Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls oh My!

This article will cover Revelation 6, 8-9, 11, and 15-16. These chapters address the infamous seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls judgments. If you’ve been following along, you will know that the number seven is highly symbolic in Revelation. It’s the number of perfection and completion. And when we combine the number seven with the different judgments, we realize that each set is describing God’s perfect and complete judgment on the world.

Certainly, some understand the seals, trumpets, and bowls to refer to three different sets of judgments. And some understand these judgments to refer to the final tribulation before Christ’s millennial reign on earth. I understand them a bit differently. I believe all three sets describe God’s perfect and complete judgment on the world between Christ’s resurrection and his second coming, culminating in his final judgment.

As I mentioned earlier in the series, I don’t believe John wrote this letter to the seven churches in Asia Minor to only talk about things that would happen thousands of years in the future—though some of it does certainly describe the future. No, I believe that when he wrote it, it was immediately relevant for them, because they were enduring tribulation already (Rev. 2-3). The apocalyptic visions of God dispensing judgment from his throne provided hope and comfort for the church. It was a reminder that God was sovereign, and that his justice would prevail.

Before looking at the seals, trumpets, and bowls, I would remind you that good faithful scholars have interpreted them differently. I interpret them the way I do because I don’t believe Revelation is telling a chronological story. Chapter 12 demonstrates this very point as it talks about Christ’s birth after the seals and trumpets (Rev. 6-9). While I believe John relayed the visions in the order he saw them, many of the visions tell the same stories in complementary ways.

Seals (Revelation 6:1-17; 8:1-5)

In the first seal, John sees a rider on a white horse who comes out to conquer. Elsewhere in Revelation, the rider on the white horse is Jesus (Rev. 19:11-16). Here, however, the rider appears to be a parody of Christ as he comes to wage war. I think we should understand this first rider as false religion or false Christs which wages war on people’s souls.

The rider on the fiery red horse stirs up warfare, which results in the slaughter of many Christians. The rider on the black horse brings famine (the prices are about ten times higher than normal). Those who remain faithful to Christ suffer the most economically (Rev. 2:9). The fourth rider on the pale-green horse bring the satanic forces of death and Hades.

As a result of the four horsemen, one-fourth of the population dies by sword, famine, disease, or wild beasts.

Next, the fifth seal portrays the martyred souls under the heavenly altar (most likely a reference to the altar of incense in the Tabernacle/Temple). And these souls cry out for God to bring justice on “those who dwell on the earth”—a phrase which always refers to unbelievers in Revelation (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:14; 17:2, 8). The souls cry out “How long?” much like the saints of the OT (Ps. 94:3; 74:10; Hab. 1:2; Zech. 1:12). These saints want to know when God is finally going to avenge them.

The sixth seal is an answer to the saints prayers in the fifth seal. God brings final and ultimate justice. While John fills this judgment with apocalyptic imagery, it’s hard to deny that the imagery signals an end of this present age, much like the final trumpet and bowl judgments (11:19; 16:18). Earthquakes, darkness, the moon turning to blood, stars falling from heaven, the sky being rolled up like a scroll, and mountains and islands being moved all signify an end to the present order (Joel 2:10, 31; Isa. 13:10; 34:4; Ezek. 32:7). That is to say, the sixth seal brings us to the time when the Lamb’s wrath will be poured out on the wicked.

The seventh seal is a literary device that opens up the seven trumpet judgments. In this final seal, an angel stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he offered incense to go along with the prayers of the saints. And in response to those prayers, the angel throws the censer filled with fire to the earth which doesn’t open up a new set of judgments. Rather, it revisits the seal judgments. But it does so in a slightly different way.

Trumpets (Revelation 8:6-9:21; 11:15-19).

The first trumpet results in hail mixed with fire (lightning strikes?) and blood, much like the plague in Egypt. (Exod. 9:23-24). As a result, one-third of the earth was burned up, including its vegetation (Ezek. 5:2, 12). Next, the second trumpet led to something like a volcano being tossed into the sea, thus resulting in the sea being turned to blood. This judgment also destroyed one-third of all sea life and ships. This judgment also echos the first plague in Egypt (Exod. 7:20). The third trumpet resulted in a blazing star falling from heaven onto the rivers and springs, causing one-third of those waters to become bitter. And the fourth trumpet caused one-third of the heavenly bodies to darken. Again, this harkens back to the plague of darkness in Egypt (Exod. 10:21-23).

As was true of the seals, the first four trumpet judgments are all-encompassing, effecting the entire created order of land, seas, rivers, and sky.

After the first four trumpets, an eagle dispenses three woes upon “those who dwell on the earth” (unbelievers). Each woe will correspond with a trumpet judgment.

The fifth trumpet harkens back to Joel’s locust army (Joel 2:10). For example, it led to an angel opening up the bottomless pit, thus releasing a giant horde of demons to inflict the earth. The demons are like locusts with power like scorpions. They were also like horses prepared for battle (Joel 2:4), had heads of gold, human faces, women’s hair, lion’s teeth (Joel 1:6), breastplates of iron, and noisy wings. They are both creepy and impossible for humans to defeat. And their king is the destroyer Abaddon/Apollyon, who is Satan himself. As was true of previous judgments, this one also harkens back to the locust plague from Egypt (Exod. 10:4).

Note that these demonic forces will not attack those who have God’s seal on their foreheads (Rev. 7:4; Ezekiel 9:4, 6). To put it another way, they don’t affect Christians. But while the torment will be severe, so severe that people will want to die, it will only be short-lived.

In the sixth trumpet, the four angels, bound at the Euphrates River, are released to raise up an innumerable army of demons to cross over the river to destroy God’s people. In the OT, the enemies of God often came from the Euphrates River region (Babylon and Assyria). This army of demons also fits the same description of the demons from the previous trumpet. And as was true of previous trumpets, these demons will affect one-third of the population. How the demons from the fifth and sixth trumpets torture is unclear. Though we know that demons often use false teaching (1 Tim. 4:1-5). At the conclusion of their destruction, we read that the other “earth dwellers” did not repent. In other words, it appears that the judgments are meant to provide opportunity for people to turn to the Lord. Most, however, choose not to.

Finally, the seventh trumpet signifies the end of this age. As was true with the sixth seal, the end is portrayed with cosmic images—flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. During this trumpet, we read that the kingdom of Christ finally comes to earth where he will reign forever and ever.

Bowls

The seven bowls represent God’s wrath being poured out on the earth (Jer. 10:25; Ezek. 14:19; Zeph. 3:8). The first bowl, echoes the sixth plague in Egypt (Exod. 9:8-12) and results in painful sores for those who bear the mark of the beast (unbelievers). The second trumpet led to the sea turning to blood and all the sea creatures dying. Next, the third bowl resulted in all the rivers and springs turning to blood, again like the first plague in Egypt. And after dispensing this judgment, an angel recognizes that God is just in his judgments as he vindicates the saints and prophets who suffered on the earth.

The fourth bowl affected the sun which scorched people on the earth with a fierce heat. These people “did not repent and give him glory” (Rev. 16:9). Again, it appears God patiently offers people opportunities to turn to him. And as was true of the seals and trumpets, the first four judgments affect the earth, seas, rivers, and sky.

The fifth bowl is poured out on the throne of the beast. He along with his followers were tossed into outer darkness (ninth plague) where they gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed God. And once again, they did not repent of their deeds.

The sixth bowl dried up the Euphrates River which allowed an unholy exodus of armies from the East to cross into the land for battle. Furthermore, the unholy trinity of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet released demons in the form of frogs (second plague) to perform miraculous signs to deceive the world (2 These. 2:9; 1 Tim. 4:1). This image coincides with Revelation 20:8 where the devil “deceives the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather for battle.” This is also the same battle of Revelation 19:11-21 where the beast, kings, and their armies gather to make war against Christ. And this final battle will occur in a place called Armageddon, otherwise known as Mount Megiddo, where important battles took place in the OT (Judg. 5:19; 2 Kings 23:29).

Finally, the seventh angel poured the seventh bowl into the air, and a loud voice cried from the throne, “it is done!” That is to say, like the sixth seal and the seventh trumpet, the seventh bowl signifies the end of the world as we know it. As with the sixth seal and the seventh trumpet, the seventh bowl includes “flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth.” Moreover, the “great city” of Babylon was split into three parts, thus demonstrating that the great enemy of God has been annihilated. And this city will drink “the cup of wine of the fury of his wrath.” Finally, we read that the islands and mountains are moved, just as in the sixth seal, and great hailstones, like the seventh trumpet, pummel the earth.

Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls

A few additional notes are worth mentioning. First, a lot of parallelism exists in these sequences. The first four judgments from each set affect the entire created order (earth, seas, rivers, and sky). Additionally, both the trumpets and the bowls contain several allusions to the ten plagues in Egypt. And finally, the last judgment in each list (sixth seal, seventh trumpet, and seventh bowl) portrays the passing of the present world. Only after the passing of the present earth can a new heaven and new earth appear (Rev. 21:1). Therefore, we should see the seals, trumpets, and bowls symbolically representing God’s judgment on the world throughout history, culminating in his final judgment on the wicked (sixth seal, seventh trumpet, and seventh bowl).

Second, while the three sets of seven judgments parallel one another, they gradually intensify. The seals affects one-fourth of everything. The trumpets one-third, and the bowls affect everything.

Third, these texts remind us that Christian and non-Christian alike will endure tribulation. Both groups, however, respond differently. Christians are refined by tribulation while “those who dwell on the earth” are further hardened.

In the end, God is just in all of his judgments. While it may seem cruel or unfair, these passages indicate that unbelievers are given several opportunities to repent. Most, however, choose not to.