Five of the seven trumpets that signify the end of the age have come to pass. With only two left to occur, we must look to the Bible to understand what to expect.

The Bible indicates in Revelation that seven trumpets will sound before the end of the age and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Five of the seven have already sounded as evidenced by critical moments in recent history, and a third world war, which is the triggering event of the sixth trumpet, may have already begun. Our understanding of Biblical prophecies and the events that have already come to pass, will guide us in what to expect when the final two trumpets sound.

 

The First Two Trumpets

In Revelation 8:7, John describes an apocalyptic vision. His vision explains the triggering event of the sounding of the first trumpet — hail and fire mixed with blood falling to the ground, and approximately 33% of all of the grass and trees in the known world destroyed.

 

During World War I, large amounts of artillery shells and chemical agents were released on troops for the first time in history through modern warfare, killing over 8 million people. Soldiers on both sides burned vast tracts of land in order to eliminate any natural or man-made items that their enemies could use.

 

Another war, World War II is also the event that was triggered by the sounding of the second trumpet. Looking to Revelation 8:8-9, the Bible explains that a third of the ships involved in the conflict that coincides with the activation of this trumpet will be destroyed. During World War II, approximately one third of the ships that participated in the conflict were sunk. In turn, the nuclear bomb deployed at Hiroshima resembled “something like a great mountain burning with fire,” a sight that was new on the world stage.

The Third Trumpet

In a podcast discussing the seven trumpets, Irvin Baxter told listeners of his understanding of the sounding of the third trumpet, which occurred during the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. In Revelation 8:10-11, the prophet explains that the third trumpet will sound before a star, called Wormwood, will fall and affect a third of the waters.

 

In 1995, God prompted Irvin to research the Chernobyl disaster that occurred in the Ukraine in 1986, whereupon he learned that “Chernobyl” means “Wormwood” in Russian. Furthermore, the nuclear radiation that emanated from the destroyed power plant contaminated more than 33 percent of the water supply in Europe and Western Asia, killing thousands and affecting hundreds of thousands of other citizens with diseases caused by the radiation.

The Fourth Event

Revelation 8:12-13 explains that the fourth trumpet would sound before the length of the days become shortened, and the sun would not shine for a third of the day. Therefore, time will be shortened and our days around the world will be experienced differently. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, a “new world order” with a new age of globalization began to develop. President Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall!” and 29 months later the fourth trumpet sounded.

The Fifth Instrument

According to prophecy, the fifth trumpet will sound before a bottomless pit of fire causes a massive amount of smoke to block the light of the sun. During the Gulf War, Iraqi soldiers ignited over 700 oil wells around the deserts of Kuwait, which were some of the largest, underground wells of oil on the planet. From the seemingly bottomless hole in the ground, smoke entered the atmosphere and blocked sunlight for three months. With Suddam Hussein as their president, whose name means “Destroyer” or “Abaddon” in Hebrew as described in Revelation 9:11, Iraqi soldiers incited a battle with the United Nations in the Middle East, an area still under turmoil.

The Sixth Trumpet

This second-to-last trumpet will sound before a war is started near the Euphrates River. This waterway traverses Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran, which comprise the Middle East. Revelation 9:13-21 indicates that four angels will command an army of 200 million individuals.

 

With a population of more than 1 billion people, China is able to field an army that consists of more than 200 million soldiers, and in addition, countries united under the Islamic faith have the ability to create an army of the same size. When a new world-dominating government is established under the Antichrist, an event coming very soon, we will be in the midst of a great war that will see the Abomination of Desolation and the Great Tribulation.

The Final Trumpet

The sounding of the seventh trumpet will be the most dynamic event out of all the trumpets prophesied in the Bible, affecting all human beings. It is at this last trumpet that Jesus Christ will send angels to rapture all saints for their eternal reward and pass his judgments on the fate of the earth’s inhabitants. This event also marks the end of human government and the establishment of the Kingdom of God, on earth, for the next one thousand years.

 

At this time, the end time, all of what the Bible has prophesied will come to pass and prove the power of God’s will. To learn about what the Bible teaches and how to understand the end time, join us during our regular television and radio broadcasts. For more information about the seven trumpets, purchase your own copy of The 7 Trumpets DVD from our Understanding the Endtime Series.