Yesterday, we saw what happens at the end of history – Christ our King returns in power and glory to reign over all the earth. But every ancient king worth his salt would have had his appearance heralded by a flourish of trumpets. And God is no exception to this rule: there was a loud trumpet blast (Exodus 19:16) announcing the coming of the Lord to Sinai to give His Law to His people.

Just so, the prophets said that the Lord’s coming would be preceded by the sound of a trumpet (Joel 2:1; Zechariah 9:14). And Jesus Himself said that when He comes again “with power and great glory,” He will “send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30-31).

So, just as the seventh seal, the end of history, includes the preparation of the angels sounding the seven trumpets (8:2), we can understand that the visions John sees as their blasts fill the air point to the catastrophic events that will take place on the Day of the Lord itself.

And the first four trumpet blasts make one thing abundantly clear: nothing that seems so permanent today, nothing in which we might be tempted to place our faith will be able to protect us from the overwhelming, unimaginable power of our coming King. The earth, the trees, and the grass that nourish us and provide us food (v. 7), the mighty ocean, which teems with all sorts of marine life, and over which so many of our goods are carried (vv. 8-9), the fresh water which sustains our life (vv. 10-11), and even the sun, moon, and stars (v. 12) – all will reel before the burning, shattering power of their almighty Creator.

Moreover, the human political systems on which we so often rely will find themselves swept away. The fact that so much of the imagery in this passage recalls the plagues on Egypt, the wealthiest and most powerful country at the time of the Exodus, should be a stark reminder of that fact. In addition, the vision of the burning mountain in verse 8 recalls Jeremiah’s pronouncement of judgment on Babylon, that great city that had conquered so much of the known world and that had cruelly oppressed God’s people. In a similar fashion, the falling star John sees in verse 10 recalls Isaiah’s taunt against the king of Babylon.

In short, the first four trumpets that herald the coming of the Lord are a visual representation of what Peter clearly said will happen on that Day: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (II Peter 3:10).

Yes, Christ our King is coming in unimaginable power and glory. Shouldn’t we place our trust in Him alone, throwing ourselves on His mercy and seeking protection in His grace – before the trumpet announces His presence?

Jeremiah 51:24-26 (ESV)

24 “I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the LORD.
25 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the LORD, which destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain.
26 No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, declares the LORD.

Isaiah 14:12-15 (ESV)

12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

Revelation 8:6-12 (ESV)

6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.
9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.