7 trumpets

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17th Dec, 2019 Day 351

Rev 8:1-9

7 trumpets
Seven angels blow seven trumpets in the second cycle of judgements leading up to the second coming!

Trumpets led to the fall of the city of Jericho, these likewise lead to the fall of the worldly city. The first five trumpets echo the Exodus plagues. And just like in Exodus, the plagues don’t lead to repentance.

Trumpet What Parallel in Exodus
1st – 8:7 Hail and fire 7th – hail and fire
2nd – 8:8-9 Blood 1st – blood
3rd – 8:10-11 Bitter water
4th – 8:12 Darkness 9th – darkness
5th – 9:1-11 Locusts 8th – locusts
6th – 9:13-21 Army
7th – 11:15-19 Storm Exodus 19:16-19

These trumpets with their vivid descriptions show that the intensity of judgements has increased but still only for a limited time and with limited scope. The first four affect the four regions of creation – land, sea, fresh water and sky – likewise in chapter 15, the bowls will affect the same regions, but more devastatingly.

Trumpets Bowls
One third of the land All the land
One third of the sea All sea
Bitter drinking Drinking blood
One third of heavenly bodies The Sun

The first four trumpets occur to show that God is the true God and call people to repentance, but like the Egyptians, people harden themselves.

After the fourth trumpet an eagle appears, showing that the last three trumpet plagues will be worse, announcing them as woe. The fifth trumpet is a horrific army of demonic locusts – foreshadowed in Exodus 10:13 -15 and prophesied in Joel 2:1-11. A normal locust swarm lasts a few days – this one for five months, v.5, led by Apollyon – an ironic allusion to the Roman Emperors Nero and Domitian, who saw themselves as imitators of the Greek god Apollo. Wickedness brings suffering rather than the desired success. The last three trumpets discriminate between the righteous and the wicked just like the later Exodus plagues.

Andy Moyle

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR - ANDY MOYLE

Andy planted the Gateway Church in Sept 2007. He and Janet love to gather different nations together to grow in Christ while eating good food! He also helps to shape and serve a couple of Relational Mission's church plants in mainland Europe. Andy and Janet run regularly, largely to offset the hospitality eating! He also runs a popular WordPress plugin Church Admin