The Trumpets

We are continuing to investigate how God's timeline will go during these End Times and final days. 

Yesterday we looked at the opening of the Seals, today we will examine the Trumpets and how they may fit in to this timeline. 

Revelation 8: 6-7

And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 

This says that all seven angels prepared to sound the seven Trumpets all at the same time together, and John will tell us about them one by one. 

When the first Trumpet sounded, there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the Earth; and a third of the Earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 

This is a violent imposition of devastation that is thrown down upon the Earth to disrupt the world we live in. Its effects will cause a third of all trees in the world to be destroyed. This alone is enough to decrease the production of the oxygen we need to breathe to dangerous levels. And the fruit trees we need for food.

And all the green grass is destroyed: this is all of our crops, the grains and cereals that both men and animals need to survive--all gone. 

And a third of the Earth is destroyed. Whether this refers to one contiguous area of the globe, or if all the separate areas are added up to a third, this will still affect the economies of all the nations of the world. 

This first Trumpet blast ushers in tremendous stresses on all of the world's economic and environmental and life-sustaining abilities God put into this Earth for us. Mankind's kicking God out of public and private life has allowed evil to run rampant, and result in all this devastation. 

When will this happen? Where is this in God's timeline? 

8: 8-9

The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. 

The second Trumpet blast announced a violent disruption of the salt waters on the face of the Earth, that resulted in a third of all sea life being killed by the (pollution?) degrading of so much of their environment; and it even caused the destruction of all the seafaring vessels that are exposed to this "blood." 

8: 10-11

The third angel sounded and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

This star fell from the Universe where our Earth resides, the "second heaven" that contains the stars we see; not the "third Heaven" where God lives. And the result of this event so polluted all the fresh waters in the Earth that a third of them became poison, unexpectedly, so that a lot of people who normally could drink their local water safely found that they got sick from it and died.

Nothing like any of these three has ever happened since the Flood, as God has protected our environment with His promise that seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8: 22) that God told Noah as he came off the Ark at the end of the Deluge, and signified with His own Rainbow, the bow that surrounds His own Throne in Heaven (Ezekiel 1: 28). 

With these events despoiling our beautiful planet, making it into a hostile environment that cannot sustain our life, it must signify that the End is already on the doorstep, ready to step in! 

So I'm surmising that these trumpet blasts will happen during the second three and a half years of the Great Tribulation, when the antichrist has full political and military power over the whole world. 

8: 12

The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 

I have no idea how this will look, but I'm sure that after it's happened, we'll be able to say, "Yes, that's exactly what happened!" It will certainly be something that we've never seen before, and it may have a connection to another "sign" we will discuss later. 

When I charted all of these "7s" I was able to see a lot of connections relating them together, especially between the Trumpets and the Vials or Bowls. 

John was then given a warning at this point in his vision, about the last three Trumpet blasts, setting them apart from the rest. 

8: 13

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the Earth, because of the remaining blasts of the Trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" 

So this "eagle" must be an angel that looks like a massive bird, flying in the sky between the ground and the clouds. He pronounces that these last Trumpet blasts will cause more turmoil and confusion and suffering than has ever been in the world! Let's see what these are.

9: 1-12

(1) Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the Earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. 

This "star" is a "him." He is given a key to unlock a "bottomless pit." 

(2) He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. 

This is opening some supernatural evil that has heretofore been locked away from the Earth. Now this Star is given the key to unleash this horrible wickedness upon Mankind! And the smoke is making everything so dark, with a darkness you can feel! Creepy! 

(3) Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the Earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the Earth have power. 
(4) They were told not to hurt the grass of the Earth, nor any green thing, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 

Previously (in chapter 7) God had sent one of His angels to put His seal upon the foreheads of one hundred forty-four thousand people, twelve thousand from each of the final twelve tribes of Israel who were saved, bond-servants of God. But these are not the only ones who are saved out of the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation, because there is a great multitude which no one could count that have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

John mentioned these before he put together the seven Trumpets after he enumerated the seven Seals. So this could happen sometime during the time these Trumpets are sounding, or even while the Seals were being broken open. John put a little order into the chaotic happenings that will be overlapping one another in time. 

These uncountable multitudes are told that they will hunger no more (some may have starved to death), nor thirst any more (probably caught in the bitter water situation), nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat (wait for the fourth Bowl or Vial). Remember, this book is not written in a chronological order, but more of a logical order. 

These "locust/scorpions" are not to bother anyone with God's seal on their foreheads. 

(5) And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. 
(6) And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them. 

These who they have permission to attack will be tormented, probably because they had unmercifully persecuted God's people. I can imagine how someone would want to die if he had to suffer burning and searing fire flowing through his veins constantly for five months! But God won't let them die, He has more in store for them.

(7) The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 
(8) They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 
(9) They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 
(10) They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. 

This is what they look like. John has never seen anything like these before, his only references are what he has seen. So he describes them in great detail, all as "like" something else. He calls them locusts, so they may be small like the insects. Locusts have often been likened to horses, many times in many places in many manuscripts in many languages in history. So this is to be expected. 

He goes on and says that they appear to have "gold crowns" on their "heads," and "faces" like men. What this refers to, I have no idea, so I will leave it to your imagination, dear reader! 

Then he says they have long "hair" like women, so I would suppose this is some kind of fringe or something. And locusts don't even have teeth, but these did. And their shells were like body-armor, and they sounded like a huge army in war-chariots drawn by countless war-horses. 

And their "tails" had the scorpion stings in them.

Now we're going to look at something really interesting:

(11) They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. 

Both of these names means "Destroyer," so I'm thinking that the "star" that was given the key, must be some high-ranking demon. But, if you notice, they are all under the authority of God, who sets the limits. 

I see this "king" over them as like the person who would control a bevy of drones. But I don't think God would create machines, that's what Mankind makes. They must all be demons, too. 

9: 12

The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things. 

This horrible plague of scorpion-like stings is something I would not wish on my worst enemy! But God will not allow His children to be afflicted with anything to do with His wrath, because He already poured out the wrath we deserve on His own Son, Jesus, as He took our death in substitutionary sacrifice. 

This was only the first of three woes. Boy, when God says "Woe!" He really means it! 

Tomorrow we will look at the other two woes. 

God has spent two millennia trying to sweet-talk us into turning to Him, so now He'll turn the other cheek and try using the stick instead of the carrot! While He's doing this for the seven years (two three-and-a-half year periods), an uncountable number of people will turn to Him, away from the open evil that will be let loose during this time. 

Even right now, during this Covid house-arrest, there are thousands more people attending church on Sundays online than ever darkened the doorway of a church building! And a lot of them are finding Salvation! Praise God! He is growing His Kingdom! 

And He will continue to do everything possible and even impossible to draw people to Himself and wash them clean in the blood of the Lamb! 

O my Father, thank You for having Your Son show John what is coming. Even though John didn't know what he was seeing, You knew that he would come up with similes to be able to write, so we could have an idea of what is coming. 

O Father, when we are going through all these chaotic times that John tried to put a little order to, help us to recognize what we are going through and that we are being protected by You through it all. Even though a thousand will fall at our side, and ten thousand at our right hand, it will not touch us. This is Your promise. And You always keep Your word. 

Father, send out Your children now, before all this hits the fan. Before they must decide if they will take that "mark" to seal their fate apart from You. Let every living person in the whole world hear about how much You love them! Allow each of them to understand clearly enough to have a clear and free choice to either choose to turn toward You or away to their own. 

Bring all of Your uncountable children to the birth into Your own family, Father, and fill your great house. Surround Your grand Banquet Table with Your immense family, to continually feast and fellowship together with You and one another, for ever! 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Son of the Father, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!