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After the rapture starts the wrath of God -- a way in which the earth is totally cleansed of any human or demonic opposition to the government of God. This wrath is initiated when the 7th seal is opened and the seven trumpets of revelation are sounded. The Hebrew word for trumpet is usually "shofar" -- a sonorous wind instrument crafted from a ram's horn. Although trumpets could be made of metal Numbers 10:2, most of the time they were made out of an animal's horn (shofar). Therefore, what the apostle John probably saw were angels sounding the shofar.
Notice that these angels are important spirit beings that are constantly in the presence of God following His commands.
Revelation
8:2
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God,
and seven trumpets were given
to them.
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Revelation 8:6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. The first four trumpet sounds bring destruction upon the inhabited earth. The last three are called woes. This
is similar to the time of Noah's flood. People were marrying,
building, and planting, thinking they had a future, but instead they
have no future. Earth is destroyed by the 7 trumpet blasts. |
The
First Trumpet 
| Revelation
8:7 The
1st sounded, and there came hail and
fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third
of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up,
and all the green grass was burned up.
We must notice that the destruction is widespread (1/3 of the earth), and that it starts with small size particles -- hailstones. The size of the particles increases as well as the damage. |
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The
Second Trumpet
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Revelation
8:8 The
2nd angel sounded, and
something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the
sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures
which were in the sea and had souls, died; and a third of the ships
were destroyed.
This mountain falls in the ocean. My guess is that the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands is a good candidate. The result is a giant tsunami that destroys ships. Mighty plagues continue to increase in severity with each trumpet blast. |
The
Third Trumpet
| Revelation
8:9 The
3rd
angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven,
burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the
springs of waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third
of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters,
because they were made bitter.
The
size now is like a star -- bigger than a mountain. This one
falls on land. |
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The
Fourth Trumpet
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Revelation
8:10 The 4th angel sounded, and a third
of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were
struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not
shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
The
whole planet is now covered with dust that darkens the sky.
Not only is the earth affected by this trumpet blast, but the sun and
the moon are also affected. |
The next 3 trumpet sounds are called "woes"
| Revelation
8:13
Then
I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud
voice,
"Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the
remaining
blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" The last 3 trumpets continue to bring destruction upon the earth. |
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The
Fifth Trumpet
Revelation 9:1 Then the 5th angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.
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Revelation
9:2-4 He opened the
bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a
great
furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
Then out
of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as
the
scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass
of the
earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not
have the seal of God
on their foreheads.
This
is evidence that at the time of the fifth trumpet there are some
Christians with the seal of God still living on earth.
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Revelation 9:5 And they were not permitted to kill
anyone, but to torment for five months; and
their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.
Revelation 9:6 And
in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will
long to
die, and death flees from them.
| Revelation
9:7 The appearance of the
locusts
was like horses prepared for battle; and on
their
heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the
faces of
men. Revelation 9:8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. |
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Revelation
9:9 They had breastplates like
breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings
was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. Revelation 9:10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. |
Revelation
9:11 They
have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is
Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
Revelation 9:12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are
still coming after these things.
The
Sixth Trumpet
Revelation
9:13
Then the
6th
angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four
horns of the
golden altar which is before God,
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River Euphrates |
Revelation
9:14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the
trumpet, "Release the four angels
who are bound at the great river Euphrates." Notice the 4 angels bound at the River Euphrates. These are not angels that proceed from the throne of God, these are angels that have been bound for some time and when they are released they kill 1/3 of mankind by influencing people to war against each other. We have to contrast these bound angels -- probably demonic angels, to the angels that are free and go into the presence of God. |
Revelation
9:15
And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and
month and
year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.
Revelation 9:16
The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I
heard the
number of them.
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Revelation 9:17
And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. |
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Revelation
9:18 A third of mankind was killed by
these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke
and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. |
Revelation
9:19 For
the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for
their
tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.
Revelation
9:20 The
rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent
of the
works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of
gold and of
silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor
hear nor
walk;
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Revelation 9:21 and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their drugs, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. |
By this time there will be very few Christians alive on Earth. Only human scum will remain -- hardened individuals who will not repent and turn to God no matter how difficult the situation might become. During this time God will use his two witnesses to prophesy on this earth; but no people will repent, instead they will rejoice with the death of the witnesses.
Revelation
11:3
And I
will give [power] unto my two
witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and]
threescore days,
clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation
11:4
These
are the two olive trees, and the two
candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
See Two
Witnesses.
The Seventh
Trumpet
Revelation 11:15 Then the 7th angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
At this time in history, the governments of the earth have very little
time to
continue their opposition to the government of God.
Revelation 11:16
And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell
on their
faces and worshiped God,
Revelation 11:17
saying, "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who
were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
Revelation 11:18
"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came
for
the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the
prophets
and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great,
and to
destroy those who destroy the earth."
After the seven trumpets of revelation, there are 7 bowls of wrath which are the consummation of the Wrath of God. God curses the unrepentant people with more plagues. Notice that after the 6th trumpet there is NO mention of repentance of the people, no matter how bad things get on earth.
When the 7th bowl of wrath is poured, Satan influences the world leaders and their armies to gather at Megiddo for the Battle of Armageddon to fight Christ and his saints Revelation 19:19. Of course, the devil is no match for Christ and his armies. The "Leopard Beast" and his "False Prophet" are thrown in "the lake of fire" Revelation 19:20, Satan is chained for a thousand years, the first resurrection occurs Revelation 20:5, and the millennium begins.
There is a series of stories interjected among the scope of the book of Revelation in order to give more information to the reader. Some of these stories are in reference to:
If you want to know at what point we are in history, see Timeline
