The purpose of the seals, trumpets, and bowls and how they influence the rise and fall of the Beast and Antichrist over three distinct eras
READ TIME: 5 Minutes
Understanding the Seals, Bowls, and Trumpets
When I first started striving to understand the Book of Revelation, I had many questions about this series of three judgments.
For instance, why kill one-third of the sea creatures only to kill all the rest a few chapters later? Why make one-third of the rivers and springs undrinkable only to turn them to blood shortly thereafter? Some of this repetition has even led people to conclude that the seals, trumpets, and bowls describe the same events.
The confusion regarding these judgments exists because most don’t understand the context around these events and the three distinct eras in which they occur.
The Purpose of the Seals
The first purpose of the seals is to provide a sign to the believers that the end of the age has arrived.
Before the detailed account in Revelation was given to John, Jesus described the seals in what is known as the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21). In this teaching, He answered the question from His disciples, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)
Jesus told the disciples of a progression of events to occur that match the six seals in both order and content:
- False prophets
- Wars and rumors of wars, nation [ethnos – meaning races, peoples] will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom
- Famine
- Earthquakes, famine, and pestilence (Luke 21)
- Persecution and martyrdom
- Signs in the sun, moon, and stars
While the seals may seem like the wrath of God upon the earth, Jesus described them (at least the first four) as merely “the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:4-8). While these events will alter the world as we know it, they are not part of God’s wrath, which begins after the sixth seal is opened (Rev. 6:16-17).
So are the seals solely signs, or do they have a greater purpose in God’s plan for the end of the age?
The Seals and the Rise of the Beast
Beyond being signs of the age, the seals will provide the conditions on earth for the Beast and Antichrist to rise to power. I’ll refer to this first era as the Rise of the Beast.
We know that the start of the Beast’s reign begins with the abomination of desolation. Daniel 9:27 reveals this, stating that the abomination of desolation occurs at the mid-point of a seven-year period noted by a covenant between many nations, and presumably, Israel. (Isaiah 28:15-18). And several scriptures corroborate this, describing the Beast’s authority lasting 3 1/2 years. (Daniel 7:25, 12:7, Rev. 11:2, 13:5).
Matthew 24 pinpoints this event, stating that the abomination of desolation (24:15) occurs between the 5th seal (24:9) and the sixth seal (24:29). So we know the Beast will rise to power over the period of the first five seals. These tumultuous times will provide conditions conducive for the Beast to arise.
The global upheaval from false prophecy/deception, racial conflict, wars, economic ruin, disease, and famine will change the world. And these conditions will likely cause ruin to the current powers such as the U.S. and Russia, allowing a new power to arise that will have dominion over the earth.
With the sixth seal, an era I call the Dominion of the Beast begins as does the wrath of God (Rev. 6:16-17). It is at this time the believers are raptured (Matt. 24:31, Rev. 7:9-17). (for more on this, see the post The Rapture – Scripture Settles the Pre-Tribulation and Post-Tribulation Debate)
The trumpets come next, ushering in a new epoch and inflicting massive destruction upon the earth.
See Post Script for Common Fallacies about the Seals
The Purpose of the Trumpets
Over the era of the Dominion of the Beast, the Antichrist and false prophet deceive the nations. It is a time when denying the Beast results in physical death (Rev. 13:15. 20:4), but allegiance ultimately results in eternal death (Rev . 20:11-15).
At this time the rapture has passed. All who deny the beast are killed, so salvation must lead to martyrdom. Yet there will be many who witness the rapture, repent and overcome the beast, even to death (Rev. 12:11, 20:4-6). (For more details see Post What Will Happen to Those Left Behind?)
The sixth seal describes what the prophets commonly referred to as the Day of the Lord. (Joel 2:31, Isaiah 13:9-13). And the terrible imagery that accompanies that day will be manifested in the trumpet judgments. The purpose of the trumpets is justice. As all the earth has rebelled against His laws in sin, His must pour our His wrath for justice to be satisfied. The believers will be raptured before this point because Jesus already took the wrath we deserved. (Romans 5:9, 1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9)
The Wrath of the Trumpets
During the first four trumpets, God pours His wrath upon the earth. Although these judgments will obviously affect people, their focus is on the world they occupy; the trees and grass, the sea and its creatures, the rivers and springs, and the light of the sun and the moon. These events appear to best describe an impact event of a meteor or comet, though they could also describe the impact of nuclear weapons.
After God penalizes the earth, the next two trumpets will bring torment and destruction directly upon the people. The first wave, also known as the first woe, comes with demonic, locust-like creatures that cause intense pain for five months.
The sixth trumpet, or the second woe, releases a 200 million-man army upon the earth, which kills one-third of all the people. Notice that the focus on this army is the number of men, not the destructive capability of their weapons. So this will not be an all-out nuclear war that wipes out one-third of mankind in a matter of minutes. More likely, the Antichrist’s army will move across the earth, committing terrible atrocities as it conquers.
With the Beast succeeding in all he does, only One can stop him.
The End of the Beast’s Dominion
An intriguing thing occurs during the 3 1/2 years of the Beast’s reign. God sends two witnesses to Jerusalem to prophesy and order plagues upon the earth.
The Beast kills these two prophets at the end of the second woe, the sixth trumpet (Rev. 11:14). But a major shift occurs when an angel blows the seventh trumpet – Jesus begins His reign.
End-times commentators generally describe this scripture as an announcement by the angels of what is to come, but it is far more significant. It pinpoints the delineation of the 3 1/2 year Dominion of the Beast and the beginning of the Dominion of Christ.
As stated in Revelation 11:15, “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
With Jesus Christ, having taken dominion from the Beast, the focus of God’s wrath changes.
The Purpose of the Bowl Judgments
At the blowing of the seventh trumpet, the Beast’s reign has ended. He remains on the earth, but Jesus has stripped Him of his authority. All who have opposed the Beast have been martyred, and only those who accepted his mark remain (except the 144,000 Jews who were sealed). God has reserved the most terrible judgments for the Beast and his followers. This is the first purpose of the bowl judgments; that justice is served for those who refused to repent.
The first five bowls release torment upon the Beast’s followers. Malignant sores and fierce heat afflict them with nothing to relieve their thirst but blood, All of the sea creatures are killed. Then wrath is poured onto the Beast’s throne and his kingdom.
The Beast/Antichrist has no choice but to fight. And as if to say, “come this way,” the sixth bowl dries the Euphrates and opens the door for the Beast and all his armies to come to Armageddon and wage war against Jesus. This is the second purpose of the bowl judgments; to bring the Beast to Jesus to face his final judgment as described in Daniel 7:9-11.
The description of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Revelation 11-16 is awesome. Jesus comes and slays the Beast, the kings of the nations, and their armies with the sword from His mouth. The Beast and the False Prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire, and Satan is bound in the abyss for a thousand years.
The Purpose of the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls
So, as you can see, the seals, trumpets, and bowls each have a distinct purpose for a distinct era at the end of this age. Here is a summary of what we covered.
| Judgments | Purpose | Era | |
| The Seals | Create conditions for Beast to arise and provide signs for believers | The Rise of the Beast | |
| The Trumpets | For justice, God pours out wrath on the earth and all its people | The Dominion of the Beast | |
| The Bowls | For justice and to end his reign, God pours out wrath on the Beast and its followers | The Dominion of Christ |
Keep watch for the signs of the end of this age. As I have written in several posts, these signs may already be upon us. (see Has Jesus Opened the Seals? and Pestilence, Famine, and Violence – Did the UN Declare the Fourth Seal Opening?)
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Post Script – Common Fallacies about the Seals
Some of you may be wondering, “but in the fourth seal one-quarter of all people are killed. How is that not God’s wrath?”
I have heard this spoken by a few end-times experts, but this is not what scripture states. What it states is “Authority was given to them [Death and Hades] over a fourth of the earth, to kill with…“
Given authority over one-quarter of the earth is not the same as killing one-quarter of all people on the earth. This is a geographic reference, not a population reference. This statement stands in contrast to the sixth trumpet, in which “they [four angels] would kill a third of mankind.” This statement is clearly population-based, unlike the fourth seal.
There is a similar fallacy that the seals describe a global war, but this is also not stated. More likely, there will be a number of conflicts and wars taking place in many places at the same time based on Matthew 24:7, including Israel (Ezekiel 38, Zechariah 14, Isaiah 28:14-22). Though these scriptures do not necessitate a global war, they also to not exclude the possibility of one.
Not sure about the exposition but something on which to think .
Thanks, Michael for carefully reading and considering the post. Some of my conclusions are different from many commentators; however, everything I write in reference to scripture is backed by multiple scriptures and does not contradict any scripture that I have examined. Other areas such as whether the seals have been opened are more subjective.