Expounding the Trumpet and Vial Judgments in the Book of Revelation (PART 2 of 2)

Expounding the Trumpet and Vial Judgments in the Book of Revelation (Part 2 of 2) [Print Document]

In the first part, we looked at the seven trumpet judgments and expounded on them a little. We saw how devastating they will be to the wicked, who will not repent from their sins during the seven-year tribulation. Now, we will look at an overview of the vial judgments, which are seven stages of the seventh trumpet judgment, and we will expound on these a little.

An Overview of the 7 Vial Judgments

The 1st vial — (Revelation 16:2) “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”

Noisome means “hurtful” and “destructive”, according to Webster’s 1828 dictionary. According to this dictionary, grievous means: “2. Afflictive; painful...” [and] “3. Causing grief or sorrow.” This noisome and grievous sore is a very hurtful and destructive disease that these wicked people will be struck with. Sores will likely rise all over their bodies. They will last for a long time (See the fifth vial).

The 2nd Vial — (Revelation 16:3) “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.”

The second vial and the second trumpet are similar, but the second vial causes all the animals in the sea that have a soul (but not a spirit) to die. All the world’s oceans will become as blood. The second trumpet caused just a third of all the ocean to become blood. Now, the judgment is stronger than ever because the people’s hearts are more hardened than ever. This will devastate the world’s economy.

The 3rd  Vial — (Revelation 16:4-6) “[4] And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. [5] And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. [6] For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.”

(The Yangtze river became red on Sept. 11, 2012.
This is a sign of when rivers will be filled with blood.)

The third trumpet judgment saw a third of rivers, streams, and springs becoming poisonous. But, the third vial causes almost all of the rivers and fountains of water to become blood. The reason we know that not all of these water sources are turned to blood is that God’s people will be in wilderness locations where God will provide for them (Revelation 12).

Expounding the Trumpet and Vial Judgments in the Book of Revelation (PART 1 of 2)

Expounding the Trumpet and Vial Judgments in the Book of Revelation (Part 1 of 2) [Print Document]

Revelation 10:7

“[7] But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”

God was putting on my heart to write an article about Revelation 10:7. This article will look at the deeper meaning behind the verse and how it applies to the world today and in the future. Let’s look at the last part of Revelation 10:7: “... the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” When the seventh angel has sounded his trumpet, the prophecy of the future and of judgments on the earth shall be fulfilled.

In Revelation 8-9, we read about six trumpets that are sounded by six angels. The seventh angel blows his trumpet in Revelation 11. These trumpets announce sequential judgments that literally shall fall upon the earth and shall affect billions of people. Some Christians think these judgments are figurative or allegorical, but we must go according to God’s Word and the Spirit of God, and not man’s opinions. I encourage you to seek God for yourselves to see if what I am writing here is of God. (See Jeremiah 33:3 and John 16:13.).

An Overview of the Trumpet Judgments

Let’s look at an overview of the trumpet judgments in Revelation 8-9.

The 1st trumpet — Hail and fire, mingled with blood, are cast upon the earth. All the green grass is burnt up and one third of the trees are burnt up. The blood is literal blood. It is the blood of those who were martyred for their

faith in Jesus and in God’s Word. (God showed me this. You may seek God about this.). In Revelation 16:4-7, the rivers and fountains of water are turned to blood. It is revealed why this will happen. Revelation 16:6 says: “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.” For the same reason, this blood is poured upon the wicked as judgment for the shedding of innocent blood and for shedding the blood of the martyrs.

The 2nd trumpet — A giant asteroid falls into the sea and a third of all fish and other sea creatures are killed. And, a third of the sea becomes blood. That means, a third of all the ocean is blood. A third of the ships are destroyed. This judgment will devastate the world economy. Many countries depend on the sea for transportation and food. The blood-filled sea would make transportation slower and more costly. Also, without a third of the fish, the food supply would be significantly harmed.

The Marine Stewardship Council said on their website some interesting facts about the consumption of fish:

“In 2013, fish accounted for about 17% of the global population's intake of animal protein.”

“In 2013, fish provided 3.1 billion people with almost 20% of their intake of animal protein.”

“In some countries, fish accounts for more than 25% of animal protein intake.”

The 3rd trumpet — The star wormwood is an asteroid that is filled with a very bitter and poisonous substance. This asteroid breaks apart in the atmosphere and the pieces land in many areas to make the water bitter and poisonous (i.e. it kills men who drink it). The pieces land in a third of the rivers and upon the fountains of water (i.e. streams and springs) around the world.