The Trumpets

After the rapture starts the wrath of God -- a way in which the earth is totally cleansed of any human or demonic opposition to the government of God. This wrath is initiated when the 7th seal is opened and the seven trumpets are sounded. The Hebrew word for trumpet is usually "shofar" -- a sonorous wind instrument crafted from a ram's horn. Although trumpets could be made of metal Numbers 10:2, most of the time they were made out of an animal's horn (shofar). Therefore, what the apostle John probably saw were angels sounding the shofar.

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

The First Trumpet

Rev 8:7 The 1st angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

We must notice that the destruction is widespread (1/3 of the earth), and that it starts with small size particles -- hailstones. The size of the particles increases as well as the damage.

The Second Trumpet

Rev 8:8 The 2nd 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 souls, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.



The Third Trumpet

10The 3rd angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11the name of the star is Wormwood.[a] A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

The Fourth Trumpet

Rev 8:10 The 4th 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.

The Fifth Trumpet

Re 9:1 Then the 5th 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.

2When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

7The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.

8Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.[a]

12The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

The Sixth Trumpet

The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns[b] of the golden altar that is before God

It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."

15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

The Seventh Trumpet

15The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." 16And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

19Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.