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Seventh Seal- "And when he had opened the seventh seal, there
was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which
stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 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. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended
up before God out of the angel's hand. 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." Revelation 8:1-5 It is true that each seventh judgement is similar in that each brings forth voices, lightning, thunder and an earthquake. Each of these seven either include, or are closely followed by, terrible hail from heaven. The seventh seal is followed by the blood and fiery hail of the first trumpet, the seventh trumpet includes "great hail," and the seventh bowl is followed by hailstones that are the weight of a talent. A simultaneous reading of the seals, trumpets and bowls is also supported by the three
descriptions of darkness: A further piece of evidence that is offered for support of the simultaneous view is the interpretation that the Second Coming can be identified near the end of each of the separate judgement sequences, meaning that each sequence ends at the same time, immediately prior to the Second Coming. The sixth seal is viewed as being a picture of the inhabitants of the earth reacting to
a visibly returning Jesus Christ, "And the kings of the earth, and the great men,
and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every
free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the
mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb," (6:15-16). There is quite a bit of evidence that supports a simultaneous interpretation of the seals, trumpets and bowls, and this author does not begrudge anyone for maintaining this position. However, the attempt will now be made to show how this interpretation is really somewhat superficial and is not supported if the texts in question are examined a little more closely.
It is true that the seventh of each judgement sequence is very similar, but, as should be stated regarding most of the evidence which attempts to support this view, similarity does not necessarily indicate sameness. Yes, all of the seventh judgements of each sequence contain voices, thunder, lightning and earthquakes. However, the seventh bowl is unique in that it brings forth the greatest earthquake that the world has ever seen, (16:18). Certainly this makes the seventh bowl unique. Another point that can be made is that after the seventh seal, but prior to the voices, thunder, lightning and earthquake, the seven angels are brought forth with the seven trumpets. Certainly the seventh seal must be opened before any of the trumpets can be sounded, which makes it illogical that the seventh seal is broken at the same time that the seventh trumpet is sounded. The seventh seal must precede all seven trumpets. The seven bowls are unique judgements as well, for they are specifically described as God's last plagues (15:1). If last means last, then the seals and trumpets must precede these plagues. The seventh seal and seventh trumpet cannot simply be different perspectives of the seventh bowl. Each is a similar but different judgement. The simultaneous view believes that the separate descriptions of darkness within each judgement sequence are also different perspectives of a single event. Yes, each describes a darkness, but the form of each darkness is different, showing that each is a separate judgement coming at a different time. The sixth seal darkness is associated with a red moon, which according to Joel 2:31 is a darkness that precedes the Day of the Lord. The darkness of the fifth bowl is a terrible all-pervasive darkness that comes at the very end of the Day of the Lord. This darkness compares to the prediction found in Isaiah 13:9-13 which blots out the light of the moon and stars. The moon is not even seen, so it is separate from the red moon of the sixth seal. The fifth bowl darkness is also described in Matthew 24:29, which comes after the most terrible time of tribulation that the world has ever, or will ever see. It is near the very end of the Day of the Lord. The darkness of the fourth trumpet is a partial darkness of only a third of the light, so it too is a separate darkness from the other judgements. The sixth seal and seventh trumpet are believed by the simultaneous view to both indicate the Second Coming, however there are better explanations for what they describe. The sixth seal does contain within it exclamations from mankind indicating that they realize that God and Jesus have acted, however it is not a statement indicating the visible Second Coming of Jesus Christ. These unbelievers simply cry out and ask to be hidden from the face of God and from the Lamb's wrath, for they know that the day of wrath has begun. Their cries and actions are initiated by the polar shift, and are similar to what is described in Isaiah 2:12-21, when the people express fear of the glory of God's majesty, and perhaps Ezekiel 38:20 when men shake at God's presence. The sixth seal event is one where the wrath, majesty and presence of God is felt; it is not an event where the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is seen. The seventh trumpet judgement must be understood within the context of the seven-sealed scroll. This is the scroll that made John weep and weep after he first entered heaven, for there was a brief time in heaven when no one was found who had the authority to open it. Many scholars believe that this scroll represents something like the Title Deed to the earth. The earth at this time, as well as every individual who has not made a commitment to Jesus Christ, is the legal property of Satan. Only Jesus Christ has the authority to put an end to this situation and he earned that authority through his atoning death on the cross (Revelation 5:9). Jesus Christ will take over the legal possession of this earth after he opens the seven-sealed scroll and breaks each of the seven seals. Jesus delays this action only because he desires to save as much of humanity as He can, as each soul is very precious to Him (2 Peter 3:9). As stated previously, the seven trumpet judgements are a part of the seventh seal judgement, which is ultimately concluded after the seventh trumpet is finally blown. Here is what happens at that time, "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." Revelation 11:15-18 When the seventh trumpet is blown the seven-sealed scroll is finally exhausted and Jesus Christ assumes the legal authority over this earth and begins His legal reign. At this time the twenty-four elders then state that the time has come for three things to take place: 1. The dead must be judged. It is this third task which must begin first, because at this time the Antichrist, the one who destroys the earth, is still present on the earth, controlling the world from Jerusalem and continuing to persecute the saints. The destruction of those who destroy the earth first begins with the pouring out of the seven bowl judgements, which are the last plagues that come from God. These plagues begin with a plague against those who have taken the Mark, leading us to conclude that the seventh trumpet is likely blown near the very end of the last half of the 70th Week, after the Antichrist has had the time to institute the Mark of the Beast on all who might accept it. The seventh trumpet might at first seem to indicate that Jesus reigns from Jerusalem after it is blown, but a closer examination shows that it simply indicates he takes over the legal control and must first destroy the Antichrist before beginning His Messianic Kingdom on earth.
The simultaneous, or parallel view of interpreting the seals, trumpets and bowls may appear to have support because there are many similarities found within these judgements. However, once examined more closely and within the context they are given it can be concluded that the judgements of Revelation will be executed in the very same simple and strightforward manner that is given in Revelation: The seven seals are opened in sequence, one after the other. The opening of the seventh seal then brings forth seven angels who are given seven trumpets (Revelation 8:1-2). These seven trumpets are a part of the seventh seal judgement. These trumpets are then sounded in sequence, one after the other, and the seal judgements are concluded with the blowing of the seventh trumpet. Finally, seven angels are given bowls, which represent the "last" (Revelation 15:1) plagues that God will inflict upon the earth. These seven bowls are then poured out, one after the other. After the seventh bowl is poured out God's voice speaks out from the throne of heaven saying, "It is done," (Revelation 16:17). The Second Coming of Jesus Christ then takes place followed by the battle of Armageddon. |