Revelation 11: The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, 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 shall reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
¹⁸ The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

¹⁹ Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. (Revelation 11:15-19, ESV)

This section of Revelation tells of the end of the world kingdoms and the church's reward in very eschatological terms.

Verse 15: loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” The loud voices are not specifically identified. It could be the heavenly multitude of the saints (Revelation 7:9; 19:1, 6). God now takes the rule of the world from those he permitted before, the earth dwellers and Satan. This is the end of history, just as the seventh seal and seventh bowl are another look at the end of history. It shows that the Father and the Son will now rule forever. This the consummation of the Old Testament prophesies of the messianic kingdom. The phrase “Lord and of his Christ” indicates that Christ is ruling but in subjection to his Father. This is indicated in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. In 1 Corinthians, Christ will rule, probably during his redemptive phase, where everything is put under Christ’s feet. Then, at the end of history, the end of the redemptive phase, Christ puts everything in subjection to his Father.

The Old Testament allusion is Daniel 7. In Daniel’s vision, the Son of Man is handed over the authority of all the defeated kingdoms, and he reigns forever and ever.

Verses 16-17: In response to the declaration of God’s victory and rule, the 24 elders fall down and worship God. There is an interesting variation in the three-fold name used for God. In Revelation 1:4, 8 and 4:8, God is referred to as the God of the past (who was), the present (who is), and the future (who is to come). This threefold divine name is used to describe the God who is sovereign over all of history. Associated with this threefold discretion is the phrase, “The Lord God Almighty,” which reinforces the idea of God’s sovereignty. In verse 17, the last of the threefold name, “who is to come,” is replaced with “for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” This means that “who is to come” does not just speak of God ruling in the future, but it specifically refers to God’s defeating all of his enemies and establishing his eternal kingdom.

Some people suggest that the consummation of God’s reign occurred in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple be the Romans under Christ’s direction. But this kind of consummation is equivalent to the kind of sovereignty God exhibited when Assyrians and Babylonians took Israel captive in the Old Testament. Verse 18 shows how universal God’s rule is, referring to the nations, a time of judging and rewarding, and destroying the destroyers of the earth.

Some suggest that Revelation 11:15-19 alludes to Psalm 2, and that Psalm 2 refers to Christ’s death and resurrection and hence this is not the final judgment. However, the language of verses 15-19 contains unmistakable consummative images indicating this is the end of history when God assumes his final rule and authority.

Verse 18: The elders continue their praise. They recount how the nations raged, but God’s wrath put an end of that. The unbelieving dead are judged, indicating this is the end of history. The elders praise God for rewarding his servants, for seeing God’s servants vindicated and hence God’s righteous and sovereign rule vindicating God. The servants are identified as prophets and saints. Prophets ties into the role of the two witnesses, the church, and identifies God’s servants as God’s prophetic witnesses of the previous section of Revelation.

Verse 19: The chapter closes with more imagery of the final judgment, “flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.” This is the language of the last act of judgment. This comes from the inner temple in heaven. The Ark of the Covenant is seen in the temple. This again ties the allusion to the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6, where the Ark of the Covenant followed the trumpet blowers. The Ark of the Covenant speaks to God’s presence at the start of the eternal kingdom. It is not a literal Ark as Revelation 21:3, 22 shows. The temple speaks metaphorically of God’s presence with his people, which is an intense, consummative presence.

One interesting thing to note – this is the establishment of the eternal kingdom, but there is no mention of the millennium. There is a millennium spoken once, later in Revelation. The millennium is not present as various “premillennialists” advocate, a period of time between Christ’s return and the establishment of the final, eternal kingdom. What will be argued in later posts is the millennium is actually the period of time from Christ’s first advent until his second coming. The end of Revelation 11 provides evidence for this view of the millennium.

Revelation: Trumpets and the Plagues

During class discussion today, various people made excellent comments about Revelation. It was observed that the trumpets in Revelation 8 have a strong tie to the plagues in Exodus. While the trumpets do not match completely, there is strong resemblance as seen in this table:

Trumpet	Exodus Plague
1. (8:7) Hail, fire, blood	Exodus 9:22-25 Hail, fire
2. (8:8-9) Sea turned to blood	Exodus 7:20-25 Nile turned to blood
3. (8:10-11) Rivers made bitter
4. (8:12) 1/3 light darkened	Exodus 10:21-23 Darkness
5. (9:1-11) Demon locusts	Exodus 10:12-15 Locusts

It was noted that probably the plagues in Exodus were scary things for the Israelites. If they had no information about it, or even protection from them, the plagues would seem that the world was out of control. But Moses, knowing that the plagues were God's means to extract the Israelites out of Egypt, the plagues were a sign of God's work in securing his people. In much the same way, the trumpets point to God's hand in extracting his people out of the corrupt and fallen world. There is a real hope that Revelation teaches for those who belong to God even in the midst of trial and trouble. These very difficulties point to God preparing his people for their exodus into God's presence.

Another observed that there is a sadness associated with the trumpets of Revelation. The church will bear the message of God to the "earth dwellers," many of whom will be hardened and will not repent and turn to God. While all of God's sealed ones who have not yet placed their faith in Christ will repent, those who were not sealed before the foundation of the world will reject Christ and will refuse to repent. This sadness will show up in various places in Revelation. John eating the scroll that is sweet in the mouth and bitter in the stomach indicates the sadness of the message that John must proclaim. The two witnesses, who are the lampstands -- which is the church -- wear sackcloth, indicating the sad message of woe to the world that refuses to repent.

One of the difficult things for many to do in going through Revelation is to jump into a paradigm shift in how understand the visions. Popular teaching on Revelation says the trumpets depict future events in a certain "literalistic" way. I put literalistic in quotations because this is not a literal reading of Revelation. John saw the images just as he describes them. The images where not objects of some future war in which the only way that John could describe them was using terms of the first century culture and society. John actually saw what he described -- and these are symbols. These symbols are full of Old Testament and New Testament meaning. So when John writes that a great mountain, burning with fire, is thrown into the sea, John sees a great mountain that is burning. Mountains have rich imagery in the Old Testament -- often mountains are used to describe kingdoms, and something on fire is being judged. If we step back and look at what kingdoms and empire have been judged, we can name many: Rome, Hitler's Germany, even the Soviet Union. There are many more empires to name. But what is interesting is recalling how the Soviet Union seemed to invincible and how it persecuted the church, yet it crumbled in moments in the timescale of history.

The trumpets, the seals, the bowls of Revelation reflect parallel history that is a snapshot of God's activity from Christ's first advent to his second coming. This is not some future history reserved for a seven year period just before Christ's second coming. They describe what has happened, is happening, and will continue to happen until Christ returns. As we see all of this unfold, we can know that because we are sealed, we are protected from spiritual harm, that we will indeed persevere and be the ones who overcome and will wear a white robe before the Lamb that was slain.

Revelation 11: The Two Witnesses

¹ Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, ² but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. ⁶ They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. ⁷ And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, ⁸ and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰ and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

Chapter 11 starts with John given a measuring rod and is told to measure the temple. Many futurists base their view of the temple will be rebuilt on this passage. They think that there must be a literal temple, and since there is no temple in Jerusalem right now, it must be rebuilt sometime in the future, many saying it will occur during a final seven year tribulation period just before Christ’s second coming. Interestingly enough, another group also thinks this refers to a literal temple – the temple in Jerusalem before its destruction in 70 AD.

However, given the figurative nature of the other symbols in Revelation, this too should be considered figurative. A future actual temple would imply reinstituting the sacrificial system. Sacrifices were fulfilled in Christ’s death on the cross, and instituting it would be an abomination. This passage of measuring the temple is best understood against the background of Ezekiel 40-48. The Ezekiel passage was written when the first temple was destroyed and the Israelites were in captivity. The temple is measured and is huge – so much so that it cannot be understood as how the next temple is to be rebuilt, but this is a figurative eschatological temple. The Ezekiel temple was beginning to be fulfilled in an unexpected way with Christ’s death and resurrection. This is because Christ’s death and resurrection are the dramatic turn in redemptive history. Christ’s work is the key to understand the Old Testament expectations. The temple of Revelation 11:1-2 is the church patterned after Christ on the cross, who is the true temple. Like Christ, the church will suffer and appear to be defeated. However, God protects his people through all the trials. God is present and protects his people and guarantees them ultimate victory. Therefore this views Christians throughout the entire church age, not just the beginning of the Christian age or at the end just prior to Christ’s return.

John measuring the temple refers to God’s protection of the temple and those who belong in it. This is inner part of the temple, where God dwells. Jesus refers to his resurrection body as the true temple (see John 2:19-22). Since Christians are joined in union with Christ, they too are part of the temple. Since this is right at the alter, Christians not only view and worship Christ, but they also act as priests. Christians act as priest not only as being direct intermediaries to God, but also sacrifice themselves on the alter of the Gospel. The outer court seems to also refer to Christians who will be persecuted for their faith and identification with Christ.

The period of 42 months (1,260 days = 3.5 years x 12-30 day months) is a figurative number, just as the other numbers in Revelation. This refers to the tribulation period prophesized in Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7, 11-12. The period of “a time, times, and half a time” (3 ½ years) was understood in Jewish writings in various ways: the period of the Jewish Babylonian captivity or the period Israel must wait before its final redemption. This is also the period of Elijah’s judgment on Israel, which Revelation 11:6 refers to. 42 months also refers to the 42-year wandering of Israel in the wilderness. Its usage here in 11:3 and in 12:5-6 indicates this is a period of time through all the life of the church between the two advents of Christ. It is a period of protection for the church (John measures the inner temple) and a period of trial (the outer court is trampled by the nations).

Revelation 11:4-12 amplifies the ministry of the two witnesses. The two witnesses are identified as the two lampstands – which in Revelation 1 is identified as churches. The number two has a significant meaning. Two is the number of witnesses required in trials (Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15). Hence the number two should not be thought of as a portion of the seven churches in Revelation 1, but shows the witness nature of all the churches. The witnesses are dressed in sackcloth, showing the mourning of the judgment nature of their message and hoping for repentance. The olive tress with the lampstands in this particular part of Revelation alludes to Zechariah 4. The olive trees provide oil for the lampstands, which represent the temple and the people of God. In the vision in Zechariah, God promises his presence to the people and that they will be able to finish rebuilding the temple. Also the duration of the witnesses’ ministry corresponds to the time of Jesus earthly ministry.

Verse 5 – The purpose of measuring the temple is shown here. No one can ultimately harm the two witnesses because the invisible temple of God protects them. Those who attempt to harm them will be judged. Those who reject the message of the two witnesses will suffer spiritual death.

Verse 6 is rich with allusions to Moses and Elijah. In fact, the witnesses’ ministry bears a resemblance to the plagues of Moses, the judgment from Elijah, and the previous 6 trumpets. This means the churches will bear similar witness, calling people to forgiveness, but also calling people to discomfort and misery for their unbelief and persecution.

Verses 7-10 – “And when they have finished their testimony…” shows this period of the church is complete. This is at the end of history. It looks like there will be a severe trial for the church at the end of the church age. This section alludes to Daniel 7. In Daniel 7, the final kingdom on earth will persecute and defeat God’s people. Afterward the persecutors will be judged and God’s people will inherit the kingdom of the world. Revelation sees the fulfillment of Daniel with the persecution of the church at the end of history. Daniel mentions a beast, which is an evil king and kingdom that persecute God’s people. The best in Revelation 11:7 refers to a period just before the end of history when persecuting authorities will persecute the church. They will “kill” the church. This is not a complete obliteration of the church, but the churches’ power, authority, and presence will appear to be gone. The church (the witnesses) will be treated with great indignity – the bodies are left without being buried, which is a huge indignity.

The city referred to as Sodom and Egypt refers to the entire ungodly world. Some take the city to be literally Jerusalem because it describes it as the place where Christ died. However, Revelation has been dealing with figurative symbols, and it is most likely using a figurative symbol here. This worldly city became also like Jerusalem, which crucified Christ. The world is unbelieving, and in their unbelief and hatred for Christ, the world killed Christ.

The three and one-half day period that the witnesses lay dead and unburied reminds of the period of time Christ was on earth. The reference is in days this time, which emphasizes the briefness of the period of apparent defeat, in contrast to the three and one half year period of the churches’ witness and judgment.

Verses 11-13. The witnesses are delivered. While this could be a resurrection from the dead, this appears instead to be God’s destroying the persecutors of the church and vindicating the church. There is great fear on the unbelievers. This is not a fear that brings about repentance. This is the fear that comes from their reversal of fortunes. The witnesses go up into a cloud. This again is using figurative symbols to show the church has God’s approval (which is confirmed with Christ’s voice from heaven).

The earthquake indicates the start of the last judgment. The “tenth of the city fell” and “Seven thousand people were killed” indicates that God is beginning to judge a significant portion of the ungodly earth dwellers. The rest of the ungodly recognize their immanent and acknowledge God as the true sovereign, not our of repentance, but out of seeing the shear power of God on display.

Verse 14 indicates that the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet has ended, the final trumpet will blast.

The picture of the Olive Tree is used under the terms granted by Fioana Alexander's Images.

Albrecht Dürer and Revelation

Most of the images that I put in the Revelation notes come from the wood cuts of Albrecht Dürer. Dürer lived from 1471 to 1528. He was a German painter, printmaker, mathematician and creator of many "old master prints," a means by which art was reproduced. I am using a famous sequence from Dürer's Apocalypse, much of which I get from the Connecticut College's website on Dürer's Apocalypse of St. John. I like these images over most of the modern "End Times art" because Dürer is not infected with the modern imagery of much of today's art, of interpreting Revelation with modern images substituted for the literal symbols in Revelation. Dürer uses the symbols directly in his woodcuts. The "outside of our culture" aspect of these woodcuts also causes me to think of the actual symbols themselves, not of some interpretation of the symbols, as I first look at the pictures. This in turn causes me to reflect on the purpose and meaning of the symbols, pulling not from 21st century motifs, but from Biblical motifs from the Old and New Testament. It has been helpful and refreshing to step back and rethink all the symbols of Revelation in this manner.

Revelation 10: The Little Scroll

¹Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. ² He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, ³ and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. ⁴ And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” ⁵ And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, ⁷ but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” (Revelation 10, ESV)

We now come to the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. Just as there was an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals, so there is a parenthetical interlude here. The interlude is not to be though of as something that happens historically between the sixth and seventh trumpets, but things that happen all during the church age between Christ’s first and second advents. The interlude provides further information on the church age. In this interlude, John is recommissioned as a prophet to the ungodly to prophecy their idolatry and wickedness and that their unfaithfulness will result in their doom. Further, in chapter 11 the vision of the persecution of the witnessing church shows the basis of the judgment of the persecutors.

Verse 1: John sees a mighty angel coming down from heaven. What is this angel? The angel is: (1) wrapped in a cloud, (2) has a rainbow over his head, (3) has a face like the sun, and (4) his legs are like pillars of fire. Looking at each of these descriptions:

Cloud. Only God comes in a cloud in the Old Testament, except for Christ in Daniel 7:13 where the Son of Man comes in the clouds to received authority from the Ancient of Days. The Daniel passage is referred to in the New Testament: Matthew 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; Acts 1:9; Revelation 1:7; 14:14-16. Each of these passages in the New Testament refers to Christ. The Son of Man is given the attributes of God indicating this Son of Man is Christ.

Rainbow. The rainbow on the head indicates a divine being. Ezekiel 1:26-28 describes God with a rainbow around him. This passage in Revelation provides a similar description.

Face like a Sun. This corresponds to the previous description of Christ in Revelation 1:16.

Legs are like pillars of fire. Daniel 10:6 and Revelation 1:15 speak of feet burnished bronze, while this passage speaks of legs like pillars of fire. The reason is to give the image of God in the wilderness with Israel where he appeared as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

This image of Christ is of God’s presence in the wilderness with Israel. Here Christ is present to guide the faithful witnesses of the New Israel through the wilderness of the world. The rainbow is an expression of God’s faithfulness to carry out his promises. That this is Christ is also confirmed in verse 3 with a voice like a lion. Christ is appearing like the divine angel in the Old Testament to commission his prophet.

Verse 2: The angel has a little scroll, small enough to swallow. The scroll contains what will happen “about many peoples and nations and languages and kings” (verse 11). This scroll refers to what will happen at least in Revelation 11-16. The scroll is also similar to the scroll in Revelation 5. The similarities are:
(1) Both scrolls are opened.
(2) Both scrolls are held by Christ.
(3) Christ is likened to a lion.
(4) Both are allusions to the scroll of Ezekiel 2.
(5) Both scrolls are related to the end-time prophecy of Daniel 12.
(6) Both scrolls concern the future of “peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Thus the meaning of the scroll in Revelation 5 is similar to the meaning of the scroll in Revelation 10. This contains God’s plan for redemption and judgment. This plan was set in motion by Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ is worthy to take this scroll because he was the faithful witness and redeemed his people through his death and resurrection. This scroll would appear to cover history from Christ death until he returns. Christ, wearing the rainbow, has taken over the authority from the Father to execute the contents of the scroll.

With this open scroll, Christ sets his foot on the land and sea. Since his legs are pillars of fire, this indicates that Christ will be judging earth dwellers over the entire earth. This indicates Christ’s sovereignty even over the upcoming dragon in Revelation.

Verses 3 - 7 – Crying out with a loud voice like a lion. This has the imagery of the Lord roaring like a lion in the Old Testament (see: Hosea 11:10; Amos 3:8), once again giving evidence this angel is Christ – or a powerful representative bearing a strong resemblance to Christ.

When the called out, seven thunders came out. There is an allusion to Psalm 29 with its sevenfold thunders. Again, this seems to indicate Christ is speaking, as the thunders in Psalm 29 come from the Lord. Further, Psalm 29 seems to speak of judgment of the ungodly. The thunders contain a revelation that John understood and was going to write. The angel tells John not to write it down. The content of the thunders are sealed up, which means hidden. What are the thunders? We can only speculate. It could be another judgment cycle, like the seals or trumpets. Perhaps at this phase of the trumpets, just before the final judgment, the thunders might be a cycle of final judgment. Some speculate that this cycle was canceled because there is going to be no more delay in the coming of the final judgment. It could also be a recapitulation cycle that occurs in parallel with the seals and trumpets that conveys no further useful information. It could also be that God has reserved some things in history for only him to know and is showing that he is not revealing all that will occur.

The imagery of the angel bears an allusion to Daniel 12. This will become even clearer with the scroll. Daniel was presented with a scroll, which was sealed until the time of the end. Daniel does not understand the words and they are sealed. John hears the thunders and understands, but the words are sealed from everyone else.

Verses 8 – 10. John is given a scroll from the angel. It is referred to as the “little scroll (v. 9). Apparently there is not much distinction between a “scroll” and “little scroll” in which this is used. This opened scroll of Revelation 5, where the seven seals are opened, is the scroll John is commanded to eat. The scroll is sweet to the mouth, because God’s word is sweet and God’s love for his people is sweet. But the scroll is bitter in the stomach because it contains judgments against the earth dwellers. John is commissioned to prophecy to all peoples, nations, languages, and kings.

The Sixth Trumpet

¹³ Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, ¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. ¹⁷ And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. ¹⁸ By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

²⁰ The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, ²¹ nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Verse 13: The sixth angel blows his trumpet. The voice from the four horns of the golden alter may be Christ’s voice, or an angel’s voice. The voice from the alter indicates a stronger involvement in the judgment, and also reflects answering the prayers of the saints beneath the alter. The four horns of the alter refers to the full power of God over the earth (four-corners of the earth, the whole earth, horns represent the animal strength).

Verse 14: “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” These angels had been bound, quite possibly during the sealing of the saints in Revelation 7:1-4. Quite possibly these are evil angels. They were held back at the river Euphrates. This alludes to an Old Testament prophecy about an army that will come to judge sinful Israel from the Euphrates (from the north). We can see this in Isaiah 5:26-29; 7:20; 8:7-8; 14:29-31 and a number of other Old Testament passages. The strongest allusion comes from Jeremiah 46. Jeremiah speaks of the judgment of Egypt. The army is “are more numerous than locusts;they are without number.” In John’s time the Roman fear of the invasion of Parthian was identified with army from the Euphrates.

Verses 15-16: These angels had been prepared for this time indicates God’s plan is set in motion. They are to kill a third of humanity. Strictly speaking, the number of the army is 200,000,000, but as with the other numbers in Revelation, this is very likely a symbolic number indicating an incalculable number of troops.

Verses 17-19: The description of the horses is similar to the locusts of the fifth trumpet. These are monstrous horses, emphasizing the fearful power of this army. The lethal nature of the horses and horsemen is their “fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.” Often fire and sulfur in the Old Testament refers to a fatal judgment. An allusion to Sodom and Gomorrah is made in this passage (Genesis 19:24, 28). Fire is also a metaphor for prophesying. We see this with the faithful witnesses in Revelation 11:5. The fire, smoke, and sulfur are called the three plagues in which a third of mankind dies. The death referred to here is all forms of physical death of the unrighteous, which also results in their spiritual death. The fire and sulfur also refer to the finality of the judgment, its eternal dimension. The death may also refer to more than just the physical death, it could include suffering which comes from the horses’ tails, which are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. The smoke brings darkness, which is spiritual blindness and deception. The power of the horses being in the mouth also reinforces the idea of a judgment by deception. The tail of the horses brings the association of serpents with the tails. He serpent is symbolic for Satan. It was the serpent in the Garden of Eden that deceived Eve.

Verses 20-21: Those who survived the trumpets do not repent. Plagues in the Bible do not primarily being about repentance. That does happen, but that happens to those sealed by God’s decree before the foundation of the earth. The earth dwellers do not repent. God gives these judgments to display his justice, giving every opportunity in warnings for the wicked to repent – but they do not repent. This also reveals the gracious nature of God to his people. It is God who causes people to ultimately repent through his sealing of the saints before the foundation of the world. The saints are not to be disheartened when they face antagonism through their faithful witness. This is all part of God’s plan, and God is a good God in which the faithful can rest with their full confidence.

The Woes

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” (Revelation 8:13, ESV)


The last three trumpets are different from the first four. They are introduced with “Then I looked, and I heard,” and an eagle flying overhead crying woe three times. The plagues become more severe. They are focused on the evil dwellers of the earth. They still allude to the plagues of Exodus. Creatures flying in the sky like this, literally in the Greek, “flying mid-heaven,” always connote judgment. The fifth and sixth trumpet do not speak of the final judgment, but the eagle flying overhead signals that the final judgment is on its way. The fifth and sixth trumpets bring torment with anticipates the final eternal torment of the unbelievers. The eagle is flying over its prey, the unbelieving earth dwellers. The eagle could be one of the four creatures before the throne of God in chapter 5.


¹ And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. ² He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. ³ Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. ⁴ They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. ⁶ And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

⁷ In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, ⁸ their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; ⁹ they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. ¹⁰ They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. ¹¹ They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

¹² The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come. (Revelation 9:1-12, ESV)




Verse 1. The fifth angel sounds the trumpet. John sees “a star fallen from heaven to earth.” Notice he does not see the star fall; the star has already fallen. Is this a good or evil star? If we compare the language from Revelation 8:10, we that it is an angel that probably represents sinful people; which is in keeping with Isaiah 14. Jesus uses very similar words to describe Satan as a star falling from heaven (Luke 10:17-20). Whether this is Satan or one of his lieutenants, the angel represents sinful humanity. This angel’s role is to inflict misery on the earth dwellers because Christ has begun to judge him. The evil angel has a key to the shaft of the bottomless pit (or abyss). Christ, who owns the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18), ultimately gave this key to him.

In the sixth trumpet, John sees that God and Christ have ultimate sovereignty over Satan’s domain. Satan and his demons cannot unleash anything from hell to the earth unless they given permission to do so from Christ, who reigns in heaven. God is working through all things to bring about his good for his people. In the time of persecution, trials, and tribulations, this should be a source of hope for Christians.

Verse 2: Smoke comes out of the pit and darkens the sun and moon. The previous trumpet darkened the sun and moon and this was an indication of judgment, as it is here. Other Old Testament allusions express judgment as a darkening of the sun (Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15, Isaiah 13:10). In the New Testament, especially with John’s Gospel and epistles, darkness is symbolic for spiritual blindness. The darkness is associated with a mournful condition that comes from suffering. Joel 2:10’s images are a metaphor for the Israelite suffering and weeping from being in exile.

Verse 3: The locusts come from the smoke. This alludes to the locust plague in Exodus. They are given power, either from God or from Christ.

Verses 4-5: The locusts in Exodus 10:15 destroyed the land and consumed the vegetation. The locusts in Revelation are not to destroy the vegetation; they are to only harm unbelievers, the ones who do not have the seal. The locusts are not to kill anyone. They are around for 5 months, the life cycle of a locust. This is a severe locust infestation, lasting the entire period of the locust life. Usually, locust plagues only come in intervals during the five-month period. The number five is not to be taken symbolically, as are the other numbers in Revelation. The affliction is compared to a scorpion’s sting. Again, this is a figurative description. The use of the word “torment” indicates this is a spiritual and psychological affliction. This torment may be brought about by these demon locusts create fear and despair in unbelievers as they reflect on their hopeless condition.

Verse 6: People desire death, but will not ultimately achieve it through suicide. This anticipates the eternal torment of hell. People will see their hopeless condition but cannot bring themselves to suicide.

Verses 7-10: This describes the frightening features of the locusts. They are not, with the possible exception of woman’s hair (which the antennae have an appearance of braided hair), to out of line with near east descriptions of locusts from the same time period or before. The mouth like lion’s teach may refer to their voracious appetite.

Verse 11: the names suggest of the angel of the bottomless pit of Abaddon (Destruction) or Apollyon (Destroyer) suggests this angel is a satanic figure.

...to be continued.

The First Four Trumpets of Revelation

⁶ Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

⁷ The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. ⁹ A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. ¹¹ The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

¹² The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

The trumpets that follow the seals in Revelation show the judgment on unbelievers because of their hardened hearts. These judgments show God’s sovereignty and glory over the affairs of humanity and the world. The judgments primary purpose is not to cause repentance among the “earth dwellers,” although that will happen to a small extent, but punish because of the people’s irreversible hardened and unrepentant hearts. Revelation 8:3-5 serves as a link from the seals, particularly the prayer in Revelation 6:10, to the punishment of the world in the trumpets. The trumpets start a new cycle of judgments, with six trumpets that lead up the seventh trumpet of final judgment. In this way, the trumpets recapitulate what the seals portrayed.

Verse 7 is patterned after the Exodus plague of hail and fire in Egypt. The language is very similar: “There was hail and fire flashing…” (Exodus 9:24); “hail and fire” (Revelation 8:7). In Exodus 9 and Revelation 8 the hail is sent against three parts of earth: land/earth, field/grass, and trees. The first trumpet is different from Exodus in that only a third of all the land and trees are harmed. The punishment is limited, but it is applied across the world. In Revelation the fire does the damage, while in Exodus it is the hail that struck down. The blood mixed with the hail and fire reminds us of the plague of blood in the Nile.

If we recall Revelation 1:1, the visions “signify” or show what is to take place. Signify in this sense means to show by signs, symbols, which figuratively represent the reality of what is and will happen. Because of this symbolic nature of the images, the first trumpet may indicate famines. In Exodus the famine caused by the hail and fire was not total. The wheat was spared (Exodus 9:32). Ezekiel 5 also tells of a famine that is divided into thirds. Fire in Ezekiel 5 is a metaphor for famine.

Verses 8-9 show the second trumpet. It continues the theme of the first trumpet. A great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea. The mountain can be a metaphor for a kingdom. Revelation 14:1, 19:9, and 21:10 illustrate this. Fire in Revelation is symbolic of judgment. This symbolizes the judgment of an evil kingdom. We see the symbolism elsewhere in Revelation 18:20-21. There a mighty stone was thrown into the sea and that stone is identified as Babylon. Jeremiah 51:25 says it is against Babylon and describes it as a “destroying mountain.” God will make Babylon a “burnt mountain.” Thus the burning mountain is not a volcano, nuclear missile, asteroid, or meteorite. It refers to a wicked kingdom, which is identified as “Babylon” in Revelation, the “great city.” Babylon sets the world order in the evil world. The disasters in Revelation have the backdrop of Old Testament imagery, which contain figurative descriptions.

The judgment is inflicted on the sea. Only a third of the see is harmed, showing again the limited nature of the judgment. The sea turning to blood once again looks back to the plagues of Egypt with the Nile turning to blood. Once again this refers to famine conditions, where a third of the sea life was destroyed. Sea faring commerce is harmed too. This anticipates the complete destruction of Babylon, which is the source of maritime business.


Verses 10-11, the third trumpet continues the famine judgment with bitter, undrinkable water. Again, this alludes to Exodus 7:20-25. There is a a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch. Previously in Revelation, stars represented angelic beings. These angels act as representatives of kingdoms and people of the world. First represents judgment. Also, the plague on the waters in Egypt can be thought of as a judgment on heavenly beings, such as the gods of Egypt, which includes the Nile god. The star also can represent the angel of Babylon, as seen in Isaiah 14:12-15. In that passage, the king and nation of Babylon is judged because Babylon’s guardian angel, “Day Star, son of Dawn,” has fallen from heaven. The earthly power of Babylon is behind these passages in Revelation 8:8, and 10.

The star is called wormwood. Wormwood is bitter herb. Wormwood in water becomes poisonous when consumed over a long period of time. Jeremiah 9:15 and 23:15 is an Old Testament passage to which Revelation alludes. There the false prophets pollute the nation of Israel with false gods, so God pollutes the waters of Israel with wormwood. Babylon of Revelation is great city that pollutes the world with its lures and pleasures and God judges the world as a result by polluting the waters and springs of the earth.

Verse 12, the forth trumpet afflicts the sun, moon, and stars. This is not a full and final judgment because only a third of the sun, moon, and stars are affected. But this judgment anticipates the final judgment. This judgment is alludes to Exodus 10:21, where God caused darkness in Egypt. This Exodus judgment of darkness was an apologetic against the sun god of Ra, of which Pharaoh was viewed as an incarnation. This judgment therefore can be viewed as a punishment of idolaters (in both revelation and Exodus). In fact, early Jewish tradition viewed the plague of darkness as having symbolic significance. They viewed the darkness as a punishment on the Egyptians for their idolatry.

Also, the sun, moon, and stars are Old Testament symbols for Israel. Joseph dreamed where the sun, moon, and stars bowed to him, which stood for his family. Further, the imagery of the sun, moon, and stars has a New Covenant aspect to them where stars represent angels and Christ. The dragon in Revelation 12 sweeps away a third of the stars, which could refer to Satan’s deception of the angels and the “earth dwellers.” This judgment then is directed at the idolaters inside and outside the church.

Background of the Trumpets in Revelation

Before examining the trumpet section in Revelation, I will examine some of the biblical tapestry behind the images of the trumpets. The trumpet section alludes to the imagery of other trumpets in scripture, and the plagues of Exodus when God was bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. The first five trumpets strongly allude to particular plagues in Exodus. The table below shows the similarity between the trumpet judgments and the Exodus plagues.

Trumpet	Exodus Plague
1. (8:7) Hail, fire, blood	Exodus 9:22-25 Hail, fire
2. (8:8-9) Sea turned to blood	Exodus 7:20-25 Nile turned to blood
3. (8:10-11) Rivers made bitter
4. (8:12) 1/3 light darkened	Exodus 10:21-23 Darkness
5. (9:1-11) Demon locusts	Exodus 10:12-15 Locusts

The correspondence of the trumpets with the plagues is not exact, as are all the other allusions in Revelation to the Old Testament. However, the allusions are strong enough that they provide a backdrop that can give us insight in the trumpet judgments of Revelation.

The purpose of the Exodus plagues was to glorify God’s majesty and power through Pharaoh’s hardened heart. This was accomplished by God’s judgments, which hardened Pharaoh’s resolve to refuse to let Israel go. Over and over the plagues showed how Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods were impotent against the power and majesty of Yahweh. This included the sun god, Ra, whom Yahweh showed was ineffectual when Moses stretch out his hand and God brought darkness on the land for three days. Further, the plagues were primarily judgments against the hardened heart of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Only in the secondary case were the plagues meant to be a warning to bring about repentance to the nonbeliever. There were a few Egyptians who repented and joined Israel, but the vast majority did not repent.

The Exodus plagues are a type for the trumpets. There are differences between the plagues and the trumpets. The plagues were localized to Egypt, but with a few exceptions, applied everywhere to Egypt. The trumpets, in contrast, are worldwide, not restricted to a particular province. However, the first five trumpet judgment, while world wide, are restricted to a third of the earth, sea, or whatever its effects are applied to, while the plagues applied to the whole of Egypt (except where the Israelites lived).

Trumpets are found elsewhere in the Bible. In the New Testament (Matthew 24:30-31; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16) trumpets indicate the end-time coming of Christ. In Exodus, trumpets indicate refers to judgment. In Revelation, judgments reflect the Kingly power of Christ that came from his resurrection, ascension and coronation in heaven. Trumpets also announce alarms for battle (Judges 7:16-22; Jeremiah 4:5-21; 42:14; 51:27; Ezekiel 7:14; Hosea 8:1; Joel 2:1; Zephaniah 1:16).

The prime example of seven trumpets in the Old Testament is the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6). With Jericho, seven priests carried seven trumpets, while other priests carried the Ark of the Covenant. For six days the priests blew the trumpets to Harold the impending doom of Jericho and the victor of Israel. In Revelation there are seven angels dressed in priestly robes (see the description of the angels in Revelation 15:5-6). Priests represent God’s authority, along with the ark (which is seen in Revelation 8:3-5, and identified in Revelation 11:19).

The Old Testament background, particularly where Revelation draws must of the allusions to Exodus and Joshua, we see two major points for the trumpets. The first is that the purpose of the trumpets in Revelation is judgment on the unbelievers (“the earth dwellers”). Trumpets primarily are not for warning and calling to repentance, although that does happen, but not on a large scale. Secondly, the first six trumpets in Revelation chapters 8 through 9 are punishments that are preliminary to the final judgment. This has the same thrust as the trumpets at Jericho.

The placement of the trumpets in Revelation after the chapter 7 military census of the 144,000 provides the imagery of God’s army going to war, but it’s not the typical way people think that wars are won. The war is won through the suffering and even the martyrdom of the saints. The saints pray that God will judge the enemies of Christ and God fights for them. The trumpet section of Revelation recapitulates the seals of chapters 6 and 7. The seals focused on the trials the believers must pass through. The trumpets, in contrast, emphasize the answer to prayer for judgment on the unbelievers inside and outside the church.

Transition, The Golden Censer

² Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³ And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, ⁴ and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:2-5, ESV)

We are in the second of four visions John records in Revelation. The first vision started in chapter 1, followed by the letters to the seven churches. The second vision is recorded in chapters 4 and 5, followed by Christ being given the scroll with the seven seals. In Revelation 8:1 the seventh seal was broken and now we move on to the seven trumpets. The seven trumpets, along with the seven seals, are part of the "aftermath" of the vision in chapters 4 and 5. After the seven trumpets will come seven histories, followed by the seven bowls, which will conclude this vision sequence.

Verse 1 of chapter 8 is the formal conclusion of the seals. Verse 2 starts the trumpets, however, there is an interesting interruption of the trumpets. G.K. Beale in The Book of Revelation notes this as a structural interlocking of the last seal with the trumpets. In a way, verses 3-5 are an interlocking bridge from the seals to the trumpets.

Who the seven angels are we don’t know. There are seven well-known archangels of Jewish apocalyptic literature. The definite article translated as “the” in the ESV would seem to indicate that. Trivia question, who are they? Enoch 20:1-7 and 40:9 says: Uriel (presides over clamor and terror), Raphael (presides over the spirits of men), Raguel (who inflicts punishments), Michael (presides over human virtual and commands nations), Sarakiel (presides over naughty children), Gabriel (presides over all that is powerful), Phenuel (presides over repentance and those who inherit eternal life). Whether John actually sees these angels as stated in the Jewish apocalypses, or this is even an allusion to them, I can’t say. Another interesting possibility for the angels is that these are associated with the seven churches. However, there is probably more affinity of angels being used by God for judgment and that seems to be the use here (see Exodus 12:23; Psalm 78:47-48).

The interruption of the trumpets in Revelation 8:3-5 is to pick up and conclude the description of the final judgment in Revelation 6:12-17 and 8:1. The reason this fits with the final judgment are the close parallels it has with Revelation 6:12 (earthquakes), 11:19; 16:18; and the context of Revelation 8:2-5 and 15:2-4, all of which are final judgments.

Another angel came to the alter. This alter is the same alter where the souls of the slain saints are under. We can infer this with the prayers added to the incense in the censer and the prayers of the slain souls under the alter in Revelation 5:8 and 6:9. Here we can see the prayers of all the saints means that the slain souls stands for more than just the saints that were literally murdered. The angel is unspecified. It could be “The Angel of the Presence” in Isaiah 63:9. It could also be Christ as in Revelation 10:1 and 14:14. This angel carried carries a golden censer (like one pictured on the upper left).

The smoke of the incense rises before God indicates that the prayers of Revelation 6:10 is now being formally presented to God. The angel is representing the saints as he presents the prayers. The angels were also representatives to the churches in Revelation 1:20 and following. The angels are acting according to God’s will and desires. Thus the angels are carrying out God’s prior decision, which is consistent with the saints make their appeal directly to God in Revelation 6:10. The “much incense” rose before God is a metaphor that God accepted the prayers.

Incense in both the Old Testament and New Testament is always associated with sacrifices. Incense was added to the offering to make it pleasing to God. Thus associated with the saints’ prayer is the idea that the saints sacrificially gave their lives in remaining faithful to Christ. Revelation 7 tells us how the saints were able to remain faithful; God sealed them, so they were under God’s sovereign protection and had their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Verse 5 indicates, by God’s judgment, the acknowledgment and acceptance of the prayers. The angel throws the censer to the earth, which is followed by, “peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” As mentioned, this fits with other end time judgments, indicating this is the last judgment.

Revelation 7 -- Interlude and the Seventh Seal

¹ After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. ² Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, ³ saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” ⁴ And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

...

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:1-4, 9-12, ESV)

In the previous post we saw the final judgment. Keep in mind the question of the last verse in chapter 6: “for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?” This chapter will answer that question. In order to answer that question, chapter 7 takes us back to history prior to the unleashing of the four horsemen of the apocalypse (the first four seals). Some might object that this makes Revelation chaotic in its portrayal of history. But we need to remember that that God sees everything in the universe in the “eternal now”. The ordering of the images in the vision need not reflect a strict temporal ordering, but rather may reflect other logical orderings or sequences. Thus when Revelation 7:1 says, “After this…”, it refers to the next part of the vision, but that vision does not necessarily imply the next sequence in time after what was shown in the previous vision. We will need to look for clues when, temporally speaking, this vision segment takes place.

This segment is not a seal being broken; rather it is an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals. An interlude usually provides an explanation for further elaboration of the events immediately preceding or surrounding it. There are four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. The imagery of the four corners is that the angels are surveying the entire earth. The function of these angels is to hold back the four winds. If we recall that the four horsemen of Revelation 6:1-8 has its Old Testament background in Zechariah 6:1-8, then we would also note that the four groups of horses in Zechariah are identified as the four winds of heaven (Zechariah 6:5). This means this interlude takes us back to prior to the first seal being broken. Remember, this interlude is a parenthesis that is going to provide further explanation of the previous events in chapter 6.

The purpose of these four angels is identified by a fifth angel that is ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of God. The servants of God are to be sealed before the earth is harmed. The seal will protect God’s servants during the persecutions and trials they will need to endure. What exactly is the nature of this seal? Ezekiel 9 provides the best background for divine sealing. In Ezekiel, God commands an angel to mark genuine believers and instructs another angel to slay the unfaithful Israelites. The mark on the believers will prevent them from suffering harm from the coming wrath of God, which will be inflicted by the Babylonians on the unfaithful Israelites. Ezekiel 9 speaks of a physical protection. The seal provides protection to the saints in Revelation is evident from Revelation 9:4, where the demonic powers are told not to harm those who have the seal of God on their foreheads. However, Revelation does not concern itself so much with physical protection of the saints, but rather with the spiritual protection. This spiritual protection is the protection of the believer’s faith and salvation from various sufferings and persecutions that they will have inflicted upon them.

The sealing enables the believers to respond in faith to the trials that come their way. These trails then become the very vehicles by which their faith is strengthened. From the first four seals (the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) we see that believers and unbelievers suffer similar physical afflictions. The trails purify the believer’s faith, however, those same trials harden the unbelievers against God. The seal is closely related to the salvation of the saints. Revelation 14:1-4 tells about the saints that are sealed have the names of Christ and the Father written upon their heads. The Lamb has purchased all of these who bear the names on their forehead.

The seals also indicate that God owns the servants of God. It was a common practice in the ancient world to mark slaves to indicate who owned them. This seal, therefore, is a seal given to all believers. In this, we can infer that the 144,000 in the next few verses (4-8) also refers to the “great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.”

This sealing probably occurred before the foundation of the world. It probably refers to the divine decree to seal all those who believe all throughout the inter-advent age. This decree will be fulfilled when each person believes in Christ.

The seal is God’s sign of sovereign authority over the believers. It indicates God’s protection over them. The seal empowers the believers to remain loyal to Christ and to persevere in their faith. While the believer may face loss of their physical life, the seal protects them from loosing their spiritual life. The seal grants them eternal life. The seal also protects the believers from the final Day of Judgment. The Lamb of God has endured the wrath of God so that the true believers will persevere and overcome and be able to stand before God at the last day.

While John does not explicitly say this, the seal may be best identified with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guarantees spiritual protection. This is seen in 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13, and 4:30).

The seal is applied to 144,000. Since we have seen symbolic numbers before, it is very likely this too is symbolic. What does this number represent? There are a number of ways to look at it, but the one I think that fits with the context of Revelation is noting that 144,000 is equal to 12 times 12 times 1000. Where have we seen two 12’s before? We saw that with the 24 elders before the throne. We noted that it represents 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles, representing both the Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints. The same thing is going on with the 144,000. It includes the idea of 12 tribes, 12 apostles, times 1000 (a large number). It is numbered off with 12,000 coming from each tribe of Israel – however this is not a usual order of tribes found in the Old Testament. Judah is listed first, and that is understandable given Christ comes from the Tribe of Judah and is the priestly king. The other tribes are not listed in the usual way, in that some tribes are replaced with other tribes in the listing.

The listing of the tribes is done in the fashion of a census in the Old Testament. The purpose of a census was to prepare for war. Here God’s people are prepared for war. It is an ironic war in which victory is achieved through the apparent defeat by tribulation and death, in which the army overcomes, just as Christ achieved victory through his death on the cross.

Right after the census John sees an untold number, myriads upon myriads of people that cannot be numbered, who wear white robes and bear palm branches in their hands, a sign of victory. These countless people answer the question at the end of chapter 6, who can stand before the throne at the last day? These are the ones, who come out of the great tribulation, whose robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and thereby have been made white and pure. By implication, all of these people have been sealed with the seal of God. The seal has been applied to their foreheads. Chapter 7 closes with the refrain:

¹⁵ “Therefore they are before the throne of God,and serve him day and night in his temple;and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;the sun shall not strike them,nor any scorching heat. ¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,and he will guide them to springs of living water,and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:15-17, ESV)

The seventh seal is broken in Revelation 8:1. Often this is thought to be an empty seal, in which the trumpets form the contents of the seal. However, this is really not the case. In Jewish literature there was the concept of a "pimeval silence" at the end of history in which all the people die and just prior to the final judgment. There is also the response, or anticipated response to the judgment where “all the earth” stand in silent awe. There is an aspect of this silence over the judgment of God in Romans 3:19: “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” (ESV). So the seventh seal follows the sixth in that it is the response of silence to the final judgment of God.

The Fifth and Sixth Seals

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. ¹⁰ They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

¹² When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, ¹³ and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ¹⁴ The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave [5] and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:9-17, ESV)

The previous post looked at the first four broken seals in Revelation 6. We now will look at the next two seals. Albrecht Dürer illustrates these two seal being broken in the woodcut illustration above (from Pasquale Iannetti Art Gallery). Click on either the link or the picture to see the full size image.

The pattern is changed in the fifth seal from the previous four. No longer do the living creatures that surround the throne say come. Neither is the focus on earth, but our attention is drawn back into heaven. Underneath the alter are the souls of those who had been slain. These appear to be believers from the New Testament and beyond, because they were slain for the witness they bore, and the implication is their witness was their faithfulness to Christ, who is the faithful witness in chapter 1. In fact, this seal carries on what was developed in the first three chapters of Revelation. These souls are the ones who overcame in chapters 2-3, and are given white robes. These souls can in fact stand for all Christians who remained faithful and overcame and enter into heaven. “Slain” in this sense is a metaphor to stand for all saints who suffer for the sake of their faith. This suffering primarily refers to believers who conquer temptations, sin, and the pressure to compromise and suffer as a result but are faithful to the end (“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – Revelation 2:26-29, ESV). Furthermore, all who have united themselves with Christ become identified with the suffering Lamb that was slain; the slain Lamb becomes the symbol that identifies them and they are identified as being slain.

The slain souls are underneath the alter. The words “slain” and “alter” identify a sacrificial nature of the soul’s suffering. There are at least a couple of different kinds of alters. This alter seems to refer to the golden alter of incense which was near the holy of holies. Revelation 8:3-5; 9:13 identifies this as the golden alter. The sacrificial blood of the Day of Atonement was poured out on this alter. Incense was burned on this alter. The slain are underneath the alter. This is because the alter in the Temple is viewed as the throne of God. The saints being under the alter means they are under the protection of God even though they were slain because of persecution. But, the persecution and death come as a result of the first four seals, which is ultimately under God’s responsibility. For the saints, God sends persecution to test and to purify the faith of the believers. Those who persevere to the end sacrifice themselves on the heavenly alter, in a similar fashion as Christ sacrificed himself on the cross.

The saints cry out, “how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” This is not a cry for personal revenge, but they call for God to uphold his character. They prefix their cry with, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true.” God is asked to demonstrate his sovereignty, his holiness, and the standard of truth by fulfilling his promises to punish the wicked. The phrase, “those who dwell on the earth” is used to describe unbelievers (see Revelation 3:10 and 6:17). The cry of the saints to, “avenge our blood” is not a cry for personal revenge, but that God would demonstrate to the whole world they are right and the evildoers are wrong. This is demonstrated in heavenly court where God overturns the wrong verdict of the earthly courts when God judges the ones who persecuted the ones where were slain.

God answers their request in two ways. First God gives the saints white robes. The white robes do not represent glorified bodies. The saints will get that at the final resurrection on Christ’s return. The white robes represent purity from their faith in Christ, which results in perseverance and their faith being purified in tribulation. The saints did not earn their white robes from their faithfulness. Rather, the white robes are the result of the not-guilty verdict of God through the death of his Son on the cross. In this, God is also announcing that the guilty verdict rendered by the “earth dwellers” is overturned. The robe then is an assurance to the saints that God will openly declare the earth dwellers as guilty and punish them for persecuting the saints.

The second way that God answers their cry is that he tells them “to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete….” Implicitly, God is saying that the judgment will come. The time is not ready yet, God has determined the number of saints to be added to the number under the alter. The final judgment will begin when all that God has decreed to suffer will finally fulfill their destiny. The word “killed” in verse 11 is to be taken figuratively to all believers who persevere. There is an irony to the overcomers. The ones who overcome are ironically the ones, in the view of the earth dwellers, to have been defeated, just as Christ appeared to be defeated on the cross. Instead, the defeat of the saints is tuned into victory in which they overcome in heaven. God’s implicit promise to judge gives the basis for the saints to rest. They rest on the assurance of God’s promise.

The fifth seal, as with seals one through four, occur throughout the inter-advent age. Ever since Christ’s first advent, believers have been suffering for Christ even to the point of martyrdom. These five seals go throughout history from Christ’s first advent to his second in parallel. Christ’s gospel and kingdom will advance. As a result, suffering and persecution arises from the gospel. Believers suffer, persevere, and overcome in heaven and receive their white robes. All of this occurs throughout the age between the two advents.The answer to the slain ones’ cry from under the alter comes in verses 12-17. Most people, when they initially come to this passage, see this as the final judgment. Only some kinds of “futurist dispensational” commentators don’t see this as the final judgment. But the final judgment is clear from the standard Old Testament imagery for the description of the dissolution of the universe.

One of the clearest Old Testament parallels is Isaiah 34:4, which Revelation 6:13-14a closely resembles:

Isaiah 34:4		Revelation 6:13-14a
All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.		and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

The heavens are split like a scroll is split and the two halves are rolled up. Taken with other Old Testament passages this appears to be the final, universal judgment. This can be seen in Isaiah 24. The language may be metaphoric, but the intent of the passage is the last judgment for the following reasons:

(1) The words, “for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” implies a legal pronouncement. The similarities to Revelation 20:11-15 are very striking and point to the same event. In both places the skies vanished like a scroll or fled away.

(2) The sixth seal answers the cry of the slain ones under the alter in the fifth seal. This makes sense that it’s the final judgment where the saints are vindicated.

(3) The words of Revelation 6:17 parallels with the other final judgment scenes in Revelation.

(4) The language of this section shows totality of the judgment. All the stars fall (verses a third in Revelation 8:12, or one or a few stars falling from heaven to earth in 8:10; 9:1, and 12:4).

The language is universal. It is not limited to a region, such as the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, nor to some activity to a then future Israel in the “tribulation”. This is the final judgment.

But wait – we’re only at chapter 6 of the book of Revelation and we’re at the final judgment! What is going on? How can that be? The answer is answering the question of how we are to view the structure of the book. Is Revelation a continual temporal sequence of events in future history? That is one possibility. Another possibility is that God is giving John several cyclic snapshots of history. Each of these snapshots presents a particular view or emphasis of the history between the advents of Christ. The technical name for these cyclic snapshots is recapitulation. I personally think that recapitulation best fits the literary structure of Revelation. The recapitulation view has been the dominant view of Revelation throughout church history until rather recently.

The reaction of the “earth dwellers” to the final judgment is extreme, showing how desperate their situation is. Of the ways to die, being buried alive is not one of the ways I’d choose for my exit. It is a terrible way to die – but that is more endurable to the earth dwellers than the wrath of the Lamb. That is an image, the wrath of the Lamb. We usually think of lambs being gentle and meek, the contrast with this image is very different.

The contrast of the earth dwellers, who cannot stand before God, is very different for the slain ones, the elders, and others in heaven who wear the white robes. They stand before God in purity and righteousness that they won from the Lamb who was slain on their behalf.