INTERPRETING THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

A Paper Prepared for the

Daniel and Revelation Committee
of the General Conference of SDAs
March 5-9, 1986

by Jon Paulien
Asst. Professor of NT Interpretation
SDA Theological Seminary

Berrien Springs, MI
February, 1986
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS IN CONTEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Limits of This Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Basic Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Structural Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Old Testament Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Intertestamental Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The New Testament Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

EXEGESIS OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

The First Trumpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
The Second Trumpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
The Third Trumpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Fourth Trumpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The Fifth Trumpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The Sixth Trumpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Interlude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
The Seventh Trumpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

THE THEOLOGY OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

The Problem of Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
The Visitation of Wrath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
The Kingdom Comes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

ADVENTIST INTERPRETATION OF THE TRUMPETS:

A HISTORICIST PERSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Approaches to the Book of Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The Adventist Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
An Inductive Historicism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Some Historicist Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
The Trumpets and History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

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INTRODUCTION

The seven trumpets of Revelation have proven themselves to be among

the most difficult passages in all of Scripture. They are filled with bizarre

and cryptic symbols which resist meaningful interpretation. The first six

trumpets (8:7-9:21) seem virtually devoid of typical NT themes. Here, of all

places in Revelation, it is essential to apply as rigorous and scientific a

method as possible if an understanding of the symbols is to be achieved. The

method followed in the preparation of this paper is described in detail in my

book Decoding Revelation's Trumpets.

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THE SEVEN TRUMPETS IN CONTEXT

The Limits of This Study

The author explicitly begins the seven trumpets at Rev 8:2 where the

seven angels who stand before God receive seven trumpets, presumably from God

Himself.2 Many commentators have felt that the seven trumpets actually begin

with the opening of the seventh seal in verse 1.3 This is probably true in

part as most transitional passages in Revelation point both forward and

backward at the same time.4 But verse 2 provides the explicit introduction to

the section so we are on reasonably safe ground to begin there.

The seven trumpets clearly end with either verse 18 or verse 19 of

chapter 11. While this cannot be decided with certainty the evidence of the

book's structure suggests that verse 19 belongs to chapter 12 rather than the

seventh trumpet.5 Thus we will end this study of the seven trumpets at Rev

11:18.

The interlude, Rev 10:1-11:14, breaks up the natural flow of the

trumpets and prepares the way for what is to follow in Rev 12ff. The material

in this section has been rather thoroughly interpreted by Ellen White and thus

is less puzzling to Seventh-day Adventists than the rest of chapters 8-11.

This paper will concentrate on the most enigmatic portions, 8:7-9:21 and

11:15-18. The interlude does contain, however, one point of major interest
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for our study of the trumpets. This is Rev 10:7 which relates the sounding of

the seventh trumpet to the finishing of the mystery of God.

Basic Observations

The seven trumpets, like the churches and seals before them, are

preceded by a view of the heavenly sanctuary (8:2-6). The scene in verse 2 is

probably based on the fact that there were seven trumpet priests in the Old

Testament cultus (1 Chr 15:24; Josh 6; cf. also 1QM 3:1-11; 7:7ff.).6 Their

trumpet calls represented the prayers of God's people for deliverance in

battle and forgiveness of sin (Num 10:8-10). Thus the prayers of the saints

in Rev 8:3-5 are probably cries for deliverance from the oppression visited by

their enemies as depicted in the seven seals.

In Rev 8:3-5 "another" angel, presumably Christ, mingles incense

with the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which is before the

throne.7 After the smoke of the incense has ascended before the throne

combined with the prayers of the saints, the angel takes the censer, fills it

with fire from the altar and throws it to the earth. The result of that act

is thunders, noises, lightnings and an earthquake. This is immediately

followed by the preparation of the seven angels for the sounding of their

trumpets. Thus the activity at the altar is connected to the judgments which

follow. What is the nature of this connection?

Two basic ideas are portrayed in Rev 8:3-5, mediation and judgment.

Through Christ's mediation in heaven it is possible for the saints to maintain

a relationship with God and to survive the plagues of the seven trumpets.

While the altar stands this mediation continues, but wherever the fire falls

the powers of the enemy take control. This passage contains a symbolic

reminder both of God's care and concern for the believer and of His active

participation in the judgments that fall on those who reject the gospel.
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The daily service in the temple to which this passage points

included the ministration of incense, the throwing of the sacrifice in the

fire and the blowing of the temple trumpets. The blowing of the trumpets

indicated that the sacrifice was complete. For the author of Revelation the

sacrifice par excellence was the death of Jesus. Thus the events of the seven

trumpets need to be seen in the light of the cross. It is the cross that

makes mediation possible. It is rejection of the cross that brings down the

wrath of God. To the extent that the trumpets portray the author's viewpoint

of historical events, the beginning point is certainly the cross of Jesus

Christ.

The seven trumpets themselves are, like the seals, divided into a

4-3 pattern or, perhaps more accurately, a 4-2-1 pattern. Just as the four

horsemen are explicitly tied together as a unit, so are the three woes (8:13;

9:12; 11:14). The first four trumpets are set apart by Rev 8:13 and share a

much briefer format than the last three. While the four horsemen specifically

affect humanity, the first four trumpets fall on the natural world.

Another aspect of the seven trumpets as a whole is the apparent

escalation of judgment. They increase in intensity as they progress. From

plagues on the natural world, the trumpets become demonic horrors which first

harm (fifth trumpet) then kill (sixth trumpet) the inhabitants of the earth.

They end in the consummation of God's wrath under the seventh trumpet.

There is a basic pattern shared by most of the trumpets. First an

angel sounds the trumpet, then a form appears (hailstorm, falling star), then

the effects are described (burning of greenery, defiling of the springs and

rivers). Each plague is limited in its sphere of operation, usually in terms

of a third of something.
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The purpose of the seven trumpets is indicated by Rev 9:20,21 where

the lament is raised that those who were not killed by the plagues of the

sixth trumpet nevertheless failed to repent of their idolatry, sorcery or

commandment breaking. This indicates that while the trumpets portray

judgments on the enemies of God's people (cf. 9:4), their purpose is to lead

to repentance, even though they do not succeed in doing so with the unsealed.

This, combined with the partial character of the trumpets (affecting thirds of

the earth or humanity rather than the whole as in the seven bowls), leads to

the conclusion that they are preliminary or warning judgments which prepare

the way for the end-time judgments of the latter half of the book.

The Structural Context

Relation to the Seven Seals

There is considerable recapitulation between the seals and the

trumpets. Both begin with a scene from the heavenly sanctuary, describe a

series of plagues and then end with a portrayal of the consummation. Rev 8:5

and 11:19 are parallel following each. Such recapitulation is typical of

Hebrew style and indicates that the seals and trumpets are in relationship

with each other.8

However, there are also significant differences between them. For

one thing there is much less reference to heavenly things in the trumpets than

in the seals.9 Second, the seals are on the whole normal, non-apocalyptic

plagues, while the trumpet plagues are bizarre and demonic. Third, there is

an apparent reversal of content. In the seals the general focus is on

humanity with plagues on nature and heavenly bodies introduced only in the

sixth seal. In the trumpets, on the other hand, plagues on the natural world

are found in the first four while the fifth and sixth focus on humanity.

Fourth, the seals affect quarter-portions of the earth (Rev 6:8) while the

trumpets affect thirds.

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Finally, and most significant, the seals clearly concern the people

of God and their fate in a world that opposes the gospel.10 As such they form

the counterpart of the account of the Unholy Trinity (dragon, beast and false

prophet) and the remnant of the woman's seed depicted in chapters 12-14. The

trumpets, in contrast, describe judgments on those who have opposed Christ

through their opposition to His people and their message. Thus, the

relationship between the seals and the trumpets involves both parallels and

contrasts.

This relationship is, perhaps, best understood by examining the

apparent connection between the fifth seal and the introduction to the seven

trumpets (Rev 8:3-5). In the fifth seal (Rev 6:9-11) John sees martyred souls

under "the" altar crying out "How long, O Lord, the Holy and True One, do you

not judge and avenge our blood upon those who live on the earth (tôn

katoikountôn epi tês gês)?"11 These souls are given white robes and told to

rest a short while until "the number of their fellow servants and brothers who

were to be killed as they had been was completed."12

Since the question "how long" is not really answered in the fifth

seal, the reader anticipates that things will be clarified later on in the

book. Thus it is not surprising that there are later references to numbered

groups of God's people (chapter 7), prayer (8:3-5) and those who dwell on the

earth (8:13; 11:10; 13:8,14, etc.). Very significant is the reference in Rev

8:13, which stands at the structural center of the seven trumpets.13 This

verse indicates that the trumpet plagues fall on "those who live on the

earth," the same group which was martyring the saints, referred to in 6:9-11

as the "souls under the altar." The spiritual connection between the trumpets

and the fifth seal is made in Rev 8:3-5 where incense from the golden altar is
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mingled with "the prayers of the saints (tais proseuchais tôn

hagiôn)."14 This scene symbolizes Christ's intercession for His saints. He

responds to their prayers by casting His censer to the earth, with frightful

results.

This connection between the altar of 6:9-11 and that of 8:3-5

indicates that the seven trumpets are God's response to the prayers of the

saints for vengeance on those who have persecuted and martyred them. The

martyrs were anxious for the judgment to begin but it was delayed until all

the seals had been opened.15

In verse 5 the altar which receives the prayers of the saints

becomes the source from which judgments are poured out on the wicked in

response (cf. 9:13-15; 14:18-20 and 16:4-7). When the fire of purification

from the altar contacts the earth, it provokes disasters.16 The same fire

which purifies can also destroy. The censer of judgment and the censer of

prayer become one. Thus the seven trumpets should be understood as God's

judgment-response to the prayers of the martyrs, resulting in justice being

done with respect to those who persecuted the saints.

Relation to the Rest of the Book

What relation do the seven trumpets have to the rest of the book of

Revelation? In chapters 10 and 11, where the seventh trumpet is first

mentioned, we have a vision which contains the first mention of a number of

elements such as the "beast" and the "great city" which form a major part of

visions in the latter half of the book. This element of "preview" is

particularly prominent in 11:18 which offers a summary introduction of the

final battle described in chapters 12 through 22.

Rev 11:18 contains five statements which point to five sections of

the second half of the Apocalypse. "The nations were angry" (ta ethnê

ôrgisthêsan) is elaborated in 12:17ff. where the dragon was angry with the
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woman (ôrgisthê ho drakôn) and went away to make war with the remnant of her

seed by means of the sea and land beasts which he calls up in chapter 13.

The next statement in 11:18, "and your wrath came" (kai êlthen hê

orgê sou), is a reference to the seven last plagues in their context (Rev

15-18). These bowl plagues are summarized in 15:1: "And I saw another great

and wondrous sign in heaven, seven angels having the seven last plagues,

because in them the wrath of God is consummated (etelesthê ho thumos tou

theou)."17 The two woes of Rev 9 are truly horrendous. The reader expects

the most frightening plague of all with the arrival of the third woe in

11:15ff. But the seventh trumpet is mostly rejoicing and has only a minimal

mention of negative events. Thus the third woe is the seven last plagues of

the bowls.

With "the time to judge the dead" (ho kairos tôn nekrôn krithênai)

we have an apparent reference to the judgment of the great white throne in Rev

20:11-15. This points the reader to the context of the millennium and its

aftermath.

The time of rewards (dounai ton misthon tous doulois sou . . .) is

mentioned again in 22:12 where Jesus rewards His faithful ones at His Second

Coming. The contrasting reward "to destroy those who are destroying the

earth" (diaphtheirai tous diaphtheirontas tên gên), is mentioned in 19:2 which

summarizes the results of the plagues and the fall of Babylon.

It is clear from the above analysis that the seventh trumpet is a

summary statement in advance of the contents of the rest of the book of

Revelation. As such the seven trumpets have a certain structural relationship

to the events portrayed in chapters 12-22. This relationship is especially

striking in terms of the parallels and contrasts between the trumpets and the

seven bowls.18
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The Three Series of Plagues

In a study of the seals, trumpets and bowls, then, there is a

tension between recapitulation and contrast. As noted earlier, one of the

most significant contrasts is in the territorial limitations of the seals and

the trumpets as opposed to the bowl plagues.19 Thus there is a dramatic

crescendo of judgment in the seals, trumpets and plagues.20 The seals and the

trumpets are preliminary and partial in character in comparison with the bowls

which consummate the wrath of God.21

Therefore, the trumpets should not be interpreted in terms of the

final consummation, although they lead up to it. They are limited territori-

ally to thirds of the earth, they are limited to periods of time (five months)

and they are limited in their destructive capacity (9:5,6). By contrast, the

bowls are an advancement in the state of God's judgments. They are called the

seven "last" plagues. In them God's wrath is for the first time brought to

its full completion. They are poured out with reference to the beast while

there is no mention of the beast in the trumpets until just before the

seventh. The result of the plagues is that the redeemed, the product of the

Christian era, stand by the sea. Thus the author intended the reader to see

the plagues as the consummation of the end-time while the trumpets point to a

series of events that lead up to the end-time.

Summary of Structural Context

The various structural elements that have been noted in the

relationship of the trumpets to the material which precedes and follows

indicate that chapters 4-11 of Revelation should be understood as parallel to

12-18. Both the seals and the crisis of chapters 12-14 are related to the

experience of the church in its proclamation of the gospel despite severe

persecution. The trumpets, on the other hand, are parallel to the bowls in
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their focus on the enemies of God's people who are being judged for their

rejection of the gospel and their persecution of those who proclaimed it.

By way of contrast, however, the seals and the trumpets share a

partial and preliminary character in relation to the later descriptions. They

are not dealing with the consummation but are leading up to it. Thus the

author wants the reader to understand that the seals and the trumpets concern

the character of the age leading from his day to the end, while the crisis of

12-14 and the bowls are concerned primarily with the end-time consummation

itself.22 This series of inter-relationships in the heart of the book of

Revelation can be illustrated by means of the following table:

center close
of of
book probation
³ ³ ³
³ ³ ³
Seals ³ Trumpets ³ 12-14 ³ Bowls
³ ³ ³
Gospel ³ Judgment ³ Gospel ³ Judgment
and ³ of ³ and ³ of
Church ³ wicked ³ Church ³ wicked
related ³ world ³ related ³ world
³ ³ ³ ³
³ ³
___________________ _______________________
Historical End-Time Crisis

The Old Testament Context

Although there are nine different Hebrew words that refer either to

the act of blowing a trumpet or to the instrument itself,23 there is only one

root structure for trumpeting in New Testament Greek.24 This word group is

found 134 times in the Greek Old Testament. Through a careful study of all
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the passages, the various usages have been grouped into the following

categories:

Liturgy and Worship 54

Worship in the Context
of Battle 22
Other battle usages 28
Warning 10
Coronations 9
Signaling 5
Theophany ___6___

134

Liturgy and worship involve the use of the trumpet in the context of

the temple rituals, hymns and related activities of corporate worship. In

addition the trumpet also had a liturgical significance in battle. The battle

trumpets of Israel were to be handled only by the priests. General references

to battle trumpets and incidents where someone other than a priest used the

trumpet are combined under the category Other Battle Usages. The category of

Warning arises primarily from Ezek 33, although it may well play a subsidiary

role in some of the other usages as well.25 The category of Signaling has

primary reference to Num 10 which contains marching orders for the Israelite

camp.26 Trumpets were prominent also in the coronations of ancient Israel and

in the enthronement Psalms (such as Ps 47) which looked forward to the time

when God's kingdom would be established over the whole earth.27 Trumpets were

also associated with theophanies in Exodus 19 and Zech 9:14. While this

association is rare in the OT, it becomes a predominant emphasis in the NT.28

Thus, the predominant usage of trumpets in the OT is in a liturgical

context. The key theological passage is Num 10:8-10:

The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is

to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. When you go

into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a

blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and

rescued from your enemies. Also at your times of rejoicing--your appointed

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feasts and New Moon festivals--you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt

offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before

your God. I am the Lord your God.

This passage clearly indicates that there was a liturgical

significance to the blowing of the trumpet regardless of the context. Its use

was confined to the priests. Whether in battle or in worship its use by God's

people was to result in remembrance (nizkartem--v. 9, lezikkârôn--v. 10,

root--zkr) on His part. In battle this remembrance took the form of

deliverance from their enemies (v. 9). In worship this remembrance took the

form of forgiveness and acceptance within the parameters of the covenant (v.

10--"I am the Lord your God."). Thus, theologically, Israel did not

distinguish between battle and worship as far as the trumpet was concerned.

The sounding of the trumpet became a symbol of covenant prayer. When the

priests blew the trumpet they were reminding God of His covenant with His

people. Thus, the predominant usage of the trumpet in the OT (80 times out of

a total of 144 or 56%) is in a liturgical context and its primary theological

significance is as a symbol of prayer.29

In addition to their background in OT trumpeting, the seven trumpets

point back to such OT events as creation,30 the Exodus31 and the fall of

Jericho.32 There is also frequent reference to the book of Joel33 and "thirds"

appear in a number of places.34 Joel and the "thirds" are most closely

related to the themes of exile and return in the prophets, thus the seven

trumpets point to aspects of the three major events of OT history, the

Creation-Fall, the Exodus and the Exile/Return.35

In a subtle manner the author of Revelation combines the plagues on

Egypt with Joshua's attack on Jericho. As at Jericho, the trumpets precede

the fall of a great city (cf. Rev 11 and 18), and the entrance of God's people
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into the promised land (cf. Rev 21 and 22). The trumpets, however, are also

part of what Strand has called the "Exodus from Egypt / Fall of Babylon"

motif.36 While most of the plagues are based directly on the Exodus motif, we

really have a blending of the Exodus with the Exile.37 The extent of this

blending can be seen in the fact that in Revelation Jericho has become

Babylon. It is Babylon which falls after the blowing of the trumpet. As with

the Exodus and the Return from Babylonian exile, the trumpets are a covenant

execution on the part of God. He judges the wicked for their opposition to

Him and His people, in the process delivering the righteous and preparing the

way for their inheritance of the kingdom (cf. the shout of Rev 11:15).

The Intertestamental Background

A clear trend in the intertestamental period was the increasing

association of trumpets with judgment.38 This can be seen in a number of

early paraphrases of the Hebrew text,39 in Philo,40 the Mishnah,41 and

non-canonical Jewish apocalypses and hymns.42

Trumpets were also associated during this period with signaling in

battle,43 and prayer,44 but these themes play a minor role in the thought of

the period as far as we can reconstruct it from the extant literature. The

association of trumpets with judgment and the eschaton is the predominant

emphasis with overtones of liturgical war, so common in the OT, only in the

War Scroll of Qumran.

The New Testament Context

In the NT the salpigx/salpizein word group has taken over all the

Greek and Hebrew meanings of trumpet and trumpeting which the NT writers

considered pertinent to their writings. These two words appear in the NT a

total of 23 times. Of these, two can be ignored for the purposes of our

study.45 Of the other 21 usages, 14 are found in Rev 8-11. Before we look at
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that passage we will study the other seven usages, which appear to fall into

two groups.

Trumpets as theophany

Heb 12:19 alludes to Exod 19:13-19. The cloud, the darkness and the

storm are all theophanic phenomena. The author of Hebrews contrasts the

security of the one who accepts Christ (v. 22-24) with the terror and gloom of

the mountain of the law. Another theophanic use of the trumpet can be found

in Rev 1:10 cf. 4:1. In both passages there is a movement from theophany to

Christophany. The NT writers came to equate Jesus Christ with the Yahweh of

the OT.

Trumpets and the Parousia

Trumpets appear four other times in the NT in connection with

passages dealing with the Parousia (Matt 24:31; 1 Cor 15:51,52; 1 Thess

4:16,17). The trumpets may have been understood as a symbol of the voice of

Christ that awakens the dead (cf. John 5:28,29). In these four passages the

language of theophany is associated with the Parousia and the end-time

resurrection of the dead. Thus the predominant usage of trumpets in the New

Testament outside the seven trumpets is in relation to theophany or, more

accurately, Christophany.

New Testament Use of the Old

The interpreter of the seven trumpets must not only be aware of

allusions to the NT in the seven trumpets but of the general impact the NT has

on the use of the OT in the book of Revelation. Unless we see how the NT

transforms the history and the symbolism of the OT we will tend to interpret
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Revelation in terms of the OT background rather than seeing the unique use

that John has made of this OT material.46

In the NT, the things of Yahweh and the things of Israel tend to be

applied to Jesus Christ. Theophanies become Christophanies. The Day of

Yahweh becomes the day of Jesus Christ. As the blowing of trumpets in the OT

related to the things of Yahweh and Israel, so in the NT they are related to

Jesus and His people.

The Exodus from Egypt is applied in the primary sense to the death

of Christ on the cross and in a secondary sense to the experience of every

believer in Christ (Rom 6:3-6; 1 Cor 10:1-13). As do the plagues of Egypt,

the trumpet plagues precede an exodus, but it is not the exodus of ancient

Israel or of the Jews of the author's day, it is the exodus of the church from

exile in spiritual Babylon that is preceded by the trumpets. As the

history and the imagery of the OT is freely applied to Christ in the NT, the

things of Israel are just as freely applied to the church. Instead of a

literal-local-ethnic Israel surrounded by literal enemies such as Babylon, the

NT Israel is a spiritual-worldwide-universal body of believers who have

spiritual enemies such as spiritual Babylon which consists of all those who

actively refuse to accept Christ and thus seek to persecute those who follow

Him.

Thus when John, in the seven trumpets, alludes to the experiences of

Israel in the OT, he has the church in mind. When he alludes to Yahweh, he

generally has Christ in mind. When he alludes to Babylon, Egypt, Assyria or

Edom he has the opposers of the gospel of Jesus Christ in mind. Thus, the

author of Revelation is able to update the entire OT and make it relevant for

the situations faced by followers of Jesus. The seven trumpets have a Christ-

ian message that was relevant to the churches in Asia Minor as well as to us.
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EXEGESIS OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Exegesis, by definition, involves the attempt to understand what the

original writer meant in addressing the issues he faced, and the impact that

his work might have had on the original audience. While the task of exegesis

does not deny that God may have placed a special meaning in the text for

today, the exegete limits himself to the original meaning of a passage,

leaving to the Biblical or Systematic theologian (who should also be a skilled

exegete) the task of building on that exegetical foundation.

Thus, it is the task of this chapter to unlock the meaning of the

language used in the seven trumpets as it would have been understood in the

first century. The interpretation of the passage from a 20th century perspec-

tive will be left for the next chapter. To accomplish this exegetical task,

each trumpet will be translated into English, then relevant allusions and

symbols drawn from other literature will be listed. Finally, an attempt will

be made to show the deeper meaning behind the symbols that an intelligent

first century reader would have understood.

The First Trumpet

The first angel sounded his trumpet; with the result that hail and
fire mixed with blood were flung to the earth. A third of the earth, a third
of the trees and all the green grass were burned up.
Rev 8:7

17
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Parallels in Revelation

7:1-3 11:19
8:5 14:18
9:4 6:21
11:5 20:10,14,15

Old Testament Allusions

Reasonably Certain

Exod 9:23-26 Ezek 38:22

Isa 10:16-20 Zech 13:8,9
Ezek 5:1-4

Moderately Certain

Exod 7:17ff. Isa 30:30

Deut 32:22 Jer 11:16,17
Ps 18:13 Jer 21:12-14
Ps 80:8-11,15,16 Ezek 15:6,7
Ps 105:32 Ezek 20:47,48
Isa 28:2 Joel 2:30,31

Symbolic Concepts

Hail Earth
Fire Trees
Blood Grass

Contemporary Literature

4 Ezra 5:8 in context Sib Or V:376-378

Wis Sol 16:16-24
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New Testament Allusions

Reasonably Certain

Matt 3:10 Luke 12:49

Luke 23:28-31

Uncertain

Rom 8:20ff. 1 Cor 3:13,14

Jude 11,12

Exegetical Meaning

In the first trumpet John draws on the imagery of God's judgments on

Egypt (Exod 9:23-26), Assyria (Isa 10:16-20), Gog (Ezek 38:22) and Jerusalem

(Ezek 5:1-4). It is clear that the language of the first trumpet describes an

act of God's judgment against a power that opposes Him. In the OT these

judgments were covenant related, thus could be turned on God's own people when

they broke the covenant (Deut 32:15-22). The later prophets, especially,

applied the hail and fire of God's judgments more and more to Israel and Judah

(Ps 80:8-16; Isa 28:2; Jer 11:16,17; 21:12-14; Ezek 15:65,7; 20:47,48).

In the OT, hail and fire symbolized weapons of God's wrath used in

judgment on His enemies (Exod 9:23-26; Job 38:22; Ps 18:13; Isa 10:16-20;

28:2; 29:1-6; Jer 21:12-14).47 Blood symbolized violently destroyed life (Gen

9:5,6; 1 Kgs 2:5; Ps 79:3; Mic 3:10). The earth symbolized the habitable

portion of the planet, and in contrast to the sea, the land of Israel itself

(Isa 28:2; Lev 26: Jer 9:10-12). Fresh grass was a symbol of God's people

while dry grass portrayed the fate of evildoers (Isa 44:3,4; Ps 37:1,2).

Fruitful trees were particularly associated with the faithful followers of

Yahweh (Ps 1:3; 52:8; 92:12,13; Isa 61:3) while dry or wild vegetation

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symbolized the unfaithfulness of Israel (Isa 5:1-7; Jer 2:21; Ezek 15:6,7;

20:47,48; Hos 10:1).48

In Revelation, as in the OT, hail and fire are associated with

heavenly things and with God's judgments on His enemies (Rev 16:21;

20:10,14,15) and the enemies of His people (8:5; 11:5). Greenery is also a

symbol of God's people who are usually protected by His seal (7:1-3; 9:4).

Thus the greenery here represents followers of God who are not protected and

thus have probably forsaken the covenant. The thirds are best understood as

portions of Satan's kingdom which has three parts (Rev 16:14,19).49

Thus the first trumpet portrays a judgment of God, in response to

the prayers of the saints, which falls on a portion of Satan's kingdom that

may once have given allegiance to God's kingdom. Do we have any idea with

whom the readers of the Apocalypse would have identified this judgment? In

Matt 3:10 trees were a symbol of fruitless Jews who had rejected John the

Baptist's message and thus were exposed to the fire of Messianic judgment that

Jesus would pour out (Matt 3:12; Luke 12:49). In Luke 23:28-31 Jesus applied

the imagery of dying trees to the destruction of Jerusalem. If a righteous

man such as He can be treated as He was what will be the fate of a rebellious

and wicked nation, who crucifies its redeemer? These NT references make it

virtually certain that John intended his readers to see in the first trumpet

the fate of the Jewish nation that had rejected Jesus as its Messiah.

The Second Trumpet

The second angel sounded his trumpet; and something like a great
mountain burning with fire was flung into the sea. A third of the sea became
blood, and a third of the creatures that were in the sea, who have souls,
died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Rev 8:8,9
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Parallels in Revelation

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

Old Testament Allusions

Reasonably Certain

Gen 1:20,21 Exod 19:16-20 Ps-J

Exod 7:19-21 Jer 51:24,25,41,42

Moderately Certain

Ps 46:2,3 Isa 10:16-18

Symbolic Concepts

Mountain Blood
Fire Sea creatures
Sea Ships

Contemporary Literature

1 Enoch 18:13-16 2 Baruch 10:1-3

1 Enoch 21:3-10 2 Baruch 11:1
1 Enoch 108:4-6 2 Baruch 67:7
4 Ezra 3:1,2,28-31 Sib Or V:143,158,159
4 Ezra 13:21-24

New Testament Allusions

Matt 21:21 Luke 5:1-10

Matt 13:47-50 Luke 21:25

Exegetical Meaning

While the burning mountain might have brought the eruption of

Vesuvius in 79 AD to the first century mind, the second trumpet is built

primarily on the Old Testament. Gen 1:20,21 is the source of the language

with which the author describes the fish that are destroyed in the sea. The

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bloody water and the dead fish are reminiscent of the plagues on Egypt (Exod

7:19-21). The Pseudo-Jonathan Targum to the Penteteuch causes one to suspect

that John may have had the theophany on Sinai in mind as he wrote here (Exod

19:16-20 Ps-J). The most significant Old Testament allusion in the second

trumpet is the reference to Jer 51. Just as the Euphrates River is the means

by which the original Babylon fell, so the sea here swallows up another

Babylon. In Isa 10:16-18 the reference is to the fall of Assyria. While the

Old Testament background of the first trumpet suggests that the plague falls

on a power that once followed God but has now broken the covenant, the Old

Testament background to the second trumpet points to a judgment on Gentile

nations rather than an apostate Israel.

As with the first trumpet, there are six symbolic concepts in Rev

8:8,9. A mountain can symbolize a nation (Isa 13:4; Jer 51; Isa 10), God's

throne (Isa 2:2,3; 14:12-14; Ezek 28:14) or an obstacle to faith (Zech

4:7-10). Of the three the first is the most relevant to the context of the

second trumpet. Fire, as in the first trumpet, is a symbol of violently

destroyed life. In 1 Enoch (18:13-16; 108:4-6) the burning of a mountain

indicates that it is subject to God's judgment as was the case with the

mountain of Babylon in Jer 51. The sea is most likely to be understood in

terms of nations in opposition to God (Isa 57:20; 17:12,13; Jer 51:41,42; cf.

Rev 13:1ff.; 16:12; 17:15). Sea creatures are a symbol of people (Ezek 29:5;

Hab 1:14). The destruction of fish is symbolic of God's judgment upon

evildoers (Hag 4:3; Zeph 1:3). Ships are symbolic of the sources of a

nation's wealth and its pride in being able to take care of itself (Ezek

27:26; 2 Chr 20:37; Isa 2:16). The destruction of ships leads to economic

chaos resulting in the humiliation of that nation (Rev 18:17-19).

In Revelation "great mountain" clearly points to ancient Babylon as

a symbol of the end-time opposers of Christ and His people (17:1-3,9; 18:21).

This end-time Babylon is symbolically destroyed by fire as was the first (Rev
 23

17:16; 18:8,9,18). The fact that there is only one mountain in Rev 8:8 and

seven mountains in Rev 17:9 indicates that this plague does not fall on the

end-time Babylon of Rev 17 but on a preliminary manifestation of that Baby-

lon.50 The blood in the second trumpet probably represents a reversal of the

persecution of God's people by the wicked (cf. Rev 16:4-6; 18:24). They

receive in kind for what they have done. The sea appears to be a reference to

the Euphrates, the waters of Babylon (9:14; 16:12; 17:1,15). In summary, the

second trumpet is a judgment of God, in response to the prayers of the

saints, which falls on an enemy of God's people. This enemy is represented by

a great burning mountain which is identified with ancient Babylon.51 In

judgment God burns the mountain and casts it into the sea of wicked nations,

resulting in economic and commercial chaos for the ancient world.

Do we have any idea with whom the readers of the Apocalypse would

have identified this judgment? It was common in first century Judaism to use

Babylon as a cryptic reference to Rome.52 Would John have been likely to do

the same? Matt 21:21 relates the moving of mountains to Christian faith. A

mountain is any power that opposes the establishment of Jesus' kingdom. In

Luke 21:25 the unruly sea represents the wicked nations of the world in an

unsettled state. In Luke 5:1-10 and Matt 13:47-50 the fish of the sea

represent individuals to whom the gospel is preached. Thus the symbols are

used similarly to the OT but in a Christ-centered context.

The mountain facing Jesus and His disciples in Matt 21 was the

opposition of the Jewish nation to Jesus. By the time Revelation was written

a far larger mountain had erected itself in the path of Christ's kingdom,

Rome. Rome was not the end-time Babylon for John, but its persecution and

ridicule hindered the preaching of the gospel and tempted many Christians to

apostatize from the faith. Given the weight of evidence it is likely that a

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first century reader would understand the second trumpet as a prediction that

the Roman Empire was soon to fall along with its entire social order.

Although the Empire was used by God as the executor of His covenant on the

Jewish nation, its hostility toward Christ and his people, and its persecution

of them called for its ultimate downfall. When that time came it would

apparently be as the result of universal revulsion. She would sink beneath

the waves of a sea of nations. The result would be the devastation of the

whole economic and social order.

The Third Trumpet

The third angel sounded his trumpet; and a great star burning with
fire fell out of heaven. It landed on a third of the rivers and springs of
water. The star's name was called "Wormwood." A third of the waters became
wormwood with the result that many men died from the waters because they had
been made bitter.
Rev 8:10,11

Exegetical Meaning53

The main symbolism of the third trumpet revolves around the great

falling star and the rivers and springs which it defiles. The falling star is

particularly reminiscent of the Lucifer account (Isa 14:12-15) and the

activity of the little horn (Dan 8:10,11) in the Old Testament. In both texts

there is the attempt to usurp God's authority. In Isa 14 the falling of the

star is the punishment for Lucifer's activity, in Dan 8 it is the result of

the little horn's persecuting activity.

Rivers and fountains, when pure, are sources of life in the Old

Testament (Deut 8:7,8; Ps 1:3). Thus they became symbols of spiritual

nourishment (Ps 36:8,9; Jer 17:8,13; Prov 14:27; Ezek 47:1-12). Impure

fountains, on the other hand, would have the opposite spiritual effect (Prov

25:26). Bitter water cannot sustain life and growth.

Wormwood and bitterness are associated together in Lam 3:15,19. In

Deuteronomy wormwood represents anyone who turns away from Yahweh into
 25

idolatry (Deut 29:17,18). In Jeremiah it symbolizes the punishment Yahweh was

planning to mete out because of Judah's apostasy (Jer 9:15: 23:15). The Marah

experience is also a close parallel to the third trumpet (Exod 15:23). The

children of Israel were dying of thirst. With great anticipation, they

approached the spring-fed oasis of Marah only to find that there was no life

in the bitter water.

Other parts of the New Testament also contain parallels to the third

trumpet. In Luke 10:18 Satan is the one who fell from heaven. Similar

imagery is used in Rev 12 where the dragon's tail sweeps a third of the stars

of heaven to earth before being thrown to the earth himself (Rev 12:3,4,9).

In the Gospel of John "living" spring water is a symbol of what Jesus brings

to the believer through the Holy Spirit (John 4:10-14; 7:37-39).

What was John trying to say with by means of these images? The

overwhelming flavor of this account is one of apostasy. Stars and fountains

are positive images in Scripture but here John drew on passages such as Isa 14

and Deut 29 where a good thing becomes evil due to apostasy. The little horn

of Dan 8 also encourages apostasy in its usurpation of the sanctuary service.

Such apostasy is the first step on the road to spiritual death in that it

results in a distortion of the source of spiritual nourishment, the Word of

God. Through distorted views of God the Scriptures are made of no effect in

giving life to the people.

The early church was aware that apostasy loomed large in its future

(Acts 20:28-31; 2 Thess 2; 1 Tim 4:1ff.). It was also aware that pure

doctrine can only be maintained with diligent effort (1 Tim 4:1,2; 1 John

4:1-3; Jude 3,4). The message of the third trumpet underlines these

convictions. The removal of Rome and Judaism as effective opponents would

have seemed to open the way for the church's advancement and growth. But John

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warns in apocalyptic language that such a removal only diverts Satan's attack.

He then will concentrate on destroying the church from within, knowing that if

the church's life-giving message can be subtly distorted, mankind will fail to

find the spiritual nourishment it needs, but instead will find only

bitterness. Indications that this iniquity was already at work in John's

lifetime are found in New Testament books such as 1 Corinthians, Galatians,

Colossians and Hebrews.

The Fourth Trumpet

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet; and a third of the sun, moon
and stars were smitten with a plague, resulting in a third of them being
darkened so that a third of the day did not shine and the night likewise.
Rev 8:12

Exegetical Meaning

There is an apparent contradiction in this verse. The plague smites

a third of the sun, moon and stars with darkness, which one would expect to

result in a dimming of the intensity of the heavenly lights. Instead a third

of the day and a third of the night are darkened as in an eclipse. Since the

latter is more sound grammatically, the plague probably points to a darkening

of the heavenly bodies for a third of the time.

This passage is strongly based on the darkness of the ninth plague

on Egypt (Exod 10:21-23) and the lamentation over Pharaoh in Ezek 32:2-8.

Darkness is one of the curses of the covenant (Deut 28:29). The sun is a

symbol of the Word of God in the Old Testament (Ps 19; 119:105). The moon

represents beauty and fertility (SS 6:10; Deut 33:14). Stars represent angels

and the people of God (Dan 8:10; 12:3). The choice of symbolism points to a

partial obliteration of the Word of God resulting in spiritual darkness.

John seems to be pointing to an attack on God's word and His people

that is of a different nature than that of the third trumpet. While wormwood

represented a distortion of the Word of God the fourth trumpet results in the
 27

obliteration of that word. It is no longer visible. In the third trumpet

people continued to drink from the springs, hoping to gain life, in the fourth

trumpet the very presence of the life-giving sources is removed.

John seems to be pointing to a new power which would oppose the

truth and the people of God in a more direct way. Perhaps the model for such

a power can be found in the Pharaoh of the Exodus, who denied the very

existence of Yahweh (Exod 5:2). It is difficult to know what kind of movement

John would have had in mind, likely he was pointing to something completely

new.

There is a seeming contradiction in that the trumpets are judgments

of God on the enemies of His people, yet the third and fourth trumpets seem to

be attacks on the gospel and those who proclaim it. But God's judgments come

in two forms in the Bible. There is the judgment of open intervention as in 2

Kgs 19 where 185,000 Assyrians were slain. Similar is the sending of Cyrus to

defeat Babylon in order to free Israel. On the other hand, as in Rom 1, God's

judgments often come in the form of permitting people and nations to reap the

consequences of their own actions (cf. Hos 4:17). Thus, while the direct

enemies of the church are removed in the first two trumpets, God permits an

apostasy which results in two new enemies, one from within and one from

without. In its apostasy the church, as with Judaism, becomes an enemy of

God's true people.

Transition

I saw and heard a vulture flying in mid-heaven saying with a loud

voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who live on the earth because of the rest of
the trumpet sounds belonging to the three angels who are about to blow their
trumpets."
Rev 8:13

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The vulture is a symbol of God's covenant judgments (Hos 8:1; Ezek

32:4; Hab 1:8). God is moving to attack those who are spiritually dead as a

result of the apostasy. The three woes indicate that the worst is yet to

come. Now that the darkness has been unleashed, all the powers of darkness

are freed to torment humanity until the end. For John, the road to the

Parousia is a downhill road to destruction apart from Christ.

The Fifth Trumpet

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had
fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of
the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a
gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.
And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power
like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of
the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the
seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them, but
only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like
that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men
will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will
elude them.
The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads
they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human
faces. Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lion's
teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of
their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into
battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had
power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel
of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
Rev 9:1-11 NIV

Exegetical Meaning

The fallen star of verse 1 connects this trumpet with the third

where the star actually fell. While the star, in its primary sense refers to

Satan (cf. v. 11 and Isa 14), it is connected with apostasy in the third

trumpet. Thus, in some sense, the apostasy of the third trumpet may be

related to the unlocking of the abyss.

That God also had a hand in the unlocking of the abyss is clear for

a number of reasons. 1) The divine passives (vv. 1,3,5). 2) The star fell

from heaven. 3) The locusts receive exousia. 4) In Exod 19:18 the "smoke of
 29

the furnace" arises from the presence of Yahweh on Mt. Sinai. 5) Locusts in

the Old Testament are a symbol of God's judgment.

The abyss is a symbol that has reference to the past, the present

and the future. It is reminiscent of the earth in its precreation chaotic

condition (Gen 1:2). Thus it could represent those who are in opposition to

God's re-creation in Christ. On the other hand, the abyss is the abode of

demons in the present (Luke 8:28-31). It also looks forward to the fate of

the wicked (Gen 10:22 Pal Targ) and is associated with the beast of the end--

time (Rev 11:7; 17:8).

The smoke which arises out of the abyss does not dim the sun, it

eclipses it. The sun is still there but is no longer seen by the

"earth-dwellers." This darkness is a connection to the fourth trumpet, which

depicted the rise of a power which sought to blot out the knowledge of God.

In Gen 19 the smoke of a great furnace describes the destruction of godless

Sodom (cf. 11:8).

Verse 3 introduces locusts which have the power of scorpions.

Locusts would symbolize quantity while scorpions symbolize harmfulness toward

mankind. This heightens the terror of the description. In the ancient Near

East locusts and scorpion men were symbols of the rulers of the underworld

(cf. v. 11). The locusts here are not literal for they attack men, not

vegetation, and they have a king over them, unlike natural locusts (Rev 9:4,11

cf. Prov 30:27).

Locusts are used in the Old Testament as symbols of God's judgments

(Ps 78:46; Deut 28:42,45; 1 Kgs 8:37). These are often directed at those who

have apostatized from following Him (Joel 1:4-18; 2:1-11; Jer 4; Gen 6-9). As

such they could only be turned back through repentance at the Sanctuary (1 Kgs

8:35-40; 2 Chr 7:13,14; Joel 2:12-17).

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The locusts of the fifth trumpet arise from the abyss, which is

devoid of vegetation (cf. targum to Gen 1:2), in order to turn the earth into

an abyss like their own. But this God does not permit (Rev 9:4). God's

people are safe from the demonic forces of Satan (Luke 10:17-20; 8:28-31)

which arise out of the abyss. God has given them a mark of protection (Gen

4:15 cf. Ezek 9:4). On the other hand, the fate of those who have rejected

Christ is horrible. The king of the abyss torments his own subjects as with

scorpions (2 Chr 10;11,14). These torments are to be understood as spiritual

not physical. In Ps 71:20,21 the abyss is paralleled to "many and bitter

troubles." Death is sought by those in bitterness and grief, for whom life

has lost its meaning.54 This torment is to some degree self-inflicted. Their

unbelief has driven them into foolish practices which reap a harvest of

despair (Rom 1:21-26).

It is possible to make too much of the elaborate description of the

locusts. Perhaps they symbolize human beings inspired by Satan (Rev 9:7,8,11).

Whether man or demon, these fiends "are as strong as horses, as powerful as

kings, as cunning as the wiliest man, as seductive as a beautiful woman, and

they can cause pain like a scorpion."55 In verse 11 Satan's names (Apollyon

and Abaddon) are personifications of death, the fate of the wicked (Job 26:6;

31:12; Ps 88:11). This fits in with the character of one who was a murderer

and a liar from the beginning (John 8:44). He exercises his lies through the

tails of the locust-men (Isa 9:15). Just as his confinement to the abyss (Rev

20:1-3 restricts his deceptions, so the opening of the abyss is the release of

his deceptions to do their deadly work. In those who reject Christ the light

of truth is extinguished by Satan (cf. 2 Thess 2:9-12--with God's permission).

John apparently foresaw a time when the darkness of the fourth

trumpet would become total and worldwide, limited only by a period of time

(five months).56 With God and truth totally eclipsed, sinful mankind is left

to the demonic torment of suicidal desires. Here in graphic terms the author
 31

of Revelation has portrayed the ultimate results of apostasy and opposition to

God. In all this the only safety belongs to the sealed. In Christ they are

free from darkness and despair. Regardless of when John's readers thought

this plague would appear they would perceive a powerful appeal to stay true to

the gospel no matter what the temporal consequences.

Transition

The first woe has passed. Behold two more woes come after this.
Rev 9:12

This transition verse, along with 11:14, makes it clear that the

three woes are to be identified with the fifth, sixth and seventh trumpets.

The Sixth Trumpet

The sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from
the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel
who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river
Euphrates." And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour
and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The
number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.
The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their
breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of
the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire,
smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire,
smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was
in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having
heads with which they inflict injury.
The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did
not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons,
and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or
hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their
sexual immorality or their thefts.
Rev 9:13-21 NIV

Exegetical Meaning

Verse 13 explicitly indicates that the events of the sixth trumpet

occur in relation to the activity of intercession and judgment taking place at

the golden incense altar. The commanding voice from the four horns of the

altar is probably the voice of Christ.

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In verse 14 there is an interesting contrast to Rev 7:1-3. Four

angels are bound at the great river Euphrates. Their release brings great

evil to mankind. On the other hand, in chapter 7 the angels are at the

extremities of the earth and restrain evil by holding it back. Thus these two

groups of angels are not the same. Since the winds of Rev 7 and the angels of

9:14 are both restrained and produce evil results when released, they may well

be symbols of the same thing. If so it is likely that the sixth trumpet

reveals a later development of the situation in Rev 7:1-3. Thus, the events

of this plague take place in the very shadow of the consummation.

The Euphrates River was the northern border of the land promised to

Abraham (Gen 15:18; Josh 1:4, etc.). The language here is reminiscent of Isa

8:7,8 where the Assyrian invasion of Judah is described in terms of the

Euphrates River overflowing its banks and flooding Palestine. Here again the

Euphrates is the source of a great assault against God's people. This plague

appears to be a gathering of the forces of evil for the final battle (cf.

16:13-16; 20:7-9).

It is arguable whether the hour, day, month and year of 9:15 are to

be understood as successive periods of time or as the point of time at which

the angels are released. The grammar leans in favor of the latter. In either

case the time of release should probably be associated with the decisive

moment of Rev 10:6 when chronos comes to an end.

As in Rev 7:4, John doesn't see 200,000,000 horsemen in 9:16, he

hears the number. This is Satan's host in contrast to the sealed of God who

number 144,000. In verses 17-19 the horsemen are equipped with material from

the lake of fire. This plague is a composite with the fifth trumpet, for the

horsemen not only harm men with the fire, smoke and sulphur which comes out of

their mouths but with their tails, which remind one of 9:10. The flavor of

these images reminds one of the beasts of chapter 13 and the frogs which come
 33

out of their mouths in 16:13. Thus the sixth trumpet is related to the

account of the final crisis in Rev 13-16.

In Rev 9:20,21 there are many references to the fall of Babylon in

the Old Testament. The images of idolatry are drawn from Dan 5:4,23; a

description of Babylon just before the Euphrates River dried up! Verse 21 is

based on Isa 47:9-12, a prediction of Babylon's fall.

In summary, this trumpet is based on imagery that points in two

directions. There are references to Babylon in the Old Testament and its

river, the Euphrates. And there are many connections with the three-fold

Babylon of the end-time crisis. Since the closest parallels are with Rev

16:12,13 it seems reasonable to suggest that John was here portraying the

gathering of Satan's host which precedes the battle of Armageddon. With this

plague we clearly enter the arena of final events.

Interlude

The view of Satan's host in Rev 9:13-21 is balanced by a view of the

experience of God's people during this period in Rev 10:1-11:14. They are

seen in terms of the fulfillment of Daniel's time prophecies (Rev 10:6 cf. Dan

12:7). Their task is the proclamation of the gospel to the world so that the

end can come (Matt 24:14; Mark 13:10).

The Seventh Trumpet

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in
heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever."
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God,
fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.

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The nations were angry;

and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great--
and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
Rev 11:15-18 NIV

Exegetical Meaning

In Rev 10:7 it is stated explicitly that the "mystery of God (to

mustêrion tou theou)" will be consummated (etelesthê) at that point in history

when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet (hotan mellê salpizein).

The mystery of God is an acronym for the gospel in the New Testament (Rom

16:25,26, cf. Col 1:25-28; Eph 6:19). Thus, the sounding of the seventh

trumpet signals the close of the great work of proclaiming the gospel to every

nation, kindred, language and people (Rev 14:6,7). It ushers in the final

events connected with the battle of Armageddon.

The seventh trumpet irreversibly sets the final events in motion.

The Godhead reclaims the kingdom of the world to the rejoicing of heaven. The

nations, led by the dragon, make their last attempt to prevent this. The

battle of Armageddon, between the wrath of the nations and the wrath of God,

is fought. The result is victory for Almighty God, reward for the saints and

destruction for their enemies.

Thus the seventh trumpet contains a summary foretaste of the final

victory of God and a summary introduction of the third woe, the climax of all

evil. The seventh trumpet has set the stage for the complete outline of final

events that begins in chapter 12.

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THE THEOLOGY OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

In New Testament interpretation the next step following exegesis is

to attempt to outline the contribution that a given passage makes to our

understanding of the author's theology and, ultimately, to the theology of the

New Testament as a whole. This chapter is an attempt to make some suggestions

along these lines.

In his Theology of the New Testament George Eldon Ladd suggests that

there are three main elements in a theology of the book of Revelation: the

problem of evil, the visitation of God's wrath and the coming of the kingdom

of God.57 While these suggestions sound a bit thin for the Apocalypse as a

whole, they seem to summarize the basic theology of the seven trumpets quite

well.

The Problem of Evil

As has been pointed out, the trumpets are to be understood as a

response to the prayers of the souls under the altar in the fifth seal. The

cry "how long" has a rich background in the OT.58 It is used there to repre-

sent how God's people feel when He seems slow to fulfill His promises to

deliver them from their oppressors. "How long" summarizes in two words

humanity's age-old complaint against God, "If You are so good, why does evil

reign? How long will You permit it to continue? Are You evil Yourself, or

just powerless?"

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The problem was acute enough in OT times. But the NT heightens and

intensifies the questioning. A change has come, the last days have arrived, a

"new age" has dawned. All power has been given to Christ (Matt 28:18). The

prince of this world has been cast out by the cross (John 12:31,32). Yet in

spite of all these claims, evil still seems to reign. The NT would be a farce

if it did not address this question. The intensity of the problem is

certainly recognized in the book of Revelation:

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

`Now have come the salvation and the power and

the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death. Therefore
rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.'
Rev 12:10-12 NIV

Here the tension is directly portrayed. Yes, the cross has

fundamentally changed the order of the universe. Yes, the accuser of our

brothers has been cast down. Yes, he is overcome. Nevertheless, he is still

alive and his sting can still be felt, even unto death (verse 11). There are

still martyrs and great tribulations. There are churches like Smyrna who are

all but crushed out for the faith. What answer does the book offer to the

question "how long?"

The seals and the trumpets seem designed to deal with this issue.

Rev 5 sets the stage with the symbolic depiction of the cross followed by the

enthronement of the Lamb (vv. 6,9-14). The scenes described are so glorious

that one would expect them to lead to the climax of all world history, the end

of suffering and death. But it is immediately clear that this is not the
 37

case. Chapter 6 opens with a series of horsemen who spread carnage over the

earth. That this carnage affects the Christian community is apparent from the

fifth seal. How long will this carnage go on? Why is there a delay in

enthroning the Lamb over the entire earth?

The flow of the book suggests that the seven trumpets provide the

answer to the problem of evil as expressed in the fifth seal. The trumpets

open the veil of history to show that God's hand is still in control in spite

of the fact that, to human eyes, the world is out of control. Nothing is done

without His permission. The very events of history which seem to indicate

that things are out of control are seen to be under His control. The answer

of the book of Revelation to the question of the fifth seal lies in the other

theological themes of the seven trumpets.

The Visitation of Wrath

God's judgments of wrath have a long history in both the Old and the

New Testaments. OT judgments consisted primarily of historical acts of God.

Such judgments were always in relation to God's covenant with His people, and

provided an anticipation of the great final day of judgment.

In the NT the final judgment is divided into two great phases

centered around the cross and the Parousia. In both cases judgment is in

relation to Christ and the gospel. The judgments of the seven trumpets are

also related to Christ. They are in response to the prayers of the saints;

those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (5:9,10 cf. 21:11). The

dividing line between the wicked and the righteous is drawn in relation to the

cross of Christ. Judgments fall on those who have rejected Christ and His

cross, while those who have accepted his seal (cf. Eph 1:13 and 4:30) are not

harmed by these judgments (Rev 9:4-6).59

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Judgment in the trumpets is also covenant-related. Thus if God is

acting in judgment in the trumpets, it is for the purpose of delivering the

righteous. Although this is not explicitly stated in the passage, we must not

forget that the trumpets are in response to a cry for deliverance. In the

judgments on His enemies God is acting to bring justice and deliverance for

His people.

Last, but not least, the judgment plagues of the seven trumpets of

Revelation are all anticipations of the great final judgment. They are moving

toward a climax. This is shown by the intimate relationship they bear to the

seven bowls, which are the consummation of the wrath of God. Each trumpet is

a foretaste and a warning of the great final judgment.

In these judgments, the author of Revelation has sought to provide

an answer to the problem of evil; although the saints cannot perceive it, God

is in full control of history and nothing touches His people but with the

permission of infinite love. Although invisible the kingdom of God is real.

The divine passives clearly indicate that the trumpets are from God and are

under His control. Although the saints suffer, God is still in sovereign

control over history and both suffering and judgment are limited for the sake

of His people.

The Kingdom Comes

The climax of the seven trumpets comes with Rev 11:15:

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud
voices in heaven, which said:
`The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He will reign for ever and ever.'

This depicts the enthronement of God and Christ over all the nations

of the world. The passage finds its root in Exod 15:18 where Yahweh is said

to reign forever and ever as a result of the crossing of the sea. Prior to

the events of the poem the Israelites were subjected to bitter bondage. God
 39

could not be enthroned as the ruler of His people until the oppression of the

Egyptians had been brought to an end. Exod 15 was the celebration of that

event.60

This enthronement theme is expanded in a number of Psalms which

have, therefore, been called "Enthronement Psalms." These Psalms have a "now

and not yet" feature. Although in a sense Yahweh is already the king over all

the earth, He is not yet acknowledged as such. The enthronement Psalms look

forward to a time when God will be enthroned over all the nations and receive

their willing obedience.61

In the NT this "now and not yet" feature is carried a step further.

In Christ, God is enthroned over the nations and the usurper is cast out (John

12:31,32). The gospel becomes the proclamation that Jesus Christ is Lord.

All who are willing to acknowledge His rule and obey His will are accepted as

subjects of that kingdom. Yet even here it becomes clear that most

individuals have not accepted God's rule over them personally. Phil 2:9-11

points to a future time when Christ's exaltation will be acknowledged by all.

The book of Revelation maintains this "now and not yet" feature

right up to the consummation at the Parousia. Christ is already enthroned but

that enthronement will not be acknowledged by all until the consummation (Rev

3:21; 5:9-14). He reigns in the hearts of His people but not publicly. The

making public of the reign of God is pre-eminently the subject of the latter

portion of the book of Revelation. But already here in the seven trumpets

there is a marvelous foretaste of the final enthronement of Christ which will

result in the complete subjugation of all that is evil and the permanent

exaltation of all who are righteous (Rev 11:15). Thus the process of divine

enthronement that began with a song by the Red Sea ends with the same song by

another red sea (Rev 15:2-4).

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Conclusion

The theology of the seven trumpets is a marvelously constructed

unity. It consists of a question which recalls to our minds the problem of

evil. It concludes with two answers to that question. The first is summed up

by the theology of judgment which indicates that, although they are unaware of

it, the prayers of the martyrs under the altar are already in the process of

being answered by the judgment wrath of God on those who have persecuted and

slain them.

The second answer to the question raised in the prayer of the saints is

summed up in the foretaste of the final enthronement which is found in the

seventh trumpet. The mystical victory of God became a reality in the cross of

Christ. Soon that victory will become a public event. In the glorification

of Christ the saints will also be glorified. The saints are encouraged to be

patient in the light of the glory to come.

In short the seven trumpets of Revelation are a fearful message of

doom and warning to those who have rejected the gospel and persecuted the

people of the Lamb, thus they are also a message of comfort to all who have

sacrificed everything in order to follow Him, yet must endure suffering a

little while longer. They are encouraged not to focus on the things of earth

but rather on the songs of heaven, the sound of which is ever nearer as the

long awaited consummation approaches.

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ADVENTIST INTERPRETATION OF THE TRUMPETS:

A HISTORICIST PERSPECTIVE62

Approaches to the Book of Revelation

Few commentators on the book of Revelation are content merely to

outline what the book might have meant to its original audience in first

century Asia Minor. As a part of the Biblical canon the Apocalypse invites us

to search for the meaning in the book which is especially relevant today. To

discover that meaning commentators have approached Revelation from three basic

perspectives: preterist, futurist and historicist.

Preterism

The preterist approach treats Revelation little differently than it

does the rest of the New Testament. Rather than being a prediction of the

future, Revelation is considered a message to a particular group in a

particular time and place. As such it needs to be exegeted primarily in terms

of its original context.

If the preterist interpreter does not recognize any divine element

in the production of the book of Revelation, he/she will usually dismiss the

book as one man's response to a crisis situation. Thus Revelation's value for

today is judged by the interpreter's own present experience. He/she may even

judge, as Adela Yarbro Collins does, that the author of Revelation exhibits a

"failure in love," oversimplification, and vengeful aggression.63

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But many preterist interpreters do believe that Revelation is

inspired by God and thus bears authority for our situation today. For them,

Revelation is a pictorial unfolding of basic principles in the relationship

between God, humanity and the forces of evil. Thus Revelation teaches truths

that are applicable to any similar situation. This method of interpretation

is similar to that used to contemporize other New Testament books such as

Matthew and Romans, the main difference being the figurative nature of

Revelation. Many readers will recognize in this brief description what some

have called the idealist school of prophetic interpretation.

Futurism

At the opposite end of the spectrum is futurism which takes its cue

from Revelation's repeated concentration on the consummation of all things

(6:15-17; 11:15-18; 14:14-20; 19:11-21, etc.). Thus futurist interpreters

contend that the bulk of the visions in Revelation focus on the end-time and

are future from the interpreter's own perspective. Thus, in the direct sense,

the book of Revelation is primarily relevant for the last generation of the

earth's history. However, much as idealists do, futurist interpreter's find

present meaning in the promises and general principles implicit in the

end-time events described in Revelation.

Historicism

Historicist interpreters, seeing no indication in the book that the

events of Revelation were to be confined to either the distant past or the

distant future, argue that the book covers the entire history of the church

and the world from the cross until the second coming. Historicism sees

Revelation as portraying major events of history. In this way Revelation is

made relevant to the reader who finds his place in the flow of history.

Nevertheless, much of the book is thus made irrelevant to the reader unless he
 43

too, like the preterist and futurist interpreter, adopts an idealist approach

to much of the book.

Summary

Since the idealist approach is common to every interpreter who

wishes to find present-day relevance in the book of Revelation, we are left

with three basic approaches to the Apocalypse. The interpreter can approach

it as a work of the past in a specific historical setting, as a prophecy of

end-time events or as a prediction of the course of historical events during

the Christian era.64

The Adventist Approach

Traditionally, Adventism has shown little interest in preterism,

futurism or idealism. The main Adventist approach to the seven trumpets has

arisen out of our concern for our place in the flow of history. We see

ourselves as a prophetic movement which has arisen at a certain point in

history and is validated by the visions of Daniel and Revelation. Thus

Adventist interpreters have been attracted to the seven trumpets primarily

because they have seen in the sixth trumpet events that are related to the

birth of our movement.65 As a result, little interest has been shown in

exegetical issues or historical context where the study of the trumpets was

concerned. With the exception of evangelistic sermons,66 Adventist preachers

have neglected the seven trumpets, not finding spiritual principles or

timeless truths there.

Until recently Adventist interpreters have rejected any futurist

understanding of the first six trumpets. In the last few years, however, some

have suggested that the seven trumpets have an end-time fulfillment, either in

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addition to or in place of the historical understandings of the past.67 This

interpre-tation finds support in Ellen White's statement in letter 109, 1890,

Solemn events before us are yet to transpire. Trumpet after trumpet

is to be sounded, vial after vial poured out one after another upon the
inhabitants of the earth. Scenes of stupendous interest are right upon us.68

C. Mervyn Maxwell's newly published commentaries on Daniel and

Revelation are basically historicist in orientation. However, the very title

of the pair, God Cares, indicates Maxwell's concern that every portion of

these apocalyptic books speak as well to the everyday situation of Christians

and their families. His book on Revelation thus shows an openness to idealism

which has not generally been manifested in previous Adventist interpretations.

The scholarly world now considers historicism, the main approach of

previous centuries, to be thoroughly discredited. The reasons generally given

include the following: 1) The chaotic mass of conflicting interpretations

offered by historicists. 2) Most historicist interpretations would have had

absolutely no relevance to the original readers. 3) Old Testament prophecies

of general scope were rarely fulfilled in the exact and detailed manner so

typical of historicist interpreters.69 4) Historicist interpretation requires

too much extra-Biblical knowledge to be evaluated by most people. 5) There is

no evidence in Revelation that the author anticipated long ages of history.

In the light of these powerful assaults on historicism many Adventist scholars

have become more and more reluctant to affirm our traditional interpretations

of prophecy and have become inclined to do the basic exegesis and leave the

interpretation to the evangelists.

While the above arguments, especially two through four, carry

considerable weight, the denigration of historicism is primarily due to

certain understandings of the doctrine of revelation and inspiration. It is

the contention of critical scholarship today that the authority and canonicity

of the Bible can no longer be assumed but should be evaluated according to the

scholar's critically interpreted present experience.70 If, as most critical

 45

scholars believe, traditional concepts of inspiration should not be applied to

Revelation, then John could not possibly have known a detailed outline of 2000

years of history ahead of time.

A more moderate denial of traditional under-standings of inspiration

is found in encounter theology. Encounter theology can allow for God's

involvement in the production of Scripture while denying that propositional

truths (doctrines) are necessarily communicated there. Encounter theology has

much to say about God's involvement in human experience as long as you can't

put your finger on any details. Such theology finds offense in historicism's

assertion that a) God is active in specific historical events and b) He

revealed what He was going to do in specific terms before it happened. To

summarize, it is evident from the above that SDA students of Revelation are

exploring a number of options in search of solid ground on which to base their

interpretations. Is it time to discard historicism and move toward a

futurist, idealist or preterist approach? Or should historicism be rescued

from the dust bin of tradition and history?

An Inductive Historicism

This is not the place to argue the issues of revelation, inspiration

and authority. Seventh-day Adventists need to settle many of these issues for

themselves. At this point in time, however, there is still a general

consensus among us that the Bible is the Word of God and that, subject to the

human frailty of the various writers, it succeeds in communicating truth about

God that transcends what human beings could learn on their own.71 Thus, while

being grateful for the genuine contributions of critical scholarship, we must

not accept conclusions that are based primarily on presuppositions about

revelation and inspiration that we do not hold.

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If we believe that the book of Revelation portrays genuine visions

inspired by God then the key to our approach must be based on an inductive

study of Revelation itself. The author, through the text, must be allowed to

guide us in our approach to interpreting the book. It is possible that

various approaches to the material may be called for in various passages.72

What evidence is there in the seven trumpets that can point us to the proper

approach to interpreting them for our situation today?

The fact that the author has portrayed the blowing of seven trumpets

indicates his intention to point the reader to an interpretation in terms of

successive historical periods. For one thing, the major images from the OT

are drawn from settings in which successive events in time are depicted. The

creation takes place on seven successive days with a Sabbath climax. The

Exodus is made possible by a series of ten plagues which wear down the

Egyptians so that the Israelites can escape. Seven trumpets are blown at the

battle of Jericho where the people march in silence for seven successive days,

on the seventh of which the city falls.73 The Feast of Trumpets climaxes a

series of seven new moon feasts which are celebrated at the beginning of each

month. The Jubilee trumpet sounds after seven periods of seven years each.

Thus, a series of successive time periods lies within the intention of the

author of Revelation in his construction of the seven trumpets.

Another evidence of the author's intention lies in the nature of

biblical judgment. Since the seven trumpets are expressions of God's

judgments on the wicked, they can be expected to express God's continuing

judgment activity in the NT era. God's judgments in the OT were always seen

as historical acts. The wars of Joshua, for example, were understood in terms

of a covenant execution (Deut 9:4-7 cf. the plagues of Egypt--Exod 6:6; 7:4).

When God acted in judgment He often used people such as Nebuchadnezzar and the

kings of Egypt and Assyria as His instruments in history. The Synoptic

Apocalypse portrays God's judgments in a historical sense in the NT era as

 47

well. The armies of Titus are God's agents to judge the leaders of the nation

for their rejection of Christ (Matt 23:29-39). Thus the writer of Revelation

evidently intended the trumpets to signify God's guiding hand leading history

on to its climax at the Parousia.

As has been shown earlier, the trumpets begin with the cross and end

with the consummation. Thus the writer of Revelation appears to be outlining

a series of seven judgments that are to fall on the wicked during the

Christian era. These judgments are not general in nature but follow one

another in a chronological sequence. Whatever meaning the original writer may

have seen in the trumpets, the extension of time for some 2000 years points us

to look for the major interventions in history that God wanted His people to

recognize through the inspired vision of John. But can any historicist

interpretation overcome the five major criticisms listed earlier?

1) It is true that historicist writers of the past have often failed

to agree on the fulfillments of the trumpets, but this does not prove that

there is no correct view. A misuse of a method does not invalidate the

method.

2) It is true that the book of Revelation must have had meaning for

the original readers. Thus histori-cist interpretation must arise out of the

original meaning of the passage. This will prove to be a safeguard against

fanciful interpretation.

3) It is also true that Old Testament prophecies of general scope

were rarely fulfilled in an exact and detailed manner.74 Thus, we must beware

of an overly literal one-for-one correspondence in history for every detail of

the trumpets. The overall flavor of each account will correspond to a major

trend in history.75

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4) To be meaningful the interpretation should be readily discernible

to anyone with a basic understanding of history, it must not hinge on obscure

events or statements. The outline of history should be accurate and readily

accessible to layman and historian alike.

5) It is probably true that none of the disciples foresaw the

enormous length of the Christian era. The Lord certainly could have come in

the first century. But the passage of time has opened up new vistas in terms

of the Lord's patience and purpose. Having foreseen the delay, would not God

prepare His people to understand the great events by which He is bringing

history to its climax? Our lack of foresight should certainly introduce an

element of tentativeness into any historicist interpretation. Only from the

perspective of the Parousia will history speak with perfect clarity. If time

should last another 2000 years (God forbid!) the trumpets, which run from the

cross to the second coming, will be stretched out beyond anything we could

recognize now. Nevertheless, each generation must make the attempt to

understand Revelation or risk being surprised by God's final acts (Rev 16:15

cf. 1 Thess 5:1-6).

What kind of historicist interpretation will do justice to the

Biblical material? Certainly not the traditional variety which emphasizes

minute details and "newspaper" exegesis while ignoring the plain meaning of

the symbols in their original context. Perhaps it is time to introduce a

"modified historicism." While God's judgments in the Old Testament were

historical in nature the parallel between Old Testament and New Testament

judgment is not exact. The Christ event has created fundamental changes in

the way God deals with mankind. His people are no longer a geographical,

ethnic nation but are now a world-wide spiritual church whose existence and

character are often invisible to human eyes. Thus the "historical" events for

which we are looking are not likely to deal with politics and nations and

ethnic groups as much as they deal with ideas and philosophies and great
 49

trans-national movements throughout the New Testament era. The message of the

seven trumpets is that history is not an endless round of cause and effect, it

has a purpose. While God's hand is not necessarily visible to the secular

historian, it is discernible to the eye of faith. As the prophetic portion of

the New Testament, the book of Revelation reveals in broad outline the great

movement of nations and ideas over the expanse between the cross and the

second coming. These events are alluded to for the purpose of showing their

theological significance, so that God's people might be comforted with the

knowledge that God is in full control from beginning to end regardless of what

the historian might record as to the fate of God's people on earth.

This "modified historicism" is not at variance with Biblical

revelation as a whole. God's judgments have always been historical in nature.

A secular Westerner who experienced the exodus or the cross would be

hard-pressed to see either the hand of God or any theological significance in

them. These events would be seen as the execution of a suspected

revolutionary and the mass escape of a ragged bunch of slaves, taking

advantage of a series of natural calamities. What makes these events signifi-

cant to the student of the Bible is that they are seen as God's hand acting in

judgment. Nevertheless both are historical in that they could be reported

essentially as the Bible records them in the local newspaper but without the

theological significance that revelation invests in them.

Thus Biblical prophecy has two main aspects. A historical event is

mentioned, and an interpretation of that event is given. Whether the event is

future or past is immaterial, the account is still considered prophecy.

Unquestionably both testaments portray a God who is active in the affairs of

men. It is pointless to pray for those in authority if God doesn't take an

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active role in history (cf. 1 Tim 2:1-4). Thus, the historicist view is, in

principle, true to the way God's acts are portrayed in Scripture.

Is the author of Revelation open to a double fulfillment in which

the trumpets would have an application, along with the seven bowls, to the

end-time crisis? This appears to be excluded by the fact that the seven bowls

are the third woe of the seventh trumpet. This clearly places the trumpets

prior to the bowls chronolo-gically . The trumpets lead up to the end, they

are not the end itself.76

Since the text of the trumpets calls for a historicist

interpretation the last two sections of this paper will provide an analysis

and critique of previous Adventist attempts at historicist interpretation

followed by the author's own suggestions.

Some Historicist Perspectives

Uriah Smith

The best-known Adventist interpretation of the trumpets is that of

Uriah Smith in Daniel and the Revelation. He saw in the first six trumpets

events related to the downfall of the Roman Empire. The first four trumpets

depicted various of the barbarian invasions which put an end to the Western

Roman Empire, while the fifth and sixth related to the fall of the eastern

half of the Empire.77 Although he says little about it, the seventh trumpet

appears to represent the period from the mid-19th century to the end. In

spite of the immense popularity of Smith's view, three major factors militate

against the usefulness of his outline, 1) a lack of personal examination of

the text, 2) a dependence on sources whose interpretations were based on

circular reasoning, and 3) these sources were straight-line historicists.

There is no real evidence that Smith worked with the text of the

trumpets personally. Only one short paragraph could be considered exegetical

in even the broadest sense.78 More than 60% of the 42 pages of material on
 51

Rev 8:7-9:21 is quoted from commentators such as Keith, Elliott, Barnes and

Litch. Most of the rest is a paraphrase of their works. These commentators

merely relate historical events that are supposedly foreshadowed by the

imagery of the trumpets. Thus, Uriah Smith bases his interpretation of the

trumpets entirely on the work of others.79 What was the quality of their

work? How did they come upon their elaborate historical interpretations?

A study of Keith, Elliott and other historicists of the period shows

an almost total lack of any exegetical concerns. The correspondence between

the text and the historical events portrayed is merely assumed. It is George

McReady Price who discovered the ultimate source of these interpretations.80

They were based on the historical work of Edward Gibbon.81 Gibbon was a

classicist who had virtually memorized the ancient corpus of literature. In

writing out his histories he continually utilized language drawn from the

works of antiquity, especially the Bible.82 ed in the language of the

classics. The events surrounding the fall of Rome called to his mind the

language of the seven trumpets of Revelation, and he utilized that language as

he wrote these events down. Thus, it is not surprising that historicist

commentators saw in these events, as described by Gibbon, the fulfillment of

the seven trumpets; not realizing, of course, that the language had merely

come full circle.

Not only were the interpretations offered by Smith's sources based

on a misuse of Gibbon, but they were part of the straight-line historicist

method, which Smith rejected.83 Thus, though Smith was a recapitulationist,84

and understood the trumpets to cover the whole Christian era, he was forced to

confine the whole essentially to the fall of the Roman Empire.

Thus, Uriah Smith's interpretation of the trumpets apparently tells

us more about the mind of Edward Gibbon than the mind of John the Revelator.

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A serious exegesis of the trumpets will need to move beyond Smith's method and

interpretations if it is to be true to the Biblical text.

Edwin R. Thiele

Thiele's syllabus on Revelation is far more exegetical than Uriah

Smith's book.85 In addition to numerous quotes from Ellen White, he examines

parallels in the OT, the NT and elsewhere in Revelation. Especially in the

introduction and the first three trumpets, Thiele places a great deal of

emphasis on understanding the symbols within their entire Biblical context.

In trumpets 4-6 there is less reliance on exegesis and more dependence on

Smith.

Thiele sees the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem in the first trumpet

. The second portrays the barbarian nations and the downfall of the Roman

world. The third trumpet refers to the compromise between paganism and

Christianity which resulted in the corruption of Biblical doctrine in the

early years of the Middle Ages. The later years of the Middle Ages are

foreshadowed by the darkness of the fourth trumpet.

With the fifth trumpet Thiele returns to the basic perspective of

Uriah Smith. Thus, although he puts more exegetical effort into his

exposition, he essentially underlines Smith's association of the fifth and

sixth trumpets with the Saracens and Turks. The seventh trumpet, likewise,

covers the period of investigative judgment from 1844 to the end.

The exegesis of chapter two of this paper is very supportive of

Thiele's outline for the first three trumpets. The fall of Jerusalem, the

fall of Rome and the apostasy of the church are clearly compatible with the

imagery chosen by John the Revelator. Some questions arise with regard to the

last four trumpets, however. If the fourth trumpet portrays the darkness of

papal supremacy, why does the comparable darkness of the fifth trumpet

represent the Mohammedan scourge? Can the full range of images in the fifth
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and sixth trumpets truly be applied to the Islamic attacks of the Middle Ages,

or is there not something far more comprehensive in view? With regard to the

seventh trumpet does it not portray the events of the final consummation,

which follow the worldwide proclamation of the gospel, rather than the age of

final proclamation itself? (cf. chapter two on Rev 10:7 and the seventh

trumpet.)

All criticism aside, Thiele's work is a tremendous advance over

previous efforts within Adventism. All who follow will be building on his

pioneering efforts.

C. Mervyn Maxwell

Maxwell's outline of the trumpets essentially builds on Thiele's

work, although he advances considerably in his idealist use of the images,

making the trumpets relevant to every situation. Thus, Maxwell's book has a

powerful devotional appeal. In terms of scholarly accuracy, however,

Maxwell's work essentially shares both the strengths and the weaknesses of

Thiele's approach.

Roy Naden

The first Adventist, of which I am aware, to break in print with the

Islamic interpretation of the seven trumpets is Roy Naden. The main obstacle

to such a departure has been the apparent endorsement of the Litch-Smith view

by Ellen White in GC 334,335. Naden points out, however, that many E. G.

White scholars, including Arthur White and Robert Olson, do not consider her

language to be an endorsement of the Islamic view.86 While the official

position of the SDA church is that our positions are based on exegesis of

Scripture rather than on the writings of E. G. White, most SDAs would be

53
 54

uncomfortable rejecting her view on an issue where she stated it clearly and

unequivocally. Thus, Naden feels that the lack of endorsement offered to the

Islamic interpretation by Ellen White opens the way to other, more exegetical

options.

Naden begins his exposition with a synopsis of the OT background and

parallels with other NT books and the book of Revelation itself. Though

brief, this synopsis shows a breadth of exegetical understanding that goes

beyond anything that has previously been written. Naden's basic thesis is

that the seven trumpets, in covering the same period as the Synoptic

Apocalypse, also follow the same basic outline.

Naden thus has no problem with Thiele's exposition of the first four

trumpets. In wrestling with the difficulties of the fifth trumpet, however,

he suggests that it portrays Satan's attack on the Reformation by the Counter

Reformation from 1535-1685. While this position is fresh and intriguing he

offers little justification for it in the text itself.

Naden then connects the point in time of Rev 9:15 with the day and

hour of the Parousia mentioned by Jesus in Matt 24:36. Thus he sees in the

sixth trumpet the time of the final crisis, from the mid-18th century to the

close of probation. Therefore, he sees the seventh trumpet as the

consummation, running from the close of probation to the second coming. In

the sixth and seventh trumpets Naden stands on firmer exegetical ground than

in his interpretation of the fifth trumpet.87

 55

Summary

This examination of representative interpretations shows a

development toward a more exegetically sound approach to the seven trumpets.

The task is to base every aspect of our interpretation on the original intent

of the author of Revelation as clarified by exegesis of the text itself. The

last section of the paper is the author's attempt to build on and complete the

progress which has been made in the Adventist understanding of the seven

trumpets.

The Trumpets and History

We have concluded earlier that John, in writing out the vision of

the seven trumpets, utilized language and imagery that point the reader to

major historical acts of judgment carried out by God in the course of the

Christian era. These judgments follow one another in chronological sequence.

They fall, in response to the prayers of the saints, on those who have opposed

God and His people . The 2000 year length of Christian history further

indicates that these judgment events must be major trends in history not just

minor details.

It is not surprising that Adventist writers have reached a consensus

on the first three trumpets. Lying closest to the time of the author of

Revelation, they can be easily related to John's situation.88 Since the sixth

and seventh trumpets are fairly easy to plug into the abundance of material on

final events elsewhere in Revelation, it should not be difficult to eventually

attain consensus there as well. The most difficult portion of the trumpets,

then, is the fourth and fifth which come between the time of the author and

the time of the end. Here, especially, careful attention must be paid to the

flavor of the various details.

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 56

With regard to the first trumpet, exegesis has shown that God's

judgment is being poured out on a power that to all appearances belongs to His

kingdom. But judgment often begins with the house of God (1 Pet 4:17; Ezek

9). Increased knowledge leads to increased responsibility (Jer 25:29; Amos

3:2; Rom 2; John 3:18-21; James 4:17). The first trumpet sets the basic theme

of the synoptic apocalypse in the context of a series of judgments to befall

the whole world before the end comes (cf. Matt 23:37,38; 24:1,2,6-8). Thus,

the first trumpet should be interpreted as the fall of Judaism in reaction to

the Jewish nation's rejection of Christ and the gospel. It covers a period

beginning with the desolation of the temple (Matt 23:37,38) in AD 31 and

ending with the failure of the Bar Kochba revolt in 135 AD. From then on

Judaism's influence in the Empire, and its power to persecute Christians, was

minimal.89

It is fitting that the object of the second trumpet is Rome. Thus,

with the first two trumpets God has dealt with the two powers, one religious

and the other civil or secular, who crucified Jesus. Satan's goal in every

crisis is to unite his disparate forces against Christ and/or His people (cf.

Rev 16:13,14). Although bitter enemies, only a temporary union of Rome and

the Jewish nation could have succeeded in destroying Christ. From the

conversion of Constantine through the decline of the Byzantine Empire, secular

Rome was on a downhill road to oblivion.

The third trumpet exudes an overwhelming flavor of apostasy, which

perverts the truth of God. This is rightly associated with the church's

compromise with paganism and the corresponding rise of the papacy as a scourge

on those who had moved away from the Word of God to the doctrines of men.

At this point, Thiele, Maxwell and Naden all consider the fourth

trumpet to be an extension of the third, the papal-ruled Dark Ages. Yet the

imagery of the fourth is more closely related to the fifth than the third.
 57

The attack on God's word is of a different nature than that of the third

trumpet.

Could it be that the third and fourth trumpet depict the rise of two

new enemies of God's people, replacements for the religious and civil powers

that oppressed Christ and His people in the first century? Perhaps the fourth

trumpet portends the rise of a power that, like Rome and the Pharaoh of the

Exodus, opposed God's truth and His people in a more direct way. I would like

to suggest that the fourth trumpet depicts the rise of secularization, a

process with roots in Hellenism and the Middle Ages but which sprouted openly

in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and blossomed into full force with

the French Revolution. While this darkness was not total at first it has

deepened until it threatens every faith on all continents today.

The key to this suggestion is the interpretation of the fifth

trumpet with its abundance of imagery. The abyss is unlocked by the fallen

star of the third trumpet. It is also connected with Rev 11:7. It is

intriguing that Ellen White blames the secular-atheism of the French

Revolution on the suppression of God's word by the papacy in France.90 She

also associates the French Revolution with the beast from the abyss of Rev 11.

Though she does not comment on the fifth trumpet these associations suggest

that it is not foreign to her way of thinking to interpret the fifth trumpet

in terms of the secularization of the world from the French Revolution on.91

It was E. G. White's hint in Great Controversy that first led me to

consider the possibility that the fifth trumpet might be a symbolic portrayal

of the secular philosophy that dominates the world today. This interpretation

has also been suggested by a number of non-Adventist scholars.92 Note the

fundamental meaning of the symbols. Locusts were used in judgment on Egypt

(Exod 10:1-22) and Babylon (Jer 51:14,27). The context in both was religious

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liberty for God's people. The fifth trumpet falls on those who don't have the

seal of God, the sealed are not harmed. The torments of the plague are

spiritual, not physical, life has lost its meaning. The agent of the despair

is the scorpion's tail, a symbol of lying prophets (Isa 9:15). It is false

doctrine that brings the anguish, not a military scourge. The blotting out of

the sun is an excellent symbol of the attempt of Satan to obscure God in the

minds of the people. Things become so bad mankind loses the will to live.

All these images point to modern-day secularism. Beliefs such as

Marxism, evolution and rationalism have full control of the media with the

result that this generation has no God, no morality, no meaning and no hope.

In the words of Camus the only logical action to take is suicide. Such a

condition is far worse than a literal locust-plague. Communism oppresses

many. Ecumenism waters down the faith. Secularism and materialism feed the

hunger for God's word with ashes. The final result is spiritualism, when

people turn to demons to fulfill their spiritual longings.93

But in all of this God's people need not fear (Rev 9:4) for

secularization is not an unmitigated evil. There are limits. God uses Satan

in the fifth trumpet to bring blessing to His people. Through the

Enlightenment religious toleration was introduced. The encouragement of

education led to the formation of the great Bible societies. Scientific

progress has shed much light on God's Word through archeology and linguistic

studies such as Kittel's Theological Dictionary. There is a golden

opportunity for evangelism.94 In the midst of the darkness of rejection,

Christ can be preached as never before (John 3:18-21; Rom 8:35-39). God loves

to bring strength out of apparent weakness.

If this identification of the third through fifth trumpets is

correct then the third and fourth trumpets depict the rise of two new enemies

of God's people, one religious and one secular. The fifth and sixth trumpets

probably portray the activities of these two powers as the end-time

 59

approaches. The sixth trumpet portrays the rise of end-time Babylon, Satan's

gathering of all his forces for the final battle with Christ and His people

(cf. 16:12-16; 17:14). As at the cross, Satan must unite his disparate forces

in order to have any hope for success at the battle of Armageddon (summarized

in Rev 11:18). The sixth trumpet portrays such a unification in that the

power of the mouth is added to the power of the tail (cf. 9:10,19).95

The same events which lead to a final revelation of evil in the

world also usher in the consummation of the gospel (Rev 10:7). When the
entire world is brought to a point of decision (Rev 14:6-12) the final events
will be rapid ones (Rev 11:15-18). Then it will not be long before the
redeemed stand on the sea of glass to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Rev
15:3,4).

END NOTES
0
Jon Paulien, Decoding Revelation's Trumpets, Andrews University Seminary Doctoral
Dissertation Series, Vol. 11 (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1988), pp. 155-194.
0
The passive verb "were given" edothêsan) is probably a "divine passive" Jews 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.
0
Note the grouping of verses in the 3rd Edition of the United Bible Societies Greek text.
0
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 Jewish tradition which may indicate that John was drawing on a familiar
association (cf bChagigah 12b). John 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.
0
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

59
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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.
0
There may also be a reference to the Jewish 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).
0
The angel plays a high priestly role in the use of the censer. Could any mere angel give
efficacy to prayer?
0
Perhaps this is why there is a soft break between verses 1 and 2 of Rev 8.
0
Chapters 4, 5 and 7 compared with 8:2-6 and 11:15-18.
0
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.
0
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.
0
The last quoted sentence is drawn from the New International Version. The word
"number" is not found in this passage, rather the verb plêrôthôsin, "they were filled, completed,
made full." The NIV is correct, however, in seeing that an anticipated full number of martyrs is
implied.
0
Dividing the first four trumpets from the three woes.
0
While the cries of the martyrs are not described in those words, the same wording (hai
proseuchai tôn hagiôn) 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.
0
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 Jesus 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, Jesus 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.
 61

0
This altar fire is reminiscent of Eze 10:1ff and the experience of Nadab and Abihu.
0
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."
0
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.
0
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.
0
This is further indicated by the fact that only four seals describe apocalyptic plagues while
six trumpets and all seven bowls do.
0
It is interesting to note that in Jewish 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.
0
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.
0
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: chatsôtserâh, yôbêl,
qeren, shôphâr, tâqôa` and terû`âh. Three of the words referred to the act of blowing the
trumpets: chatsôtsêr, rûa`, and tâqa`. 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; Josh 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 (Judg 7:8; 2 Sam 15:10; 1Kgs 1:41 and Hos 8:1).
0
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.
0
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

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in the context of God's visit to the temple of Jerusalem 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
(krinô). 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 (Joel 2:12-17; cf. 1
Chr 15).
0
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.
0
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.
0
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.
0
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, Joab and Absalom).
0
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."
0
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.).
0
In Josh 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 Jericho 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
 63

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 Jericho, the trumpets climax with
God's rulership over a specific place. Thus the account of the seige of Jericho should be seen as a
structural parallel running behind the whole passage.
0
Note the following list of parallels (which is by no means an attempt to be exhaustive)
between the book of Joel and Rev 8, 9 and 11:15-18:

Book of Joel 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 Judgment Theme
3:18-21 God's Kingdom 11:15-18

0
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.
0
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.
0
See Kenneth A. Strand, "The Two Witnesses," Andrews University Seminary Studies 19
(1981):128-129.
0
The second trumpet is clearly based on the account in Jere 51. Several trumpets,
especially the fifth, allude to the book of Joel 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

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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.)
0
No doubt building on the Day of the Lord theme in the prophets.
0
Compare the LXX of Eze 7:14 and the Pseudo-Jonathan Aramaic Targum of Num 29:1
with their equivalents in the Masoretic Hebrew text. Judgment language is added in the
paraphrasing of the original.
0
Note, for example, The Special Laws, Book I, 187 and The Decalogue, 33.
0
Rosh Hashanah 1.2.
0
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.

0
Philo, The Special Laws, Book II,190; The Scroll of the War 3:1-11.
0
Philo, The Special Laws, Book II, 192.
0
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.
0
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.
0
This is also true of Wis Sol 16:16-24 and 4 Ezra 5:5-8.
 65

0
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.
0
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.
0
The object of the plague should probably be equated with one of the seven heads of the
beast in Rev 17.
0
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, Jewish apocalyptic literature and the book of
Revelation. I am not aware of any passage where a mountain is used as an agent of judgment.
0
4 Ezra 3:1,2,28-31; 2 Bar 10:1-3; 11:1; 67:7; Sib Or V:143-161.
0
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.
0
Rev 9:6 is reminiscent of 6:15-17; the despair of those who know that they are lost.
0
Roy Naden, Studies in Revelation. Lecture Manual #3 (Arroyo Grande: Concerned
Communications, 1981), p. 36.
0
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.
0
George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), pp. 619-632.

65
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0
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).
0
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.
0
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.
0
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).
0
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.
0
Adela Yarbro Collins, Crisis and Catharsis. The Power of the Apocalypse (Phil.:
Westminster Press, 1984), pp. 165-175.
0
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.
0
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.
0
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.
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0
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.
0
Quoted in 7BC 982.
0
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.
0
Cf Yarbro Collins, p. 167.
0
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.
0
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.
0
Note that the Israelites marched around the city seven times on the seventh day before it
fell. Just as the seventh seal unfolds in seven trumpets, so the seventh trumpet contains the seven
bowl plagues.
0
Who could have predicted in advance the exact course of Christ's life from the multitude
of types and Messianic prophecies?
0
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.
0
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.
0
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.
0
The brief comment on Rev 8:13 on p. 491 of the revised edition (Nashville: Southern
Publishing Association, 1944).

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0
Cf pp. 475, 493, 505 where Smith notes his reliance on the work of others.
0
George McCready Price, A New Commentary on Daniel and the Revelation (Pre-
Publication MS. Loma Linda, CA, 1951), pp. 92,93.
0
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 Jesus Christ.”
0
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.”
0
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.
0
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.
0
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.
0
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.
0
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.
0
The fall of Judaism and Rome and the apostasy of the church are all foreseen to a greater
or lesser degree in less-apocalyptic portions of the NT.
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0
The judgment on the Jewish 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.

0
GC 265-269.
0
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?
0
Unjhem, p. 106; Rissi, p. 101; Ellul, p. 76; Schick, pp. 88-91; Kent, pp. 62-65.
0
The Soviet Union is the world's leader in the study of parapsychology.
0
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.
0
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 Jerusalem (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

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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.