Revelation 8:2 begins the Visions of the Seven Trumpets.
In Jewish temple sacrifices, the trumpets were blown upon completion of the temple sacrifices. Jesus was the sacrifice! So, the Trumpets began to blow after the sacrifice was completed. The Visions of the Trumpets begin at the Cross/Resurrection Event. It does not emerge from the silence of Chapter 8, verse 1 to bring on another subsequent phase of Judgment. (Note: The original manuscript did not have chapter and verse notations.)
As the first four seals typify life on Earth during the 2000 year End Time, so the first four Trumpets typify partial judgments that God brings against the Earth during this same period of time. These partial judgments take the form of natural catastrophes that will escalate in frequency and intensity until the very end, i.e. ‘birth pains’.
The primary difference between the seals and the trumpets is the focus. Although God sends rain on the just and the unjust, the seals focus primarily on the followers of the Lamb. It is the Lamb of God who was found worthy to break the seals. Although all suffer, Christ admonishes believers not to be deceived as these things will come to pass but the end is not yet. (Matt.24:6)
The first four of each of the Seals and Trumpets have to do with the entire End-Time and natural or human events that typify the end time.
Both Seal #5 and Trumpet #5 have to do with spiritual consequences for each of these groups. Seal #5 is a view in Heaven with martyrs from the entire ‘last days’. There is no view of Christians on Earth in Seal #5, so we may assume that the Age of Grace has ended; The Bride of Christ has been removed prior to Seal #6 and is not seen again on Earth prior to Christ’s physical return, at which time the Bride will accompany Him.
Trumpet #5 deals with partial judgment against those who do not follow the Lamb of God during the same time. These judgments may be natural consequences of ungodly lifestyles, but it is a time of misery, agony and demonic oppression for those who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. I think we would have to admit that just as Christian martyrdom has typified the whole ‘end time’ so partial judgment against ungodliness also must typify the entire end time.
Seal 6 and Trumpet 6 both depict Great Tribulation, and parallel the Bowls of Wrath giving us a different perspective of the same time period.
Seal, Trumpet and Bowl #7 all depict the end of the age when God’s Victory is realized.
The difference is that the Bowls indicate complete and full judgments (God’s wrath) poured out upon the Earth, so ALL of the first six Bowls of Wrath are emptied during the ‘Great Tribulation’ or Daniel’s 70th week.
AuThor
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