As in the previous act where four seals were removed from the scroll in rapid succession, so here we see four trumpets sounding one after the other. The first four seals were depictions of war with horses and riders assigned to bring death and destruction to mankind.
The first four trumpets in this passage are all about natural disasters – although certainly not common. The first one is reminiscent of the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah where fiery hail rained down on it in complete and absolute destruction.
The second trumpet reminds one of volcanic activity that boils the ocean, destroying a lot of marine life and commerce.
The third trumpet reminds one of a meteor crashing into the earth and bringing on a cataclysm of ecological proportions.
The fourth trumpet reminds one of the resulting atmospheric response of a meteor striking the earth or a sufficiently large volcano, or a series of them. In A.D. 536, a series of volcanoes and/or meteorite or comet strikes produced a multi-year change in climate year-round. In A.D. 538, Cassiodorus described it this way:
In both the first four seals and the first four trumpets, John reports that all was not affected or destroyed, only a fourth with the seals and a third with the trumpets. These fractional numbers indicate that this is only partial and is not the final act of destruction of the earth. Jesus talked about these partial events in Matthew 24:7-8: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” – NIV
And so, the first four seals with the riders and horses speak of war, death and human destruction and the first four trumpets speak of natural catastrophic events. But both are different ways of describing the same events that Jesus warned about. But they are only the beginning. Paul put it this way in Romans 8:22, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor.” – NIV
We cannot be certain as to the time when John received this vision, but two events reminiscent of the four seals and four trumpets occurred in about the same time frame. The first was the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and the second was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Both of these events were partial cataclysms, and John’s readers would certainly have been impacted by them. John’s vision lets them know that, despite their persecutions and tribulations, God is in control, and they will be delivered. But this is not the final act. The end is not yet.
We have seen the earth groaning since then as well. The great world wars, the genocidal campaigns, the earthquakes and volcanic events all remind us that there is something transient about our circumstances. One day, there will be a final cataclysm, and our Savior will carry us safely through it.
The first four trumpets in this passage are all about natural disasters – although certainly not common. The first one is reminiscent of the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah where fiery hail rained down on it in complete and absolute destruction.
The second trumpet reminds one of volcanic activity that boils the ocean, destroying a lot of marine life and commerce.
The third trumpet reminds one of a meteor crashing into the earth and bringing on a cataclysm of ecological proportions.
The fourth trumpet reminds one of the resulting atmospheric response of a meteor striking the earth or a sufficiently large volcano, or a series of them. In A.D. 536, a series of volcanoes and/or meteorite or comet strikes produced a multi-year change in climate year-round. In A.D. 538, Cassiodorus described it this way:
- “The sun’s rays were weak, and they appeared a ‘bluish’ color.
- “At noon, no shadows from people were visible on the ground.
- “The heat from the sun was feeble.
- “The moon, even when full, was ‘empty of splendour.’
- “’A winter without storms, a spring without mildness, and a summer without heat.’
- “Prolonged frost and unseasonable drought.
- “’The seasons seem to be all jumbled up together.’” -- Wikipedia
In both the first four seals and the first four trumpets, John reports that all was not affected or destroyed, only a fourth with the seals and a third with the trumpets. These fractional numbers indicate that this is only partial and is not the final act of destruction of the earth. Jesus talked about these partial events in Matthew 24:7-8: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” – NIV
And so, the first four seals with the riders and horses speak of war, death and human destruction and the first four trumpets speak of natural catastrophic events. But both are different ways of describing the same events that Jesus warned about. But they are only the beginning. Paul put it this way in Romans 8:22, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor.” – NIV
We cannot be certain as to the time when John received this vision, but two events reminiscent of the four seals and four trumpets occurred in about the same time frame. The first was the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and the second was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Both of these events were partial cataclysms, and John’s readers would certainly have been impacted by them. John’s vision lets them know that, despite their persecutions and tribulations, God is in control, and they will be delivered. But this is not the final act. The end is not yet.
We have seen the earth groaning since then as well. The great world wars, the genocidal campaigns, the earthquakes and volcanic events all remind us that there is something transient about our circumstances. One day, there will be a final cataclysm, and our Savior will carry us safely through it.
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