The Seven Trumpets of Revelation: Prayer, Judgment, and the Two Witnesses

In Revelation 4, 5, and 7, heaven is loud. Ten thousand times ten thousand voices worship around the throne of God.

Then, in Revelation 8, it stops.

"When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." (Revelation 8:1)

That silence opens the seven trumpets of Revelation, four chapters of judgment poured out on a rebellious world. If you have ever read Revelation 8-11 and wondered what any of it has to do with your life, this post is for you.

Here is the big idea from "Proclaiming in Peril," the latest message in our series The King Is Coming: things will get bad, but Jesus can be counted on. That is why you can stay hopeful, and why we keep telling people about Him.

Where We Are in the Book of Revelation

If you're just joining the series, here's a quick map of the book so far:

• Chapter 1: John is told to write down what he sees, followed by a stunning vision of Jesus walking among His churches. (Read more in The Jesus John Saw: 8 Images of Christ in Revelation 1.)
• Chapters 2-3: Seven letters to seven real churches, and to every church since, full of encouragement and correction.
• Chapters 4-5: John is told, "Come up here." He sees God on His throne as Lord of Creation and Jesus as Lord of Redemption.
• Chapters 6-7: The tribulation begins. Six seals are opened, and then comes a pause. Chapter 7 asks a question: is anyone paying attention? It's not too late. God's mercy is available to anyone who will believe.
• Chapters 8-11: The seventh seal is opened, and inside are seven angels with seven trumpets.

Why Is There Silence in Heaven in Revelation 8?

The worshiping crowds, angels, and living creatures stop their praise before the holiness of God and the seriousness of the judgments about to come. Scripture describes this same kind of silence when God rises to act:

• "The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him." (Habakkuk 2:20)
• "Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling." (Zechariah 2:13)

The pause also builds anticipation. All of heaven recognizes the weight of God's righteous response to human rebellion and to the suffering of His people. And it's in this silence that something beautiful happens.

The Prayers of the Saints in Revelation 8:3-5

"The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up before God from the angel's hand." (Revelation 8:4)

An angel stands at the golden altar before the throne with a censer full of incense and the prayers of all God's people. Then he fills the censer with fire from the altar and hurls it to the earth (Revelation 8:3-5).

For a lot of us, prayer is hard work. It's hard to stay focused. It's hard to know what to pray. And it's hard to know what to do when our prayers seem to go unanswered.

Revelation 8 is a reminder that God has kept every one of your prayers. Prayers like "Lord, come." "Lord, make it right." "Lord, heal." "Lord, save." They have been held for this moment. As they rise before God, the angel fills the censer with fire from the altar and throws it down to the earth. God has heard, and the judgment that follows is His answer.

Romans 12:19 (CSB) says, "Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for his wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord." The day is coming when God will make everything right. We wait on Him. He hears our prayers, and He will not be late.

Spiritual warfare will be unleashed on the earth, and it is prayer that moves us toward victory:

• Our battle is fierce.
• Our prayers are effective.
• Our God is faithful.

What Are the Seven Trumpets in Revelation?

Trumpets carry a lot of meaning in Scripture. According to Numbers 10, trumpets called God's people together, announced war, and marked special times and events. Trumpets sounded at Mount Sinai when the law was given, when Jericho fell, and when a king was enthroned. And a trumpet will sound when Christ returns.

In Revelation 8-11, seven angels sound seven trumpets, and each one releases a judgment on a world in rebellion against God.

The First Four of the Seven Trumpets (Revelation 8:7-12)

• First trumpet: A third of the earth, its trees, and its grass are burned up.
• Second trumpet: Something like a huge blazing mountain is thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turns to blood, a third of sea life dies, and a third of the ships are destroyed.
• Third trumpet: A blazing star named Wormwood falls from the sky and poisons a third of the rivers and springs. Wormwood is a very bitter plant that can be deadly in large doses. Old Testament prophets warned that God would punish idolatrous Israel with wormwood and poisoned water, and here that warning is fulfilled.
• Fourth trumpet: A third of the sun, moon, and stars go dark, and the earth is darkened.

Notice how often the number one third shows up in the first four of the seven trumpets. These judgments are not final. This is still warning season. Some call this period the Great Tribulation, but it is also the Great Warning.

The first four trumpets strike the material world and people's dependence on it. God is sovereign over all of it. Relief won't come from the land, the seas and trade, the water and resources, or the light of the sun. It will only come through Jesus, who is only a prayer away.

If we learn anything from Revelation 8, may it be this: prayer is a sacrifice on the altar that rises to the Lord without fail. Start today.

The Fifth Trumpet: The Abyss Is Opened (Revelation 9:1-12)

The most important thing to understand about Revelation 9 is that God is in control. His sovereignty is on full display. Even demons do His bidding in this chapter.

"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." (Revelation 9:1)

God allows Satan, the fallen star, access to the Abyss, a prison for demons. Hot, dark smoke fills the earth, followed by locusts. These are most likely not literal insects but demons unleashed as tormentors. Even so, God sets the limits. They may not kill, and they have only five months, the normal lifespan of an actual locust.

The suffering is so severe that Revelation 9:6 says, "During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them."

But there is a hopeful note in verse 4: "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." The seal of God is the Holy Spirit, who, when He was given to the church at Pentecost, appeared like flames resting on the heads of the believers. For believers, the Holy Spirit is the seal that keeps you from this judgment.

These demons are led by a king named Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek (Revelation 9:11). Both names mean destroyer. Apollo was a favorite god of the Roman emperor Domitian, who persecuted Christians, and the name Apollyon is used on purpose.

The Sixth Trumpet: Four Angels at the Euphrates (Revelation 9:13-21)

When the sixth trumpet sounds, four angels bound at the Euphrates River are released. They are demonic, which is why they were bound. Their task is to kill a third of humanity. Combined with the quarter of the earth already killed under the pale horse rider in Revelation 6, roughly half of the world's unbelieving population has now died.

And still, people do not repent:

"The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols..." (Revelation 9:20)

Despite the greatest evidence imaginable, the lure of idolatry and immorality still held them. That is exactly why God's people must keep proclaiming the gospel.

The Little Scroll: Sweet and Bitter (Revelation 10)

In Revelation 10, a mighty angel appears holding a little scroll. In this message, that mighty angel is understood to be Jesus Christ Himself. Chapter 10 is a word of encouragement for believers in the middle of the tribulation: God's plan will be completed.

"There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished..." (Revelation 10:6-7)

Jesus swears an oath to finish the work. What began with the promise of Genesis 3:15 will finally be fulfilled. The prayers of the saints across history, and the cry of the martyrs in Revelation 6:10, "How long, Lord?", are being answered.

Then John is told to take the scroll and eat it. It tastes as sweet as honey in his mouth but turns his stomach sour. And he hears, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings" (Revelation 10:11).

The gospel is sweet to those who receive it and bitter to those who reject it. Either way, the command is the same: keep proclaiming it.

Who Are the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11?

Revelation 11 shows there will be a price to pay for proclaiming the gospel, but God will honor and vindicate His people.

"And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." (Revelation 11:3)

Revelation 11:4 calls them "the two olive trees" and "the two lampstands." Each detail tells us something about them:

• Sackcloth: The clothing of Elijah, Jonah, Jeremiah, and John the Baptist. Like them, the two witnesses boldly call people to turn from the coming judgment and find salvation in the Lord alone.
• Olive trees: The oil of anointing and the fuel for the lamp.
• Lampstands: The light of God, revelation for anyone willing to see it.

They are anointed to proclaim the light, and they cannot be killed until their work is finished. When it is, the beast kills them and leaves their bodies in the street. People gloat and even send each other gifts to celebrate. Christmas has been replaced by a celebration of Christian death. That's how low society will sink.

But watch what happens next:

"But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet... And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on." (Revelation 11:11-12)

What a moment of redemption. Deuteronomy 32:35 and Romans 12:19 promise that God will repay, and in Revelation 11 He does. Payday will be someday, and for the two witnesses, someday is today.

The Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Has Come

Revelation 11 ends with the last of the seven trumpets. The final series of judgments, the bowls, is about to be poured out. The end of evil is near.

Take heart. The world belongs to Jesus, and He will fulfill the prayer, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." In Revelation 11:17, heaven gives thanks to "the Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was." Usually that phrase ends with "and who is to come." Here it doesn't, because He has come.

What the Seven Trumpets Mean for You Today

Michael Sattler was a 16th-century Anabaptist leader who was executed for his faith in 1527. He stayed faithful to Jesus under the worst kind of opposition, and his life is a picture of what Revelation 10 and 11 call every believer to.

Before the tribulation, and especially during it, things will be bad. But we can take heart in the trustworthiness of our Savior. Jesus returns, and Jesus wins. It is set, and it will come to pass. So take the book, eat the book, and proclaim the book. Be a witness to life in a dying generation.

Being a Sattler means dying to yourself, being anointed by God, and becoming His light to the world around you. If you've never taken your first step with Jesus, start here. If you'd like someone to pray with you, reach out through Prayer and Care. And if you're in the Kissimmee area, we'd love to have you join us for the rest of the series. Plan your visit.

Proclaiming in Peril

Frequently Asked Questions About the Seven Trumpets