V. The Seven Trumpets (8:6-11:19)
V. THE SEVEN TRUMPETS (8:6-11:19)
For the relation between the trumpets and the other series, see the note at the head of chapter 5. As with the seals there is a distinction between the first four and the last three. Here the four are largely concerned with the forces of nature and the three with people. More exactly the division is four, two and one. The last is singled out for emphasis by an interlude between the sixth and the seventh. The division between the four and the three is underlined by an eagle flying in mid-heaven and uttering a triple ‘woe’ on account of the plagues to follow.
The trumpet judgments do not concern the church as such. They are God’s judgments on the world. A good deal of Revelation is taken up with judgment. Human wickedness does not go unnoticed in heaven. God has his own way and time for dealing with it. John uses a good deal of conventional apocalyptic in this section to emphasize that God is really in control and that he does what he wills. Whereas the seals drew attention to judgment as following more or less inevitably on sin, the trumpets emphasize God’s activity. God takes action against sin. We should also bear in mind that these are not the final judgments. In each case a third only is affected, and this serves as a warning. Indeed the sound of the trumpet is essentially to give warning (Ezk. 33:3).