Seven trumpets
Encyclopedia
Seven trumpets are sounded, one at a time, to queue apocalyptic events that were seen in the vision of the Revelation of Christ Jesus, by John of Patmos
, as written in the Book of Revelation
of the New Testament
. The seven trumpets are sounded by seven angels and the events that follow are described in detail from Revelation Chapters 8 to 11. According to , the angels sound these trumpets after the breaking of the seventh seal
. These seals secured the apocalyptic document, that was in the right hand of Him who sits on the main throne.
called Wormwood
falls to the Earth poisoning a third of the planet's freshwater
sources, such as river
s and springs
. Men have died from drinking its bitter taste.
The fifth trumpet prompts a personified star to fall from heaven. The star is given the key to the bottomless pit. After opening it, the smoke that rises out, darkens the air and blocks the sunlight. Then from out of the smoke, the Locusts were unleashed. They were scorpion taled warhorses, having a man's face with lion's teeth. Their hair was long like that of a womans' and flew with locust-like wings. They were crowned with golden crowns and protected with iron-like breastplates. They were commanded by their king, Abaddon
, to torment any man who does not have the seal of God on their forehead, by using their scorpion-like tails. It was also made clear to them that they must not kill anyone during their five month mission of torment.
Preterist views
Robert Witham, a Catholic commentator, issued his two-volume Annotations on the New Testament, in 1733. Commenting on Chapter 9, he offers two preterist views for identifying the locusts with scorpion tails.
". They command a brute force of 200 million mounted troops whose horses dissipate plague from out of their mouths, most notably: fire, smoke, and brimstone
. The mounted horsemen wore breastplates with the color of fire, hyacinth
, and brimstone. The horses had a lion's head and their tails were like a serpent, even with a snake head. They are responsible for the deaths of a third of mankind who are striken by the plague that emanated from these armies.
appeared in His temple. Then lighting and peals of thunder occurred followed by an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
, the first six trumpets are used to serve as a wake up call to the sinners on Earth and a call to repentance. Each trumpet blast brings with it a plague of a more disastrous nature than the one before it. The trumpet is used to build anticipation and tells the reader that an alert, announcement, or warning is about to take place. The seventh trumpet does not bring a plague with it. Rather, it is sounded so that glory is given to God and His kingdom is announced.
Concerning the second trumpet blast, Futurist Christian apologists
speculate that the "great mountain burning with fire" that plunges into the sea, in , is an impact event
by a possible Near-Earth object.
Christians who follow the Posttribulation rapture doctrine, argue that the seventh trumpet is the last trumpet mentioned in , and that there is a strong correlation between the events mentioned in , , and . These parallels are used to support the doctrine of the rapture occurring after the tribulation. Therefore, Posttribulationists see the rapture happening during the seventh trumpet.
John of Patmos
John of Patmos is the name given, in the Book of Revelation, as the author of the apocalyptic text that is traditionally cannonized in the New Testament...
, as written in the Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. The seven trumpets are sounded by seven angels and the events that follow are described in detail from Revelation Chapters 8 to 11. According to , the angels sound these trumpets after the breaking of the seventh seal
Seven seals
The Seven Seals is a phrase in the Book of Revelation that refers to seven symbolic seals that secure the book or scroll, that John of Patmos saw in his Revelation of Jesus Christ. The opening of the seals, on the Apocalyptic document occurs in Revelation Chapters 5-8...
. These seals secured the apocalyptic document, that was in the right hand of Him who sits on the main throne.
First trumpet
Upon the first trumpet sound, hail and fire, mixed with blood, is thrown to the Earth burning up a third of the trees on the planet, and all green grass.Second trumpet
By the second trumpet sounding, it queues something like a great burning mountain that plunges into the sea and wipes out a third of all sea life and ships. A third of the oceans will become blood.Third trumpet
By the sound of the third trumpet, a great starStar
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
called Wormwood
Wormwood (star)
Wormwood, αψίνθιον or άψινθος in Greek, is a star, or angel, that appears in the Biblical New Testament Book of Revelation.-Wormwood in the Bible:...
falls to the Earth poisoning a third of the planet's freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
sources, such as river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s and springs
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
. Men have died from drinking its bitter taste.
Fourth trumpet
Following the sounding of the fourth trumpet, a third of the light that shines from the Sun, moon and stars became dark from these celestial bodies being "struck". This catastrophe caused complete darkness for a third of a day, during the day, even through night hours.Fifth trumpet
The fifth trumpet sound is the "first Woe" of three. Before this trumpet sounds, an eagle-like angel appears, flying in mid-heaven, and warns, "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!"The fifth trumpet prompts a personified star to fall from heaven. The star is given the key to the bottomless pit. After opening it, the smoke that rises out, darkens the air and blocks the sunlight. Then from out of the smoke, the Locusts were unleashed. They were scorpion taled warhorses, having a man's face with lion's teeth. Their hair was long like that of a womans' and flew with locust-like wings. They were crowned with golden crowns and protected with iron-like breastplates. They were commanded by their king, Abaddon
Abaddon
Abaddon in the Revelation of St. John, is the king of tormenting locusts and the angel of the bottomless pit. The exact nature of Abaddon is debated, but the Hebrew word is related to the triliteral root אבד , which in verb form means "to perish."...
, to torment any man who does not have the seal of God on their forehead, by using their scorpion-like tails. It was also made clear to them that they must not kill anyone during their five month mission of torment.
Preterist views
Robert Witham, a Catholic commentator, issued his two-volume Annotations on the New Testament, in 1733. Commenting on Chapter 9, he offers two preterist views for identifying the locusts with scorpion tails.
- The locusts may have represented the incursion of the Goths and “those barbarous People” that interrupted the Roman EmpireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
during the time of DeciusDeciusTrajan Decius , was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until they were both killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
. - The locusts may have represented the Jewish heretics who denied Christ. Most notably, TheodotusTheodotusin workTheodotus is the name of:*Theodotus of Aetolia *Theodotus Hemiolius *Theodotus of Chios *Theodotus of Byzantium *Theodotus *Theodotus of Rome...
, PraxeasPraxeasPraxeas was a Monarchian from Asia Minor who lived in the end of the 2nd century/beginning of the 3rd century. He believed in the unity of the Godhead and vehemently disagreed with any attempt at division of the personalities or personages of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Christian Church...
, NoetusNoetusNoetus, a presbyter of the church of Asia Minor about AD 230, was a native of Smyrna, where he became a prominent representative of the particular type of Christology now called modalistic monarchianism or patripassianism....
, Paul of SamosataPaul of SamosataPaul of Samosata was Bishop of Antioch from 260 to 268. He was a believer in monarchianism, and his teachings anticipate adoptionism.-Life:...
, SabelliusSabelliusSabellius was a third century priest and theologian who most likely taught in Rome, but may have been an African from Libya. Basil and others call him a Libyan from Pentapolis, but this seems to rest on the fact that Pentapolis was a place where the teachings of Sabellius thrived, according to...
, and AriusAriusArius was a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt of Libyan origins. His teachings about the nature of the Godhead, which emphasized the Father's divinity over the Son , and his opposition to the Athanasian or Trinitarian Christology, made him a controversial figure in the First Council of...
.
Sixth trumpet
Five months after the fifth trumpet blast, the sixth one sounds. This is the "Second woe", where four angels are released from their binds to the "great river EuphratesEuphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
". They command a brute force of 200 million mounted troops whose horses dissipate plague from out of their mouths, most notably: fire, smoke, and brimstone
Fire and brimstone
Fire and brimstone is an idiomatic expression of signs of God's wrath in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. In the Bible, they often appear in reference to the fate of the unfaithful. "Brimstone," possibly the ancient name for sulfur, evokes the acrid odor of volcanic activity...
. The mounted horsemen wore breastplates with the color of fire, hyacinth
Jacinth
Jacinth is a red transparent variety of zircon used as a gemstone. Jacinth is also a flower of a reddish blue or deep purple , and hence a precious stone of that colour ....
, and brimstone. The horses had a lion's head and their tails were like a serpent, even with a snake head. They are responsible for the deaths of a third of mankind who are striken by the plague that emanated from these armies.
Seventh trumpet
The sound of the seventh trumpet signals the "Third woe". This is the final trumpet sound and the final woe. Loud voices in heaven proclaim Christ as ruler forever and ever under the "Kingdom of our Lord". Thanks is given to God, the Almighty and praise for the wrath that came, the dead who were judged, and the bond-servants rewarded. The temple of God in heaven then opened and the Ark of the covenantArk of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
appeared in His temple. Then lighting and peals of thunder occurred followed by an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
Interpretations
In Christian EschatologyChristian eschatology
Christian eschatology is a major branch of study within Christian theology. Eschatology, from two Greek words meaning last and study , is the study of the end of things, whether the end of an individual life, the end of the age, or the end of the world...
, the first six trumpets are used to serve as a wake up call to the sinners on Earth and a call to repentance. Each trumpet blast brings with it a plague of a more disastrous nature than the one before it. The trumpet is used to build anticipation and tells the reader that an alert, announcement, or warning is about to take place. The seventh trumpet does not bring a plague with it. Rather, it is sounded so that glory is given to God and His kingdom is announced.
Concerning the second trumpet blast, Futurist Christian apologists
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
speculate that the "great mountain burning with fire" that plunges into the sea, in , is an impact event
Impact event
An impact event is the collision of a large meteorite, asteroid, comet, or other celestial object with the Earth or another planet. Throughout recorded history, hundreds of minor impact events have been reported, with some occurrences causing deaths, injuries, property damage or other significant...
by a possible Near-Earth object.
Christians who follow the Posttribulation rapture doctrine, argue that the seventh trumpet is the last trumpet mentioned in , and that there is a strong correlation between the events mentioned in , , and . These parallels are used to support the doctrine of the rapture occurring after the tribulation. Therefore, Posttribulationists see the rapture happening during the seventh trumpet.
See also
- Events of Revelation (Chapter 8)
- Seven sealsSeven sealsThe Seven Seals is a phrase in the Book of Revelation that refers to seven symbolic seals that secure the book or scroll, that John of Patmos saw in his Revelation of Jesus Christ. The opening of the seals, on the Apocalyptic document occurs in Revelation Chapters 5-8...