The First Six of the Seven Trumpets
Comments for Study 7
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I. The Prayers of the Saints (8:2-5)
>1. What was given to seven special angles? (2)
* Revelation 8:2 "And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets."
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>What traditionally were they used for? (Num. 10:1-10, 29:1-6; Josh. 6:1-20; Ps. 81:2-4; Lev. 23:23-25; Heb. 12:18-29)
* Numbers 10:1-10 and Joshua 6:1-20 state the reasons to blow a trumpet; to call the community together, to call the elders together, to have the Israel camp set out, before going into battle, during a battle, taking a city, at the beginning of each month (new moon), during the time of rejoicing, during the holy feasts, and over burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
* Originally the Lord said each month should begin by observing the first appearance of a new crescent moon. At that time they were to blow a trumpet. (Num. 10:10, Ps. 81:2-4)
* The first and second day of the seventh month is the Holy Feast, Zicaron Terua, meaning "a memorial with the blowing of horns" (Lev. 23:23-25, Num. 29:1-6). Numbers 29:1 calls it the festival of Yom Teruah, meaning "Day of blowing the trumpet (horn)".
* Isaiah 18:3 states, "All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it." Ezekiel 33, Zephaniah 1:14-18 & 9:14-17 and Isaiah 30:15-33 should be read by the people alive when God sounds the seven trumpets of his wrath.
* Isaiah 27:12-13 records worshipers being gathered at a trumpets sounding. It states, "In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered up one by one. And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem." This seems to be the threshing Jesus spoke of in Matthew 13.
* 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 states, "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up (rapture in Latin) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." John 5:28-29 record Jesus saying this. Jesus also said, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:3)
* 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 states that at the last trumpet is when Jesus' bride will receive their resurrection bodies. It states, 'I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." But which "last" trumpet this is has confused many.
* One possibility is that (as stated earlier) Israel was to sound a trumpet at the beginning of each month when the crescent of the moon is first seen. This could take two or three days; no one really knew for sure. Since the Feast of Trumpets is at the first day of the seventh month, then there were six months and thus six trumpets before this one. Since most believe there are seven ages and the Millennium is the seventh, then it is possible that the sounding of the trumpet to mark the beginning of this feast and month is the last trumpet of seven, and at the same time before the seven trumpets in Revelation. There are other verses that mention trumpets sounding.
* We learn about Jesus' coming at the sounding of trumpets from his leading Israel into the Promised Land. The King led his first love, the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. (Jos. 1-4) Joshua [Yehôshua in Hebrew/Aramaic, similar to Y'shua (Jesus)] was the leading judge at the time. The Lord told the Israelites through Joshua that they were to take the land wherever they went from the hands of the evil doers who occupied the land. Jericho was the first city to be taken. (Jos. 5) During the battle the Lord did all the fighting. The Israelites were told to march around the city once a day for seven days with seven priest blowing seven trumpets at the front of the procession. On the last day they sounded the trumpets and the Lord tore down the walls and the Israelites took the city. (Jos. 6) The Lord tells us this now so that we will understand what he is soon to do upon his return. The seven trumpets of Revelation will sound and evil doers will perish and the righteous will take possession of the land. (Josh. 6:1-20)
* Jesus' second coming as King of kings and Lord of lords on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is foreshadowed at the time when Israel was led out of Egypt to Mount Sinai to receive the law of God. At that time the Lord became their King a trumpet blasted and the mountain shook and was ablaze with fire and smoke for the Lord descended onto the mountain in fire, and there was lightning and thunder. The Israelites could not approach the mountain because of their sins and needed to be consecrated and have their clothes washed. Moses was told, "Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they go up to the mountain." (Ex. 19-20) Hebrews 12:18-29 tells us that Israel at Mount Sinai foreshadows Jesus' second coming.
* God revealed to everyone again and again that the Feast of Trumpets is the day marking Jesus' second coming, his bride receiving resurrected bodies, and judgment of the nations. It is on the first and second day in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. It marks the beginning of Jesus' physical reign on earth, the Millennium. (Please note that Biblical days start at the sunset of the previous day. Biblical days do not start end at midnight as they do now.)
* The above notes were taken from The Believer's Future - Hope that Inspires.
>2. What was a censer used for? (3-4; Lev. 16:12; Num. 16:17-18)
* Revelation 8:3-4 "Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand."
* Leviticus 16:12 "He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain."
* Numbers 16:17-18 "Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it--250 censers in all--and present it before the LORD. You and Aaron are to present your censers also." So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting."
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>Why might the angel hurl it to the earth? (5)
* Revelation 8:5 "Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake."
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>Why does this reveal about why the seven trumpets will be sounded?
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II. The First Four Trumpets (8:6-13)
* The drawing is called "First Four Trumpets". It was in the "September 1522 Luther Bible", the first Bible translated into German. Luther's New Testament was published in September of 1522, with a second edition coming out in December of the same year both adorned with woodcut illustrations by Lucas Cranach.
>3. What can we learn from the angels who waited to blow their trumpets? (6)
* Revelation 8:6 "Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them."
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>What happened after the first angel sounded his trumpet? (7)
* Revelation 8:7 "The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up."
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>What happened after the second angel sounded his trumpet? (8-9)
* Revelation 8:8 "The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood," a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed."
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>4. What happened after the third angel sounded his trumpet? (10-11)
* Revelation 8:10-11 "The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter."
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>What does wormwood mean?
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>What might cause such an event as this?
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>5. What happened after the fourth angel sounded his trumpet? (12)
* Revelation 8:12 "The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and 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."
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>What would have to be concluded by most of the people on earth after these trumpets sounded?
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>6. What was the woe given? (13)
* Revelation 8:13 "As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
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>Who delivered it?
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III. The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets (9:1-21)
* The drawing is called "The Fifth Trumpet". It was in the "September 1522 Luther Bible", the first Bible translated into German. Luther's New Testament was published in September of 1522, with a second edition coming out in December of the same year both adorned with woodcut illustrations by Lucas Cranach.
>7. What happened after the fifth angel sounded his trumpet?
* Revelation 9:1 "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."
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>What did the star that fell from the sky to the earth do?
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>What is the Abyss? (Luke 8:30-31)
* Luke 8:30-31 "Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss."
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>8. What happened to earth's inhabitants when the Abyss was opened? (2-5)
* Revelation 9:2-5 "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."
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>Who was spared this?
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>What did every one else want? (6)
* Revelation 9:6 "During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them."
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>Who was doing this to them? (7-12)
* Revelation 9:7-11 "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 lions' 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. The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come."
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* The drawing is called "The Sixth Trumpet". It was in the "September 1522 Luther Bible", the first Bible translated into German. Luther's New Testament was published in September of 1522, with a second edition coming out in December of the same year both adorned with woodcut illustrations by Lucas Cranach.
>9. What happened when the sixth angel sounded his trumpet? (13-16)
* Revelation 9:13-16 "The sixth angel sounded 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."
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>Where is the river Euphrates?
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>10. What do the horses and riders sound like and how might John, a first century man be at a lost to describe them? (17-19)
* Revelation 9:17-19 "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."
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>Why wouldn't men repent? (20-21)
* Revelation 9:20-21 "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."
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>What does this say about sinful man?
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