7th Seal 4 - The Trumpets Sounding

(Rev 8:1-6 KJV) And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. {2} And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. {3} And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. {4} And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. {5} And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. {6} And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

From this text today, we will consider the Sounding of the Trumpets. What does John mean when he tells us that the angels prepared to sound the trumpets? We will review what the Bible has to say about the trumpets. You will see that the sounding of the trumpet refers to the preaching of The Word of God. When the preacher sounds the trumpet of God’s Word, he is sounding out a warning from God! He takes the message from the mouth of God and proclaims it to the people warning them of impending danger. This is God’s way of giving you the opportunity to repent of your sin and avoid the destruction that is coming. Let us begin our review with:

(Num 10:1-10 KJV) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, {2} Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. {3} And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. {4} And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. {5} When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. {6} When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. {7} But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. {8} And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. {9} And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. {10} Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

We see here that Moses used the sounding of the trumpets to call assemblies___, for journeying_____ of camps, for alarm____, for gladness__, for solemn days, for beginning of days and for offerings. The people were taught that certain sounding of the trumpets meant specific things. So that when the trumpets sounded everyone would know what was going on.

(Num 31:6 KJV) And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

The trumpet was used by the military for hundreds of years. The soldiers soon learned what the sounds meant and they knew what they were supposed to do. Sometimes they were to charge, sometimes they were to retreat and sometimes they were to rest. And still in our military camps you will find that the trumpet is used to remind us of our heritage. Reveille is still played, taps and retreat when the flag is taken down at the close of the day. We know by the sound of the trumpet what is taking place. And in the Bible God had the priests use the trumpets.

(2 Chr 5:11-14 KJV) And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: {12} Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) {13} It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; {14} So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

If you study through the Old Testament you will find that the trumpets were an everyday part of life for the Children of Israel. Since they were used to hearing messages from the particular sounds of the trumpets, it was easy for them to understand when the preacher, preaching God’s Word was likened to a watchman sounding out a warning with the trumpet.

(Ezek 33:1-16 KJV) Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, {2} Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: {3} If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; {4} Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. {5} He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. {6} But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. {7} So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. {8} When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. {9} Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. {10} Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? {11} Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? {12} Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. {13} When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. {14} Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; {15} If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. {16} None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

In this scripture, we see how God explained to Ezekiel the process of preaching the Word of God. He set Ezekiel as a watchman____ on the spiritual wall as they were accustomed to doing on the literal walls of their cities. This was easy for the people of that time to understand but for us we must study the culture of that time to understand it. The spiritual watchman, the preacher, is to listen to God. God will give him the message to preach to the people and then the preacher will sound the trumpet or preach the message. When the preacher is faithful to preach the message giving the people warning, he has delivered his soul and now the people become accountable for what they do about it. If they listen, pay attention, and respond in the way that God directs, they will dwell safely. And if they refuse to obey the warning, their blood will be upon their own hands.

Down through the ages of time, this has been God’s method of communicating with man. He calls and sends preachers to declare Thus Saith The Lord! The preachers are fired with fire from off the golden altar which causes the Word of God to come forth with a thundering force. God send warnings again and again to the people of their need to repent of all sin and become obedient to the law of God. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He desires that every one will repent of their wickedness, straighten out their lives and walk in the laws of life without committing sin. He expects the sinner to repent of his sin, restore righteousness in his life and make restitution for any wrongs that he has done.

God expects the righteous to continue to walk according to the commands of God. If the righteous turns away from his righteousness and goes back to sin, God will wipe away the record of his righteousness and that one will be lost! I know that there is a theology in our land that says once you are saved, you cannot be lost. But I know that is not what God told Ezekiel. I will believe what the Bible tells me rather than the theology of men for it is God’s Word that I will face in eternity. Preaching the Word of God is such a great responsibility and too many have taken it so lightly. There are too many preaching the theories and ideas of men, rather than What Saith The Lord! When you choose one to be your watchman, you need to be very careful to choose one that will sound the trumpet of God’s Word giving you warning from God. Too often, watchmen are chosen because they preach what the people want to hear.

When you step through death’s doors into eternity, you will not be interested in smooth sayings that tickled your ears. You will be facing God and His Word and that is what you will be judged by. The devil knows that he can deceive many by sending his preachers to preach deception and sin. He can have lies multiplied and spewed out in abundance which will cause many to continue living in their sinful ways and believing that they are all right with God. Remember that Satan is the father of lies. That is why God gave you a brain and the ability to search the scriptures for yourself. So that you will know if the preacher is preaching to you, Thus Saith The Lord or the myths invented by sinful man. Paul commended the people of Berea because they searched the scriptures daily to see if the things being preached to them were so or not. How about you? Do you search the scripture to know if you are being taught what the Lord Says? You are accountable for your actions whether you search the scripture or not. Jesus said that if the blind lead the blind they all fall into the ditch. “I didn’t know” will not be an excuse that God will accept!

(Isa 58:1 KJV) Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

This is the charge to the ministry. Lift up your voice like a trumpet______, show the people their sins___. Let them know what the Lord requires of them. Let them know that the Lord requires them to repent of sin and obey the commandments of God! Let your message be clear so that the people will understand what the Lord is requiring them to do. Warn them of the impending danger of hell. Warn them of the exorbitant wages of sin. Warn them of the suffering and grief that sin will bring to every one that serves it. Warn them of the deceptive tactics of the devil. Let your messages give a certain sound so that the people are not confused.

(1 Cor 14:6-11 KJV) Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? {7} And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? {8} For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? {9} So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. {10} There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. {11} Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.

In this passage, Paul is addressing the speaking in tongues. He makes it clear that gibberish is not profitable. If there is no understanding in your speech, then no one will know what is going on. If the trumpet____ give an uncertain sound, the people will only be confused. They will not know what it means. Therefore speaking in an unknown tongue is a waste of time. It is as meaningless as blowing in the wind. All the more that the message from the preacher be a clear certain sound. What does the Lord require of us? Is what we need to know!

(Rev 1:10 KJV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

(Rev 4:1 KJV) After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.

John heard his revelation from a voice that was as that of a trumpet. It was the message of God being given to John so that he could record it for us. The trumpet angel gave the Word of God to John and he in turn preached the messages to us.

From this review you can understand that the Revelation concerning angels sounding trumpets is God’s descriptive way of showing you the Word of God being preached by the pastors of the churches. This is the message of the Revelation for you today. It has nothing to do with literal angels with literal trumpets standing on the sun, moon, sea or any such thing. Not that God is not able to do that, but that He is much more interested in warning you of the snares and deceits of living a sinful life.

Much of current Revelation preaching is literal to cause fear to rise up in the earthy, physical man. People get worried about losing their liberties, their incomes, their health, their freedoms and their bodies. Such preaching appeals to the earthy mind and does move some because of the fear that is imposed. But what happens when the prophecies fail as they have so many times in the past and as they will many times is the future? The people are confused and often return to the sinful lives that they lived in in the past. What about the soul of man? Is God interested in your earthy body and not your soul? Or is God interested in your soul as well as your earthy being?

(Mat 10:28 KJV) And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

(Mat 6:33 KJV) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

It is clear from the teachings of our Lord, that the right priority in life is to put spiritual things in order first. In fact Jesus goes on to teach us that when we seek the righteousness of the Kingdom of God in our lives, that everything else will automatically take place. Yes, there is nothing any more important to you, today, than to have your soul right with God. You may not have health, money, freedom or worldly pleasure, but if your soul is right with God, you are blessed.

You know that God does not promise you an easy life in this world. He does not guarantee you that your government will be democratic or just or fair! What He does guarantee you is that if you will live for Him, He will supply those things that you need.

(Phil 4:19 KJV) But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

(Mat 6:25-34 KJV) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? {26} Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? {27} Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? {28} And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: {29} And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. {30} Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? {31} Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? {32} (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. {33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

God promises to supply your need____; not your wants. His promises are conditioned on you doing your best to seek His righteousness and His Kingdom in your heart and life. This is the most important thing in life. You need not be concerned with food, clothing, shelter and riches of this world. If you will be obedient to your Lord, He will direct you as to how to conduct your life. You will find that He will direct you to work, to provide for your families, to nurture your children and to love your neighbor. He will direct you into the paths of righteousness and the kind of life that results in peace and joy that will last throughout eternity.

The trumpet is sounding an alarm. You are being warned. The warning is the voice of God. Are you regarding it as God’s voice? God calls preachers to listen to Him, take His message from Him mouth and warn the people. The faithful pastor preaches the warning from God that you sin not, that you repent of your wicked ways that you turn from wickedness to righteousness that you make restitution of your sin that you continue to walk in paths of righteousness so that you will be spared from the wages and torments of sin. You are responsible to hear the trumpet sounding and to search the scriptures daily to see that what is being preached to you is according to the Word of God. Jesus set up the priority for you – it is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. All other things that you need will be supplied if you will obey Him!