2. The Four Views
Historical Approach:
The trumpets speak of a series of invasions
against the Roman Empire (Vandals, Huns,
Saracens, and Turks)
The sixth trumpet brings the fall of
Constantinople to the Turks (1453).
The little book represents the Bible being
available to the masses of Europe after the
invention of the printing press.
3. The Four Views
Preterist Approach:
The first four trumpets correspond to
disasters inflicted by the Romans on the
Jews in the Jewish War (A.D. 66-70).
The fifth trumpet probably depicts the
demonic spirits rendering the besieged
Jews irrational and self-destructive.
The sixth trumpet refers to the Roman
armies, who destroyed Jerusalem and
slaughtered or deported all the Jews.
4. The Four Views
Futurist Approach:
Either literally or symbolically, the trumpets
represent calamities that will be endured
by the unrepentant. inhabitants of earth
during the coming seven year Tribulation.
These may be supernatural judgments
direct from the hand of God or merely the
disastrous effects of man’s improper
stewardship of the earth and his abuse of
technology (e.g., nuclear weapons)
5. The Four Views
Spiritual Approach:
Catastrophes reminiscent of the plagues of
Egypt befall sinful humanity many times in
history, demonstrating God’s displeasure
and, like trumpet blasts, warning of worse
things to come upon the unrepentant.
Sinful humanity typically absorbs these
injuries with defiance, refusing to repent.
6. REVELATION
CHAPTER
EIGHT
The seven
trumpets are
described in
Revelation 8:6-21.
The seven
trumpets are the
“contents” of the
seventh seal
(Revelation 8:1-5).
7. The Seventh Seal
The first through sixth seals were opened
in chapter 6, but in chapter 8 the seventh
seal is opened. Many who believe the
seven seals have been opened recognize
that the judgments depicted by the seven
trumpets have not yet been fulfilled and
may well represent the period of the
Great Tribulation.
8. The Great Tribulation Period
This period carries many names:
Jeremiah 30:7 ~ Jacob’s Trouble
Daniel 9:24-27 ~ Seventieth Week
Isaiah 34:8 ~ The Lord’s Vengeance
11. Silence in Heaven
1 When He opened the seventh seal, there
was silence in heaven for about half an
hour.
At last the seventh seal is broken. And the
significance of this seal is so powerful that
when this seal is broken, heaven stands
silent in anticipation of what will follow.
John tells us “there was silence (Greek,
sige, “to hiss, to hush, silence” [Strong’s])
in heaven for about half an hour.”
12. Seven Angels ~ Seven Trumpets
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before
God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
This is the only reference in the Bible to “the seven
angels,” but there is a reference to them in the Book of
Tobit (written during the intertestimental period). Tobit
12:15 says, “I am Raphael, one of the seven angels
who stand ready and enter before the glory of the
Lord.” Also, the Prophecy of Enoch, an influential
Jewish prophecy, names the seven angels as Uriel,
Raguel, Michael, Sariel, Gabriel, and Remiel. These
references would have been familiar to many who first
received the Revelation.
http://www.kingofpeace.org/thesevenangels.pdf
13. Another Angel
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.
This eighth angel is distinct from the other
seven angels. The eighth angel has the
privilege of burning the incense in the
heavenly temple. Probably not Jesus.
14. Prayers
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the
prayers of the saints, ascended before God
from the angel's hand.
These prayers have been given to the angel
who offers them along with the incense upon
the altar of heaven where their fragrance
reaches God whose response indicates that He
has heard their cries for justice. What follows,
then, is the work of God in response to their
prayers, as well as the plan that God has
sovereignly put in place before the foundations
of the earth were laid.
15. The Censer Thrown to Earth
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. 6 So the
seven angels who had the seven trumpets
prepared themselves to sound.
The result was the beginning of a series of climactic
and geological upheavals anticipating the judgment
to come. Seeing the censer thrown to earth, the
angels with the trumpets prepare themselves to
signal the coming judgments.
16. The First Trumpet
7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire
followed, mingled with blood, and they
were thrown to the earth. And a third of the
trees were burned up, and all green grass
was burned up.
The first trumpet causes hail and fire that
destroys much of the plant life in the world
17. The Second Trumpet
8 Then 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. 9 And a third of
the living creatures in the sea died, and a
third of the ships were destroyed.
The second trumpet brings about what
seems to be a meteor hitting the oceans
and causing the death of much of the
world’s sea life.
18. The Third Trumpet
10 Then 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 water. 11 The name of the
star is Wormwood. A third of the waters
became wormwood, and many men died
from the water, because it was made bitter.
The third trumpet is similar to the second,
except it affects the world’s lakes and rivers
instead of the oceans.
19. The Fourth Trumpet
12 Then the fourth angel sounded: 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 were darkened. A third of the
day did not shine, and likewise the night.
The atmosphere itself becomes so full of particulate
matter that it effectively reduces the light of the sun
and moon by one third, and as a result shortens
daylight hours by one third. Some see this as the
result of a nuclear winter following a massive nuclear
war. Others see it as an ice age following the
tremendous impact of asteroids upon the earth.
20. The Threefold “Woe”
13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying
through the midst of heaven, saying with a
loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the
inhabitants of the earth, because of the
remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three
angels who are about to sound!”
The three-fold use of “woe” indicates that what is
coming is as yet unparalleled in the history of
humanity, and in the course of this vision. It creates
a building tension and suspense as the trumpets are
sounded over the course of the next two chapters.
23. The Fifth Trumpet
1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a
star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him
was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2
And he opened the bottomless pit, and
smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of
a great furnace. So the sun and the air were
darkened because of the smoke of the pit.
Where or what is the Bottomless Pit?
25. Other Theories
The English word “pit” comes from the word translated
“abyss.” The imagery of the abyss being a place that
imprisons fallen angels and demonic spirits is fairly
consistent. In Jewish thought the abyss was the hollow
place in the earth.
Having studied the nature and physics of “black holes” in
space, it might well be that the abyss is such a place
where time, in effect, ceases to exist. God could thrust
demons, men, and beasts into a black hole where they
would fall forever without ever reaching the end. Yet also
be a place from which God could at will retrieve creatures
from this place and introduce them back into time.
The picture, however, is more like that of a volcano from
which smoke, fire and sulfur burst forth. Indeed, the
description with the sun and air being darkened is very
similar to the effects of a volcanic eruption.
26. Fifth Trumpet Continued
3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the
earth. And to them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were
commanded not to harm the grass of the earth,
or any green thing, or any tree, but only those
men who do not have the seal of God on their
foreheads.
What are these creatures?
27. The Creatures from the Pit
Hinson notes that these creatures are either
demonic hordes, human armies or radiation-poisoned
and mutated creatures (p. 108). The
fact that they were “given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power,” suggests a
demonic nature for these locusts (so
Kistemaker). Scorpions, along with serpents,
are symbolic of demonic power (Luke 10:19).
28. The Creatures from the Pit
5 And they were not given authority to kill them,
but to torment them for five months. And their
torment was like the torment of a scorpion when
it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek
death and will not find it; they will desire to die,
and death will flee from them.
These locusts were given power to torment humanity,
but not to kill. This reminds us of the limitations God
placed on Satan with respect to Job. The reference to
five months probably has not symbolic significance
other than the fact that this is a relatively short time.
Five months is roughly the lifespan of locusts.
29. The Creatures from the Pit
7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared
for battle.
On their heads were crowns of something like gold,
and their faces were like the faces of men.
8 They had hair like women’s hair,
and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.
9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron,
and the sound of their wings was like the sound of
chariots with many horses running into battle.
10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were
stings in their tails.
30. The Creatures from the Pit
Kistemaker (2001) gives examples of how
these symbols might be understood:
Power and grace of horses
Intelligence of humans
Charm of women
Ferocity of lions
Armored for battle
Tormenting as scorpions (p. 289).
31. The Creatures from the Pit
10b Their power was to hurt men five months. 11
And they had as king over them the angel of the
bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is
Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes
are coming after these things.
Gause argues that this king, is not to be confused
with the star that descended from heaven. This
angel is different, he is identified and named and
the name given in Hebrew and Greek—Abbadon
and Apollyon. Both names mean “destroyer.”
Kistemaker identifies the star as Satan, who is the
angel of the pit, the king of tormenting hordes.
32. The Sixth Trumpet
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice
from the four horns of the golden altar which is before
God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet,
“Release the four angels who are bound at the great
river Euphrates.”
The voice from the altar instructs the sixth angel to,
“Release the four angels who are bound at the great river
Euphrates.”
The Euphrates River formed the eastern most border of
the Roman Empire. It was also the boundary between
East and West. These four angels are apparently fallen
angels for they have been “bound.” But now God uses
them in His judgment upon unrepentant humanity.
33. The Sixth Trumpet
15 So the four angels, who had been
prepared for the hour and day and month
and year, were released to kill a third of
mankind.
The sixth angel responds and the four angels are
released. God had these angels in reserve for
“the hour and day and month and year.” God is
working on a predetermined timetable. Hour, day,
month and year are not the duration of the
judgment that these angels bring, but the date
and hour.
34. The Sixth Trumpet
16 Now the number of the army of the
horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the
number of them.
Some argue that this a demonic army. Horton
notes that “some try to connect this invading
army with that of Gog and Magog under the
Prince of Rosh in Ezekiel 38 and 39.
Hinson believes that “this invasion involves an
alliance of the non-Arab Muslim nations led by
Iran and the Muslim republics from the former
Soviet Union.”
Either way, these are armies are influenced by
Satan and led by fallen angels in an attack upon
Israel.
35. The Sixth Trumpet
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those
who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red,
hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of
the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of
their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
There is much symbolism in the description. The
reference to two million is probably intended to
symbolize a massive army. Horses represent
power, lions ferocity, breastplates of the three
colors most commonly seen in flames (red, blue
and yellow) indicating the destruction they bring.
36. The Sixth Trumpet
18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was
killed--by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone
which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power
is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are
like serpents, having heads; and with them they do
harm.
The fire, smoke and brimstone symbolize war,
desolation and destruction. The result of their
release that in addition to the quarter of the earth’s
population already killed, another third will be killed.
This eliminates almost half of human population.
As with the reference to scorpions associated with
the locusts, the reference to serpents associated
with this army indicates that they are driven by
demonic influence.
37. The Sixth Trumpet
20 But the rest of mankind, who were not
killed by these plagues, did not repent of the
works of their hands, that they should not
worship demons, and idols of gold, silver,
brass, stone, and wood, which can neither
see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not
repent of their murders or their sorceries or
their sexual immorality or their thefts.
38. The Sixth Trumpet
About a half of humanity remained alive, yet
with all the judgment they had witnessed, and
with all the death and destruction that befallen
earth, there remain those obstinate and
unrepentant people. God moves in dramatic
fashion to impress upon people the need to
repent and call upon the name of the Lord,
and yet they refuse. They will not repent of
idolatry or any of the ungodly practices that
go along with idolatry.
39. The Sixth Trumpet
In our time we already see the seeds of this
obstinacy. We see people who worship
godlessness. We see people whose lifestyle has
brought about such things as venereal diseases
and the plague of AIDS and yet they continue
unrepentant in deviant lifestyles defying anyone
to challenge their rights to kill their unborn
children, challenge their homosexuality, or take
away their drugs or their drinks.
40. The Sixth Trumpet
If there is a message for us today, it is to live
repentant lives, to constantly be examining our
lives and be willing to accept the authority of the
Word of God over every other voice or authority.
We must not allow ourselves to be self-deluded
or deceived into thinking that the Word of God is
secondary to any source or influence with
respect to morality and God honoring lifestyles.
43. The Small Scroll
1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from
heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was
upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and
his feet like pillars of fire.
John does not identify this angel any more than he
does others. In fact, this angel is simply introduced
as “still another angel,”–one more in succession of
angelic appearances.
Some have speculated that because of the
description of this angel that he is Jesus Christ.
However, Kistemaker states, “Christ never appears
as an angel in the Apocalypse. In fact, Tim LaHaye
notes that ‘we will look in vain for a presentation of
Him as an angel after the incarnation’.”
44. The Small Scroll
2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in
his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and
his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout
like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices
of the seven thunders spoke.
Some say this the scroll Jesus received from the right hand of His
Father in chap 5. However, that scroll was written on both sides with
seven seals, which would suggest that that scroll would not be
described as “little.” Further, the reference to the scroll here does not
contain the definite article “the”.
Kistemaker describes this little scroll as “scrap of papyrus” which is
“a gospel message relating to the testimony of Jesus.”
Other opinions: it is “the Word of God, the book of Revelation itself,
the specific prophecies of chapters 12-22, chapter 11, or a message
of judgment against unbelief in general”.
45. The Secret of the Seven Thunders
4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their
voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice
from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things
which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write
them.”
A voice from heaven told John that instead of writing
what the thunders spoke, he was to seal them up.
This is, of course, reminiscent of the command
Daniel received to seal up his prophecies until the
“end of time,” as well as Paul’s note that he was
“caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible
words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”
46. Another Angel
5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and
on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and
swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who
created heaven and the things that are in it, the
earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and
the things that are in it, that there should be delay
no longer.
The word “delay” is from the Greek word chronos which is used to
refer to the movement of time. Hindson says, “The angel is
answering the cry of martyrs in heaven (6:9-12) who were told to
rest awhile until other martyrs joined them. The martyrs asked,
“How long?” (Rev. 6:10) and the answer here is that the time has
come.
Horton, believes that the message of the angel is not that time is
coming to an end, but that the delay of coming judgment, the short
space of time for the people to repent, has come to an end and now
the end is in sight.
47. The Mystery of God
Finished
7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh
angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery
of God would be finished, as He declared to His
servants the prophets.
With the sounding of the seventh trumpet the
“mystery of God” will have come to fulfillment, just as
He has previously promised to His prophets. Chapter
9 ended with unrepentant people who remain
obstinate even after six judgments had befallen
them. The interlude of chapter 10 heightens the
tension in anticipation of what will befall these
blatantly rebellious people.
48. The Small Scroll
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke
to me again and said, "Go, take the little book
which is open in the hand of the angel who stands
on the sea and on the earth."
The voice from heaven spoke again, instructing John to
take the little scroll from the hand of the angel. In verse 7
the angel declared that the “mystery of God would be
finished” and in verse 8 the voice from heaven instructs
John to take the little scroll from the angel. Connecting
these two thoughts may indicate that the scroll contains
the mystery of God, or the gospel of Christ and that this is
and has always been the message of the prophets.
49. The Small Scroll
9 a And I went to the angel and said to him,
“Give me the little book.”
In obedience to the voice, John approaches the
colossal angel and says, “Give me the little
scroll.” That’s bold! In chapter 5 Jesus was the
only one who could take the seven-sealed scroll
from the hand of the Father, and now John is
instructed to take the little scroll from the hand of
an angel. Revelation is filled with such
parallelisms.
50. The Small Scroll
9b And he said to me, “Take it and eat it, and it
will make your stomach bitter, but it will be
sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10 And I took
the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it,
and it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but as
soon as I had eaten it, my stomach was bitter.
This a symbolic commissioning of John to fulfill his
prophetic office. This event mirrors the command
to Ezekiel who was also instructed to take and eat
a scroll, which Ezekiel did and found that it was
sweet like honey to his mouth.
51. Prophesy
11 And he said to me, "You must
prophesy again about many peoples,
nations, tongues, and kings."
Having eaten the little scroll, John is instructed to
“prophesy again.” He has already written much in
the way of prophetic content, but there is more. It
is a word relevant to all the people of the earth.
No one will be exempt from what is about to
follow.
52. God is in Control
Once again, this passage reminds us of God’s
control. It illustrates that God has a plan and His
plan is on course. But there is something else.
The Word of God in our mouths is not simply
some sweet little ditty that will tickle the ears of
those to whom we speak truth. Sometimes it is
a bitter truth that challenges the world and may
even result in us, as God’s prophets, being
rejected and reviled, even as the prophets of
old, even as John himself who found himself on
the Isle of Patmos for declaring the Word of the
Lord.
53. God is in Control
Like John, as well as David (Ps. 119:103),
Jeremiah (15:16), and Ezekiel (2:8; 3:1-3) we
should devour the Word of God, we should take
it in and let it become part of who we are. It is
always sweet, sweeter, in fact, than honey and
the honeycomb, but it is also a Word of
correction and chastisement when we are in
error, as well as a Word of judgment for those
who persist in their rejection of that Word.
