Preview – How many trumpets have been blown? - The 7 trumpets of the book of Revelation or Apocalypse

Today’s question is, “What are the seven trumpets of Revelation?” In this video I’ll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards, as always, I’ll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

The seven trumpets are described in Revelation chapter 8 verse 6 through 9 verse 19 (8:6–9:19) and chapter 11:15–19. The seven trumpets are the “contents” of the seventh seal judgment, in that the seventh seal summons the angels who sound the trumpets. The judgments heralded by the seven trumpets will take place during the tribulation period in the end times. THE FIRST TRUMPET. When the first angel sounds his trumpet, the world experiences “hail and fire mixed with blood” (Revelation 8:7). One third of the world’s trees are burned up in this plague, and all the grass is consumed. This judgment bears some similarities to the seventh plague in Egypt (see Exodus 9:23–24). THE SECOND TRUMPET. In heaven, a second angel sounds a trumpet. The result is that “something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea” (Revelation 8:8). A third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the ships sink, and a third of ocean life dies (verse 9). This judgment is similar in some ways to the first plague in Egypt (see Exodus 7:20–21). THE THIRD TRUMPET. The third trumpet judgment is like the second, except it affects the world’s freshwater lakes and rivers instead of the oceans. Specifically, “a great star, blazing like a torch” falls from the sky and poisons a third of the water supply (Revelation 8:10). This star is given the name Wormwood, and many people die. In botany, wormwood is a shrub-like plant noted for its extreme bitterness and poisonous properties. THE FOURTH TRUMPET. The fourth of the seven trumpets brings about changes in the heavens. “A third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night” (Revelation 8:12). Following the fourth trumpet judgment, John notes a special warning that comes from an eagle flying through the air. This eagle cries out with a loud voice, saying, “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels” (Revelation 8:13). For this reason, the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets are referred to as the “three woes.” THE FIFTH TRUMPET. The fifth trumpet (and the first woe) results in a terrifying plague of “demonic locusts” that attack and torture the unsaved for five months (Revelation 9:1–11). The plague begins with a “star” falling from heaven. This star is most likely a fallen angel, as he is given “the key to the shaft of the Abyss” (verse 1). He opens the Abyss, releasing a horde of “locusts” with “power like that of scorpions” (verse 3). The locusts do not touch the plant life of earth; rather, they head straight for “those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (verse 4). For five months, these locusts torment people, whose agony is so great that they will wish to die, “but death will elude them” (verse 6). The locusts are not allowed to kill anyone, only to torture them. These demonic “locusts” have a “king,” who is the angel of the Abyss (Revelation 9:11). In Hebrew his name is Abaddon, and in Greek it’s Apollyon, meaning “Destroyer.” The locusts themselves are described in unusual terms: they look like “horses prepared for battle” (verse 7). They wear something like “crowns of gold,” and their faces are vaguely human. They have hair “like women’s hair” and teeth “like lions’ teeth” (verse 8). They have something like iron breastplates, and their wings sound like “the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle” (verse 9). Like scorpions, they have stings in their tails (verse 10). This description has prompted many different interpretations: is this a vision of helicopters, of barbarian warriors, of a satanically empowered army, or of actual creatures from the pit of hell? We won’t know for sure until it happens. THE SIXTH TRUMPET. The sixth trumpet (and the second woe) involves the onslaught of another demonic horde (Revelation 9:12–21). Once the sixth trumpet sounds, a voice from the altar of God calls for the release of “the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (Revelation 9:14). These four angels had been kept in captivity for just this purpose: to wreak destruction during the tribulation (verse 15). These four wicked angels lead a supernatural cavalry of thousands upon thousands to kill a third of humanity (verse 16). The riders have breastplates of “fiery red, dark blue, and yellow” (verse 17). Their horses have “the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur,” and “their tails were like snakes” (verses 18–19). They kill with their mouths and with their tails. Despite the severity and horror of these plagues, the survivors on earth still refuse to repent. They continue in their idolatry, their murder, their sorcery, their sexual immorality, and their theft. Following the sixth trumpet judgment is a literary interlude. John sees an angel descend from heaven with a little scroll in his hand. A promise is given that “the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet” (Revelation 10:7), and John is told that he must prophesy some more (verse 11). Next comes a description of the two witnesses who will preach in Jerusalem and perform miracles before they are murdered. God will then raise them back to life and take them to heaven (Revelation 11:1–13). THE SEVENTH TRUMPETThe seventh trumpet (and the third woe) sounds, and immediately there are loud voices in heaven saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). The twenty-four elders say, “The time has come for . . . destroying those who destroy the earth” (verse 18). Obviously, God is about to wrap things up once and for all. At the sound of the seventh trumpet, the temple of God is opened in heaven, and “within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm” (verse 19). Thus end the seven trumpet judgments. All is set for the seven angels with the seven bowls of God’s wrath. These angels stand inside the now-open temple, ready to step forward and bring the final judgments on earth. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don’t miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions.org for more great content. And check out the details section below this video, there you’ll find one book I recommend, along with links to several related questions. If you’d like to learn about Bible Munch, or if you’re interested in Bite-sized devotionals, subscribe to Bible Munch on YouTube, it’s linked right here. Now remember, Got questions? The Bible has answers, and we’ll help you find them!

You must bear in mind that the book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse) uses a very symbolic language, based on the apocalyptic literature language that we can find, for example, in the book of Daniel and his visions. In fact, many of the symbols are taken from Daniel. So don't expect a literal description of the events, but symbolic, which makes it more difficult to decypher. But if we take for granted that we are already living in the Tribulation days, which is not sure but makes a lot of sense for may, then this is our guess:

- Trumpet 1: hail and fire mixed with blood will fall from the sky. One third of the world's trees are burned up in this plague, and all the grass is consumed.

- Trumpet 2: a huge mountain in fire falls into the sea. A third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the ships sink, and a third of the ocean life dies.

- Trumpet 3: a great star blazing like a torch falls from the sky and poisons a third of the water supply. The star is called "Wormwood".

- Trumpet 4: a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon and a third of the star, so a third of the day and of the night was without light.

- Trumpet 5: The Devil is given the key of the Abyss to unlock a demonic army of locusts that attack and torture the unsaved for five months.

- Trumpet 6: Four death angels will destroy one third of humanity.

interlude: Twi prophets will prophecy and work miracles in Jerusalem before being murdered and taken up to heaven.

- Trumpet 7: The Ark of the Covenant appears in the heavenly temple to be seen by all.

So how many of these trumpets may already have been born?

- Trumpet 1: This might be a symbol for today's destruction of nature: tress and grass destroyed. This may have happened during the 20th century, reaching its peak during the 1980s, when an area half the size of India was destroyed only during that decade.

- Trumpet 2: This might be a symbol of the pollution of the seas coupled with terrific naval wars during 1st and 2nd World Wars.

- Trumpet 3: This might be a symbol of the pollution of fresh water supplies. Most shockingly, we have the explosion of a star called "Wormwood", which is the name of an extremely bitter plant. Coincidentally, the Russian word for "wormwood" is "chernobyl", and in the city of Chernobyl the worst nuclear accident in history took place in 1986, so this is for many proof that the third trumpet has already been blown.

So we can say that it is quite reasonable to assume that the first three trumpets have been blown. What about the rest?

- Trumpet 4: Some might say this is a symbol of pollution, which obscures the daylight, and light pollution, which obscure the nightlight. But that is still far from becoming a worldwide issue, at least as far as light is concerned.

- Trumpet 5: The way those demonic locusts are described might fit a modern army of helicopters and tanks or some kind of more modern technology. Or it might be a symbol for a pandemic. Some even say it is a reference to 2020's covid pandemic, but the 5th trumpet specifically says that that army of locusts will torture humans, but they are not allowed to kill them, so it can't be a reference to covid, which did kill some million people.

- Trumpet 6: It hasn't happened yet.

So if you believe we are in the Tribulation period, we can say the first 3 trumpets have been blown already. Some might even extend this to the 4th, but the rest are clearly disqualified and still to come.