The first verse should have been part of chapter seven. It is the breaking of the seventh seal. It happens after the events that followed the breaking of the sixth seal.

Silence in Heaven

The Lamb opened the seventh seal and revealed the contents of the scroll one last time. There was silence for a short time. We do not know the reason for the silence, and we cannot speculate. This might be one of the innumerable surprises in heaven that await the believers.

The seven trumpets

Then, John saw seven angels getting ready to blow their trumpets. (One might not be able to hear the trumpets because they are not physical instruments sending out alarm worldwide; the trumpet might be a simple messenger that appears on global media, a fast-moving book (PTFP being the last?), or a virally spreading message; one might know that a trumpet has been blown by the events succeeding each of them. Remember, John could ‘see’ a trumpet ‘sound’ even at the beginning of his visions; one or more of these could already have been blown!). It was the ushering in of the hour of temptation preceding the day of wrath. Each trumpet sound signalled the beginning of a series of destruction. This was the detailing and elaboration of the event that happened when the sixth seal was broken. The Lord was taking vengeance on those who had troubled His saints who are on earth before the rapture. The saints are sheltered by God from these calamities as He did the Israelites in the land of Goshen in Egypt; the plagues that the Lord brought on the Egyptians did not touch the people of God even though their dwelling was in Egypt.

An angel offered much praise combined with the prayers of the saints to God. (They were praying for vengeance on the evil powers of darkness who troubled them on earth. Abel’s blood was seeking for vengeance; Saints would not seek vengeance on men; they would call for forgiveness of their malefactors as did their Lord. Stephen was a great example). It produced smoke – a sweet aroma for the saints but aroma of death for the inhabitants of the earth. The Lord answered the prayers of His saints by recompensing the ungodly with destruction as Paul mentions in Thessalonians. The judgement started with lightning, thunder and earthquake – frightening and awful. The Lord had begun to destroy the earth with fire.

The events that happen after each of the trumpet sound need not be serial – happening one after the other. Some or all of these could also be simultaneous. Destruction of the earth could be unleashed all at a time or surge at very short intervals. In any case, the seventh trumpet would be on the last day on earth. The last day would be the longest day on this earth (and as long as its first day?). Whatever be the time of the beginning of these events, all the events will co-terminate at the seventh trumpet. The believing would be raptured to be with their Lord for ever. It is then that all the unbelieving dead would rise to be condemned to the second death in the lake of fire and brimstone.

The first four trumpets

The first of the seven angels blew his trumpet. Hail and fire mingled with blood were cast upon the earth. One third of vegetation and all grass were burned up. Fighter planes that throw ammunition from the sky has been in vogue since the first world war (1914-1918). The second world war and other wars that have been fought subsequently have only seen increased use of these along with missiles launched from ground, air and naval ships. Terrorists and revolutionaries have contributed more causing this kind of destruction.

Industrialization and deforestation have led to rapid decrease in vegetation. Fires caused by human lethargy, selfishness and carelessness have added to this kind of calamities during even peace time. We see a examples of these now in the Middle East, America, African Amazon, the Caribbean and Australia. ‘Our world in data’ states that the world has lost one-third of its forest so far– an area twice the size of the United States. Only 10% of this was lost, until 5,000 years ago and half the destruction has happened in the last hundred years.

At the sounding of the second trumpet, a large mountain erupted fire and fell into the sea. (It can also be a large nuclear reactor by the seashore). One third of the sea got contaminated (by radio activity?). One third of the aquatic animals died. One third of the ships in the sea were destroyed by this disaster. Chernobyl (500,000 were affected and cost $235 Billion); Fukushima (300,000 were affected and it continues to be a no-go zone) are examples of this disaster.

The third trumpet sounded. A great star blazing like a torch fell from the sky. It was called wormwood. It poisoned one third of the freshwater resulting in the death of many that drank it. We need to note here that potable water is depleting at a fast pace today.

The Chelyabinsk meteor was a small (!) asteroid — about the size of a six-story building — that broke up over the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, on Feb. 15, 2013. The blast was stronger than a nuclear explosion; pulses were detected far away as Antarctica. The shockwave it generated shattered glass and injured about 1,200 people. Some scientists think the meteor was so bright it may have briefly outshone the sun. More Asteroids are waiting to hit the earth anytime and our ‘wise men’ have no clue as to how they can protect the earth from such a disaster. They say they do not have enough advanced technology to even detect every one of it that can hit the earth. Large asteroids and meteors are waiting to attack the earth anytime. The April 13, 2029, encounter of Apophis 1,115 ft (340 meters across) with Earth will be extremely close as it is on a collision course and might hit us. But there might be a surprise and shock even before this.

Another angel blew the fourth trumpet. The sun, moon and the stars lost a third part of their brightness. It resulted in darkness filling one third of the day and one third of the night. (1200 of the 3600 might be affected by the catastrophe – this area cannot see light of the sun and light of the moon! USA spans 1450 on the globe from 33.40 E to 1790!). The dimming might also be caused by volcanic eruption. The cataclysmic eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines on June 15 1991 resulted in partial dimming of the sun, moon and stars in the region because of high-speed avalanches of hot ash and gas, giant mudflows, and a cloud of volcanic ash hundreds of miles across. The Krakatoa eruption in Indonesia in 1883 caused larger damage.

The time of the first four trumpets might also be taken as the time between the fifth and the sixth seals. And destruction might have already started now.

Then an angel announced more destruction to the earth and sky. It would be “Woe, woe, woe” for the inhabitants of the earth when the other three angels will blow their trumpets.