"Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them."
(Revelation 8:2)
Seven angels blow seven trumpets. The trumpets set in motion seven judgments leading up to the Second Coming. The trumpets form the second cycle out of several that depict God’s rule over history from various angles. Like the trumpets used in the battle of Jericho (Josh. 6), these trumpets lead up to the fall of the worldly city (Rev. 11:13) "[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]" , and in the seventh trumpet the complete victory of God arrives. The trumpet plagues are reminiscent of the plagues on Egypt, signifying God’s judgments on idolatrous power.
The seven seals began with announcements of riders commissioned to bring calamities (Rev. 6:1-8). The seven trumpets, by contrast, contain vivid descriptions of the calamities themselves. The intensity of judgment has moved up. Yet still some things are spared: most of the trumpet plagues fall on a third and not on all; the locust plague of (Rev. 9:1-12) is over after five months; some people survive the collapse of the city in (Rev. 11:13). By contrast, the later judgments with the bowls (Rev. 15:1-16:21) are thoroughly devastating.
(Vern Poythress)
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