Interpreting The Seven Trumpets2

I NTERPRETI NG THE SEVEN TRUMPETS
A Paper Pr epar ed f or t he
Dani el and Revel at i on Commi t t ee
of t he Gener al Conf er ence of SDAs
Mar ch 5- 9, 1986

by J on Paul i en
Asst . Pr of essor of NT I nt er pr et at i on
SDA Theol ogi cal Semi nar y

Ber r i en Spr i ngs, MI
Febr uar y, 1986

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I NTRODUCTI ON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS I N CONTEXT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Li mi t s of Thi s St udy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Basi c Obser vat i ons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The St r uct ur al Cont ext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Ol d Test ament Cont ext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The I nt er t est ament al Backgr ound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The New Test ament Cont ext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

EXEGESI S OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Fi r st Tr umpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
The Second Tr umpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
The Thi r d Tr umpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Four t h Tr umpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The Fi f t h Tr umpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The Si xt h Tr umpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
I nt er l ude. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
The Sevent h Tr umpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

THE THEOLOGY OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
The Pr obl emof Evi l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
The Vi si t at i on of Wr at h. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
The Ki ngdomComes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Concl usi on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

ADVENTI ST I NTERPRETATI ON OF THE TRUMPETS:
A HI STORI CI ST PERSPECTI VE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Appr oaches t o t he Book of Revel at i on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The Advent i st Appr oach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
An I nduct i ve Hi st or i ci sm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Some Hi st or i ci st Per spect i ves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
The Tr umpet s and Hi st or y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

I NTRODUCTI ON

The seven t r umpet s of Revel at i on have pr oven t hemsel ves
t o be among t he most di f f i cul t passages i n al l of Scr i pt ur e.
They ar e f i l l ed wi t h bi zar r e and cr ypt i c symbol s whi ch r esi st
meani ngf ul i nt er pr et at i on. The f i r st si x t r umpet s ( 8: 7- 9: 21)
seemvi r t ual l y devoi d of t ypi cal NT t hemes. Her e, of al l pl aces
i n Revel at i on, i t i s essent i al t o appl y as r i gor ous and
sci ent i f i c a met hod as possi bl e i f an under st andi ng of t he
symbol s i s t o be achi eved. The met hod f ol l owed i n t he
pr epar at i on of t hi s paper i s descr i bed i n det ai l i n my book
Decodi ng Revel at i on' s Tr umpet s. 1

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS I N CONTEXT

The Li mi t s of Thi s St udy
The aut hor expl i ci t l y begi ns t he seven t r umpet s at Rev
8: 2 wher e t he seven angel s who st and bef or e God r ecei ve seven
t r umpet s, pr esumabl y f r omGod Hi msel f . 2 Many comment at or s have
f el t t hat t he seven t r umpet s act ual l y begi n wi t h t he openi ng of
t he sevent h seal i n ver se 1. 3 Thi s i s pr obabl y t r ue i n par t as
most t r ansi t i onal passages i n Revel at i on poi nt bot h f or war d and
backwar d at t he same t i me. 4
The seven t r umpet s cl ear l y end wi t h ei t her ver se 18 or
ver se 19 of chapt er 11. Whi l e t hi s cannot be deci ded wi t h
cer t ai nt y t he evi dence of t he book' s st r uct ur e suggest s t hat
But ver se 2 pr ovi des t he expl i ci t
i nt r oduct i on t o t he sect i on so we ar e on r easonabl y saf e gr ound
t o begi n t her e.

ver se 19 bel ongs t o chapt er 12 r at her t han t he sevent h t r umpet . 5
The i nt er l ude, Rev 10: 1- 11: 14, br eaks up t he nat ur al
f l ow of t he t r umpet s and pr epar es t he way f or what i s t o f ol l ow
i n Rev 12f f . The mat er i al i n t hi s sect i on has been r at her
t hor oughl y i nt er pr et ed by El l en Whi t e and t hus i s l ess puzzl i ng
t o Sevent h- day Advent i st s t han t he r est of chapt er s 8- 11. Thi s
paper wi l l concent r at e on t he most eni gmat i c por t i ons, 8: 7- 9: 21
and 11: 15- 18. The i nt er l ude does cont ai n, however , one poi nt of
maj or i nt er est f or our st udy of t he t r umpet s. Thi s i s Rev 10: 7
whi ch r el at es t he soundi ng of t he sevent h t r umpet t o t he
f i ni shi ng of t he myst er y of God.

Thus we wi l l end t hi s st udy of t he seven t r umpet s at Rev 11: 18.

The seven t r umpet s, l i ke t he chur ches and seal s bef or e
t hem, ar e pr eceded by a vi ew of t he heavenl y sanct uar y ( 8: 2- 6) .
The scene i n ver se 2 i s pr obabl y based on t he f act t hat t her e
wer e seven t r umpet pr i est s i n t he Ol d Test ament cul t us ( 1 Chr
15: 24; J osh 6; cf . al so 1QM 3: 1- 11; 7: 7f f . ) .
Basi c Obser vat i ons
6 Thei r t r umpet
cal l s r epr esent ed t he pr ayer s of God' s peopl e f or del i ver ance i n
bat t l e and f or gi veness of si n ( Num10: 8- 10) . Thus t he pr ayer s
of t he sai nt s i n Rev 8: 3- 5 ar e pr obabl y cr i es f or del i ver ance

f r omt he oppr essi on vi si t ed by t hei r enemi es as depi ct ed i n t he
seven seal s.
I n Rev 8: 3- 5 " anot her " angel , pr esumabl y Chr i st , mi ngl es
i ncense wi t h t he pr ayer s of t he sai nt s upon t he gol den al t ar
whi ch i s bef or e t he t hr one. 7
Two basi c i deas ar e por t r ayed i n Rev 8: 3- 5, medi at i on
and j udgment . Thr ough Chr i st ' s medi at i on i n heaven i t i s
possi bl e f or t he sai nt s t o mai nt ai n a r el at i onshi p wi t h God and
t o sur vi ve t he pl agues of t he seven t r umpet s. Whi l e t he al t ar
st ands t hi s medi at i on cont i nues, but wher ever t he f i r e f al l s t he
power s of t he enemy t ake cont r ol . Thi s passage cont ai ns a
symbol i c r emi nder bot h of God' s car e and concer n f or t he
bel i ever and of Hi s act i ve par t i ci pat i on i n t he j udgment s t hat
f al l on t hose who r ej ect t he gospel .
Af t er t he smoke of t he i ncense has
ascended bef or e t he t hr one combi ned wi t h t he pr ayer s of t he
sai nt s, t he angel t akes t he censer , f i l l s i t wi t h f i r e f r omt he
al t ar and t hr ows i t t o t he ear t h. The r esul t of t hat act i s
t hunder s, noi ses, l i ght ni ngs and an ear t hquake. Thi s i s
i mmedi at el y f ol l owed by t he pr epar at i on of t he seven angel s f or
t he soundi ng of t hei r t r umpet s. Thus t he act i vi t y at t he al t ar
i s connect ed t o t he j udgment s whi ch f ol l ow. What i s t he nat ur e
of t hi s connect i on?

The dai l y ser vi ce i n t he t empl e t o whi ch t hi s passage
poi nt s i ncl uded t he mi ni st r at i on of i ncense, t he t hr owi ng of t he
sacr i f i ce i n t he f i r e and t he bl owi ng of t he t empl e t r umpet s.
The bl owi ng of t he t r umpet s i ndi cat ed t hat t he sacr i f i ce was
compl et e. For t he aut hor of Revel at i on t he sacr i f i ce par
excel l ence was t he deat h of J esus. Thus t he event s of t he seven
t r umpet s need t o be seen i n t he l i ght of t he cr oss. I t i s t he
cr oss t hat makes medi at i on possi bl e. I t i s r ej ect i on of t he
cr oss t hat br i ngs down t he wr at h of God. To t he ext ent t hat t he
t r umpet s por t r ay t he aut hor ' s vi ewpoi nt of hi st or i cal event s,
t he begi nni ng poi nt i s cer t ai nl y t he cr oss of J esus Chr i st .
The seven t r umpet s t hemsel ves ar e, l i ke t he seal s,
di vi ded i nt o a 4- 3 pat t er n or , per haps mor e accur at el y, a 4- 2- 1
pat t er n. J ust as t he f our hor semen ar e expl i ci t l y t i ed t oget her
as a uni t , so ar e t he t hr ee woes ( 8: 13; 9: 12; 11: 14) . The f i r st
f our t r umpet s ar e set apar t by Rev 8: 13 and shar e a much br i ef er
f or mat t han t he l ast t hr ee. Whi l e t he f our hor semen
speci f i cal l y af f ect humani t y, t he f i r st f our t r umpet s f al l on
t he nat ur al wor l d.
Anot her aspect of t he seven t r umpet s as a whol e i s t he
appar ent escal at i on of j udgment . They i ncr ease i n i nt ensi t y as
t hey pr ogr ess. Fr ompl agues on t he nat ur al wor l d, t he t r umpet s

become demoni c hor r or s whi ch f i r st har m( f i f t h t r umpet ) t hen
ki l l ( si xt h t r umpet ) t he i nhabi t ant s of t he ear t h. They end i n
t he consummat i on of God' s wr at h under t he sevent h t r umpet .
Ther e i s a basi c pat t er n shar ed by most of t he t r umpet s.
Fi r st an angel sounds t he t r umpet , t hen a f or mappear s
( hai l st or m, f al l i ng st ar ) , t hen t he ef f ect s ar e descr i bed
( bur ni ng of gr eener y, def i l i ng of t he spr i ngs and r i ver s) . Each
pl ague i s l i mi t ed i n i t s spher e of oper at i on, usual l y i n t er ms
of a t hi r d of somet hi ng.
The pur pose of t he seven t r umpet s i s i ndi cat ed by Rev
9: 20, 21 wher e t he l ament i s r ai sed t hat t hose who wer e not
ki l l ed by t he pl agues of t he si xt h t r umpet never t hel ess f ai l ed
t o r epent of t hei r i dol at r y, sor cer y or commandment br eaki ng.
Thi s i ndi cat es t hat whi l e t he t r umpet s por t r ay j udgment s on t he
enemi es of God' s peopl e ( cf . 9: 4) , t hei r pur pose i s t o l ead t o
r epent ance, even t hough t hey do not succeed i n doi ng so wi t h t he
unseal ed. Thi s, combi ned wi t h t he par t i al char act er of t he
t r umpet s ( af f ect i ng t hi r ds of t he ear t h or humani t y r at her t han
t he whol e as i n t he seven bowl s) , l eads t o t he concl usi on t hat
t hey ar e pr el i mi nar y or war ni ng j udgment s whi ch pr epar e t he way
f or t he end- t i me j udgment s of t he l at t er hal f of t he book.

The St r uct ur al Cont ext

Rel at i on t o t he Seven Seal s

Ther e i s consi der abl e r ecapi t ul at i on bet ween t he seal s
and t he t r umpet s. Bot h begi n wi t h a scene f r omt he heavenl y
sanct uar y, descr i be a ser i es of pl agues and t hen end wi t h a
por t r ayal of t he consummat i on. Rev 8: 5 and 11: 19 ar e par al l el
f ol l owi ng each. Such r ecapi t ul at i on i s t ypi cal of Hebr ew st yl e
and i ndi cat es t hat t he seal s and t r umpet s ar e i n r el at i onshi p
wi t h each ot her . 8
However , t her e ar e al so si gni f i cant di f f er ences bet ween
t hem. For one t hi ng t her e i s much l ess r ef er ence t o heavenl y
t hi ngs i n t he t r umpet s t han i n t he seal s.

9 Second, t he seal s
ar e on t he whol e nor mal , non- apocal ypt i c pl agues, whi l e t he
t r umpet pl agues ar e bi zar r e and demoni c. Thi r d, t her e i s an
appar ent r ever sal of cont ent . I n t he seal s t he gener al f ocus i s
on humani t y wi t h pl agues on nat ur e and heavenl y bodi es
i nt r oduced onl y i n t he si xt h seal . I n t he t r umpet s, on t he
ot her hand, pl agues on t he nat ur al wor l d ar e f ound i n t he f i r st
f our whi l e t he f i f t h and si xt h f ocus on humani t y. Four t h, t he
seal s af f ect quar t er - por t i ons of t he ear t h ( Rev 6: 8) whi l e t he
t r umpet s af f ect t hi r ds.

Fi nal l y, and most si gni f i cant , t he seal s cl ear l y concer n
t he peopl e of God and t hei r f at e i n a wor l d t hat opposes t he
gospel . 10
Thi s r el at i onshi p i s, per haps, best under st ood by
exami ni ng t he appar ent connect i on bet ween t he f i f t h seal and t he
i nt r oduct i on t o t he seven t r umpet s ( Rev 8: 3- 5) . I n t he f i f t h
seal ( Rev 6: 9- 11) J ohn sees mar t yr ed soul s under " t he" al t ar
cr yi ng out " How l ong, O Lor d, t he Hol y and Tr ue One, do you not
j udge and avenge our bl ood upon t hose who l i ve on t he ear t h (
As such t hey f or mt he count er par t of t he account of
t he Unhol y Tr i ni t y ( dr agon, beast and f al se pr ophet ) and t he
r emnant of t he woman' s seed depi ct ed i n chapt er s 12- 14. The
t r umpet s, i n cont r ast , descr i be j udgment s on t hose who have
opposed Chr i st t hr ough t hei r opposi t i on t o Hi s peopl e and t hei r
message. Thus, t he r el at i onshi p bet ween t he seal s and t he
t r umpet s i nvol ves bot h par al l el s and cont r ast s.
t n
kat oi kount n epi t s gs) ?" 11 These soul s ar e gi ven whi t e r obes
and t ol d t o r est a shor t whi l e unt i l " t he number of t hei r f el l ow
ser vant s and br ot her s who wer e t o be ki l l ed as t hey had been was
compl et ed. " 12
Si nce t he quest i on " how l ong" i s not r eal l y answer ed i n
t he f i f t h seal , t he r eader ant i ci pat es t hat t hi ngs wi l l be
cl ar i f i ed l at er on i n t he book. Thus i t i s not sur pr i si ng t hat

t her e ar e l at er r ef er ences t o number ed gr oups of God' s peopl e
( chapt er 7) , pr ayer ( 8: 3- 5) and t hose who dwel l on t he ear t h
( 8: 13; 11: 10; 13: 8, 14, et c. ) . Ver y si gni f i cant i s t he r ef er ence
i n Rev 8: 13, whi ch st ands at t he st r uct ur al cent er of t he seven
t r umpet s. 13 Thi s ver se i ndi cat es t hat t he t r umpet pl agues f al l
on " t hose who l i ve on t he ear t h, " t he same gr oup whi ch was
mar t yr i ng t he sai nt s, r ef er r ed t o i n 6: 9- 11 as t he " soul s under
t he al t ar . " The spi r i t ual connect i on bet ween t he t r umpet s and
t he f i f t h seal i s made i n Rev 8: 3- 5 wher e i ncense f r omt he
gol den al t ar i s mi ngl ed wi t h " t he pr ayer s of t he sai nt s ( t ai s
pr oseuchai s t n hagi n) . " 14
Thi s connect i on bet ween t he al t ar of 6: 9- 11 and t hat of
8: 3- 5 i ndi cat es t hat t he seven t r umpet s ar e God' s r esponse t o
t he pr ayer s of t he sai nt s f or vengeance on t hose who have
per secut ed and mar t yr ed t hem. The mar t yr s wer e anxi ous f or t he
j udgment t o begi n but i t was del ayed unt i l al l t he seal s had
been opened.
Thi s scene symbol i zes Chr i st ' s
i nt er cessi on f or Hi s sai nt s. He r esponds t o t hei r pr ayer s by
cast i ng Hi s censer t o t he ear t h, wi t h f r i ght f ul r esul t s.
15
I n ver se 5 t he al t ar whi ch r ecei ves t he pr ayer s of t he
sai nt s becomes t he sour ce f r omwhi ch j udgment s ar e pour ed out on
t he wi cked i n r esponse ( cf . 9: 13- 15; 14: 18- 20 and 16: 4- 7) . When

t he f i r e of pur i f i cat i on f r omt he al t ar cont act s t he ear t h, i t
pr ovokes di sast er s. 16

The same f i r e whi ch pur i f i es can al so
dest r oy. The censer of j udgment and t he censer of pr ayer become
one. Thus t he seven t r umpet s shoul d be under st ood as God' s
j udgment - r esponse t o t he pr ayer s of t he mar t yr s, r esul t i ng i n
j ust i ce bei ng done wi t h r espect t o t hose who per secut ed t he
sai nt s.
Rel at i on t o t he Rest of t he Book
What r el at i on do t he seven t r umpet s have t o t he r est of
t he book of Revel at i on? I n chapt er s 10 and 11, wher e t he
sevent h t r umpet i s f i r st ment i oned, we have a vi si on whi ch
cont ai ns t he f i r st ment i on of a number of el ement s such as t he
" beast " and t he " gr eat ci t y" whi ch f or ma maj or par t of vi si ons
i n t he l at t er hal f of t he book. Thi s el ement of " pr evi ew" i s
par t i cul ar l y pr omi nent i n 11: 18 whi ch of f er s a summar y
i nt r oduct i on of t he f i nal bat t l e descr i bed i n chapt er s 12
t hr ough 22.
Rev 11: 18 cont ai ns f i ve st at ement s whi ch poi nt t o f i ve
sect i ons of t he second hal f of t he Apocal ypse. " The nat i ons
wer e angr y" ( t a et hn r gi st hsan) i s el abor at ed i n 12: 17f f .
wher e t he dr agon was angr y wi t h t he woman ( r gi st h ho dr akn)

and went away t o make war wi t h t he r emnant of her seed by means
of t he sea and l and beast s whi ch he cal l s up i n chapt er 13.
The next st at ement i n 11: 18, " and your wr at h came" ( kai
l t hen h or g sou) , i s a r ef er ence t o t he seven l ast pl agues i n
t hei r cont ext ( Rev 15- 18) . These bowl pl agues ar e summar i zed i n
15: 1: " And I saw anot her gr eat and wondr ous si gn i n heaven,
seven angel s havi ng t he seven l ast pl agues, because i n t hemt he
wr at h of God i s consummat ed ( et el est h ho t humos t ou t heou) . " 17
Wi t h " t he t i me t o j udge t he dead" (

The t wo woes of Rev 9 ar e t r ul y hor r endous. The r eader expect s
t he most f r i ght eni ng pl ague of al l wi t h t he ar r i val of t he t hi r d
woe i n 11: 15f f . But t he sevent h t r umpet i s most l y r ej oi ci ng and
has onl y a mi ni mal ment i on of negat i ve event s. Thus t he t hi r d
woe i s t he seven l ast pl agues of t he bowl s.
ho kai r os t n nekr n
kr i t hnai
The t i me of r ewar ds (
) we have an appar ent r ef er ence t o t he j udgment of t he
gr eat whi t e t hr one i n Rev 20: 11- 15. Thi s poi nt s t he r eader t o
t he cont ext of t he mi l l enni umand i t s af t er mat h.
dounai t on mi st hon t ous doul oi s sou
. . .) i s ment i oned agai n i n 22: 12 wher e J esus r ewar ds Hi s
f ai t hf ul ones at Hi s Second Comi ng. The cont r ast i ng r ewar d " t o
dest r oy t hose who ar e dest r oyi ng t he ear t h" ( di apht hei r ai t ous

di apht hei r ont as tn gn
I t i s cl ear f r omt he above anal ysi s t hat t he sevent h
t r umpet i s a summar y st at ement i n advance of t he cont ent s of t he
r est of t he book of Revel at i on. As such t he seven t r umpet s have
a cer t ai n st r uct ur al r el at i onshi p t o t he event s por t r ayed i n
chapt er s 12- 22. Thi s r el at i onshi p i s especi al l y st r i ki ng i n
t er ms of t he par al l el s and cont r ast s bet ween t he t r umpet s and
t he seven bowl s.
) , i s ment i oned i n 19: 2 whi ch summar i zes
t he r esul t s of t he pl agues and t he f al l of Babyl on.
18

The Thr ee Ser i es of Pl agues
I n a st udy of t he seal s, t r umpet s and bowl s, t hen, t her e
i s a t ensi on bet ween r ecapi t ul at i on and cont r ast . As not ed
ear l i er , one of t he most si gni f i cant cont r ast s i s i n t he
t er r i t or i al l i mi t at i ons of t he seal s and t he t r umpet s as opposed
t o t he bowl pl agues. 19 Thus t her e i s a dr amat i c cr escendo of
j udgment i n t he seal s, t r umpet s and pl agues. 20 The seal s and
t he t r umpet s ar e pr el i mi nar y and par t i al i n char act er i n
compar i son wi t h t he bowl s whi ch consummat e t he wr at h of God. 21
Ther ef or e, t he t r umpet s shoul d not be i nt er pr et ed i n
t er ms of t he f i nal consummat i on, al t hough t hey l ead up t o i t .
They ar e l i mi t ed t er r i t or i al l y t o t hi r ds of t he ear t h, t hey ar e

l i mi t ed t o per i ods of t i me ( f i ve mont hs) and t hey ar e l i mi t ed i n
t hei r dest r uct i ve capaci t y ( 9: 5, 6) . By cont r ast , t he bowl s ar e
an advancement i n t he st at e of God' s j udgment s. They ar e cal l ed
t he seven " l ast " pl agues. I n t hemGod' s wr at h i s f or t he f i r st
t i me br ought t o i t s f ul l compl et i on. They ar e pour ed out wi t h
r ef er ence t o t he beast whi l e t her e i s no ment i on of t he beast i n
t he t r umpet s unt i l j ust bef or e t he sevent h. The r esul t of t he
pl agues i s t hat t he r edeemed, t he pr oduct of t he Chr i st i an er a,
st and by t he sea. Thus t he aut hor i nt ended t he r eader t o see
t he pl agues as t he consummat i on of t he end- t i me whi l e t he
t r umpet s poi nt t o a ser i es of event s t hat l ead up t o t he end-
t i me.

Summar y of St r uct ur al Cont ext
The var i ous st r uct ur al el ement s t hat have been not ed i n
t he r el at i onshi p of t he t r umpet s t o t he mat er i al whi ch pr ecedes
and f ol l ows i ndi cat e t hat chapt er s 4- 11 of Revel at i on shoul d be
under st ood as par al l el t o 12- 18. Bot h t he seal s and t he cr i si s
of chapt er s 12- 14 ar e r el at ed t o t he exper i ence of t he chur ch i n
i t s pr ocl amat i on of t he gospel despi t e sever e per secut i on. The
t r umpet s, on t he ot her hand, ar e par al l el t o t he bowl s i n t hei r
f ocus on t he enemi es of God' s peopl e who ar e bei ng j udged f or

t hei r r ej ect i on of t he gospel and t hei r per secut i on of t hose who
pr ocl ai med i t .
By way of cont r ast , however , t he seal s and t he t r umpet s
shar e a par t i al and pr el i mi nar y char act er i n r el at i on t o t he
l at er descr i pt i ons. They ar e not deal i ng wi t h t he consummat i on
but ar e l eadi ng up t o i t . Thus t he aut hor want s t he r eader t o
under st and t hat t he seal s and t he t r umpet s concer n t he char act er
of t he age l eadi ng f r omhi s day t o t he end, whi l e t he cr i si s of
12- 14 and t he bowl s ar e concer ned pr i mar i l y wi t h t he end- t i me
consummat i on i t sel f . 22

Thi s ser i es of i nt er - r el at i onshi ps i n
t he hear t of t he book of Revel at i on can be i l l ust r at ed by means
of t he f ol l owi ng t abl e:
cent er cl ose
of of
book pr obat i on

Seal s Tr umpet s 12- 14

Bowl s
Gospel J udgment Gospel J udgment
and of and of
Chur ch wi cked Chur ch wi cked
r el at ed wor l d r el at ed wor l d

___________________ _______________________
Hi st or i cal End- Ti me Cr i si s

The Ol d Test ament Cont ext

Al t hough t her e ar e ni ne di f f er ent Hebr ew wor ds t hat
r ef er ei t her t o t he act of bl owi ng a t r umpet or t o t he
i nst r ument i t sel f , 23 t her e i s onl y one r oot st r uct ur e f or
t r umpet i ng i n New Test ament Gr eek. 24
Li t ur gy and Wor shi p 54
Thi s wor d gr oup i s f ound
134 t i mes i n t he Gr eek Ol d Test ament . Thr ough a car ef ul st udy
of al l t he passages, t he var i ous usages have been gr ouped i nt o
t he f ol l owi ng cat egor i es:
Wor shi p i n t he Cont ext
of Bat t l e 22
Ot her bat t l e usages 28
War ni ng 10
Cor onat i ons 9
Si gnal i ng 5
Theophany ___6___

134
Li t ur gy and wor shi p i nvol ve t he use of t he t r umpet i n
t he cont ext of t he t empl e r i t ual s, hymns and r el at ed act i vi t i es
of cor por at e wor shi p. I n addi t i on t he t r umpet al so had a
l i t ur gi cal si gni f i cance i n bat t l e. The bat t l e t r umpet s of
I sr ael wer e t o be handl ed onl y by t he pr i est s. Gener al
r ef er ences t o bat t l e t r umpet s and i nci dent s wher e someone ot her
t han a pr i est used t he t r umpet ar e combi ned under t he cat egor y
Ot her Bat t l e Usages. The cat egor y of War ni ng ar i ses pr i mar i l y
f r omEzek 33, al t hough i t may wel l pl ay a subsi di ar y r ol e i n

some of t he ot her usages as wel l . 25 The cat egor y of Si gnal i ng
has pr i mar y r ef er ence t o Num10 whi ch cont ai ns mar chi ng or der s
f or t he I sr ael i t e camp. 26 Tr umpet s wer e pr omi nent al so i n t he
cor onat i ons of anci ent I sr ael and i n t he ent hr onement Psal ms
( such as Ps 47) whi ch l ooked f or war d t o t he t i me when God' s
ki ngdomwoul d be est abl i shed over t he whol e ear t h. 27 Tr umpet s
wer e al so associ at ed wi t h t heophani es i n Exodus 19 and Zech
9: 14. Whi l e t hi s associ at i on i s r ar e i n t he OT, i t becomes a
pr edomi nant emphasi s i n t he NT. 28
Thus, t he pr edomi nant usage of t r umpet s i n t he OT i s i n
a l i t ur gi cal cont ext . The key t heol ogi cal passage i s Num10: 8-
10:

The sons of Aar on, t he pr i est s, ar e t o bl ow t he
t r umpet s. Thi s i s t o be a l ast i ng or di nance f or you and t he
gener at i ons t o come. When you go i nt o bat t l e i n your own l and
agai nst an enemy who i s oppr essi ng you, sound a bl ast on t he
t r umpet s. Then you wi l l be r emember ed by t he Lor d your God and
r escued f r omyour enemi es. Al so at your t i mes of r ej oi ci ng- -
your appoi nt ed f east s and New Moon f est i val s- - you ar e t o sound
t he t r umpet s over your bur nt of f er i ngs and f el l owshi p of f er i ngs,
and t hey wi l l be a memor i al f or you bef or e your God. I amt he
Lor d your God.

Thi s passage cl ear l y i ndi cat es t hat t her e was a
l i t ur gi cal si gni f i cance t o t he bl owi ng of t he t r umpet r egar dl ess
of t he cont ext . I t s use was conf i ned t o t he pr i est s. Whet her
i n bat t l e or i n wor shi p i t s use by God' s peopl e was t o r esul t i n
r emembr ance ( ni zkar t em- - v. 9, l ezi kkr n- - v. 10, r oot - - zkr ) on
Hi s par t . I n bat t l e t hi s r emembr ance t ook t he f or mof
del i ver ance f r omt hei r enemi es ( v. 9) . I n wor shi p t hi s
r emembr ance t ook t he f or mof f or gi veness and accept ance wi t hi n
t he par amet er s of t he covenant ( v. 10- - " I amt he Lor d your
God. " ) . Thus, t heol ogi cal l y, I sr ael di d not di st i ngui sh bet ween
bat t l e and wor shi p as f ar as t he t r umpet was concer ned. The
soundi ng of t he t r umpet became a symbol of covenant pr ayer .
When t he pr i est s bl ew t he t r umpet t hey wer e r emi ndi ng God of Hi s
covenant wi t h Hi s peopl e. Thus, t he pr edomi nant usage of t he
t r umpet i n t he OT ( 80 t i mes out of a t ot al of 144 or 56%) i s i n
a l i t ur gi cal cont ext and i t s pr i mar y t heol ogi cal si gni f i cance i s
as a symbol of pr ayer . 29
I n addi t i on t o t hei r backgr ound i n OT t r umpet i ng, t he
seven t r umpet s poi nt back t o such OT event s as cr eat i on,

30 t he
Exodus31 and t he f al l of J er i cho. 32 Ther e i s al so f r equent
r ef er ence t o t he book of J oel 33 and " t hi r ds" appear i n a number
of pl aces. 34 J oel and t he " t hi r ds" ar e most cl osel y r el at ed t o

t he t hemes of exi l e and r et ur n i n t he pr ophet s, t hus t he seven
t r umpet s poi nt t o aspect s of t he t hr ee maj or event s of OT
hi st or y, t he Cr eat i on- Fal l , t he Exodus and t he Exi l e/ Ret ur n. 35
I n a subt l e manner t he aut hor of Revel at i on combi nes t he
pl agues on Egypt wi t h J oshua' s at t ack on J er i cho. As at
J er i cho, t he t r umpet s pr ecede t he f al l of a gr eat ci t y ( cf . Rev
11 and 18) , and t he ent r ance of God' s peopl e i nt o t he pr omi sed
l and ( cf . Rev 21 and 22) . The t r umpet s, however , ar e al so par t
of what St r and has cal l ed t he " Exodus f r omEgypt / Fal l of
Babyl on" mot i f .

36 Whi l e most of t he pl agues ar e based di r ect l y
on t he Exodus mot i f , we r eal l y have a bl endi ng of t he Exodus
wi t h t he Exi l e. 37

The ext ent of t hi s bl endi ng can be seen i n
t he f act t hat i n Revel at i on J er i cho has become Babyl on. I t i s
Babyl on whi ch f al l s af t er t he bl owi ng of t he t r umpet . As wi t h
t he Exodus and t he Ret ur n f r omBabyl oni an exi l e, t he t r umpet s
ar e a covenant execut i on on t he par t of God. He j udges t he
wi cked f or t hei r opposi t i on t o Hi mand Hi s peopl e, i n t he
pr ocess del i ver i ng t he r i ght eous and pr epar i ng t he way f or t hei r
i nher i t ance of t he ki ngdom( cf . t he shout of Rev 11: 15) .

The I nt er t est ament al Backgr ound

A cl ear t r end i n t he i nt er t est ament al per i od was t he
i ncr easi ng associ at i on of t r umpet s wi t h j udgment . 38 Thi s can be
seen i n a number of ear l y par aphr ases of t he Hebr ew t ext , 39 i n
Phi l o, 40 t he Mi shnah, 41 and non- canoni cal J ewi sh apocal ypses and
hymns. 42
Tr umpet s wer e al so associ at ed dur i ng t hi s per i od wi t h
si gnal i ng i n bat t l e,

43 and pr ayer , 44

but t hese t hemes pl ay a
mi nor r ol e i n t he t hought of t he per i od as f ar as we can
r econst r uct i t f r omt he ext ant l i t er at ur e. The associ at i on of
t r umpet s wi t h j udgment and t he eschat on i s t he pr edomi nant
emphasi s wi t h over t ones of l i t ur gi cal war , so common i n t he OT,
onl y i n t he War Scr ol l of Qumr an.

I n t he NT t he
The New Test ament Cont ext
sal pi gx/ sal pi zei n wor d gr oup has t aken
over al l t he Gr eek and Hebr ew meani ngs of t r umpet and t r umpet i ng
whi ch t he NT wr i t er s consi der ed per t i nent t o t hei r wr i t i ngs.
These t wo wor ds appear i n t he NT a t ot al of 23 t i mes. Of t hese,
t wo can be i gnor ed f or t he pur poses of our st udy. 45 Of t he
ot her 21 usages, 14 ar e f ound i n Rev 8- 11. Bef or e we l ook at
t hat passage we wi l l st udy t he ot her seven usages, whi ch appear
t o f al l i nt o t wo gr oups.

Tr umpet s as t heophany

Heb 12: 19 al l udes t o Exod 19: 13- 19. The cl oud, t he
dar kness and t he st or mar e al l t heophani c phenomena. The aut hor
of Hebr ews cont r ast s t he secur i t y of t he one who accept s Chr i st
( v. 22- 24) wi t h t he t er r or and gl oomof t he mount ai n of t he l aw.
Anot her t heophani c use of t he t r umpet can be f ound i n Rev 1: 10
cf . 4: 1. I n bot h passages t her e i s a movement f r omt heophany t o
Chr i st ophany. The NT wr i t er s came t o equat e J esus Chr i st wi t h
t he Yahweh of t he OT.

Tr umpet s and t he Par ousi a

Tr umpet s appear f our ot her t i mes i n t he NT i n connect i on
wi t h passages deal i ng wi t h t he Par ousi a ( Mat t 24: 31; 1 Cor
15: 51, 52; 1 Thess 4: 16, 17) . The t r umpet s may have been
under st ood as a symbol of t he voi ce of Chr i st t hat awakens t he
dead ( cf . J ohn 5: 28, 29) . I n t hese f our passages t he l anguage of
t heophany i s associ at ed wi t h t he Par ousi a and t he end- t i me
r esur r ect i on of t he dead. Thus t he pr edomi nant usage of
t r umpet s i n t he New Test ament out si de t he seven t r umpet s i s i n
r el at i on t o t heophany or , mor e accur at el y, Chr i st ophany.

New Test ament Use of t he Ol d
The i nt er pr et er of t he seven t r umpet s must not onl y be
awar e of al l usi ons t o t he NT i n t he seven t r umpet s but of t he
gener al i mpact t he NT has on t he use of t he OT i n t he book of
Revel at i on. Unl ess we see how t he NT t r ansf or ms t he hi st or y and
t he symbol i smof t he OT we wi l l t end t o i nt er pr et Revel at i on i n
t er ms of t he OT backgr ound r at her t han seei ng t he uni que use
t hat J ohn has made of t hi s OT mat er i al . 46
I n t he NT, t he t hi ngs of Yahweh and t he t hi ngs of I sr ael
t end t o be appl i ed t o J esus Chr i st . Theophani es become
Chr i st ophani es. The Day of Yahweh becomes t he day of J esus
Chr i st . As t he bl owi ng of t r umpet s i n t he OT r el at ed t o t he
t hi ngs of Yahweh and I sr ael , so i n t he NT t hey ar e r el at ed t o
J esus and Hi s peopl e.

The Exodus f r omEgypt i s appl i ed i n t he pr i mar y sense t o
t he deat h of Chr i st on t he cr oss and i n a secondar y sense t o t he
exper i ence of ever y bel i ever i n Chr i st ( Rom6: 3- 6; 1 Cor 10: 1-
13) . As do t he pl agues of Egypt , t he t r umpet pl agues pr ecede an
exodus, but i t i s not t he exodus of anci ent I sr ael or of t he
J ews of t he aut hor ' s day, i t i s t he exodus of t he chur ch f r om
exi l e i n spi r i t ual Babyl on t hat i s pr eceded by t he t r umpet s. As t h

I nst ead of a l i t er al - l ocal - et hni c I sr ael sur r ounded by l i t er al
enemi es such as Babyl on, t he NT I sr ael i s a spi r i t ual - wor l dwi de-
uni ver sal body of bel i ever s who have spi r i t ual enemi es such as
spi r i t ual Babyl on whi ch consi st s of al l t hose who act i vel y
r ef use t o accept Chr i st and t hus seek t o per secut e t hose who
f ol l ow Hi m.
Thus when J ohn, i n t he seven t r umpet s, al l udes t o t he
exper i ences of I sr ael i n t he OT, he has t he chur ch i n mi nd.
When he al l udes t o Yahweh, he gener al l y has Chr i st i n mi nd.
When he al l udes t o Babyl on, Egypt , Assyr i a or Edomhe has t he
opposer s of t he gospel of J esus Chr i st i n mi nd. Thus, t he
aut hor of Revel at i on i s abl e t o updat e t he ent i r e OT and make i t
r el evant f or t he si t uat i ons f aced by f ol l ower s of J esus. The
seven t r umpet s have a Chr i st i an message t hat was r el evant t o t he
chur ches i n Asi a Mi nor as wel l as t o us.

EXEGESI S OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Exegesi s, by def i ni t i on, i nvol ves t he at t empt t o
under st and what t he or i gi nal wr i t er meant i n addr essi ng t he
i ssues he f aced, and t he i mpact t hat hi s wor k mi ght have had on
t he or i gi nal audi ence. Whi l e t he t ask of exegesi s does not deny
t hat God may have pl aced a speci al meani ng i n t he t ext f or
t oday, t he exeget e l i mi t s hi msel f t o t he or i gi nal meani ng of a
passage, l eavi ng t o t he Bi bl i cal or Syst emat i c t heol ogi an ( who
shoul d al so be a ski l l ed exeget e) t he t ask of bui l di ng on t hat
exeget i cal f oundat i on.
Thus, i t i s t he t ask of t hi s chapt er t o unl ock t he
meani ng of t he l anguage used i n t he seven t r umpet s as i t woul d
have been under st ood i n t he f i r st cent ur y. The i nt er pr et at i on
of t he passage f r oma 20t h cent ur y per spect i ve wi l l be l ef t f or
t he next chapt er . To accompl i sh t hi s exeget i cal t ask, each
t r umpet wi l l be t r ansl at ed i nt o Engl i sh, t hen r el evant al l usi ons

and symbol s dr awn f r omot her l i t er at ur e wi l l be l i st ed.
Fi nal l y, an at t empt wi l l be made t o show t he deeper meani ng
behi nd t he symbol s t hat an i nt el l i gent f i r st cent ur y r eader
woul d have under st ood.

The Fi r st Tr umpet
The f i r st angel sounded hi s t r umpet ; wi t h t he r esul t
t hat hai l and f i r e mi xed wi t h bl ood wer e f l ung t o t he ear t h. A
t hi r d of t he ear t h, a t hi r d of t he t r ees and al l t he gr een gr ass
wer e bur ned up.
Rev 8: 7

Par al l el s i n Revel at i on
7: 1- 3 11: 19
8: 5 14: 18
9: 4 6: 21
11: 5 20: 10, 14, 15

Ol d Test ament Al l usi ons

Reasonabl y Cer t ai n
Exod 9: 23- 26 Ezek 38: 22
I sa 10: 16- 20 Zech 13: 8, 9
Ezek 5: 1- 4

Moder at el y Cer t ai n
Exod 7: 17f f . I sa 30: 30
Deut 32: 22 J er 11: 16, 17
Ps 18: 13 J er 21: 12- 14
Ps 80: 8- 11, 15, 16 Ezek 15: 6, 7
Ps 105: 32 Ezek 20: 47, 48
I sa 28: 2 J oel 2: 30, 31

Symbol i c Concept s
Hai l Ear t h
Fi r e Tr ees
Bl ood Gr ass

Cont empor ar y Li t er at ur e

4 Ezr a 5: 8 i n cont ext Si b Or V: 376- 378
Wi s Sol 16: 16- 24

New Test ament Al l usi ons

Mat t 3: 10 Luke 12: 49
Luke 23: 28- 31

Uncer t ai n
Rom8: 20f f . 1 Cor 3: 13, 14
J ude 11, 12

Exeget i cal Meani ng

I n t he f i r st t r umpet J ohn dr aws on t he i mager y of God' s
j udgment s on Egypt ( Exod 9: 23- 26) , Assyr i a ( I sa 10: 16- 20) , Gog
( Ezek 38: 22) and J er usal em( Ezek 5: 1- 4) . I t i s cl ear t hat t he
l anguage of t he f i r st t r umpet descr i bes an act of God' s j udgment
agai nst a power t hat opposes Hi m. I n t he OT t hese j udgment s
wer e covenant r el at ed, t hus coul d be t ur ned on God' s own peopl e
when t hey br oke t he covenant ( Deut 32: 15- 22) . The l at er
pr ophet s, especi al l y, appl i ed t he hai l and f i r e of God' s
j udgment s mor e and mor e t o I sr ael and J udah ( Ps 80: 8- 16; I sa
28: 2; J er 11: 16, 17; 21: 12- 14; Ezek 15: 65, 7; 20: 47, 48) .
I n t he OT, hai l and f i r e symbol i zed weapons of God' s
wr at h used i n j udgment on Hi s enemi es ( Exod 9: 23- 26; J ob 38: 22;
Ps 18: 13; I sa 10: 16- 20; 28: 2; 29: 1- 6; J er 21: 12- 14) . 47 Bl ood

symbol i zed vi ol ent l y dest r oyed l i f e ( Gen 9: 5, 6; 1 Kgs 2: 5; Ps
79: 3; Mi c 3: 10) . The ear t h symbol i zed t he habi t abl e por t i on of
t he pl anet , and i n cont r ast t o t he sea, t he l and of I sr ael
i t sel f ( I sa 28: 2; Lev 26: J er 9: 10- 12) . Fr esh gr ass was a
symbol of God' s peopl e whi l e dr y gr ass por t r ayed t he f at e of
evi l doer s ( I sa 44: 3, 4; Ps 37: 1, 2) . Fr ui t f ul t r ees wer e
par t i cul ar l y associ at ed wi t h t he f ai t hf ul f ol l ower s of Yahweh
( Ps 1: 3; 52: 8; 92: 12, 13; I sa 61: 3) whi l e dr y or wi l d veget at i on
symbol i zed t he unf ai t hf ul ness of I sr ael ( I sa 5: 1- 7; J er 2: 21;
Ezek 15: 6, 7; 20: 47, 48; Hos 10: 1) . 48
I n Revel at i on, as i n t he OT, hai l and f i r e ar e
associ at ed wi t h heavenl y t hi ngs and wi t h God' s j udgment s on Hi s
enemi es ( Rev 16: 21; 20: 10, 14, 15) and t he enemi es of Hi s peopl e
( 8: 5; 11: 5) . Gr eener y i s al so a symbol of God' s peopl e who ar e
usual l y pr ot ect ed by Hi s seal ( 7: 1- 3; 9: 4) . Thus t he gr eener y
her e r epr esent s f ol l ower s of God who ar e not pr ot ect ed and t hus
have pr obabl y f or saken t he covenant . The t hi r ds ar e best
under st ood as por t i ons of Sat an' s ki ngdomwhi ch has t hr ee par t s
( Rev 16: 14, 19) .

49
Thus t he f i r st t r umpet por t r ays a j udgment of God, i n
r esponse t o t he pr ayer s of t he sai nt s, whi ch f al l s on a por t i on
of Sat an' s ki ngdomt hat may once have gi ven al l egi ance t o God' s

ki ngdom. Do we have any i dea wi t h whomt he r eader s of t he
Apocal ypse woul d have i dent i f i ed t hi s j udgment ? I n Mat t 3: 10
t r ees wer e a symbol of f r ui t l ess J ews who had r ej ect ed J ohn t he
Bapt i st ' s message and t hus wer e exposed t o t he f i r e of Messi ani c
j udgment t hat J esus woul d pour out ( Mat t 3: 12; Luke 12: 49) . I n
Luke 23: 28- 31 J esus appl i ed t he i mager y of dyi ng t r ees t o t he
dest r uct i on of J er usal em. I f a r i ght eous man such as He can be
t r eat ed as He was what wi l l be t he f at e of a r ebel l i ous and
wi cked nat i on, who cr uci f i es i t s r edeemer ? These NT r ef er ences
make i t vi r t ual l y cer t ai n t hat J ohn i nt ended hi s r eader s t o see
i n t he f i r st t r umpet t he f at e of t he J ewi sh nat i on t hat had
r ej ect ed J esus as i t s Messi ah.

The second angel sounded hi s t r umpet ; and somet hi ng l i ke
a gr eat mount ai n bur ni ng wi t h f i r e was f l ung i nt o t he sea. A
t hi r d of t he sea became bl ood, and a t hi r d of t he cr eat ur es t hat
wer e i n t he sea, who have soul s, di ed, and a t hi r d of t he shi ps
wer e dest r oyed.
The Second Tr umpet
Rev 8: 8, 9

Par al l el s i n Revel at i on
6: 12- 17 17: 16
12: 12 18: 8, 9, 18
16: 4- 6 18: 17- 19
17: 1- 3 18: 21
17: 9 18: 24

Ol d Test ament Al l usi ons

Gen 1: 20, 21 Exod 19: 16- 20 Ps- J
Exod 7: 19- 21 J er 51: 24, 25, 41, 42

Moder at el y Cer t ai n
Ps 46: 2, 3 I sa 10: 16- 18

Symbol i c Concept s
Mount ai n Bl ood
Fi r e Sea cr eat ur es
Sea Shi ps

Cont empor ar y Li t er at ur e

1 Enoch 18: 13- 16 2 Bar uch 10: 1- 3
1 Enoch 21: 3- 10 2 Bar uch 11: 1
1 Enoch 108: 4- 6 2 Bar uch 67: 7
4 Ezr a 3: 1, 2, 28- 31 Si b Or V: 143, 158, 159
4 Ezr a 13: 21- 24

New Test ament Al l usi ons

Mat t 21: 21 Luke 5: 1- 10
Mat t 13: 47- 50 Luke 21: 25


Whi l e t he bur ni ng mount ai n mi ght have br ought t he
er upt i on of Vesuvi us i n 79 AD t o t he f i r st cent ur y mi nd, t he
second t r umpet i s bui l t pr i mar i l y on t he Ol d Test ament . Gen
1: 20, 21 i s t he sour ce of t he l anguage wi t h whi ch t he aut hor
descr i bes t he f i sh t hat ar e dest r oyed i n t he sea. The bl oody
wat er and t he dead f i sh ar e r emi ni scent of t he pl agues on Egypt
( Exod 7: 19- 21) . The Pseudo- J onat han Tar gumt o t he Pent et euch
causes one t o suspect t hat J ohn may have had t he t heophany on
Si nai i n mi nd as he wr ot e her e ( Exod 19: 16- 20 Ps- J ) . The most
si gni f i cant Ol d Test ament al l usi on i n t he second t r umpet i s t he
r ef er ence t o J er 51. J ust as t he Euphr at es Ri ver i s t he means
by whi ch t he or i gi nal Babyl on f el l , so t he sea her e swal l ows up
anot her Babyl on. I n I sa 10: 16- 18 t he r ef er ence i s t o t he f al l
of Assyr i a. Whi l e t he Ol d Test ament backgr ound of t he f i r st
t r umpet suggest s t hat t he pl ague f al l s on a power t hat once
f ol l owed God but has now br oken t he covenant , t he Ol d Test ament
backgr ound t o t he second t r umpet poi nt s t o a j udgment on Gent i l e
nat i ons r at her t han an apost at e I sr ael .
As wi t h t he f i r st t r umpet , t her e ar e si x symbol i c
concept s i n Rev 8: 8, 9. A mount ai n can symbol i ze a nat i on ( I sa

13: 4; J er 51; I sa 10) , God' s t hr one ( I sa 2: 2, 3; 14: 12- 14; Ezek
28: 14) or an obst acl e t o f ai t h ( Zech 4: 7- 10) . Of t he t hr ee t he
f i r st i s t he most r el evant t o t he cont ext of t he second t r umpet .
Fi r e, as i n t he f i r st t r umpet , i s a symbol of vi ol ent l y
dest r oyed l i f e. I n 1 Enoch ( 18: 13- 16; 108: 4- 6) t he bur ni ng of a
mount ai n i ndi cat es t hat i t i s subj ect t o God' s j udgment as was
t he case wi t h t he mount ai n of Babyl on i n J er 51. The sea i s
most l i kel y t o be under st ood i n t er ms of nat i ons i n opposi t i on
t o God ( I sa 57: 20; 17: 12, 13; J er 51: 41, 42; cf . Rev 13: 1f f . ;
16: 12; 17: 15) . Sea cr eat ur es ar e a symbol of peopl e ( Ezek 29: 5;
Hab 1: 14) . The dest r uct i on of f i sh i s symbol i c of God' s
j udgment upon evi l doer s ( Hag 4: 3; Zeph 1: 3) . Shi ps ar e symbol i c
of t he sour ces of a nat i on' s weal t h and i t s pr i de i n bei ng abl e
t o t ake car e of i t sel f ( Ezek 27: 26; 2 Chr 20: 37; I sa 2: 16) . The
dest r uct i on of shi ps l eads t o economi c chaos r esul t i ng i n t he
humi l i at i on of t hat nat i on ( Rev 18: 17- 19) .
I n Revel at i on " gr eat mount ai n" cl ear l y poi nt s t o anci ent
Babyl on as a symbol of t he end- t i me opposer s of Chr i st and Hi s
peopl e ( 17: 1- 3, 9; 18: 21) . Thi s end- t i me Babyl on i s symbol i cal l y
dest r oyed by f i r e as was t he f i r st ( Rev 17: 16; 18: 8, 9, 18) . The
f act t hat t her e i s onl y one mount ai n i n Rev 8: 8 and seven
mount ai ns i n Rev 17: 9 i ndi cat es t hat t hi s pl ague does not f al l

on t he end- t i me Babyl on of Rev 17 but on a pr el i mi nar y
mani f est at i on of t hat Babyl on. 50 The bl ood i n t he second
t r umpet pr obabl y r epr esent s a r ever sal of t he per secut i on of
God' s peopl e by t he wi cked ( cf . Rev 16: 4- 6; 18: 24) . They
r ecei ve i n ki nd f or what t hey have done. The sea appear s t o be
a r ef er ence t o t he Euphr at es, t he wat er s of Babyl on ( 9: 14;
16: 12; 17: 1, 15) . I n summar y, t he second t r umpet i s a j udgment
of God, i n r esponse t o t he pr ayer s of t he sai nt s, whi ch f al l s on
an enemy of God' s peopl e. Thi s enemy i s r epr esent ed by a gr eat
bur ni ng mount ai n whi ch i s i dent i f i ed wi t h anci ent Babyl on. 51
Do we have any i dea wi t h whomt he r eader s of t he
Apocal ypse woul d have i dent i f i ed t hi s j udgment ? I t was common
i n f i r st cent ur y J udai smt o use Babyl on as a cr ypt i c r ef er ence
t o Rome.
I n
j udgment God bur ns t he mount ai n and cast s i t i nt o t he sea of
wi cked nat i ons, r esul t i ng i n economi c and commer ci al chaos f or
t he anci ent wor l d.
52 Woul d J ohn have been l i kel y t o do t he same? Mat t
21: 21 r el at es t he movi ng of mount ai ns t o Chr i st i an f ai t h. A
mount ai n i s any power t hat opposes t he est abl i shment of J esus'
ki ngdom. I n Luke 21: 25 t he unr ul y sea r epr esent s t he wi cked
nat i ons of t he wor l d i n an unset t l ed st at e. I n Luke 5: 1- 10 and
Mat t 13: 47- 50 t he f i sh of t he sea r epr esent i ndi vi dual s t o whom

t he gospel i s pr eached. Thus t he symbol s ar e used si mi l ar l y t o
t he OT but i n a Chr i st - cent er ed cont ext .
The mount ai n f aci ng J esus and Hi s di sci pl es i n Mat t 21
was t he opposi t i on of t he J ewi sh nat i on t o J esus. By t he t i me
Revel at i on was wr i t t en a f ar l ar ger mount ai n had er ect ed i t sel f
i n t he pat h of Chr i st ' s ki ngdom, Rome. Rome was not t he end-
t i me Babyl on f or J ohn, but i t s per secut i on and r i di cul e hi nder ed
t he pr eachi ng of t he gospel and t empt ed many Chr i st i ans t o
apost at i ze f r omt he f ai t h. Gi ven t he wei ght of evi dence i t i s
l i kel y t hat a f i r st cent ur y r eader woul d under st and t he second
t r umpet as a pr edi ct i on t hat t he Roman Empi r e was soon t o f al l
al ong wi t h i t s ent i r e soci al or der . Al t hough t he Empi r e was
used by God as t he execut or of Hi s covenant on t he J ewi sh
nat i on, i t s host i l i t y t owar d Chr i st and hi s peopl e, and i t s
per secut i on of t hemcal l ed f or i t s ul t i mat e downf al l . When t hat
t i me came i t woul d appar ent l y be as t he r esul t of uni ver sal
r evul si on. She woul d si nk beneat h t he waves of a sea of
nat i ons. The r esul t woul d be t he devast at i on of t he whol e
economi c and soci al or der .

The t hi r d angel sounded hi s t r umpet ; and a gr eat st ar
bur ni ng wi t h f i r e f el l out of heaven. I t l anded on a t hi r d of
The Thi r d Tr umpet

t he r i ver s and spr i ngs of wat er . The st ar ' s name was cal l ed
" Wor mwood. " A t hi r d of t he wat er s became wor mwood wi t h t he
r esul t t hat many men di ed f r omt he wat er s because t hey had been
made bi t t er .
Rev 8: 10, 11

Exeget i cal Meani ng53

The mai n symbol i smof t he t hi r d t r umpet r evol ves ar ound
t he gr eat f al l i ng st ar and t he r i ver s and spr i ngs whi ch i t
def i l es. The f al l i ng st ar i s par t i cul ar l y r emi ni scent of t he
Luci f er account ( I sa 14: 12- 15) and t he act i vi t y of t he l i t t l e
hor n ( Dan 8: 10, 11) i n t he Ol d Test ament . I n bot h t ext s t her e i s
t he at t empt t o usur p God' s aut hor i t y. I n I sa 14 t he f al l i ng of
t he st ar i s t he puni shment f or Luci f er ' s act i vi t y, i n Dan 8 i t
i s t he r esul t of t he l i t t l e hor n' s per secut i ng act i vi t y.
Ri ver s and f ount ai ns, when pur e, ar e sour ces of l i f e i n
t he Ol d Test ament ( Deut 8: 7, 8; Ps 1: 3) . Thus t hey became
symbol s of spi r i t ual nour i shment ( Ps 36: 8, 9; J er 17: 8, 13; Pr ov
14: 27; Ezek 47: 1- 12) . I mpur e f ount ai ns, on t he ot her hand,
woul d have t he opposi t e spi r i t ual ef f ect ( Pr ov 25: 26) . Bi t t er
wat er cannot sust ai n l i f e and gr owt h.
Wor mwood and bi t t er ness ar e associ at ed t oget her i n Lam
3: 15, 19. I n Deut er onomy wor mwood r epr esent s anyone who t ur ns
away f r omYahweh i nt o i dol at r y ( Deut 29: 17, 18) . I n J er emi ah i t

symbol i zes t he puni shment Yahweh was pl anni ng t o met e out
because of J udah' s apost asy ( J er 9: 15: 23: 15) . The Mar ah
exper i ence i s al so a cl ose par al l el t o t he t hi r d t r umpet ( Exod
15: 23) . The chi l dr en of I sr ael wer e dyi ng of t hi r st . Wi t h
gr eat ant i ci pat i on, t hey appr oached t he spr i ng- f ed oasi s of
Mar ah onl y t o f i nd t hat t her e was no l i f e i n t he bi t t er wat er .
Ot her par t s of t he New Test ament al so cont ai n par al l el s
t o t he t hi r d t r umpet . I n Luke 10: 18 Sat an i s t he one who f el l
f r omheaven. Si mi l ar i mager y i s used i n Rev 12 wher e t he
dr agon' s t ai l sweeps a t hi r d of t he st ar s of heaven t o ear t h
bef or e bei ng t hr own t o t he ear t h hi msel f ( Rev 12: 3, 4, 9) . I n t he
Gospel of J ohn " l i vi ng" spr i ng wat er i s a symbol of what J esus
br i ngs t o t he bel i ever t hr ough t he Hol y Spi r i t ( J ohn 4: 10- 14;
7: 37- 39) .
What was J ohn t r yi ng t o say wi t h by means of t hese
i mages? The over whel mi ng f l avor of t hi s account i s one of
apost asy. St ar s and f ount ai ns ar e posi t i ve i mages i n Scr i pt ur e
but her e J ohn dr ew on passages such as I sa 14 and Deut 29 wher e
a good t hi ng becomes evi l due t o apost asy. The l i t t l e hor n of
Dan 8 al so encour ages apost asy i n i t s usur pat i on of t he
sanct uar y ser vi ce. Such apost asy i s t he f i r st st ep on t he r oad
t o spi r i t ual deat h i n t hat i t r esul t s i n a di st or t i on of t he

sour ce of spi r i t ual nour i shment , t he Wor d of God. Thr ough
di st or t ed vi ews of God t he Scr i pt ur es ar e made of no ef f ect i n
gi vi ng l i f e t o t he peopl e.
The ear l y chur ch was awar e t hat apost asy l oomed l ar ge i n
i t s f ut ur e ( Act s 20: 28- 31; 2 Thess 2; 1 Ti m4: 1f f . ) . I t was
al so awar e t hat pur e doct r i ne can onl y be mai nt ai ned wi t h
di l i gent ef f or t ( 1 Ti m4: 1, 2; 1 J ohn 4: 1- 3; J ude 3, 4) . The
message of t he t hi r d t r umpet under l i nes t hese convi ct i ons. The
r emoval of Rome and J udai smas ef f ect i ve opponent s woul d have
seemed t o open t he way f or t he chur ch' s advancement and gr owt h.
But J ohn war ns i n apocal ypt i c l anguage t hat such a r emoval onl y
di ver t s Sat an' s at t ack. He t hen wi l l concent r at e on dest r oyi ng
t he chur ch f r omwi t hi n, knowi ng t hat i f t he chur ch' s l i f e- gi vi ng
message can be subt l y di st or t ed, manki nd wi l l f ai l t o f i nd t he
spi r i t ual nour i shment i t needs, but i nst ead wi l l f i nd onl y
bi t t er ness. I ndi cat i ons t hat t hi s i ni qui t y was al r eady at wor k
i n J ohn' s l i f et i me ar e f ound i n New Test ament books such as 1
Cor i nt hi ans, Gal at i ans, Col ossi ans and Hebr ews.

The Four t h Tr umpet
The f our t h angel sounded hi s t r umpet ; and a t hi r d of t he
sun, moon and st ar s wer e smi t t en wi t h a pl ague, r esul t i ng i n a
t hi r d of t hembei ng dar kened so t hat a t hi r d of t he day di d not
shi ne and t he ni ght l i kewi se.

Rev 8: 12


Ther e i s an appar ent cont r adi ct i on i n t hi s ver se. The
pl ague smi t es a t hi r d of t he sun, moon and st ar s wi t h dar kness,
whi ch one woul d expect t o r esul t i n a di mmi ng of t he i nt ensi t y
of t he heavenl y l i ght s. I nst ead a t hi r d of t he day and a t hi r d
of t he ni ght ar e dar kened as i n an ecl i pse. Si nce t he l at t er i s
mor e sound gr ammat i cal l y, t he pl ague pr obabl y poi nt s t o a
dar keni ng of t he heavenl y bodi es f or a t hi r d of t he t i me.
Thi s passage i s st r ongl y based on t he dar kness of t he
ni nt h pl ague on Egypt ( Exod 10: 21- 23) and t he l ament at i on over
Phar aoh i n Ezek 32: 2- 8. Dar kness i s one of t he cur ses of t he
covenant ( Deut 28: 29) . The sun i s a symbol of t he Wor d of God
i n t he Ol d Test ament ( Ps 19; 119: 105) . The moon r epr esent s
beaut y and f er t i l i t y ( SS 6: 10; Deut 33: 14) . St ar s r epr esent
angel s and t he peopl e of God ( Dan 8: 10; 12: 3) . The choi ce of
symbol i smpoi nt s t o a par t i al obl i t er at i on of t he Wor d of God
r esul t i ng i n spi r i t ual dar kness.
J ohn seems t o be poi nt i ng t o an at t ack on God' s wor d and
Hi s peopl e t hat i s of a di f f er ent nat ur e t han t hat of t he t hi r d
t r umpet . Whi l e wor mwood r epr esent ed a di st or t i on of t he Wor d of

God t he f our t h t r umpet r esul t s i n t he obl i t er at i on of t hat wor d.
I t i s no l onger vi si bl e. I n t he t hi r d t r umpet peopl e cont i nued
t o dr i nk f r omt he spr i ngs, hopi ng t o gai n l i f e, i n t he f our t h
t r umpet t he ver y pr esence of t he l i f e- gi vi ng sour ces i s r emoved.
J ohn seems t o be poi nt i ng t o a new power whi ch woul d
oppose t he t r ut h and t he peopl e of God i n a mor e di r ect way.
Per haps t he model f or such a power can be f ound i n t he Phar aoh
of t he Exodus, who deni ed t he ver y exi st ence of Yahweh ( Exod
5: 2) . I t i s di f f i cul t t o know what ki nd of movement J ohn woul d
have had i n mi nd, l i kel y he was poi nt i ng t o somet hi ng compl et el y
new.
Ther e i s a seemi ng cont r adi ct i on i n t hat t he t r umpet s
ar e j udgment s of God on t he enemi es of Hi s peopl e, yet t he t hi r d
and f our t h t r umpet s seemt o be at t acks on t he gospel and t hose
who pr ocl ai mi t . But God' s j udgment s come i n t wo f or ms i n t he
Bi bl e. Ther e i s t he j udgment of open i nt er vent i on as i n 2 Kgs
19 wher e 185, 000 Assyr i ans wer e sl ai n. Si mi l ar i s t he sendi ng
of Cyr us t o def eat Babyl on i n or der t o f r ee I sr ael . On t he
ot her hand, as i n Rom1, God' s j udgment s of t en come i n t he f or m
of per mi t t i ng peopl e and nat i ons t o r eap t he consequences of
t hei r own act i ons ( cf . Hos 4: 17) . Thus, whi l e t he di r ect
enemi es of t he chur ch ar e r emoved i n t he f i r st t wo t r umpet s, God

per mi t s an apost asy whi ch r esul t s i n t wo new enemi es, one f r om
wi t hi n and one f r omwi t hout . I n i t s apost asy t he chur ch, as
wi t h J udai sm, becomes an enemy of God' s t r ue peopl e.

Tr ansi t i on

I saw and hear d a vul t ur e f l yi ng i n mi d- heaven sayi ng
wi t h a l oud voi ce, " Woe, woe, woe t o t hose who l i ve on t he ear t h
because of t he r est of t he t r umpet sounds bel ongi ng t o t he t hr ee
angel s who ar e about t o bl ow t hei r t r umpet s. "
Rev 8: 13

The vul t ur e i s a symbol of God' s covenant j udgment s ( Hos
8: 1; Ezek 32: 4; Hab 1: 8) . God i s movi ng t o at t ack t hose who ar e
spi r i t ual l y dead as a r esul t of t he apost asy. The t hr ee woes
i ndi cat e t hat t he wor st i s yet t o come. Now t hat t he dar kness
has been unl eashed, al l t he power s of dar kness ar e f r eed t o
t or ment humani t y unt i l t he end. For J ohn, t he r oad t o t he
Par ousi a i s a downhi l l r oad t o dest r uct i on apar t f r omChr i st .

The Fi f t h Tr umpet
The f i f t h angel sounded hi s t r umpet , and I saw a st ar
t hat had f al l en f r omt he sky t o t he ear t h. The st ar was gi ven
t he key t o t he shaf t of t he Abyss. When he opened t he Abyss,
smoke r ose f r omi t l i ke t he smoke f r oma gi gant i c f ur nace. The
sun and sky wer e dar kened by t he smoke f r omt he Abyss. And out
of t he smoke l ocust s came down upon t he ear t h and wer e gi ven
power l i ke t hat of scor pi ons of t he ear t h. They wer e t ol d not
t o har mt he gr ass of t he ear t h or any pl ant or t r ee, but onl y
t hose peopl e who di d not have t he seal of God on t hei r
f or eheads. They wer e not gi ven power t o ki l l t hem, but onl y t o
t or t ur e t hemf or f i ve mont hs. And t he agony t hey suf f er ed was

l i ke t hat of t he st i ng of a scor pi on when i t st r i kes a man.
Dur i ng t hose days men wi l l seek deat h, but wi l l not f i nd i t ;
t hey wi l l l ong t o di e, but deat h wi l l el ude t hem.
The l ocust s l ooked l i ke hor ses pr epar ed f or bat t l e. On
t hei r heads t hey wor e somet hi ng l i ke cr owns of gol d, and t hei r
f aces r esembl ed human f aces. Thei r hai r was l i ke women' s hai r ,
and t hei r t eet h wer e l i ke l i on' s t eet h. They had br east pl at es
l i ke br east pl at es of i r on, and t he sound of t hei r wi ngs was l i ke
t he t hunder i ng of many hor ses and char i ot s r ushi ng i nt o bat t l e.
They had t ai l s and st i ngs l i ke scor pi ons, and i n t hei r t ai l s
t hey had power t o t or ment peopl e f or f i ve mont hs. They had as
ki ng over t hemt he angel of t he Abyss, whose name i n Hebr ew i s
Abaddon, and i n Gr eek, Apol l yon.
Rev 9: 1- 11 NI V


The f al l en st ar of ver se 1 connect s t hi s t r umpet wi t h
t he t hi r d wher e t he st ar act ual l y f el l . Whi l e t he st ar , i n i t s
pr i mar y sense r ef er s t o Sat an ( cf . v. 11 and I sa 14) , i t i s
connect ed wi t h apost asy i n t he t hi r d t r umpet . Thus, i n some
sense, t he apost asy of t he t hi r d t r umpet may be r el at ed t o t he
unl ocki ng of t he abyss.
That God al so had a hand i n t he unl ocki ng of t he abyss
i s cl ear f or a number of r easons. 1) The di vi ne passi ves ( vv.
1, 3, 5) . 2) The st ar f el l f r omheaven. 3) The l ocust s r ecei ve
exousi a. 4) I n Exod 19: 18 t he " smoke of t he f ur nace" ar i ses
f r omt he pr esence of Yahweh on Mt . Si nai . 5) Locust s i n t he Ol d
Test ament ar e a symbol of God' s j udgment .

The abyss i s a symbol t hat has r ef er ence t o t he past ,
t he pr esent and t he f ut ur e. I t i s r emi ni scent of t he ear t h i n
i t s pr ecr eat i on chaot i c condi t i on ( Gen 1: 2) . Thus i t coul d
r epr esent t hose who ar e i n opposi t i on t o God' s r e- cr eat i on i n
Chr i st . On t he ot her hand, t he abyss i s t he abode of demons i n
t he pr esent ( Luke 8: 28- 31) . I t al so l ooks f or war d t o t he f at e
of t he wi cked ( Gen 10: 22 Pal Tar g) and i s associ at ed wi t h t he
beast of t he end- t i me ( Rev 11: 7; 17: 8) .
The smoke whi ch ar i ses out of t he abyss does not di mt he
sun, i t ecl i pses i t . The sun i s st i l l t her e but i s no l onger
seen by t he " ear t h- dwel l er s. " Thi s dar kness i s a connect i on t o
t he f our t h t r umpet , whi ch depi ct ed t he r i se of a power whi ch
sought t o bl ot out t he knowl edge of God. I n Gen 19 t he smoke of
a gr eat f ur nace descr i bes t he dest r uct i on of godl ess Sodom( cf .
11: 8) .
Ver se 3 i nt r oduces l ocust s whi ch have t he power of
scor pi ons. Locust s woul d symbol i ze quant i t y whi l e scor pi ons
symbol i ze har mf ul ness t owar d manki nd. Thi s hei ght ens t he t er r or
of t he descr i pt i on. I n t he anci ent Near East l ocust s and
scor pi on men wer e symbol s of t he r ul er s of t he under wor l d ( cf .
v. 11) . The l ocust s her e ar e not l i t er al f or t hey at t ack men,

not veget at i on, and t hey have a ki ng over t hem, unl i ke nat ur al
l ocust s ( Rev 9: 4, 11 cf . Pr ov 30: 27) .
Locust s ar e used i n t he Ol d Test ament as symbol s of
God' s j udgment s ( Ps 78: 46; Deut 28: 42, 45; 1 Kgs 8: 37) . These
ar e of t en di r ect ed at t hose who have apost at i zed f r omf ol l owi ng
Hi m( J oel 1: 4- 18; 2: 1- 11; J er 4; Gen 6- 9) . As such t hey coul d
onl y be t ur ned back t hr ough r epent ance at t he Sanct uar y ( 1 Kgs
8: 35- 40; 2 Chr 7: 13, 14; J oel 2: 12- 17) .
The l ocust s of t he f i f t h t r umpet ar i se f r omt he abyss,
whi ch i s devoi d of veget at i on ( cf . t ar gumt o Gen 1: 2) , i n or der
t o t ur n t he ear t h i nt o an abyss l i ke t hei r own. But t hi s God
does not per mi t ( Rev 9: 4) . God' s peopl e ar e saf e f r omt he
demoni c f or ces of Sat an ( Luke 10: 17- 20; 8: 28- 31) whi ch ar i se out
of t he abyss. God has gi ven t hema mar k of pr ot ect i on ( Gen 4: 15
cf . Ezek 9: 4) . On t he ot her hand, t he f at e of t hose who have
r ej ect ed Chr i st i s hor r i bl e. The ki ng of t he abyss t or ment s hi s
own subj ect s as wi t h scor pi ons ( 2 Chr 10; 11, 14) . These t or ment s
ar e t o be under st ood as spi r i t ual not physi cal . I n Ps 71: 20, 21
t he abyss i s par al l el ed t o " many and bi t t er t r oubl es. " Deat h i s
sought by t hose i n bi t t er ness and gr i ef , f or whoml i f e has l ost
i t s meani ng. 54 Thi s t or ment i s t o some degr ee sel f - i nf l i ct ed.

Thei r unbel i ef has dr i ven t hemi nt o f ool i sh pr act i ces whi ch r eap
a har vest of despai r ( Rom1: 21- 26) .
I t i s possi bl e t o make t oo much of t he el abor at e
descr i pt i on of t he l ocust s. Per haps t hey symbol i ze human bei ngs
i nspi r ed by Sat an ( Rev 9: 7, 8, 11) . Whet her man or demon, t hese
f i ends " ar e as st r ong as hor ses, as power f ul as ki ngs, as
cunni ng as t he wi l i est man, as seduct i ve as a beaut i f ul woman,
and t hey can cause pai n l i ke a scor pi on. " 55
J ohn appar ent l y f or esaw a t i me when t he dar kness of t he
f our t h t r umpet woul d become t ot al and wor l dwi de, l i mi t ed onl y by
a per i od of t i me ( f i ve mont hs) .
I n ver se 11 Sat an' s
names ( Apol l yon and Abaddon) ar e per soni f i cat i ons of deat h, t he
f at e of t he wi cked ( J ob 26: 6; 31: 12; Ps 88: 11) . Thi s f i t s i n
wi t h t he char act er of one who was a mur der er and a l i ar f r omt he
begi nni ng ( J ohn 8: 44) . He exer ci ses hi s l i es t hr ough t he t ai l s
of t he l ocust - men ( I sa 9: 15) . J ust as hi s conf i nement t o t he
abyss ( Rev 20: 1- 3 r est r i ct s hi s decept i ons, so t he openi ng of
t he abyss i s t he r el ease of hi s decept i ons t o do t hei r deadl y
wor k. I n t hose who r ej ect Chr i st t he l i ght of t r ut h i s
ext i ngui shed by Sat an ( cf . 2 Thess 2: 9- 12- - wi t h God' s
per mi ssi on) .
56 Wi t h God and t r ut h t ot al l y
ecl i psed, si nf ul manki nd i s l ef t t o t he demoni c t or ment of

sui ci dal desi r es. Her e i n gr aphi c t er ms t he aut hor of
Revel at i on has por t r ayed t he ul t i mat e r esul t s of apost asy and
opposi t i on t o God. I n al l t hi s t he onl y saf et y bel ongs t o t he
seal ed. I n Chr i st t hey ar e f r ee f r omdar kness and despai r .
Regar dl ess of when J ohn' s r eader s t hought t hi s pl ague woul d
appear t hey woul d per cei ve a power f ul appeal t o st ay t r ue t o t he
gospel no mat t er what t he t empor al consequences.

Tr ansi t i on

The f i r st woe has passed. Behol d t wo mor e woes come
af t er t hi s.
Rev 9: 12

Thi s t r ansi t i on ver se, al ong wi t h 11: 14, makes i t cl ear
t hat t he t hr ee woes ar e t o be i dent i f i ed wi t h t he f i f t h, si xt h
and sevent h t r umpet s.

The Si xt h Tr umpet
The si xt h angel bl ew hi s t r umpet , and I hear d a voi ce
comi ng f r omt he hor ns of t he gol den al t ar t hat i s bef or e God.
I t sai d t o t he si xt h angel who had t he t r umpet , " Rel ease t he
f our angel s who ar e bound at t he gr eat r i ver Euphr at es. " And
t he f our angel s who had been kept r eady f or t hi s ver y hour and
day and mont h and year wer e r el eased t o ki l l a t hi r d of manki nd.
The number of t he mount ed t r oops was t wo hundr ed mi l l i on. I
hear d t hei r number .
The hor ses and r i der s I saw i n my vi si on l ooked l i ke
t hi s: Thei r br east pl at es wer e f i er y r ed, dar k bl ue, and yel l ow
as sul f ur . The heads of t he hor ses r esembl ed t he heads of
l i ons, and out of t hei r mout hs came f i r e, smoke and sul f ur . A
t hi r d of manki nd was ki l l ed by t he t hr ee pl agues of f i r e, smoke

and sul f ur t hat came out of t hei r mout hs. The power of t he
hor ses was i n t hei r mout hs and i n t hei r t ai l s; f or t hei r t ai l s
wer e l i ke snakes, havi ng heads wi t h whi ch t hey i nf l i ct i nj ur y.
The r est of manki nd t hat wer e not ki l l ed by t hese
pl agues st i l l di d not r epent of t he wor k of t hei r hands; t hey
di d not st op wor shi pi ng demons, and i dol s of gol d, si l ver ,
br onze, st one and wood- - i dol s t hat cannot see or hear or wal k.
Nor di d t hey r epent of t hei r mur der s, t hei r magi c ar t s, t hei r
sexual i mmor al i t y or t hei r t hef t s.
Rev 9: 13- 21 NI V


Ver se 13 expl i ci t l y i ndi cat es t hat t he event s of t he
si xt h t r umpet occur i n r el at i on t o t he act i vi t y of i nt er cessi on
and j udgment t aki ng pl ace at t he gol den i ncense al t ar . The
commandi ng voi ce f r omt he f our hor ns of t he al t ar i s pr obabl y
t he voi ce of Chr i st .
I n ver se 14 t her e i s an i nt er est i ng cont r ast t o Rev 7: 1-
3. Four angel s ar e bound at t he gr eat r i ver Euphr at es. Thei r
r el ease br i ngs gr eat evi l t o manki nd. On t he ot her hand, i n
chapt er 7 t he angel s ar e at t he ext r emi t i es of t he ear t h and
r est r ai n evi l by hol di ng i t back. Thus t hese t wo gr oups of
angel s ar e not t he same. Si nce t he wi nds of Rev 7 and t he
angel s of 9: 14 ar e bot h r est r ai ned and pr oduce evi l r esul t s when
r el eased, t hey may wel l be symbol s of t he same t hi ng. I f so i t
i s l i kel y t hat t he si xt h t r umpet r eveal s a l at er devel opment of

t he si t uat i on i n Rev 7: 1- 3. Thus, t he event s of t hi s pl ague
t ake pl ace i n t he ver y shadow of t he consummat i on.
The Euphr at es Ri ver was t he nor t her n bor der of t he l and
pr omi sed t o Abr aham( Gen 15: 18; J osh 1: 4, et c. ) . The l anguage
her e i s r emi ni scent of I sa 8: 7, 8 wher e t he Assyr i an i nvasi on of
J udah i s descr i bed i n t er ms of t he Euphr at es Ri ver over f l owi ng
i t s banks and f l oodi ng Pal est i ne. Her e agai n t he Euphr at es i s
t he sour ce of a gr eat assaul t agai nst God' s peopl e. Thi s pl ague
appear s t o be a gat her i ng of t he f or ces of evi l f or t he f i nal
bat t l e ( cf . 16: 13- 16; 20: 7- 9) .
I t i s ar guabl e whet her t he hour , day, mont h and year of
9: 15 ar e t o be under st ood as successi ve per i ods of t i me or as
t he poi nt of t i me at whi ch t he angel s ar e r el eased. The gr ammar
l eans i n f avor of t he l at t er . I n ei t her case t he t i me of
r el ease shoul d pr obabl y be associ at ed wi t h t he deci si ve moment
of Rev 10: 6 when chr onos
As i n Rev 7: 4, J ohn doesn' t see 200, 000, 000 hor semen i n
9: 16, he hear s t he number . Thi s i s Sat an' s host i n cont r ast t o
t he seal ed of God who number 144, 000. I n ver ses 17- 19 t he
hor semen ar e equi pped wi t h mat er i al f r omt he l ake of f i r e. Thi s
pl ague i s a composi t e wi t h t he f i f t h t r umpet , f or t he hor semen
not onl y har mmen wi t h t he f i r e, smoke and sul phur whi ch comes
comes t o an end.

out of t hei r mout hs but wi t h t hei r t ai l s, whi ch r emi nd one of
9: 10. The f l avor of t hese i mages r emi nds one of t he beast s of
chapt er 13 and t he f r ogs whi ch come out of t hei r mout hs i n
16: 13. Thus t he si xt h t r umpet i s r el at ed t o t he account of t he
f i nal cr i si s i n Rev 13- 16.
I n Rev 9: 20, 21 t her e ar e many r ef er ences t o t he f al l of
Babyl on i n t he Ol d Test ament . The i mages of i dol at r y ar e dr awn
f r omDan 5: 4, 23; a descr i pt i on of Babyl on j ust bef or e t he
Euphr at es Ri ver dr i ed up! Ver se 21 i s based on I sa 47: 9- 12, a
pr edi ct i on of Babyl on' s f al l .
I n summar y, t hi s t r umpet i s based on i mager y t hat poi nt s
i n t wo di r ect i ons. Ther e ar e r ef er ences t o Babyl on i n t he Ol d
Test ament and i t s r i ver , t he Euphr at es. And t her e ar e many
connect i ons wi t h t he t hr ee- f ol d Babyl on of t he end- t i me cr i si s.
Si nce t he cl osest par al l el s ar e wi t h Rev 16: 12, 13 i t seems
r easonabl e t o suggest t hat J ohn was her e por t r ayi ng t he
gat her i ng of Sat an' s host whi ch pr ecedes t he bat t l e of
Ar mageddon. Wi t h t hi s pl ague we cl ear l y ent er t he ar ena of
f i nal event s.

I nt er l ude

The vi ew of Sat an' s host i n Rev 9: 13- 21 i s bal anced by a
vi ew of t he exper i ence of God' s peopl e dur i ng t hi s per i od i n Rev
10: 1- 11: 14. They ar e seen i n t er ms of t he f ul f i l l ment of
Dani el ' s t i me pr opheci es ( Rev 10: 6 cf . Dan 12: 7) . Thei r t ask i s
t he pr ocl amat i on of t he gospel t o t he wor l d so t hat t he end can
come ( Mat t 24: 14; Mar k 13: 10) .

The Sevent h Tr umpet
The sevent h angel sounded hi s t r umpet , and t her e wer e
l oud voi ces i n heaven, whi ch sai d:
" The ki ngdomof t he wor l d has become t he ki ngdom
of our Lor d and of hi s Chr i st ,
and he wi l l r ei gn f or ever and ever . "
And t he t went y- f our el der s, who wer e seat ed on t hei r t hr ones
bef or e God, f el l on t hei r f aces and wor shi ped God, sayi ng:
" We gi ve t hanks t o you, Lor d God Al mi ght y,
who i s and who was,
because you have t aken your gr eat power
and have begun t o r ei gn.
The nat i ons wer e angr y;
and your wr at h has come.
The t i me has come f or j udgi ng t he dead,
and f or r ewar di ng your ser vant s t he pr ophet s
and your sai nt s and t hose who r ever ence your name,
bot h smal l and gr eat - -
and f or dest r oyi ng t hose who dest r oy t he ear t h. "
Rev 11: 15- 18 NI V


I n Rev 10: 7 i t i s st at ed expl i ci t l y t hat t he " myst er y of
God ( t o must r i on t ou t heou) " wi l l be consummat ed ( et el est h) at
t hat poi nt i n hi st or y when t he sevent h angel i s about t o sound

hi s t r umpet ( hot an mel l sal pi zei n
The sevent h t r umpet i r r ever si bl y set s t he f i nal event s
i n mot i on. The Godhead r ecl ai ms t he ki ngdomof t he wor l d t o t he
r ej oi ci ng of heaven. The nat i ons, l ed by t he dr agon, make t hei r
l ast at t empt t o pr event t hi s. The bat t l e of Ar mageddon, bet ween
t he wr at h of t he nat i ons and t he wr at h of God, i s f ought . The
r esul t i s vi ct or y f or Al mi ght y God, r ewar d f or t he sai nt s and
dest r uct i on f or t hei r enemi es.
) . The myst er y of God i s an
acr onymf or t he gospel i n t he New Test ament ( Rom16: 25, 26, cf .
Col 1: 25- 28; Eph 6: 19) . Thus, t he soundi ng of t he sevent h
t r umpet si gnal s t he cl ose of t he gr eat wor k of pr ocl ai mi ng t he
gospel t o ever y nat i on, ki ndr ed, l anguage and peopl e ( Rev
14: 6, 7) . I t usher s i n t he f i nal event s connect ed wi t h t he
bat t l e of Ar mageddon.
Thus t he sevent h t r umpet cont ai ns a summar y f or et ast e of
t he f i nal vi ct or y of God and a summar y i nt r oduct i on of t he t hi r d
woe, t he cl i max of al l evi l . The sevent h t r umpet has set t he
st age f or t he compl et e out l i ne of f i nal event s t hat begi ns i n
chapt er 12.

THE THEOLOGY OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

I n New Test ament i nt er pr et at i on t he next st ep f ol l owi ng
exegesi s i s t o at t empt t o out l i ne t he cont r i but i on t hat a gi ven
passage makes t o our under st andi ng of t he aut hor ' s t heol ogy and,
ul t i mat el y, t o t he t heol ogy of t he New Test ament as a whol e.
Thi s chapt er i s an at t empt t o make some suggest i ons al ong t hese
l i nes.
I n hi s Theol ogy of t he New Test ament Geor ge El don Ladd
suggest s t hat t her e ar e t hr ee mai n el ement s i n a t heol ogy of t he
book of Revel at i on: t he pr obl emof evi l , t he vi si t at i on of God' s
wr at h and t he comi ng of t he ki ngdomof God. 57

1

Whi l e t hese
suggest i ons sound a bi t t hi n f or t he Apocal ypse as a whol e, t hey

seemt o summar i ze t he basi c t heol ogy of t he seven t r umpet s qui t e
wel l .

As has been poi nt ed out , t he t r umpet s ar e t o be
under st ood as a r esponse t o t he pr ayer s of t he soul s under t he
al t ar i n t he f i f t h seal . The cr y " how l ong" has a r i ch
backgr ound i n t he OT.
The Pr obl emof Evi l
58
The pr obl emwas acut e enough i n OT t i mes. But t he NT
hei ght ens and i nt ensi f i es t he quest i oni ng. A change has come,
t he l ast days have ar r i ved, a " new age" has dawned. Al l power
has been gi ven t o Chr i st ( Mat t 28: 18) . The pr i nce of t hi s wor l d
has been cast out by t he cr oss ( J ohn 12: 31, 32) . Yet i n spi t e of
al l t hese cl ai ms, evi l st i l l seems t o r ei gn. The NT woul d be a
f ar ce i f i t di d not addr ess t hi s quest i on. The i nt ensi t y of t he
pr obl emi s cer t ai nl y r ecogni zed i n t he book of Revel at i on:
I t i s used t her e t o r epr esent how God' s
peopl e f eel when He seems sl ow t o f ul f i l l Hi s pr omi ses t o
del i ver t hemf r omt hei r oppr essor s. " How l ong" summar i zes i n
t wo wor ds humani t y' s age- ol d compl ai nt agai nst God, " I f You ar e
so good, why does evi l r ei gn? How l ong wi l l You per mi t i t t o
cont i nue? Ar e You evi l Your sel f , or j ust power l ess?"
Then I hear d a l oud voi ce i n heaven say:

`Now have come t he sal vat i on and t he power and
t he ki ngdomof our God,
and t he aut hor i t y of hi s Chr i st .
For t he accuser of our br ot her s,
who accuses t hembef or e our God day and ni ght ,
has been hur l ed down.
They over came hi m
by t he bl ood of t he Lamb
and by t he wor d of t hei r t est i mony
t hey di d not l ove t hei r l i ves so much
as t o shr i nk f r omdeat h.
Ther ef or e r ej oi ce, you heavens and
you who dwel l i n t hem!
But woe t o t he ear t h and t he sea,
because t he devi l has gone down t o you!
He i s f i l l ed wi t h f ur y,
because he knows t hat hi s t i me i s shor t . '
Rev 12: 10- 12 NI V
Her e t he t ensi on i s di r ect l y por t r ayed. Yes, t he cr oss
has f undament al l y changed t he or der of t he uni ver se. Yes, t he
accuser of our br ot her s has been cast down. Yes, he i s
over come. Never t hel ess, he i s st i l l al i ve and hi s st i ng can
st i l l be f el t , even unt o deat h ( ver se 11) . Ther e ar e st i l l
mar t yr s and gr eat t r i bul at i ons. Ther e ar e chur ches l i ke Smyr na
who ar e al l but cr ushed out f or t he f ai t h. What answer does t he
book of f er t o t he quest i on " how l ong?"
The seal s and t he t r umpet s seemdesi gned t o deal wi t h
t hi s i ssue. Rev 5 set s t he st age wi t h t he symbol i c depi ct i on of
t he cr oss f ol l owed by t he ent hr onement of t he Lamb ( vv. 6, 9- 14) .
The scenes descr i bed ar e so gl or i ous t hat one woul d expect t hem

t o l ead t o t he cl i max of al l wor l d hi st or y, t he end of suf f er i ng
and deat h. But i t i s i mmedi at el y cl ear t hat t hi s i s not t he
case. Chapt er 6 opens wi t h a ser i es of hor semen who spr ead
car nage over t he ear t h. That t hi s car nage af f ect s t he Chr i st i an
communi t y i s appar ent f r omt he f i f t h seal . How l ong wi l l t hi s
car nage go on? Why i s t her e a del ay i n ent hr oni ng t he Lamb over
t he ent i r e ear t h?
The f l ow of t he book suggest s t hat t he seven t r umpet s
pr ovi de t he answer t o t he pr obl emof evi l as expr essed i n t he
f i f t h seal . The t r umpet s open t he vei l of hi st or y t o show t hat
God' s hand i s st i l l i n cont r ol i n spi t e of t he f act t hat , t o
human eyes, t he wor l d i s out of cont r ol . Not hi ng i s done
wi t hout Hi s per mi ssi on. The ver y event s of hi st or y whi ch seem
t o i ndi cat e t hat t hi ngs ar e out of cont r ol ar e seen t o be under
Hi s cont r ol . The answer of t he book of Revel at i on t o t he
quest i on of t he f i f t h seal l i es i n t he ot her t heol ogi cal t hemes
of t he seven t r umpet s.

God' s j udgment s of wr at h have a l ong hi st or y i n bot h t he
Ol d and t he New Test ament s. OT j udgment s consi st ed pr i mar i l y of
hi st or i cal act s of God. Such j udgment s wer e al ways i n r el at i on
The Vi si t at i on of Wr at h

t o God' s covenant wi t h Hi s peopl e, and pr ovi ded an ant i ci pat i on
of t he gr eat f i nal day of j udgment .
I n t he NT t he f i nal j udgment i s di vi ded i nt o t wo gr eat
phases cent er ed ar ound t he cr oss and t he Par ousi a. I n bot h
cases j udgment i s i n r el at i on t o Chr i st and t he gospel . The
j udgment s of t he seven t r umpet s ar e al so r el at ed t o Chr i st .
They ar e i n r esponse t o t he pr ayer s of t he sai nt s; t hose who ar e
r edeemed by t he bl ood of t he Lamb ( 5: 9, 10 cf . 21: 11) . The
di vi di ng l i ne bet ween t he wi cked and t he r i ght eous i s dr awn i n
r el at i on t o t he cr oss of Chr i st . J udgment s f al l on t hose who
have r ej ect ed Chr i st and Hi s cr oss, whi l e t hose who have
accept ed hi s seal ( cf . Eph 1: 13 and 4: 30) ar e not har med by
t hese j udgment s ( Rev 9: 4- 6) . 59
J udgment i n t he t r umpet s i s al so covenant - r el at ed. Thus
i f God i s act i ng i n j udgment i n t he t r umpet s, i t i s f or t he
pur pose of del i ver i ng t he r i ght eous. Al t hough t hi s i s not
expl i ci t l y st at ed i n t he passage, we must not f or get t hat t he
t r umpet s ar e i n r esponse t o a cr y f or del i ver ance. I n t he
j udgment s on Hi s enemi es God i s act i ng t o br i ng j ust i ce and
del i ver ance f or Hi s peopl e.

Last , but not l east , t he j udgment pl agues of t he seven
t r umpet s of Revel at i on ar e al l ant i ci pat i ons of t he gr eat f i nal

j udgment . They ar e movi ng t owar d a cl i max. Thi s i s shown by
t he i nt i mat e r el at i onshi p t hey bear t o t he seven bowl s, whi ch
ar e t he consummat i on of t he wr at h of God. Each t r umpet i s a
f or et ast e and a war ni ng of t he gr eat f i nal j udgment .
I n t hese j udgment s, t he aut hor of Revel at i on has sought
t o pr ovi de an answer t o t he pr obl emof evi l ; al t hough t he sai nt s
cannot per cei ve i t , God i s i n f ul l cont r ol of hi st or y and
not hi ng t ouches Hi s peopl e but wi t h t he per mi ssi on of i nf i ni t e
l ove. Al t hough i nvi si bl e t he ki ngdomof God i s r eal . The
di vi ne passi ves cl ear l y i ndi cat e t hat t he t r umpet s ar e f r omGod
and ar e under Hi s cont r ol . Al t hough t he sai nt s suf f er , God i s
st i l l i n sover ei gn cont r ol over hi st or y and bot h suf f er i ng and
j udgment ar e l i mi t ed f or t he sake of Hi s peopl e.

The cl i max of t he seven t r umpet s comes wi t h Rev 11: 15:
The Ki ngdomComes
The sevent h angel sounded hi s t r umpet , and t her e wer e l oud
voi ces i n heaven, whi ch sai d:
`The ki ngdomof t he wor l d has become t he ki ngdomof our Lor d
and of Hi s Chr i st ,
and He wi l l r ei gn f or ever and ever . '
Thi s depi ct s t he ent hr onement of God and Chr i st over al l
t he nat i ons of t he wor l d. The passage f i nds i t s r oot i n Exod
15: 18 wher e Yahweh i s sai d t o r ei gn f or ever and ever as a r esul t

of t he cr ossi ng of t he sea. Pr i or t o t he event s of t he poemt he
I sr ael i t es wer e subj ect ed t o bi t t er bondage. God coul d not be
ent hr oned as t he r ul er of Hi s peopl e unt i l t he oppr essi on of t he
Egypt i ans had been br ought t o an end. Exod 15 was t he
cel ebr at i on of t hat event . 60
Thi s ent hr onement t heme i s expanded i n a number of
Psal ms whi ch have, t her ef or e, been cal l ed " Ent hr onement Psal ms. "
These Psal ms have a " now and not yet " f eat ur e. Al t hough i n a
sense Yahweh i s al r eady t he ki ng over al l t he ear t h, He i s not
yet acknowl edged as such. The ent hr onement Psal ms l ook f or war d
t o a t i me when God wi l l be ent hr oned over al l t he nat i ons and
r ecei ve t hei r wi l l i ng obedi ence.

61
I n t he NT t hi s " now and not yet " f eat ur e i s car r i ed a
st ep f ur t her . I n Chr i st , God i s ent hr oned over t he nat i ons and
t he usur per i s cast out ( J ohn 12: 31, 32) . The gospel becomes t he
pr ocl amat i on t hat J esus Chr i st i s Lor d. Al l who ar e wi l l i ng t o
acknowl edge Hi s r ul e and obey Hi s wi l l ar e accept ed as subj ect s
of t hat ki ngdom. Yet even her e i t becomes cl ear t hat most
i ndi vi dual s have not accept ed God' s r ul e over t hemper sonal l y.
Phi l 2: 9- 11 poi nt s t o a f ut ur e t i me when Chr i st ' s exal t at i on
wi l l be acknowl edged by al l .

The book of Revel at i on mai nt ai ns t hi s " now and not yet "
f eat ur e r i ght up t o t he consummat i on at t he Par ousi a. Chr i st i s
al r eady ent hr oned but t hat ent hr onement wi l l not be acknowl edged
by al l unt i l t he consummat i on ( Rev 3: 21; 5: 9- 14) . He r ei gns i n
t he hear t s of Hi s peopl e but not publ i cl y. The maki ng publ i c of
t he r ei gn of God i s pr e- emi nent l y t he subj ect of t he l at t er
por t i on of t he book of Revel at i on. But al r eady her e i n t he
seven t r umpet s t her e i s a mar vel ous f or et ast e of t he f i nal
ent hr onement of Chr i st whi ch wi l l r esul t i n t he compl et e
subj ugat i on of al l t hat i s evi l and t he per manent exal t at i on of
al l who ar e r i ght eous ( Rev 11: 15) . Thus t he pr ocess of di vi ne
ent hr onement t hat began wi t h a song by t he Red Sea ends wi t h t he
same song by anot her r ed sea ( Rev 15: 2- 4) .

The t heol ogy of t he seven t r umpet s i s a mar vel ousl y
const r uct ed uni t y. I t consi st s of a quest i on whi ch r ecal l s t o
our mi nds t he pr obl emof evi l . I t concl udes wi t h t wo answer s t o
t hat quest i on. The f i r st i s summed up by t he t heol ogy of
j udgment whi ch i ndi cat es t hat , al t hough t hey ar e unawar e of i t ,
t he pr ayer s of t he mar t yr s under t he al t ar ar e al r eady i n t he
Concl usi on

pr ocess of bei ng answer ed by t he j udgment wr at h of God on t hose
who have per secut ed and sl ai n t hem.
The second answer t o t he quest i on r ai sed i n t he pr ayer
of t he sai nt s i s summed up i n t he f or et ast e of t he f i nal
ent hr onement whi ch i s f ound i n t he sevent h t r umpet . The
myst i cal vi ct or y of God became a r eal i t y i n t he cr oss of Chr i st .
Soon t hat vi ct or y wi l l become a publ i c event . I n t he
gl or i f i cat i on of Chr i st t he sai nt s wi l l al so be gl or i f i ed. The
sai nt s ar e encour aged t o be pat i ent i n t he l i ght of t he gl or y t o
come.
I n shor t t he seven t r umpet s of Revel at i on ar e a f ear f ul
message of doomand war ni ng t o t hose who have r ej ect ed t he
gospel and per secut ed t he peopl e of t he Lamb, t hus t hey ar e al so
a message of comf or t t o al l who have sacr i f i ced ever yt hi ng i n
or der t o f ol l ow Hi m, yet must endur e suf f er i ng a l i t t l e whi l e
l onger . They ar e encour aged not t o f ocus on t he t hi ngs of ear t h
but r at her on t he songs of heaven, t he sound of whi ch i s ever
near er as t he l ong awai t ed consummat i on appr oaches.

ADVENTI ST I NTERPRETATI ON OF THE TRUMPETS:
A HI STORI CI ST PERSPECTI VE62

Few comment at or s on t he book of Revel at i on ar e cont ent
mer el y t o out l i ne what t he book mi ght have meant t o i t s or i gi nal
audi ence i n f i r st cent ur y Asi a Mi nor . As a par t of t he Bi bl i cal
canon t he Apocal ypse i nvi t es us t o sear ch f or t he meani ng i n t he
book whi ch i s especi al l y r el evant t oday. To di scover t hat
meani ng comment at or s have appr oached Revel at i on f r omt hr ee basi c
per spect i ves: pr et er i st , f ut ur i st and hi st or i ci st .
Appr oaches t o t he Book of Revel at i on

Pr et er i sm
The pr et er i st appr oach t r eat s Revel at i on l i t t l e
di f f er ent l y t han i t does t he r est of t he New Test ament . Rat her
t han bei ng a pr edi ct i on of t he f ut ur e, Revel at i on i s consi der ed
a message t o a par t i cul ar gr oup i n a par t i cul ar t i me and pl ace.

As such i t needs t o be exeget ed pr i mar i l y i n t er ms of i t s
or i gi nal cont ext .
I f t he pr et er i st i nt er pr et er does not r ecogni ze any
di vi ne el ement i n t he pr oduct i on of t he book of Revel at i on,
he/ she wi l l usual l y di smi ss t he book as one man' s r esponse t o a
cr i si s si t uat i on. Thus Revel at i on' s val ue f or t oday i s j udged
by t he i nt er pr et er ' s own pr esent exper i ence. He/ she may even
j udge, as Adel a Yar br o Col l i ns does, t hat t he aut hor of
Revel at i on exhi bi t s a " f ai l ur e i n l ove, " over si mpl i f i cat i on, and
vengef ul aggr essi on. 63
But many pr et er i st i nt er pr et er s do bel i eve t hat
Revel at i on i s i nspi r ed by God and t hus bear s aut hor i t y f or our
si t uat i on t oday. For t hem, Revel at i on i s a pi ct or i al unf ol di ng
of basi c pr i nci pl es i n t he r el at i onshi p bet ween God, humani t y
and t he f or ces of evi l . Thus Revel at i on t eaches t r ut hs t hat ar e
appl i cabl e t o any si mi l ar si t uat i on. Thi s met hod of
i nt er pr et at i on i s si mi l ar t o t hat used t o cont empor i ze ot her New
Test ament books such as Mat t hew and Romans, t he mai n di f f er ence
bei ng t he f i gur at i ve nat ur e of Revel at i on. Many r eader s wi l l
r ecogni ze i n t hi s br i ef descr i pt i on what some have cal l ed t he
i deal i st school of pr ophet i c i nt er pr et at i on.

Fut ur i sm
At t he opposi t e end of t he spect r umi s f ut ur i smwhi ch
t akes i t s cue f r omRevel at i on' s r epeat ed concent r at i on on t he
consummat i on of al l t hi ngs ( 6: 15- 17; 11: 15- 18; 14: 14- 20; 19: 11-
21, et c. ) . Thus f ut ur i st i nt er pr et er s cont end t hat t he bul k of
t he vi si ons i n Revel at i on f ocus on t he end- t i me and ar e f ut ur e
f r omt he i nt er pr et er ' s own per spect i ve. Thus, i n t he di r ect
sense, t he book of Revel at i on i s pr i mar i l y r el evant f or t he l ast
gener at i on of t he ear t h' s hi st or y. However , much as i deal i st s
do, f ut ur i st i nt er pr et er ' s f i nd pr esent meani ng i n t he pr omi ses
and gener al pr i nci pl es i mpl i ci t i n t he end- t i me event s descr i bed
i n Revel at i on.

Hi st or i ci sm
Hi st or i ci st i nt er pr et er s, seei ng no i ndi cat i on i n t he
book t hat t he event s of Revel at i on wer e t o be conf i ned t o ei t her
t he di st ant past or t he di st ant f ut ur e, ar gue t hat t he book
cover s t he ent i r e hi st or y of t he chur ch and t he wor l d f r omt he
cr oss unt i l t he second comi ng. Hi st or i ci smsees Revel at i on as
por t r ayi ng maj or event s of hi st or y. I n t hi s way Revel at i on i s
made r el evant t o t he r eader who f i nds hi s pl ace i n t he f l ow of
hi st or y. Never t hel ess, much of t he book i s t hus made i r r el evant

t o t he r eader unl ess he t oo, l i ke t he pr et er i st and f ut ur i st
i nt er pr et er , adopt s an i deal i st appr oach t o much of t he book.

Summar y
Si nce t he i deal i st appr oach i s common t o ever y
i nt er pr et er who wi shes t o f i nd pr esent - day r el evance i n t he book
of Revel at i on, we ar e l ef t wi t h t hr ee basi c appr oaches t o t he
Apocal ypse. The i nt er pr et er can appr oach i t as a wor k of t he
past i n a speci f i c hi st or i cal set t i ng, as a pr ophecy of end- t i me
event s or as a pr edi ct i on of t he cour se of hi st or i cal event s
dur i ng t he Chr i st i an er a. 64

Tr adi t i onal l y, Advent i smhas shown l i t t l e i nt er est i n
pr et er i sm, f ut ur i smor i deal i sm. The mai n Advent i st appr oach t o
t he seven t r umpet s has ar i sen out of our concer n f or our pl ace
i n t he f l ow of hi st or y. We see our sel ves as a pr ophet i c
movement whi ch has ar i sen at a cer t ai n poi nt i n hi st or y and i s
val i dat ed by t he vi si ons of Dani el and Revel at i on. Thus
Advent i st i nt er pr et er s have been at t r act ed t o t he seven t r umpet s
pr i mar i l y because t hey have seen i n t he si xt h t r umpet event s
t hat ar e r el at ed t o t he bi r t h of our movement .
The Advent i st Appr oach
65 As a r esul t ,
l i t t l e i nt er est has been shown i n exeget i cal i ssues or

hi st or i cal cont ext wher e t he st udy of t he t r umpet s was
concer ned. Wi t h t he except i on of evangel i st i c ser mons, 66
Unt i l r ecent l y Advent i st i nt er pr et er s have r ej ect ed any
f ut ur i st under st andi ng of t he f i r st si x t r umpet s. I n t he l ast
f ew year s, however , some have suggest ed t hat t he seven t r umpet s
have an end- t i me f ul f i l l ment , ei t her i n addi t i on t o or i n pl ace
of t he hi st or i cal under st andi ngs of t he past .

Advent i st pr eacher s have negl ect ed t he seven t r umpet s, not
f i ndi ng spi r i t ual pr i nci pl es or t i mel ess t r ut hs t her e.
67
Sol emn event s bef or e us ar e yet t o t r anspi r e. Tr umpet
af t er t r umpet i s t o be sounded, vi al af t er vi al pour ed out one
af t er anot her upon t he i nhabi t ant s of t he ear t h. Scenes of
st upendous i nt er est ar e r i ght upon us.
Thi s i nt er pr e-
t at i on f i nds suppor t i n El l en Whi t e' s st at ement i n l et t er 109,
1890,
68

C. Mer vyn Maxwel l ' s newl y publ i shed comment ar i es on
Dani el and Revel at i on ar e basi cal l y hi st or i ci st i n or i ent at i on.
However , t he ver y t i t l e of t he pai r , God Car es, i ndi cat es
Maxwel l ' s concer n t hat ever y por t i on of t hese apocal ypt i c books
speak as wel l t o t he ever yday si t uat i on of Chr i st i ans and t hei r
f ami l i es. Hi s book on Revel at i on t hus shows an openness t o
i deal i smwhi ch has not gener al l y been mani f est ed i n pr evi ous
Advent i st i nt er pr et at i ons.

The schol ar l y wor l d now consi der s hi st or i ci sm, t he mai n
appr oach of pr evi ous cent ur i es, t o be t hor oughl y di scr edi t ed.
The r easons gener al l y gi ven i ncl ude t he f ol l owi ng: 1) The
chaot i c mass of conf l i ct i ng i nt er pr et at i ons of f er ed by
hi st or i ci st s. 2) Most hi st or i ci st i nt er pr et at i ons woul d have
had absol ut el y no r el evance t o t he or i gi nal r eader s. 3) Ol d
Test ament pr opheci es of gener al scope wer e r ar el y f ul f i l l ed i n
t he exact and det ai l ed manner so t ypi cal of hi st or i ci st
i nt er pr et er s. 69
Whi l e t he above ar gument s, especi al l y t wo t hr ough f our ,
car r y consi der abl e wei ght , t he deni gr at i on of hi st or i ci smi s
pr i mar i l y due t o cer t ai n under st andi ngs of t he doct r i ne of
r evel at i on and i nspi r at i on. I t i s t he cont ent i on of cr i t i cal
schol ar shi p t oday t hat t he aut hor i t y and canoni ci t y of t he Bi bl e
can no l onger be assumed but shoul d be eval uat ed accor di ng t o
4) Hi st or i ci st i nt er pr et at i on r equi r es t oo much
ext r a- Bi bl i cal knowl edge t o be eval uat ed by most peopl e. 5)
Ther e i s no evi dence i n Revel at i on t hat t he aut hor ant i ci pat ed
l ong ages of hi st or y. I n t he l i ght of t hese power f ul assaul t s
on hi st or i ci smmany Advent i st schol ar s have become mor e and mor e
r el uct ant t o af f i r mour t r adi t i onal i nt er pr et at i ons of pr ophecy
and have become i ncl i ned t o do t he basi c exegesi s and l eave t he
i nt er pr et at i on t o t he evangel i st s.

t he schol ar ' s cr i t i cal l y i nt er pr et ed pr esent exper i ence. 70
A mor e moder at e deni al of t r adi t i onal under - st andi ngs of
i nspi r at i on i s f ound i n encount er t heol ogy. Encount er t heol ogy
can al l ow f or God' s i nvol vement i n t he pr oduct i on of Scr i pt ur e
whi l e denyi ng t hat pr oposi t i onal t r ut hs ( doct r i nes) ar e
necessar i l y communi cat ed t her e. Encount er t heol ogy has much t o
say about God' s i nvol vement i n human exper i ence as l ong as you
can' t put your f i nger on any det ai l s. Such t heol ogy f i nds
of f ense i n hi st or i ci sm' s asser t i on t hat a) God i s act i ve i n
speci f i c hi st or i cal event s and b) He r eveal ed what He was goi ng
t o do i n speci f i c t er ms bef or e i t happened. To summar i ze, i t i s
evi dent f r omt he above t hat SDA st udent s of Revel at i on ar e
expl or i ng a number of opt i ons i n sear ch of sol i d gr ound on whi ch
t o base t hei r i nt er pr et at i ons. I s i t t i me t o di scar d
hi st or i ci smand move t owar d a f ut ur i st , i deal i st or pr et er i st
appr oach? Or shoul d hi st or i ci smbe r escued f r omt he dust bi n of
t r adi t i on and hi st or y?
I f ,
as most cr i t i cal schol ar s bel i eve, t r adi t i onal concept s of
i nspi r at i on shoul d not be appl i ed t o Revel at i on, t hen J ohn coul d
not possi bl y have known a det ai l ed out l i ne of 2000 year s of
hi st or y ahead of t i me.

Thi s i s not t he pl ace t o ar gue t he i ssues of r evel at i on,
i nspi r at i on and aut hor i t y. Sevent h- day Advent i st s need t o
set t l e many of t hese i ssues f or t hemsel ves. At t hi s poi nt i n
t i me, however , t her e i s st i l l a gener al consensus among us t hat
t he Bi bl e i s t he Wor d of God and t hat , subj ect t o t he human
f r ai l t y of t he var i ous wr i t er s, i t succeeds i n communi cat i ng
t r ut h about God t hat t r anscends what human bei ngs coul d l ear n on
t hei r own.
An I nduct i ve Hi st or i ci sm
71
I f we bel i eve t hat t he book of Revel at i on por t r ays
genui ne vi si ons i nspi r ed by God t hen t he key t o our appr oach
must be based on an i nduct i ve st udy of Revel at i on i t sel f . The
aut hor , t hr ough t he t ext , must be al l owed t o gui de us i n our
appr oach t o i nt er pr et i ng t he book. I t i s possi bl e t hat var i ous
appr oaches t o t he mat er i al may be cal l ed f or i n var i ous
passages.
Thus, whi l e bei ng gr at ef ul f or t he genui ne
cont r i but i ons of cr i t i cal schol ar shi p, we must not accept
concl usi ons t hat ar e based pr i mar i l y on pr esupposi t i ons about
r evel at i on and i nspi r at i on t hat we do not hol d.
72 What evi dence i s t her e i n t he seven t r umpet s t hat
can poi nt us t o t he pr oper appr oach t o i nt er pr et i ng t hemf or our
si t uat i on t oday?

The f act t hat t he aut hor has por t r ayed t he bl owi ng of
seven t r umpet s i ndi cat es hi s i nt ent i on t o poi nt t he r eader t o an
i nt er pr et at i on i n t er ms of successi ve hi st or i cal per i ods. For
one t hi ng, t he maj or i mages f r omt he OT ar e dr awn f r omset t i ngs
i n whi ch successi ve event s i n t i me ar e depi ct ed. The cr eat i on
t akes pl ace on seven successi ve days wi t h a Sabbat h cl i max. The
Exodus i s made possi bl e by a ser i es of t en pl agues whi ch wear
down t he Egypt i ans so t hat t he I sr ael i t es can escape. Seven
t r umpet s ar e bl own at t he bat t l e of J er i cho wher e t he peopl e
mar ch i n si l ence f or seven successi ve days, on t he sevent h of
whi ch t he ci t y f al l s. 73
Anot her evi dence of t he aut hor ' s i nt ent i on l i es i n t he
nat ur e of bi bl i cal j udgment . Si nce t he seven t r umpet s ar e
expr essi ons of God' s j udgment s on t he wi cked, t hey can be
expect ed t o expr ess God' s cont i nui ng j udgment act i vi t y i n t he NT
er a. God' s j udgment s i n t he OT wer e al ways seen as hi st or i cal
act s. The war s of J oshua, f or exampl e, wer e under st ood i n t er ms
The Feast of Tr umpet s cl i maxes a ser i es
of seven new moon f east s whi ch ar e cel ebr at ed at t he begi nni ng
of each mont h. The J ubi l ee t r umpet sounds af t er seven per i ods
of seven year s each. Thus, a ser i es of successi ve t i me per i ods
l i es wi t hi n t he i nt ent i on of t he aut hor of Revel at i on i n hi s
const r uct i on of t he seven t r umpet s.

of a covenant execut i on ( Deut 9: 4- 7 cf . t he pl agues of Egypt - -
Exod 6: 6; 7: 4) . When God act ed i n j udgment He of t en used peopl e
such as Nebuchadnezzar and t he ki ngs of Egypt and Assyr i a as Hi s
i nst r ument s i n hi st or y. The Synopt i c Apocal ypse por t r ays God' s
j udgment s i n a hi st or i cal sense i n t he NT er a as wel l . The
ar mi es of Ti t us ar e God' s agent s t o j udge t he l eader s of t he
nat i on f or t hei r r ej ect i on of Chr i st ( Mat t 23: 29- 39) . Thus t he
wr i t er of Revel at i on evi dent l y i nt ended t he t r umpet s t o si gni f y
God' s gui di ng hand l eadi ng hi st or y on t o i t s cl i max at t he
Par ousi a.
As has been shown ear l i er , t he t r umpet s begi n wi t h t he
cr oss and end wi t h t he consummat i on. Thus t he wr i t er of
Revel at i on appear s t o be out l i ni ng a ser i es of seven j udgment s
t hat ar e t o f al l on t he wi cked dur i ng t he Chr i st i an er a. These
j udgment s ar e not gener al i n nat ur e but f ol l ow one anot her i n a
chr onol ogi cal sequence. What ever meani ng t he or i gi nal wr i t er
may have seen i n t he t r umpet s, t he ext ensi on of t i me f or some
2000 year s poi nt s us t o l ook f or t he maj or i nt er vent i ons i n
hi st or y t hat God want ed Hi s peopl e t o r ecogni ze t hr ough t he
i nspi r ed vi si on of J ohn. But can any hi st or i ci st i nt er pr et at i on
over come t he f i ve maj or cr i t i ci sms l i st ed ear l i er ?

1) I t i s t r ue t hat hi st or i ci st wr i t er s of t he past have
of t en f ai l ed t o agr ee on t he f ul f i l l ment s of t he t r umpet s, but
t hi s does not pr ove t hat t her e i s no cor r ect vi ew. A mi suse of
a met hod does not i nval i dat e t he met hod.
2) I t i s t r ue t hat t he book of Revel at i on must have had
meani ng f or t he or i gi nal r eader s. Thus hi st or i - ci st
i nt er pr et at i on must ar i se out of t he or i gi nal meani ng of t he
passage. Thi s wi l l pr ove t o be a saf eguar d agai nst f anci f ul
i nt er pr et at i on.
3) I t i s al so t r ue t hat Ol d Test ament pr opheci es of
gener al scope wer e r ar el y f ul f i l l ed i n an exact and det ai l ed
manner . 74 Thus, we must bewar e of an over l y l i t er al one- f or - one
cor r espondence i n hi st or y f or ever y det ai l of t he t r umpet s. The
over al l f l avor of each account wi l l cor r espond t o a maj or t r end
i n hi st or y. 75
4) To be meani ngf ul t he i nt er pr et at i on shoul d be r eadi l y
di scer ni bl e t o anyone wi t h a basi c under st andi ng of hi st or y, i t
must not hi nge on obscur e event s or st at ement s. The out l i ne of
hi st or y shoul d be accur at e and r eadi l y accessi bl e t o l ayman and
hi st or i an al i ke.

5) I t i s pr obabl y t r ue t hat none of t he di sci pl es
f or esaw t he enor mous l engt h of t he Chr i st i an er a. The Lor d

cer t ai nl y coul d have come i n t he f i r st cent ur y. But t he passage
of t i me has opened up new vi st as i n t er ms of t he Lor d' s pat i ence
and pur pose. Havi ng f or eseen t he del ay, woul d not God pr epar e
Hi s peopl e t o under st and t he gr eat event s by whi ch He i s
br i ngi ng hi st or y t o i t s cl i max? Our l ack of f or esi ght shoul d
cer t ai nl y i nt r oduce an el ement of t ent at i veness i nt o any
hi st or i ci st i nt er pr et at i on. Onl y f r omt he per spect i ve of t he
Par ousi a wi l l hi st or y speak wi t h per f ect cl ar i t y. I f t i me
shoul d l ast anot her 2000 year s ( God f or bi d! ) t he t r umpet s, whi ch
r un f r omt he cr oss t o t he second comi ng, wi l l be st r et ched out
beyond anyt hi ng we coul d r ecogni ze now. Never t hel ess, each
gener at i on must make t he at t empt t o under st and Revel at i on or
r i sk bei ng sur pr i sed by God' s f i nal act s ( Rev 16: 15 cf . 1 Thess
5: 1- 6) .
What ki nd of hi st or i ci st i nt er pr et at i on wi l l do j ust i ce
t o t he Bi bl i cal mat er i al ? Cer t ai nl y not t he t r adi t i onal var i et y
whi ch emphasi zes mi nut e det ai l s and " newspaper " exegesi s whi l e
i gnor i ng t he pl ai n meani ng of t he symbol s i n t hei r or i gi nal
cont ext . Per haps i t i s t i me t o i nt r oduce a " modi f i ed
hi st or i ci sm. " Whi l e God' s j udgment s i n t he Ol d Test ament wer e
hi st or i cal i n nat ur e t he par al l el bet ween Ol d Test ament and New
Test ament j udgment i s not exact . The Chr i st event has cr eat ed

f undament al changes i n t he way God deal s wi t h manki nd. Hi s
peopl e ar e no l onger a geogr aphi cal , et hni c nat i on but ar e now a
wor l d- wi de spi r i t ual chur ch whose exi st ence and char act er ar e
of t en i nvi si bl e t o human eyes. Thus t he " hi st or i cal " event s f or
whi ch we ar e l ooki ng ar e not l i kel y t o deal wi t h pol i t i cs and
nat i ons and et hni c gr oups as much as t hey deal wi t h i deas and
phi l osophi es and gr eat t r ans- nat i onal movement s t hr oughout t he
New Test ament er a. The message of t he seven t r umpet s i s t hat
hi st or y i s not an endl ess r ound of cause and ef f ect , i t has a
pur pose. Whi l e God' s hand i s not necessar i l y vi si bl e t o t he
secul ar hi st or i an, i t i s di scer ni bl e t o t he eye of f ai t h. As
t he pr ophet i c por t i on of t he New Test ament , t he book of
Revel at i on r eveal s i n br oad out l i ne t he gr eat movement of
nat i ons and i deas over t he expanse bet ween t he cr oss and t he
second comi ng. These event s ar e al l uded t o f or t he pur pose of
showi ng t hei r t heol ogi cal si gni f i cance, so t hat God' s peopl e
mi ght be comf or t ed wi t h t he knowl edge t hat God i s i n f ul l
cont r ol f r ombegi nni ng t o end r egar dl ess of what t he hi st or i an
mi ght r ecor d as t o t he f at e of God' s peopl e on ear t h.
Thi s " modi f i ed hi st or i ci sm" i s not at var i ance wi t h
Bi bl i cal r evel at i on as a whol e. God' s j udgment s have al ways
been hi st or i cal i n nat ur e. A secul ar West er ner who exper i enced

t he exodus or t he cr oss woul d be har d- pr essed t o see ei t her t he
hand of God or any t heol ogi cal si gni f i cance i n t hem. These
event s woul d be seen as t he execut i on of a suspect ed
r evol ut i onar y and t he mass escape of a r agged bunch of sl aves,
t aki ng advant age of a ser i es of nat ur al cal ami t i es. What makes
t hese event s si gni f i - cant t o t he st udent of t he Bi bl e i s t hat
t hey ar e seen as God' s hand act i ng i n j udgment . Never t hel ess
bot h ar e hi st or i cal i n t hat t hey coul d be r epor t ed essent i al l y
as t he Bi bl e r ecor ds t hemi n t he l ocal newspaper but wi t hout t he
t heol ogi cal si gni f i cance t hat r evel at i on i nvest s i n t hem.
Thus Bi bl i cal pr ophecy has t wo mai n aspect s. A
hi st or i cal event i s ment i oned, and an i nt er pr et at i on of t hat
event i s gi ven. Whet her t he event i s f ut ur e or past i s
i mmat er i al , t he account i s st i l l consi der ed pr ophecy.
Unquest i onabl y bot h t est ament s por t r ay a God who i s act i ve i n
t he af f ai r s of men. I t i s poi nt l ess t o pr ay f or t hose i n
aut hor i t y i f God doesn' t t ake an act i ve r ol e i n hi st or y ( cf . 1
Ti m2: 1- 4) . Thus, t he hi st or i ci st vi ew i s, i n pr i nci pl e, t r ue
t o t he way God' s act s ar e por t r ayed i n Scr i pt ur e.
I s t he aut hor of Revel at i on open t o a doubl e f ul f i l l ment
i n whi ch t he t r umpet s woul d have an appl i cat i on, al ong wi t h t he
seven bowl s, t o t he end- t i me cr i si s? Thi s appear s t o be

excl uded by t he f act t hat t he seven bowl s ar e t he t hi r d woe of
t he sevent h t r umpet . Thi s cl ear l y pl aces t he t r umpet s pr i or t o
t he bowl s chr onol o- gi cal l y . The t r umpet s l ead up t o t he end,
t hey ar e not t he end i t sel f . 76
Si nce t he t ext of t he t r umpet s cal l s f or a hi st or i ci st
i nt er pr et at i on t he l ast t wo sect i ons of t hi s paper wi l l pr ovi de
an anal ysi s and cr i t i que of pr evi ous Advent i st at t empt s at
hi st or i ci st i nt er pr et at i on f ol l owed by t he aut hor ' s own
suggest i ons.

Some Hi st or i ci st Per spect i ves

Ur i ah Smi t h

The best - known Advent i st i nt er pr et at i on of t he t r umpet s
i s t hat of Ur i ah Smi t h i n Dani el and t he Revel at i on. He saw i n
t he f i r st si x t r umpet s event s r el at ed t o t he downf al l of t he
Roman Empi r e. The f i r st f our t r umpet s depi ct ed var i ous of t he
bar bar i an i nvasi ons whi ch put an end t o t he West er n Roman
Empi r e, whi l e t he f i f t h and si xt h r el at ed t o t he f al l of t he
east er n hal f of t he Empi r e. 77 Al t hough he says l i t t l e about i t ,
t he sevent h t r umpet appear s t o r epr esent t he per i od f r omt he
mi d- 19t h cent ur y t o t he end. I n spi t e of t he i mmense popul ar i t y
of Smi t h' s vi ew, t hr ee maj or f act or s mi l i t at e agai nst t he

usef ul ness of hi s out l i ne, 1) a l ack of per sonal exami nat i on of
t he t ext , 2) a dependence on sour ces whose i nt er pr et at i ons wer e
based on ci r cul ar r easoni ng, and 3) t hese sour ces wer e st r ai ght -
l i ne hi st or i ci st s.
Ther e i s no r eal evi dence t hat Smi t h wor ked wi t h t he
t ext of t he t r umpet s per sonal l y. Onl y one shor t par agr aph coul d
be consi der ed exeget i cal i n even t he br oadest sense. 78 Mor e
t han 60%of t he 42 pages of mat er i al on Rev 8: 7- 9: 21 i s quot ed
f r omcomment at or s such as Kei t h, El l i ot t , Bar nes and Li t ch.
Most of t he r est i s a par aphr ase of t hei r wor ks. These
comment at or s mer el y r el at e hi st or i cal event s t hat ar e supposedl y
f or eshadowed by t he i mager y of t he t r umpet s. Thus, Ur i ah Smi t h
bases hi s i nt er pr et at i on of t he t r umpet s ent i r el y on t he wor k of
ot her s. 79
A st udy of Kei t h, El l i ot t and ot her hi st or i ci st s of t he
per i od shows an al most t ot al l ack of any exeget i cal concer ns.
The cor r espondence bet ween t he t ext and t he hi st or i cal event s
por t r ayed i s mer el y assumed. I t i s Geor ge McReady Pr i ce who
di scover ed t he ul t i mat e sour ce of t hese i nt er pr et at i ons.
What was t he qual i t y of t hei r wor k? How di d t hey
come upon t hei r el abor at e hi st or i cal i nt er pr et at i ons?
80 They
wer e based on t he hi st or i cal wor k of Edwar d Gi bbon. 81 Gi bbon
was a cl assi ci st who had vi r t ual l y memor i zed t he anci ent cor pus

of l i t er at ur e. I n wr i t i ng out hi s hi st or i es he cont i nual l y
ut i l i zed l anguage dr awn f r omt he wor ks of ant i qui t y, especi al l y
t he Bi bl e. 82
Not onl y wer e t he i nt er pr et at i ons of f er ed by Smi t h' s
sour ces based on a mi suse of Gi bbon, but t hey wer e par t of t he
st r ai ght - l i ne hi st or i ci st met hod, whi ch Smi t h r ej ect ed.
ed i n t he l anguage of t he cl assi cs. The event s
sur r oundi ng t he f al l of Rome cal l ed t o hi s mi nd t he l anguage of
t he seven t r umpet s of Revel at i on, and he ut i l i zed t hat l anguage
as he wr ot e t hese event s down. Thus, i t i s not sur pr i si ng t hat
hi st or i ci st comment at or s saw i n t hese event s, as descr i bed by
Gi bbon, t he f ul f i l l ment of t he seven t r umpet s; not r eal i zi ng, of
cour se, t hat t he l anguage had mer el y come f ul l ci r cl e.
83 Thus,
t hough Smi t h was a r ecapi t ul at i oni st , 84
Thus, Ur i ah Smi t h' s i nt er pr et at i on of t he t r umpet s
appar ent l y t el l s us mor e about t he mi nd of Edwar d Gi bbon t han
t he mi nd of J ohn t he Revel at or . A ser i ous exegesi s of t he
t r umpet s wi l l need t o move beyond Smi t h' s met hod and
i nt er pr et at i ons i f i t i s t o be t r ue t o t he Bi bl i cal t ext .
and under st ood t he
t r umpet s t o cover t he whol e Chr i st i an er a, he was f or ced t o
conf i ne t he whol e essent i al l y t o t he f al l of t he Roman Empi r e.

Edwi n R. Thi el e

Thi el e' s syl l abus on Revel at i on i s f ar mor e exeget i cal
t han Ur i ah Smi t h' s book. 85
Thi el e sees t he AD 70 dest r uct i on of J er usal emi n t he
f i r st t r umpet . The second por t r ays t he bar bar i an nat i ons and
t he downf al l of t he Roman wor l d. The t hi r d t r umpet r ef er s t o
t he compr omi se bet ween pagani smand Chr i st i ani t y whi ch r esul t ed
i n t he cor r upt i on of Bi bl i cal doct r i ne i n t he ear l y year s of t he
Mi ddl e Ages. The l at er year s of t he Mi ddl e Ages ar e
f or eshadowed by t he dar kness of t he f our t h t r umpet .
I n addi t i on t o numer ous quot es f r om
El l en Whi t e, he exami nes par al l el s i n t he OT, t he NT and
el sewher e i n Revel at i on. Especi al l y i n t he i nt r oduct i on and t he
f i r st t hr ee t r umpet s, Thi el e pl aces a gr eat deal of emphasi s on
under st andi ng t he symbol s wi t hi n t hei r ent i r e Bi bl i cal cont ext .
I n t r umpet s 4- 6 t her e i s l ess r el i ance on exegesi s and mor e
dependence on Smi t h.
Wi t h t he f i f t h t r umpet Thi el e r et ur ns t o t he basi c
per spect i ve of Ur i ah Smi t h. Thus, al t hough he put s mor e
exeget i cal ef f or t i nt o hi s exposi t i on, he essent i al l y under l i nes
Smi t h' s associ at i on of t he f i f t h and si xt h t r umpet s wi t h t he
Sar acens and Tur ks. The sevent h t r umpet , l i kewi se, cover s t he
per i od of i nvest i gat i ve j udgment f r om1844 t o t he end.

The exegesi s of chapt er t wo of t hi s paper i s ver y
suppor t i ve of Thi el e' s out l i ne f or t he f i r st t hr ee t r umpet s.
The f al l of J er usal em, t he f al l of Rome and t he apost asy of t he
chur ch ar e cl ear l y compat i bl e wi t h t he i mager y chosen by J ohn
t he Revel at or . Some quest i ons ar i se wi t h r egar d t o t he l ast
f our t r umpet s, however . I f t he f our t h t r umpet por t r ays t he
dar kness of papal supr emacy, why does t he compar abl e dar kness of
t he f i f t h t r umpet r epr esent t he Mohammedan scour ge? Can t he
f ul l r ange of i mages i n t he f i f t h and si xt h t r umpet s t r ul y be
appl i ed t o t he I sl ami c at t acks of t he Mi ddl e Ages, or i s t her e
not somet hi ng f ar mor e compr ehensi ve i n vi ew? Wi t h r egar d t o
t he sevent h t r umpet does i t not por t r ay t he event s of t he f i nal
consummat i on, whi ch f ol l ow t he wor l dwi de pr ocl amat i on of t he
gospel , r at her t han t he age of f i nal pr ocl amat i on i t sel f ? ( cf .
chapt er t wo on Rev 10: 7 and t he sevent h t r umpet . )
Al l cr i t i ci smasi de, Thi el e' s wor k i s a t r emendous
advance over pr evi ous ef f or t s wi t hi n Advent i sm. Al l who f ol l ow
wi l l be bui l di ng on hi s pi oneer i ng ef f or t s.

C. Mer vyn Maxwel l
Maxwel l ' s out l i ne of t he t r umpet s essent i al l y bui l ds on
Thi el e' s wor k, al t hough he advances consi der abl y i n hi s i deal i st

use of t he i mages, maki ng t he t r umpet s r el evant t o ever y
si t uat i on. Thus, Maxwel l ' s book has a power f ul devot i onal
appeal . I n t er ms of schol ar l y accur acy, however , Maxwel l ' s wor k
essent i al l y shar es bot h t he st r engt hs and t he weaknesses of
Thi el e' s appr oach.

Roy Naden
The f i r st Advent i st , of whi ch I amawar e, t o br eak i n
pr i nt wi t h t he I sl ami c i nt er pr et at i on of t he seven t r umpet s i s
Roy Naden. The mai n obst acl e t o such a depar t ur e has been t he
appar ent endor sement of t he Li t ch- Smi t h vi ew by El l en Whi t e i n
GC 334, 335. Naden poi nt s out , however , t hat many E. G. Whi t e
schol ar s, i ncl udi ng Ar t hur Whi t e and Rober t Ol son, do not
consi der her l anguage t o be an endor sement of t he I sl ami c
vi ew. 86 Whi l e t he of f i ci al posi t i on of t he SDA chur ch i s t hat
our posi t i ons ar e based on exegesi s of Scr i pt ur e r at her t han on
t he wr i t i ngs of E. G. Whi t e, most SDAs woul d be uncomf or t abl e
r ej ect i ng her vi ew on an i ssue wher e she st at ed i t cl ear l y and
unequi vocal l y. Thus, Naden f eel s t hat t he l ack of endor sement
of f er ed t o t he I sl ami c i nt er pr et at i on by El l en Whi t e opens t he
way t o ot her , mor e exeget i cal opt i ons.

Naden begi ns hi s exposi t i on wi t h a synopsi s of t he OT
backgr ound and par al l el s wi t h ot her NT books and t he book of
Revel at i on i t sel f . Though br i ef , t hi s synopsi s shows a br eadt h
of exeget i cal under st andi ng t hat goes beyond anyt hi ng t hat has
pr evi ousl y been wr i t t en. Naden' s basi c t hesi s i s t hat t he seven
t r umpet s, i n cover i ng t he same per i od as t he Synopt i c
Apocal ypse, al so f ol l ow t he same basi c out l i ne.
Naden t hus has no pr obl emwi t h Thi el e' s exposi t i on of
t he f i r st f our t r umpet s. I n wr est l i ng wi t h t he di f f i cul t i es of
t he f i f t h t r umpet , however , he suggest s t hat i t por t r ays Sat an' s
at t ack on t he Ref or mat i on by t he Count er Ref or mat i on f r om1535-
1685. Whi l e t hi s posi t i on i s f r esh and i nt r i gui ng he of f er s
l i t t l e j ust i f i cat i on f or i t i n t he t ext i t sel f .
Naden t hen connect s t he poi nt i n t i me of Rev 9: 15 wi t h
t he day and hour of t he Par ousi a ment i oned by J esus i n Mat t
24: 36. Thus he sees i n t he si xt h t r umpet t he t i me of t he f i nal
cr i si s, f r omt he mi d- 18t h cent ur y t o t he cl ose of pr obat i on.
Ther ef or e, he sees t he sevent h t r umpet as t he consummat i on,
r unni ng f r omt he cl ose of pr obat i on t o t he second comi ng. I n
t he si xt h and sevent h t r umpet s Naden st ands on f i r mer exeget i cal
gr ound t han i n hi s i nt er pr et at i on of t he f i f t h t r umpet . 87

Summar y
Thi s exami nat i on of r epr esent at i ve i nt er pr et at i ons shows
a devel opment t owar d a mor e exeget i cal l y sound appr oach t o t he
seven t r umpet s. The t ask i s t o base ever y aspect of our
i nt er pr et at i on on t he or i gi nal i nt ent of t he aut hor of
Revel at i on as cl ar i f i ed by exegesi s of t he t ext i t sel f . The
l ast sect i on of t he paper i s t he aut hor ' s at t empt t o bui l d on
and compl et e t he pr ogr ess whi ch has been made i n t he Advent i st
under st andi ng of t he seven t r umpet s.

We have concl uded ear l i er t hat J ohn, i n wr i t i ng out t he
vi si on of t he seven t r umpet s, ut i l i zed l anguage and i mager y t hat
poi nt t he r eader t o maj or hi st or i cal act s of j udgment car r i ed
out by God i n t he cour se of t he Chr i st i an er a. These j udgment s
f ol l ow one anot her i n chr onol ogi cal sequence. They f al l , i n
r esponse t o t he pr ayer s of t he sai nt s, on t hose who have opposed
God and Hi s peopl e . The 2000 year l engt h of Chr i st i an hi st or y
f ur t her i ndi cat es t hat t hese j udgment event s must be maj or
t r ends i n hi st or y not j ust mi nor det ai l s.
The Tr umpet s and Hi st or y
I t i s not sur pr i si ng t hat Advent i st wr i t er s have r eached
a consensus on t he f i r st t hr ee t r umpet s. Lyi ng cl osest t o t he

t i me of t he aut hor of Revel at i on, t hey can be easi l y r el at ed t o
J ohn' s si t uat i on. 88
Wi t h r egar d t o t he f i r st t r umpet , exegesi s has shown
t hat God' s j udgment i s bei ng pour ed out on a power t hat t o al l
appear ances bel ongs t o Hi s ki ngdom. But j udgment of t en begi ns
wi t h t he house of God ( 1 Pet 4: 17; Ezek 9) . I ncr eased knowl edge
l eads t o i ncr eased r esponsi bi l i t y ( J er 25: 29; Amos 3: 2; Rom2;
J ohn 3: 18- 21; J ames 4: 17) . The f i r st t r umpet set s t he basi c
t heme of t he synopt i c apocal ypse i n t he cont ext of a ser i es of
j udgment s t o bef al l t he whol e wor l d bef or e t he end comes ( cf .
Mat t 23: 37, 38; 24: 1, 2, 6- 8) . Thus, t he f i r st t r umpet shoul d be
i nt er pr et ed as t he f al l of J udai smi n r eact i on t o t he J ewi sh
nat i on' s r ej ect i on of Chr i st and t he gospel . I t cover s a per i od
begi nni ng wi t h t he desol at i on of t he t empl e ( Mat t 23: 37, 38) i n
AD 31 and endi ng wi t h t he f ai l ur e of t he Bar Kochba r evol t i n
Si nce t he si xt h and sevent h t r umpet s ar e
f ai r l y easy t o pl ug i nt o t he abundance of mat er i al on f i nal
event s el sewher e i n Revel at i on, i t shoul d not be di f f i cul t t o
event ual l y at t ai n consensus t her e as wel l . The most di f f i cul t
por t i on of t he t r umpet s, t hen, i s t he f our t h and f i f t h whi ch
come bet ween t he t i me of t he aut hor and t he t i me of t he end.
Her e, especi al l y, car ef ul at t ent i on must be pai d t o t he f l avor
of t he var i ous det ai l s.

135 AD. Fr omt hen on J udai sm' s i nf l uence i n t he Empi r e, and i t s
power t o per secut e Chr i st i ans, was mi ni mal . 89
I t i s f i t t i ng t hat t he obj ect of t he second t r umpet i s
Rome. Thus, wi t h t he f i r st t wo t r umpet s God has deal t wi t h t he
t wo power s, one r el i gi ous and t he ot her ci vi l or secul ar , who
cr uci f i ed J esus. Sat an' s goal i n ever y cr i si s i s t o uni t e hi s
di spar at e f or ces agai nst Chr i st and/ or Hi s peopl e ( cf . Rev
16: 13, 14) . Al t hough bi t t er enemi es, onl y a t empor ar y uni on of
Rome and t he J ewi sh nat i on coul d have succeeded i n dest r oyi ng
Chr i st . Fr omt he conver si on of Const ant i ne t hr ough t he decl i ne
of t he Byzant i ne Empi r e, secul ar Rome was on a downhi l l r oad t o
obl i vi on.

The t hi r d t r umpet exudes an over whel mi ng f l avor of
apost asy, whi ch per ver t s t he t r ut h of God. Thi s i s r i ght l y
associ at ed wi t h t he chur ch' s compr omi se wi t h pagani smand t he
cor r espondi ng r i se of t he papacy as a scour ge on t hose who had
moved away f r omt he Wor d of God t o t he doct r i nes of men.
At t hi s poi nt , Thi el e, Maxwel l and Naden al l consi der
t he f our t h t r umpet t o be an ext ensi on of t he t hi r d, t he papal -
r ul ed Dar k Ages. Yet t he i mager y of t he f our t h i s mor e cl osel y
r el at ed t o t he f i f t h t han t he t hi r d. The at t ack on God' s wor d
i s of a di f f er ent nat ur e t han t hat of t he t hi r d t r umpet .

Coul d i t be t hat t he t hi r d and f our t h t r umpet depi ct t he
r i se of t wo new enemi es of God' s peopl e, r epl acement s f or t he
r el i gi ous and ci vi l power s t hat oppr essed Chr i st and Hi s peopl e
i n t he f i r st cent ur y? Per haps t he f our t h t r umpet por t ends t he
r i se of a power t hat , l i ke Rome and t he Phar aoh of t he Exodus,
opposed God' s t r ut h and Hi s peopl e i n a mor e di r ect way. I
woul d l i ke t o suggest t hat t he f our t h t r umpet depi ct s t he r i se
of secul ar i zat i on, a pr ocess wi t h r oot s i n Hel l eni smand t he
Mi ddl e Ages but whi ch spr out ed openl y i n t he Renai ssance and t he
Enl i ght enment and bl ossomed i nt o f ul l f or ce wi t h t he Fr ench
Revol ut i on. Whi l e t hi s dar kness was not t ot al at f i r st i t has
deepened unt i l i t t hr eat ens ever y f ai t h on al l cont i nent s t oday.
The key t o t hi s suggest i on i s t he i nt er pr et at i on of t he
f i f t h t r umpet wi t h i t s abundance of i mager y. The abyss i s
unl ocked by t he f al l en st ar of t he t hi r d t r umpet . I t i s al so
connect ed wi t h Rev 11: 7. I t i s i nt r i gui ng t hat El l en Whi t e
bl ames t he secul ar - at hei smof t he Fr ench Revol ut i on on t he
suppr essi on of God' s wor d by t he papacy i n Fr ance. 90 She al so
associ at es t he Fr ench Revol ut i on wi t h t he beast f r omt he abyss
of Rev 11. Though she does not comment on t he f i f t h t r umpet
t hese associ at i ons suggest t hat i t i s not f or ei gn t o her way of

t hi nki ng t o i nt er pr et t he f i f t h t r umpet i n t er ms of t he
secul ar i zat i on of t he wor l d f r omt he Fr ench Revol ut i on on. 91
I t was E. G. Whi t e' s hi nt i n Gr eat Cont r over sy t hat
f i r st l ed me t o consi der t he possi bi l i t y t hat t he f i f t h t r umpet
mi ght be a symbol i c por t r ayal of t he secul ar phi l osophy t hat
domi nat es t he wor l d t oday. Thi s i nt er pr et at i on has al so been
suggest ed by a number of non- Advent i st schol ar s.

92
Al l t hese i mages poi nt t o moder n- day secul ar i sm.
Bel i ef s such as Mar xi sm, evol ut i on and r at i onal i smhave f ul l
cont r ol of t he medi a wi t h t he r esul t t hat t hi s gener at i on has no
Not e t he
f undament al meani ng of t he symbol s. Locust s wer e used i n
j udgment on Egypt ( Exod 10: 1- 22) and Babyl on ( J er 51: 14, 27) .
The cont ext i n bot h was r el i gi ous l i ber t y f or God' s peopl e. The
f i f t h t r umpet f al l s on t hose who don' t have t he seal of God, t he
seal ed ar e not har med. The t or ment s of t he pl ague ar e
spi r i t ual , not physi cal , l i f e has l ost i t s meani ng. The agent
of t he despai r i s t he scor pi on' s t ai l , a symbol of l yi ng
pr ophet s ( I sa 9: 15) . I t i s f al se doct r i ne t hat br i ngs t he
angui sh, not a mi l i t ar y scour ge. The bl ot t i ng out of t he sun i s
an excel l ent symbol of t he at t empt of Sat an t o obscur e God i n
t he mi nds of t he peopl e. Thi ngs become so bad manki nd l oses t he
wi l l t o l i ve.

God, no mor al i t y, no meani ng and no hope. I n t he wor ds of Camus
t he onl y l ogi cal act i on t o t ake i s sui ci de. Such a condi t i on i s
f ar wor se t han a l i t er al l ocust - pl ague. Communi smoppr esses
many. Ecumeni smwat er s down t he f ai t h. Secul ar i smand
mat er i al i smf eed t he hunger f or God' s wor d wi t h ashes. The
f i nal r esul t i s spi r i t ual i sm, when peopl e t ur n t o demons t o
f ul f i l l t hei r spi r i t ual l ongi ngs. 93
But i n al l of t hi s God' s peopl e need not f ear ( Rev 9: 4)
f or secul ar i zat i on i s not an unmi t i gat ed evi l . Ther e ar e
l i mi t s. God uses Sat an i n t he f i f t h t r umpet t o br i ng bl essi ng
t o Hi s peopl e. Thr ough t he Enl i ght enment r el i gi ous t ol er at i on
was i nt r oduced. The encour agement of educat i on l ed t o t he
f or mat i on of t he gr eat Bi bl e soci et i es. Sci ent i f i c pr ogr ess has
shed much l i ght on God' s Wor d t hr ough ar cheol ogy and l i ngui st i c
st udi es such as Ki t t el ' s

Theol ogi cal Di ct i onar y. Ther e i s a
gol den oppor t uni t y f or evangel i sm. 94
I f t hi s i dent i f i cat i on of t he t hi r d t hr ough f i f t h
t r umpet s i s cor r ect t hen t he t hi r d and f our t h t r umpet s depi ct
t he r i se of t wo new enemi es of God' s peopl e, one r el i gi ous and
I n t he mi dst of t he
dar kness of r ej ect i on, Chr i st can be pr eached as never bef or e
( J ohn 3: 18- 21; Rom8: 35- 39) . God l oves t o br i ng st r engt h out of
appar ent weakness.

one secul ar . The f i f t h and si xt h t r umpet s pr obabl y por t r ay t he
act i vi t i es of t hese t wo power s as t he end- t i me appr oaches. The
si xt h t r umpet por t r ays t he r i se of end- t i me Babyl on, Sat an' s
gat her i ng of al l hi s f or ces f or t he f i nal bat t l e wi t h Chr i st and
Hi s peopl e ( cf . 16: 12- 16; 17: 14) . As at t he cr oss, Sat an must
uni t e hi s di spar at e f or ces i n or der t o have any hope f or success
at t he bat t l e of Ar mageddon ( summar i zed i n Rev 11: 18) . The
si xt h t r umpet por t r ays such a uni f i cat i on i n t hat t he power of
t he mout h i s added t o t he power of t he t ai l ( cf . 9: 10, 19) . 95
The same event s whi ch l ead t o a f i nal r evel at i on of
evi l i n t he wor l d al so usher i n t he consummat i on of t he gospel
( Rev 10: 7) . When t he ent i r e wor l d i s br ought t o a poi nt of
deci si on ( Rev 14: 6- 12) t he f i nal event s wi l l be r api d ones ( Rev
11: 15- 18) . Then i t wi l l not be l ong bef or e t he r edeemed st and
on t he sea of gl ass t o si ng t he song of Moses and t he Lamb ( Rev
15: 3, 4) .

END NOTES

1.
J on Paulien, Decoding Revelation's Trumpets, Andrews University Seminary Doctoral
Dissertation Series, Vol. 11 (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1988), pp. 155-
194.

2.
The passive verb "were given" edothsan) is probably a "divine passive" J ews were
reluctant to pronounce the name of God in the first century for fear of blasphemy. Thus, in
addition to substitute names (such as Adonai for Yahweh), they often referred to God's activity
by means of passive verbs with God being the implied agent of that activity.
3.
Note the grouping of verses in the 3rd Edition of the United Bible Societies Greek text.
4.
Rev 3:21 comes at the climax of the seven churches, yet the reference to Christ's
enthronement with the Father is a foretaste of the events depicted in chapters four and five. Rev
11:18 is the climax of the seven trumpets, yet it contains a summary statement of the content of
the rest of the book (see below for a fuller treatment). Rev 17:18 connects the two accounts of
chapters 17 and 18 into one by identifying the harlot with the great city.
In the case of Rev 8:1, it is clearly the climax of the seven seals, yet there are indications that
it points forward as well. For one thing, the connection between silence in heaven and the
prayers of the saints is found in J ewish tradition which may indicate that J ohn was drawing on a
familiar association (cf bChagigah 12b). J ohn also follows the description of silence in heaven
with a kai (and) which usually joins two sentences rather than dividing them. When the author
wishes to make a distinct break in a vision he usually uses meta tauta: 4:1; 7:1,9; 15:5; 18:1;
19:1.
5.
The various sections of Revelation usually begin with a view of some aspect of the
heavenly sanctuary. A view of the seven candlesticks precedes the seven churches. A view of
the heavenly throne-room is the prelude to the seven seals. The activity at the golden altar
precedes the seven trumpets and the seven bowls are poured out from the tabernacle of the
testimony in heaven. This suggests the likelihood that Rev 11:19 provides the sanctuary setting
for chapters 12-14. Since 11:19 is parallel to 8:5 the verse probably has a purpose similar to 8:2-
6 and, likewise, bears a relationship to what follows.
6.
There may also be a reference to the J ewish tradition of seven archangels referred to in 1
Enoch 20 and other places. These may have been divided into a group of four and a group of
three (cf 1QM 9:14-16).
7.
The angel plays a high priestly role in the use of the censer. Could any mere angel give
efficacy to prayer?
8.
Perhaps this is why there is a soft break between verses 1 and 2 of Rev 8.
9.
Chapters 4, 5 and 7 compared with 8:2-6 and 11:15-18.
10.
The seals are remarkably parallel to Lev 26 and the Synoptic Apocalypse. Lev 26
describes the covenant woes that fall on God's people when they forget Him and His instructions.

Mt 24 and parallels focus on the persecution God's people face as they attempt to preach the
gospel.
11.
This latter phrase is a figure of speech for "the wicked" in Revelation. cf 3:10; 8:13;
11:10; 13:8,14; 14:6; 17:8.
12.
The last quoted sentence is drawn from the New International Version. The word
"number" is not found in this passage, rather the verb plrthsin, "they were filled, completed,
made full." The NIV is correct, however, in seeing that an anticipated full number of martyrs is
implied.
13.
Dividing the first four trumpets from the three woes.
14.
While the cries of the martyrs are not described in those words, the same wording (hai
proseuchai tn hagin) is used in 5:8, which is part of the sanctuary background that informs the
interpretation of the seals. Thus the cry of the fifth seal is portrayed as coming up before God in
8:3-5, presumably seeking action on God's part.
15.
These prayers for vengeance have a number of parallels. Several occur in 1 Enoch (1
En 47:2,4; 99:3; 104:3). In Luke J esus is portrayed as commending such prayers in connection
with the parable of the unjust judge (Lk 18:6-8). And in Matt 24:20-22, J esus particularly
encourages his disciples to pray in times of affliction and persecution.
But the strongest and most helpful parallel is found in the Exodus narrative, where the
prayers of the children of Israel precipitated the plagues on Egypt (Ex 3:7,8). Thus the
connection between the fifth seal and the introduction to the seven trumpets seems related to the
Exodus motif which lies in the background of much of the book of Revelation.
16.
This altar fire is reminiscent of Eze 10:1ff and the experience of Nadab and Abihu.
17.
Since Rev 17:1 and 17:18 indicate that chapters 17 and 18 are related to the events of
the bowl plagues, the whole of chapters 15 through 18 are summarized in the brief statement of
11:18--"your wrath has come."
18.
The plagues of the first four bowls and the trumpets fall, respectively, on the earth, the
sea, the rivers and springs, and heavenly bodies. The fifth of each series involves darkness, the

sixth, the Euphrates River, and the seven, the consummation. Also the terms for God used in
11:17 are repeated in the context of the bowls in 15:3; 16:5,7,14.
19.
The four horsemen operate in quarter-portions of the earth (6:8). The trumpets, on the
other hand, fall on thirds of the earth. The bowl plagues fall on the earth as a whole.
20.
This is further indicated by the fact that only four seals describe apocalyptic plagues
while six trumpets and all seven bowls do.
21.
It is interesting to note that in J ewish tradition the wrath of God in the time of Enos
flooded a third of the world, but this was only a foretaste of the time of Noah when God in His
wrath flooded the whole earth. Cf. Mechilta Exod 20,3.
22.
It is recognized that elements of chapters 12-14 are historical in nature but the main
focus of the section is the war between the dragon and the remnant which is yet to reach its final
conclusion.
23.
The translators who produced the LXX saw references to trumpets and trumpeting in
nine different Hebrew words. Six of these words referred to the instrument itself: chatstserh,
ybl, qeren, shphr, tqa` and ter`h. Three of the words referred to the act of blowing the
trumpets: chatstsr, ra`, and tqa`. In addition to these words there appear to be a few minor
instances of Hebrew words carrying the meaning of trumpet or trumpeting but not so understood
by the translator. Friedrich (In TDNT 7:78) cites Exod 19:13; Lev 25:9; J osh 6:5 and 1 Chr
16:42 as examples. There are also a few places where the LXX failed to see the trumpet
meaning in some of the nine basic words cited above (J udg 7:8; 2 Sam 15:10; 1Kgs 1:41 and Hos
8:1).
24.
salpigx =the trumpet as an instrument. This word is used in the LXX to translate all six
Hebrew words for a variety of instruments. The verb form, salpizein (=the act of blowing the
trumpet), translates the three Hebrew verb forms.
25.
Toward the end of the OT era this usage of the trumpet came to be associated more and
more with the Day of the Lord. The blowing of trumpets symbolized God's present judgments
which were a warning of greater judgments to come. A case in point is Ezek 7:14. This verse is
in the context of God's visit to the temple of J erusalem for the purpose of judgment. In the MT it
reads as a simple call to battle, but in the LXX it reads, "Sound ye the trumpet and pass judgment

on all together." Here both the noun and verb form of salpigx are used in the context of
judgment (krin). This is connected with the liturgical usage of trumpets since the blowing of the
trumpet in the temple courts became associated with the call for revival and reformation (J oel
2:12-17; cf. 1 Chr 15).
26.
Signaling does not appear to have attained a theological meaning in OT times with the
possible exception of its association with the warning judgments of Eze 33.
27.
Since the king was understood to be Yahweh's servant and representative, the
coronation trumpet became a proclamation of Yahweh's future kingdom. As with judgment, this
understanding of trumpets became increasingly important in NT times.
28.
Since the Sinai incident of Ex 19 is the first mention of trumpets in the OT, it would
tend to infuse this category with more importance in the minds of later readers than would
otherwise be the case.
29.
It is interesting that in more than half of the battle passages which do not mention the
involvement of priests (15 out of 28), the trumpet is blown in behalf of Israel by a character who
was often depicted as taking things into his own hands when God didn't seem to be producing as
promised (The 15 usages occur in the accounts of Gideon, Saul, J oab and Absalom).
30.
The trumpets portray the disastrous effects on creation of the Fall (Gen 3). To some
extent each trumpet corresponds to a day of creation; 1) earth (Gen 1:1), 2) sea (Gen 1:6,7), 3)
rivers and springs (1:9), 4) sun, moon and stars (1:16), 5) locusts (1:21), 6) man (1:26-29), 7)
kingdom (2:1-3). The trumpets obscure light (9:2), foul the air (9:2), destroy vegetation (8:7),
darken sun, moon and stars (8:12), kill the creatures of the sea (8:9), kill men (8:11; 9:18) and
undo the Sabbath rest (9:5,6,20,21). While the specific order is not followed, the acts of the
creation account are reversed in an overwhelming "de-creation."
31.
The first trumpet is especially reminiscent of the hail plague (Exod 9:22ff.). The second
and third recall when Moses turned the waters of Egypt to blood (Exod 7:14ff.). The third also
recalls the bitter waters of Marah (Exod 15:23). The fourth and fifth recall the plague of
darkness (10:21ff.). The fifth also contains reminiscences of the plague of locusts (10:12ff.).
The seventh trumpet recalls the events related to the Song of the Sea in Exod 15. Only the sixth
trumpet is not clearly based on the Exodus and even here it is possible that the author intended
the death of a third of mankind to be reminiscent of the plague on the first-born of Egypt (Exod
11; 12:29ff.).

32.
In J osh 6 the account begins with the marching orders (6:3-5). Accompanied by the
signals of the trumpet priests and the ark of the covenant, the people march around J ericho once
a day for six days and then seven times on the seventh day. They were to march in absolute
silence (6:10) until the time when the signal was given. At the sound of the trumpet all the
people shouted and the walls fell down (6:20).
By comparison, the trumpets begin with silence in heaven (8:1) and end with a great
shout there (11:15). Each blast of the trumpet consists of a plague until the seventh which
includes within itself the full seven plagues of the bowls. In Rev 11:19 the ark of the covenant
appears for the only time in the book of Revelation. Like the battle for J ericho, the trumpets
climax with God's rulership over a specific place. Thus the account of the seige of J ericho
should be seen as a structural parallel running behind the whole passage.
33.
Note the following list of parallels (which is by no means an attempt to be exhaustive)
between the book of J oel and Rev 8, 9 and 11:15-18:

Book of J oel Book of Revelation
1:4; 2:5-7,25 Locusts 9:1-11
1:5,13,14; 2:12-17 Calls for Repentance 9:20,21
1:7,10-12; 2:3 Ruined Vegetation 8:7
1:15;2:1,11,31;
3:14 Day of the Lord Imagery
1:19,20; 2:3,5,30 Devouring Fire 8:7,8
2:1,15 Trumpet Call Repeatedly
2:2,10,31; 3:15 Darkness 8:12; 9:1-11
2:4,5,7 Locust Horses 9:7-11, 16-19?
2:5 Burning Mountain 8:8
2:6 Anguish 9:5,6

2:17 Sanctuary, Altar 8:3-5; 9:13,14
2:30,31; 3:15 Heavenly Signs 8:12
2:30,31 Blood and Fire 8:7-9
3:2,12 God's J udgment Theme
3:18-21 God's Kingdom 11:15-18
34.
Eze 5:1-4,12; Zech 13:8,9. The concept of thirds may also be related to groups of three
in the Old Testament, of which there are many that could be further explored.
35.
If the seven trumpets are based on the plagues of Egypt why didn't the author portray
ten plagues instead of just seven? The answer probably lies in the fact that the first three of the
plagues on Egypt fell on the land of Goshen (where the Israelites lived), the last seven did not.
Thus seven of the Egyptian plagues fell solely on the Egyptians just as the seven plagues of the
trumpets fall only on those who oppose Christ and His followers. Perhaps seals two, three and
four are seen as combined plagues which fall on both the righteous and the wicked along the
lines of the first three plagues on Egypt.
36.
See Kenneth A. Strand, "The Two Witnesses," Andrews University Seminary Studies
19 (1981):128-129.

37.
The second trumpet is clearly based on the account in J ere 51. Several trumpets,
especially the fifth, allude to the book of J oel which is written with the Exile and Return in mind
(esp. 3:1ff). There are also significant allusions to the book of Ezekiel, which contains a
theology of the Exile. (The concept of "thirds" is based on Eze 5:1-12 and 21:27, the fall of the
censer reflects Eze 10:2 and the battle against Gog in chapter 38 is alluded to often.) And the
explicit mention of the Euphrates River signals, according to Strand, a preoccupation with the
Exile/Babylon motif which continues through Rev 14:20. (cf "The Two Witnesses, p. 128.)
38.
No doubt building on the Day of the Lord theme in the prophets.

39.
Compare the LXX of Eze 7:14 and the Pseudo-J onathan Aramaic Targum of Num 29:1
with their equivalents in the Masoretic Hebrew text. J udgment language is added in the
paraphrasing of the original.
40.
Note, for example, The Special Laws, Book I, 187 and The Decalogue, 33.
41.
Rosh Hashanah 1.2.
42.
Psalms of Solomon 8:1-3; Sibylline Oracles IV, 171-190; 4 Ezra 6:18-23; and the
Apocalypse of Moses, section 22. A striking example is 4 Ezra 6:18-20,23:
(18) Behold the days come and it shall be,
When I am about to draw nigh
to visit the dwellers upon the earth,
(19) And when I require from the doers of iniquity
(the penalty of) their iniquity:
(And when the humiliation of Sion
shall be complete,)
(20) And when the Age which is about to pass away
shall be sealed
then (will I show these signs): the books shall be
opened before the face of the firmament,
and all see together.
(23) And the trumpet shall sound aloud at which all men,
when they hear it,
shall be struck with sudden fear.
43.
Philo, The Special Laws, Book II,190; The Scroll of the War 3:1-11.

44.
Philo, The Special Laws, Book II, 192.
45.
1 Cor 14:8; Mt 6:2. Both passages are related to the signaling role of the trumpet. In
Cor 14:8 Paul uses the importance of clear signals in preparing for war as an illustration of the
superiority of prophecy over tongues. In Mt 6:2 there is a tongue-in-cheek comment that trumpet
calls are not in order where giving is concerned! Neither usage is imbued with theological
significance.
46.
The reader is referred to the earlier paper "Exegesis and the Problem of Language in the
Book of Revelation" for a more comprehensive discussion of the NT's impact on Revelation.
47.
This is also true of Wis Sol 16:16-24 and 4 Ezra 5:5-8.
48.
The intertestamental literature is supportive of this general summary but does not add
anything of relevance to the first trumpet, so is not discussed further.
49.
Since the seven seals concern the experience of God's people in the world it is likely
that the white horse represents Christ and/or the church in its proclamation of the gospel, while
the red, black and pale horses represent the three parts of Satan's kingdom which opposes the
church and thus comes under the judgment of God's wrath.
Why is all the green grass burned up instead of only a third? It is uncertain but the
reference may be to all the green grass in that portion of the earth where the plague occurs.
50.
The object of the plague should probably be equated with one of the seven heads of the
beast in Rev 17.
51.
It could be objected that the mountain in the second trumpet is the agent of judgment
rather than the recipient of it (cf the hail, fire and blood of Rev 8:7). However, not all the
trumpets have agents (cf. 8:12; 11:15-18), and the mountain is associated with Babylon as a
recipient of judgment in the Old Testament, J ewish apocalyptic literature and the book of
Revelation. I am not aware of any passage where a mountain is used as an agent of judgment.
52.
4 Ezra 3:1,2,28-31; 2 Bar 10:1-3; 11:1; 67:7; Sib Or V:143-161.

53.
The material presented as exegesis and interpretation of trumpets three through seven is
the product of nearly seven years of study. However, the author has recently made a number of
breakthroughs in the area of exegetical method (outlined in the earlier paper Exegetical Method
and the Problem of Language in the Book of Revelation). Trumpets three through seven have
not yet been examined in the full light of the advance in method. The author believes that the
overall flavor of the interpretation offered here will prove to be accurate, but he is not yet ready
to make a final determination on what is or is not an allusion in the respective trumpets.
54.
Rev 9:6 is reminiscent of 6:15-17; the despair of those who know that they are lost.
55.
Roy Naden, Studies in Revelation. Lecture Manual #3 (Arroyo Grande: Concerned
Communications, 1981), p. 36.
56.
The fact that this period is mentioned twice is an apparent reference to the Flood
account in Gen 7:24 and 8:3. Thus the five months would be a reference to the
comprehensiveness of God's judgments even when they are limited.

57.
George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), pp. 619-632.

58.
It is used by saints who feel that God has forgotten them (Ps 13:1,2). They accuse Him
of being partial to the wicked (Ps 82:2). They fear that delay in God's acting in judgment will
bring reproach on His name ("where is their God?" Ps 79:10). They are frustrated by the fact
that their most earnest prayers are often answered by apparent silence (Hab 1:2). They are
distressed by the continuing victory of the enemies of God and His people in spite of all God's
promises (Dan 8:13 cf 10-12,24,25).
59.
Notice that in Lk 10:18,19 the disciples of Christ are given the power to tread on snakes
and scorpions. Although Christians are seen in the book as persecuted and suffering greatly,
they do not suffer from the curses of the trumpet plagues, which are so bad that men would
rather die than live.

60.
The enthronement of Yahweh brought in its train all the blessings of His kingdom; the
sanctuary, the promised land, protection, guidance and security. Dt 33:2-5 and Ps 114:1,2 make
it clear that in a very real sense Yahweh was first enthroned over Israel in the Exodus experience.
That enthronement was ratified on Mt. Sinai with the blowing of trumpets. Yahweh was king of
the world by creation, but He was now king over Israel by redemption.
61.
A good example is Ps 47. At the beginning of the Psalm Yahweh is depicted as the
"great king" or emperor over the nations. But Israel is still His special people, distinct from the
outer circle of nations (Ps 47:2-4). But after the enthronement there are no more outsiders. All
the nations of the earth are His special people (Ps 47:9).
62.
The writer considers the content of this chapter to be extremely tentative. It is an
attempt to wrestle with some serious issues that are rarely addressed among Seventh-day
Adventists. In doing so the author does not intend to condemn any particular person within
Adventism nor is he particularly set in the ideas he presents here. The purpose of this chapter is
to utilize the forum of this committee to refine the content so that it can make a useful
contribution to the current discussion.
63.
Adela Yarbro Collins, Crisis and Catharsis. The Power of the Apocalypse (Phil.:
Westminster Press, 1984), pp. 165-175.
64.
The writer does not deny that it is possible to combine all three approaches to some
extent, this may, as so often, be the approach that is most true to the text. Nevertheless, these
three approaches do manifest some basic philosophical differences.

65.
Cf the following writings of E. G. White: GC 334,335 on Rev 9; 2 SM 107,108 on Rev
10 and GC 266-288 on Rev 11. It should be mentioned at this point that another Adventist
motive for studying the trumpets is to validate the authority and inspiration of the Scriptures.
Since the seven trumpets seemed to outline certain historical events far in advance, they must
have been more than just a human product.
66.
In evangelism there is a great need to validate both the authority of the Bible and the
divine leading in the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

67.
I have not yet seen such a position in writing but dozens of my students have been
exposed to this view in recent years, so I am convinced that it will play a major role in future
discussions on the seven trumpets in Adventism.
68.
Quoted in 7BC 982.
69.
For example, the prophets predicted the Exile in the language of the Exodus, but the
fulfillment was radically different from that indicated by an explicit reading of the predictions.
70.
Cf Yarbro Collins, p. 167.
71.
This is not an outright denial of encounter theology. It has helped us to better
understand the phenomenon of inspiration. But Adventist thought does not accept a total
rejection of propositional content in Revelation.
72.
For example, the strong parallel between the seven seals and the Synoptic Apocalypse
may indicate a more idealist approach for the seals while the historicist approach is clearly
indicated as the proper approach to Daniel 2.
73.
Note that the Israelites marched around the city seven times on the seventh day before it
fell. J ust as the seventh seal unfolds in seven trumpets, so the seventh trumpet contains the seven
bowl plagues.
74.
Who could have predicted in advance the exact course of Christ's life from the
multitude of types and Messianic prophecies?
75.
Historians will readily point out that the fall of Rome cannot be fixed to a single date
but began in the late second century and was fully and finally completed with the fall of
Constantinople in 1453. In the west, however, the process was essentially complete by the mid-
5th Century.
76.
How then shall we assess Ellen White's statement in 7BC 982? The statement is very
general and uses the term trumpet as part of a collection of statements concerning the terrors of

the end. There is no indication in her language that her statement is intended to offer a guide to
the interpretation of the seven trumpets.

77.
Since the eastern half of the Empire was brought down by the forces of Islam it is not
surprising that the Saracens and Turks are equated with the imagery of the fifth and sixth
trumpets respectively.
78.
The brief comment on Rev 8:13 on p. 491 of the revised edition (Nashville: Southern
Publishing Association, 1944).
79.
Cf pp. 475, 493, 505 where Smith notes his reliance on the work of others.
80.
George McCready Price, A New Commentary on Daniel and the Revelation (Pre-
Publication MS. Loma Linda, CA, 1951), pp. 92,93.
81.
Notice Uriah Smith's approving quotation of the following from Keith on pp. 475, 476:
None could elucidate the texts more clearly, or expound them more fully, than the task
has been accomplished by Gibbon. The chapters of the skeptical philosopher that treat directly
of the matter, need but a text to be prefixed and a few unholy words to be blotted out, to form a
series of expository lectures on the eighth and ninth chapters of the Revelation of J esus Christ.
82.
Note the following quotation:
The arms of the Republic, sometimes vanquished in battle, always victorious in war,
advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine, and the ocean; and the images
of gold, or silver, or brass, that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, were
successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome.
83.
Straight-line historicists believed that Revelation was a continuous outline of the
Christian era, running from chapter one through chapter 22. The reason they saw an outline of
the fall of Rome in the trumpets is that there interpretation of prior chapters had reached that
point in history.

84.
One who sees successive outlines of the Christian era running from the cross to the
second coming in the churches, seals, trumpets and crisis of 12-14, for example.
85.
Edwin R. Thiele, Outline Studies in Revelation (Class Syllabus, Pacific Union College,
Angwin, CA 94508), pp. 159-184. All criticism of Uriah Smith's work must be tempered with a
recognition of the scholarly limitations of both Smith and the age in which he lived. For his time
he did a noble and monumental work. In 100 years, if time should last, the scholarship of our
time will probably deserve to be judged far more harshly.
86.
She uses such neutral terms as "according to his calculations," and "the event exactly
fulfilled the prediction." This leads many to suspect that she was uncertain as to the true
meaning of the passage and reported Litch's view because of its historical significance. She
points out that as a result of the fulfillment of Litch's prediction multitudes were convinced of the
correctness of the Millerite principles of prophetic interpretation, and many men of learning and
position united with Miller.
87.
In a recent conversation, Naden felt that this analysis was accurate and expressed no
discomfort with this writer's interpretation as outlined in the last section of this paper.
88.
The fall of J udaism and Rome and the apostasy of the church are all foreseen to a
greater or lesser degree in less-apocalyptic portions of the NT.
89.
The judgment on the J ewish nation is not of the direct variety. From the first century
Christian perspective, God gave the nation over into the hands of the Romans. This is not
incompatible with the hostility toward Rome that most scholars see in the last half of the book of
Revelation. In the OT era God often used Gentile nations to chastise His people and then turned
on them when His people repented. Rome is an enemy
of God's true people in Revelation, but is nevertheless under God's control and can be used by Him to accomplish
His purposes.
90.
GC 265-269.
91.
Perhaps most significant is the statement in Education p. 228:

"Anarchy is seeking to sweep away all law, not only divine, but human. The
centralizing of wealth and power; the vast combinations for the enriching of the few at the
expense of the many; the combinations of the poorer classes for the defense of their interests and
claims; the spirit of unrest, of riot and bloodshed; the world-wide dissemination of the same
teachings that led to the French Revolution--all are tending to involve the whole world in a
struggle similar to that which convulsed France."
Although not explicit, the language of this reference is reminiscent of the communist ferment
in Russia at the time. Clearly she saw the philosophy of the French Revolution playing a major
role in the final crisis. If this is so, would not God have placed a hint of this somewhere in the
book of Revelation?
92.
Unjhem, p. 106; Rissi, p. 101; Ellul, p. 76; Schick, pp. 88-91; Kent, pp. 62-65.
93.
The Soviet Union is the world's leader in the study of parapsychology.
94.
The greatest missionary movements of all time have taken place during this period of
secular domination. If our church can learn to reach the secular mind, we will have an inroad
into virtually every nation and culture.
95.
There may be a remarkable parallel to the fifth and sixth trumpets in Dan 11:40-45.
There the king of the south (Egypt--a symbol of secular-atheism? Ellen White uses it in this way
to refer to France during the revolution) attacks the king of the north (perhaps the period of
domination referred to in the fifth trumpet) successfully for a time. But then the king of the
north (Babylon--a symbol of false religion in the end-time) strikes back with a vengeance
conquering the entire then-known world (sixth trumpet?). All that is left to conquer is the city of
J erusalem (symbol of God's people in the end-time) when Michael intervenes by standing up
(close of probation--seventh trumpet?).
If the fifth and sixth trumpets are being correctly interpreted, the fifth refers to the period of
secular dominance in which we are now living. The sixth points to a great religious backlash
(deadly wound healed?) that is yet to come which will overcome all opposition to religion and
unite the world on the basis of some common religious denominator. Could recent events in
Poland and Iran be a first fruits of that great end-time backlash?
How could secular-capitalism, communism, Islam and the third world ever be united with any
form of Christianity? The answer given in both Revelation and Great Controversy is the miracle
working power of demons. Rev 13:13,14; 16:13. cf GC 588,589. Even an atheist will believe
when confronted with irrefutable proof of the supernatural.

Interpreting The Seven Trumpets2

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