The 7-trumpets judgement: (Chap. 8 and 9)
The seal judgments are now over, the trumpet judgments are about to begin. These will be followed by the bowl (vial) judgments, culminating in the destruction of Babylon and Christ’s return to earth. We must note that from the “seals”to the “trumpets” to the “bowls,” the judgments increase in their intensity. Only 1/3rd of the earth is destroyed by these trumpet judgements, this is only a partial judgement from God. His full wrath is yet to be unleashed. Also that the trumpet and the bowl judgments touch on the same areas, as the following summary illustrates:
| No. | Trumpets | Location of the judgement | Bowls |
| 1 | 8:1-7 | The earth scorched. | 16:1-2 |
| 2 | 8:8-9 | The Sea polluted. | 16:3 |
| 3 | 8:10-11 | The rivers contaminated. | 16:4-7 |
| 4 | 8:12-13 | The heavens giving little light. | 16:8-9 |
| 5 | 9:1-2 | Mankind–torment by insects and plague (5-months). | 16:10-11 |
| 6 | 9:13-21 | Demonic army invasion. | 16:12-16 |
| 7 | 11:15-19 | Angry nations – Thy Kingdom comes, the world taken over by God after a severe earthquake. | 16:17-21 |
The Trumpet judgments are released during the first half of the Tribulation, and the Bowl judgments during the second half, which is also called “the wrath of God”. The trumpet judgments parallel the plagues that God sent on the land of Egypt.
The opening of the seventh seal, and the blowing of the first six trumpets, brought about three dramatic results.
The 7th seal contains the 7-Trumpet judgements seems clear, since there is no description of judgement in the 7th Seal, but an anticipation of severe judgement followed immediately in the text by the 7-Trumpet judgements.
In a similar manner, the 7-Trumpet does not describe a judgement (10:7; 11:15-17), but rather contains the anticipation of heavenly rejoicing over the judgement to come.
The exact time-table or period for Trumpet and Bowl judgements is not revealed, but their escalating devastation only indicates that they are of 2nd part of Tribulation. So the 7th Seal encompasses all of God’s final wrath up the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We can put this under 3-sub-titles:
Preparation: (8:1-6):
First there was a silence. The hosts in heaven had just worshiped the Father and the Lamb with a tremendous volume of praise (Rev. 7:10-12). But when the Lamb opened the seventh seal, heaven was silent for about 30-minutes. John does not tell us what caused the silence, but several possibilities exist. The scroll had now been opened completely and perhaps even turned over and all of heaven could see God’s glorious plan unfolding. Perhaps the heavenly hosts were simply awestruck at what they saw.
Certainly, this silence was “the lull before the storm,” for God’s intensified judgments were about to be hurled to the earth. “Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand” (Zeph. 1:7) “The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Hab. 2:20).
During this silence, the seven angels were given trumpets. Trumpets had 3-important uses: they called the people together (Num. 10:1-8); they announced war (Num.10:9); and they announced special times (Num. 10:10). The trumpet sounded at Mount Sinai when the Law was given (Ex.19:16-19), and trumpets were blown when the king was anointed and enthroned (1 Ki. 1:34, 39). We are familiar of the trumpets blowing before the conquest of Jericho (Josh. 6:13-16). Sounding 7-trumpets certainly would announce a declaration of war, as well as the fact that God’s anointed King was enthroned in glory and about to judge His enemies.
Each of the 7-trumpets unleashes a specific judgement of greater intensity than the first six seals, yet not as destructive as the 7-bowls (16:1-21). The first 4-trumpets destroy the earth’s ecology(8:6-12), the next two produce demonic destruction of humanity (8:13; 9:1-19) and the seventh trumpet introduces the final outpouring of God’s wrath contained in the 7-bowl judgements. Now the trumpet angels are waiting for one more event. One more angel came and stood at the altar of incense. This altar is the counterpart to the altar of incense in the temple. Here the angel takes the incense which are the “prayers of the saints.” These prayers are the prayers of God’s people, “Thy kingdom come!” This incense especially represents the cries of the martyrs (6:9-11; 20:4). Many of the prayers of vengeance in the Psalms (imprecatory prayers) will be used rightfully by God’s people during those days of intense suffering. When the incense from the altar was cast upon the earth there came rumbling, peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. This is the beginning of God’s wrath which is about to be poured on earth through the 7-trumpets.