The order of events in Revelation is just that easily understood. There are three groups of seven events which God has ordained to come upon the earth before the end of this age. They are designated by these terms: The Seven Seals, The Seven Trumpets, and The Seven Last Plagues. Last month, we focused on The Seven Seals. This month, we will concentrate on the second group of seven events, The Seven Trumpets.

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

As with the Seven Seals, the first four are set apart from the last three.

When the first four trumpets are blown, there are a series of enormous natural disasters such as the world has not known. With the last three trumpets, comes the Beast, that demon-possessed world ruler, and his right-hand man, the False Prophet, who orchestrates a religion centered on worship of the Beast.

Trumpet #1: When the first trumpet sounds, hail and fire mixed with blood is thrown down on the earth killing one third of all trees on the earth and all green grass.

Trumpet #2: A gigantic "burning mountain" is cast into the ocean, killing one third of all sea life and destroying one third of all ships that are in the sea.

Trumpet #3: A "star" which is given the name Wormwood crashes into the earth, poisoning the earth's fresh water supply. Many die as a result of this calamity.

Trumpet #4: The length of days and nights are apparently changed as a result of the earth's collision with the "star" named Wormwood. The earth's rotation seems to have been accelerated by it. The sun, moon, and stars are thus "stricken" and do not shine for one third of the ordinary time.

The Last Three Trumpets

Trumpet #5: As time passes, the events which transpire become stranger and stranger to our lives now. By the time Jesus returns, this will be a different earth. At the Fifth Trumpet, there are loosed on earth such creatures as none of us has ever seen. These hideous creatures are not permitted to kill anyone, but only to cause men torment - such torment that men will beg to die but "death shall flee from them." These creatures from the "Bottomless Pit" are not permitted by God to harm anyone who has His Seal on his forehead.

Trumpet #6: A 200,000,000 man army marches toward Europe from the East and in its wake leaves one third of the human race dead. At this time God sends His mysterious Two Witnesses to preach to the Jews in Jerusalem. After they preach for three-and-one-half years, the Beast, that man who is completely possessed by Satan, begins his ascent to power by killing these Two Witnesses. By this act, he becomes the world's hero, because the world hated these two holy men.

Trumpet #7: As the Beast solidifies his power over the world with the aid of the False Prophet, the pressures against the saints become unbearable, and the Lord returns and catches them up to himself in the air. He then takes them to heaven for a short time. There, he presents those he has saved to the Father. The saints now having departed from the earth, the unspeakably horrible Seven Last Plagues are prepared by God to be poured out on mankind.

Here is a summary chart of The Seven Trumpets:

"The Beast" In Daniel And Revelation

Despite what we hear from so many quarters in Christianity, the time for Jesus to return is not now. There is much which must yet come to pass. There are five more of the Seven Seals yet to come, and all of the Seven Trumpets. According to Paul, Jesus will not return for his saints until "the last trumpet". Thanks to Revelation, we know how many trumpets there are and what will happen when each one blows. Thanks to Jesus we can put it all together.