How should we understand the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls in the Book of Revelation?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The seven seals, trumpets, and bowls in Revelation represent God’s final judgments on a rebellious world in the end times. They are meant to reveal who God is and call people to repentance. The seals begin with Christ regaining His inheritance and lead to the release of the Four Horsemen, culminating in the trumpet judgments. The trumpet judgments bring further destruction; and the final series, the bowl judgments, results in devastating plagues and culminates in the battle of Armageddon. These judgments reflect God's wrath but also His mercy, offering calls for repentance before it is too late. The reality of these events reminds believers of the importance of sharing the truth of the gospel with others (2 Peter 3:8–13).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The seven seals, trumpets, and bowl judgments are not mentioned in the Old Testament.
• The seal judgments begin with Jesus Christ, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, being presented with His inheritance, which is the earth and all it contains (Revelation 5:5–7) and connects to Psalm 2:8, which says: "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession."

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments are introduced in chapters 6, 8, and 15 of Revelation. Each judgment is broken up into seven distinct acts that bring destruction to the earth and those who are alive at that time. The number seven in the Bible often refers to perfection and/or completeness, and the fact that there are three categories of judgments—perhaps corresponding to the Trinity—may indicate that these are judgments from the triune God and represent His full and complete wrath upon a rebellious world.
• The judgments begin with the seal judgments, first introduced in chapter 5 of Revelation (Revelation 5:1–5). God the Father holds in His right hand (the right hand symbolizing authority) a scroll held shut with seven seals. In the first century scrolls, or books, were made of some sort of papyrus rolled from both sides. The scroll has writing on both the inside and outside, which was typical of contracts in the Middle East. The inside of these scrolls contained the details of the contract, and on the outside was written a summary of the contract. Only the owner of the property or valuables was legally authorized to break the seals affixed to the scroll. Only Jesus was worthy to break the seals.
• The first six seal judgments are unleashed in Revelation 6 and are comprised of the following:
• First seal (Revelation 6:1–2) — the Antichrist is let loose upon the world
• Second seal (Revelation 6:3–4) — wars begin and peace is lost
• Third seal (Revelation 6:5–6) — famine breaks out
• Fourth seal (Revelation 6:7–8) — the ultimate result of war and famine, which is death
• Fifth seal (Revelation 6:9–11) — persecution of God's people, which brings more of God’s vengeance on the world but not until their evil has been filled up with the last martyr's death
• Sixth seal (Revelation 6:12–17) — a great earthquake along with other celestial upheavals
• The seal judgments are also described in Jesus' Olivet discourse, found in Matthew 24. The first four are mentioned in Matthew 24:1–7, the fifth in Matthew 24:9, and the sixth in Matthew 24:7 and Matthew 24:29.
• The breaking of the seventh seal occurs in Revelation 8 and marks the second wave of judgments, the trumpet judgments: "When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. … Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them" (Revelation 8:1–2, 6).
• The first six trumpets are comprised of the following judgments:
• First trumpet (Revelation 8:7) — one third of earth, trees, grass is burned up
• Second trumpet (Revelation 8:8–9) — one third of the sea creatures die and ships are destroyed
• Third trumpet (Revelation 8:10–11) — one third of the waters polluted and many die
• Fourth trumpet (Revelation 8:12) — one third of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened
• Fifth trumpet (Revelation 8:9:1–11) — Locusts/demons are released to torment people
• Sixth trumpet (Revelation 8:9:13–19) — Four bound demons are released to kill one third of humankind with an army
• The sounding of the seventh trumpet proclaims Christ's soon coming and ushers in the last and final series of judgments, the bowl judgments: "Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. … And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever" (Revelation 15:1, 7).
• Whereas many of the trumpet judgments affect one third of their target, the bowl judgments are more comprehensive in their effect:
• First bowl (Revelation 16:2) — Horrible sores on those with the mark of the beast
• Second bowl (Revelation 16:3) — Everything in the sea dies
• Third bowl (Revelation 16:4–7) — All the waters are polluted
• Fourth bowl (Revelation 16:8–9) — The sun burns and scorches people
• Fifth bowl (Revelation 16:10–11) — Brings complete darkness over Antichrist's kingdom
• Sixth bowl (Revelation 16:12–16) — The Euphrates dries up; the kings from the east come, and the scene is set for the battle of Armageddon
• Seventh bowl (Revelation 16:17–21) — Produces a great earthquake; cities of nations fall; a huge hailstorm occurs

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Some have tried to argue that the judgments spoken of in the book are things that either took place during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 or have been taking place throughout all of human history. These arguments, however, do not hold up under the biblical and historical evidence, which points to a future fulfillment. Irenaeus, who lived in the second century, writes in his work Against Heresies (5.30.3), that "John [the author of Revelation] received the Revelation in our own time, toward the end of the reign of Domitian." Domitian's reign ended in AD 96, so most biblical scholars date Revelation to the mid-90s AD, several decades after Jerusalem's fall at the hands of the Romans in AD 70.

Also, in the beginning of John's vision, he is specifically told that the things that he will see will be in the future: "Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this " (Revelation 1:19, emphasis added). AD 70 was not future to him. Given that things like war, famine, natural disasters, and death have been consistent realities throughout human history, the judgments spoken of in Revelation are apparently distinctly remarkable. These things being true, the case for what is called the "futurist" interpretation of the book of Revelation rests on solid ground.

The reality that these judgments refer to a specific, as-yet future, time period, implies a few things for us. First, we must realize that God's end times and eternal wrath are inevitable. The end times cannot be stopped by anyone or anything: "Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 43:13). Second, we must also recognize there is a way to escape God's wrath before it comes. Paul writes in Romans: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Believers will not face judgment, because their sins were judged when Jesus died in their place on the cross (see 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). Now is the time to respond to God's offer of forgiveness, trusting in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins, while grace is still available.

UNDERSTAND

• The seven seals, trumpets, and bowls in Revelation are God's escalating judgments on a rebellious world.
• The seven seals, trumpets, and bowls reveal both God’s justice and mercy.
• These future events urge believers to share the good news about salvation with others while grace is available.

REFLECT

• How does understanding God's justice and mercy through these judgments deepen your appreciation for salvation?
• How does the reality of God's wrath motivate you to live with a sense of urgency in sharing the gospel?
• How does the reality of future judgment on the world impact your view of God and your daily interactions with Him? How does the reality of these judgments impact the way you interact with others in your daily life?

ENGAGE

• How can we recognize the terrifying aspects of God's judgment while still seeing the hope and mercy offered through Christ?
• What does the depiction of God's justice in the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments teach us about how we should view sin today?
• How can we encourage one another to live in light of the urgency of God's call to repentance?