the
angel's hand.
So, in accordance with the symbolism of the sanctuary, Jesus performs a work of
intercession for His people, just as the high priest did in the earthly sanctuary under
the old covenant.
He adds the smoke of the incense to the prayers of the saints, in order to make them
acceptable to the Father.
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The altar of incense is linked with prayer and the work of intercession:
«You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall
make it of acacia wood. (...) And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn
incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.» (EXODUS
30:1,8)
«The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each
having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.»
(REVELATION 5:8)
«Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening
sacrifice.» (PSALM 141:2)
«The whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.» (LUKE
1:10)
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Revelation 8:5,6
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from
the altar, and threw it to the earth.
And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Besides His ministry of intercession, Jesus performs another work at the altar
of incense, which is also very rich in symbolism.
By understanding the meaning of throwing fire from the altar onto the earth, we will
better grasp the message of the seven trumpets following this scene.
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Revelation 8:5
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from
the altar, and threw it to the earth.
Luke 12:49,51
I came to send fire on the earth (...).
Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather
division.
Jesus confirms that He is the One who throws fire on the earth, and explains
what that means: His message, not being accepted by everybody, becomes a source of
conflicts, divisions, wars, and persecutions.
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Ezekiel 9:9,10; 10:2
The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is
exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for
they say, «The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!»
And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense
their deeds on their own head. (...)
Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among
the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.
The command to throw fire from the altar onto the earth is also given by God to
punish men's apostasy, their rejection of His call to repentance.
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The fire from the altar comes out of the temple to punish men's
apostasy:
«The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the
temple! The voice of the Lord, who fully repays His enemies! (...) For behold, the Lord
will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His anger with
fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword the Lord will judge
all flesh.» (ISAIAH 66:6,15,16)
«The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones
and coals of fire.» (PSALM 18:13)
«Upon the wicked He will rain coals, fire and brimstone and a burning wind; this shall be
the portion of their cup.» (PSALM 11:6)
«Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because He
was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth; coals were
kindled by it.» (2 SAMUEL 22:8,9)
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Revelation 8:5
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from
the altar, and threw it to the earth.
And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
Isaiah 29:6
You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder
and earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire.
In the past, God poured out the fire from the altar to bring men to repentance.
But, this time, fire causes total and final destruction.
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Revelation 8:5,6
And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an
earthquake.
So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Revelation 11:15,19
Then the seventh angel sounded (...).
And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
The introductory scene to the seven trumpets thus indicates that each one of
the trumpets will aim at calling the rebellious men to repentance, until the seventh
trumpet, which will sound the hour of their final destruction.
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Ezekiel 33:2-5
When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the
land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword
coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the
sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his
blood shall be on his own head.
He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon
himself.
But he who takes warning will save his life.
The sound of the trumpet aims at calling men to repentance...
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Isaiah 58:1
Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet;
tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Revelation 11:15,18
The seventh angel sounded (...).
«Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You
should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name,
small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.»
... but, at the sound of the seventh trumpet, all those who ignored the sound
of the first six trumpets will have to face the wrath of God.
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Numbers 10:9
When you go to war in your land against the enemy who
oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered
before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.
For all the believers who remained faithful to God until the end, unlike the
unrepentant men, the sound of the seventh trumpet will be synonymous with good news!
Indeed it will announce their deliverance from this world soiled by sin, and the
institution of a kingdom where goodness, peace and joy dwell.
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Joshua 6:1,2
Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children
of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
And the Lord said to Joshua: «See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the
mighty men of valor.»
The symbolism of the seven trumpets is wonderfully illustrated by the account
of the capture of Jericho.
After wandering in the desert for forty years, the people of Israel were at last ready to
enter Canaan, the Promised Land.
But first, they had to capture Jericho, a city fortified with a strong wall, blocking the
way to the Promised Land.
Then, God showed them how to invade this great city.
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Joshua 6:3,4
You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you
shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark.
But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall
blow the trumpets.
God instructed His people to go all around the city of Jericho once for six
days, blowing the trumpets.
The seventh day, the people had to march around the city seven times, still blowing the
trumpets.
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Joshua 6:16,20
And the seventh time it was so, when the priests blew the
trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: «Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!»
(...)
And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted
with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat.
Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the
city.
The seventh time the trumpets sounded, the wall fell down, and Israel entered
the Promised Land.
Likewise, at the sound of the seventh trumpet, this world will fall, and God's people will
enter the Kingdom of God.
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Leviticus 25:10
You shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim
liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.
It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of
you shall return to his family.
The symbolism of the seven trumpets of Revelation is also illustrated
accurately by the Jubilee.
In order to pay their debts, some Israelites had to give up a part of their land to their
debtors. Some even had to give up themselves as slaves.
To avoid the intensification of the poverty of the destitute families from generation to
generation, God instructed that every fifty years, in the year of the Jubilee, everyone
should give back all land to its first owner, and free all the slaves.
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Leviticus 25:8,9
And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself,
seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you
forty-nine years.
Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh
month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your
land.
The coming of the Jubilee was announced as follows:
- at the end of each seven-year period, the trumpet was blown;
- after 49 years, that is, at the end of seven periods of seven years, the
trumpet sounded for the seventh time, marking the beginning of the fiftieth year: the
Jubilee.
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Leviticus 25:10
You shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim
liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.
It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of
you shall return to his family.
Galatians 4:26
But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of
us all.
The seventh trumpet marked the beginning of the Jubilee, the return to one's
possessions and liberty.
Likewise, the seventh trumpet will free the faithful from evil, and give them back the
Paradise that had been lost in Eden.
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Jeremiah 4:19-21
I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in
me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war.
Destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents
are plundered, and my curtains in a moment.
How long will I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
But the seventh trumpet cannot sound and proclaim deliverance right away.
Before this happens, the first six trumpets must sound, and their message must reach the
rebellious men who reject God and His call to repentance.
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2 Chronicles 13:11,12
We keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have
forsaken Him.
Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to
sound the alarm against you.
O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not
prosper!
Now it is up to us to pay heed to the message of the seven trumpets, calling us
to repentance and obedience to the Word of God.
May the next lessons help us to do so, in order that the sound of the seventh trumpet may
announce for us the coming of deliverance, and not of destruction.
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«The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of
the saints, ascended before God.» (Revelation 8:4)
Heavenly Father,
Your Word says about Your people under the old covenant, «They
chose new gods; then there was war in the gates.» (Judges 5:8) The consequences of
apostasy are always tragic.
But, by way of the trumpets' messages, You desire to give a warning to the rebellious men,
and call them to return to You, before it is too late.
May Your Holy Spirit guide and enlighten us, as we start to study each of the seven
trumpets.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #16,
WP018.JPG. Screen 2: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Revelation Seminars»,
Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #5 («Sept Messages Particuliers de Jésus»), p.1.
Screen 3: ««Seventh Seal: The Distribution of the Trumpets to the Seven
Angels» (c.1255-60), The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. In: «Revelation - Art of the
Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.22. Screen 4: MEMLING,
Hans. «Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos» (1474-79), Memling Museum, Belgium. In:
«Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997,
p.9. Screen 5: CONVERSE, James. In: «God Cares, volume 1» (MAXWELL, C.
Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1981, p.163. Table of Screen 5: First
picture: PROVONSHA, Clyde. In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C. Mervyn), Pacific Press
Publishing Association, 1985, p.88. Second picture: DA FIRENZE, Andrea (1333-1392). «The
Church Militant», Santa Maria Novella, Florence. In: «Revelation - Art of the
Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.130. Third picture:
BISHOP, Tom. «The earthly sanctuary - Interior». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible
Study» (BREADEN, Frank), Australian Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #30.
Screen 6: «Seventh Seal: The Distribution of the Trumpets to the Seven Angels»
(c.1255-60), The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. In: «Revelation - Art of the
Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.22. Screen 7: In:
«The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes» (TAYLOR, Kenneth N.), Moody Press, Chicago,
1956, p.46. Screen 8: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and
Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM232.BMP. Screen 9: JUSTINEN,
Lars. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (September 1997), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, p.8. Screen 10: Model by GILLESAE, Andrew. «Altar of
Incense (INCENSE2)». In: «Bible Picture Library of Photo Art CD», Christian Computer
Art, 1998. Screen 11: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est
proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.130. Screen 12: In:
«Vous pouvez vivre éternellement sur une terre qui deviendra un paradis», New York,
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1982, p.50. Screen 13: In: «The
Watchtower» magazine (June 1, 1988), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.31.
Screen 14: DE CAULLERY, Louis. «Lot and his Daughters Leaving Sodom», Rafael
Valls Gallery, London. In: «The Art of Angels» (LOXTON, Howard), Regency House
Publishing Limited, 1995, p.42. Screen 15: CONVERSE, James. In: «The
Triumph of God's Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association
and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.556. Screen 16: MARTIN,
John. «The Great Day of His Wrath» (1851-53), Tate Gallery, London. In: «Revelation -
Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.96.
Table of Screen 16: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche»,
New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.233. Screen 17: In:
«Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #23 («Les trompettes annoncent
la chute de Rome»), p.1. Screen 18: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from
the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM237.BMP. Screen
19: MOTTEZ, Victor-Louis (1809-1897). «The Resurrection of the Dead», Musée
des Beaux-Arts, Lille, France. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy),
Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.103. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry.
Screen 20: «The Fifth Trumpet», from Lambertus, «Liber Floridus» (c.1448),
Musée Condé, Chantilly, France. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB,
Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.27. Screen 21: COLLINS, Fred.
In: «The Bible Story, volume 3» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1954, p.89. Screen 22: BENNEY, Robert. In: «The Living
Bible Encyclopedia in Story and Pictures, volume 9», New York, H.S. Stuttman Co. Inc.,
1968, 1088-b. Screen 23: BARALDI, Severo. In: «The Bible for Children»
(JENNINGS, Philip S.), New York, Barnes & Noble Books, 1994, pp.84,85. Screen
24: BERRAN, Robert. In: «My Bible Friends, volume 5» (DEGERING, Etta B.),
Pacific Press Publishing Association & Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1977,
p.60. Screen 25: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (January 1, 1987), New
York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.18. Screen 26: BERRAN,
Robert. In: «My Bible Friends, volume 5» (DEGERING, Etta B.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association & Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1977, p.92. Screen 27:
COLLINS, Fred. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific
Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.193. Screen 28: CONVERSE, James.
In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C. Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association,
1985, p.234. Screen 29: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD
#16, FB019.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 39 is waiting for you!