The Weblog of Trenton & Nichole Adams

Connections of the Trumpets and Vials

Introduction

I heard that one should read the Seals, Trumpets and Vials together. I have done so, and the Trumpets and Vials match up with each other almost perfectly.

I've wondered about whether the Seals are loosed at the same time as the corresponding Trumpets and Vials, or not, because of Revelation 8:1-2, the two scriptures referring to the last seal being loosed. It indicates that the Trumpets start to get blown after the seals are loosed, not before. Revelation 7:1 also indicates that the Trumpets haven’t been blown yet due to the words “after these things”. It’s saying that “after these things” the angels go and seal the 144,000 Jews, then the last seal is loosed and then finally the Trumpets begin. But, there is no indication whether "after these things" is in reference to the things being revealed, or in reference to the order of the revelations being given to John.

I've also wondered many times, if perhaps the seals do match up. Mainly because the events in the 6th trumpet match things that Yashua spoke of, as well as OT prophecies. And, those prophecies tend to indicate that Christ's return is immediate after that. My wife has reminded me of this recently, but I'm uncertain. I've always struggled with that issue.

Some people are deceived into believing that we are going to get an early rapture out of here. Below you can see that this is simply not true. Revelation 6:9-11, Revelation 18:4 and I Corinthians 15:52 all show clearly that we can’t get out of here before we are persecuted like the believers of the past, or until the last trump. Revelation 18:4 indicates that we could be partakers of the Whore’s plagues (vials) if we don’t come out of her. And seeing that these two items (Trumpets and Vials) all appear to happen in sequence together; 1st Trumpet and Vial; 2nd Trumpet and Vial; etc, we can’t possibly be getting an early rapture. We will be persecuted by the people of this earth, but we will be protected from the wrath of God that is poured out on the earth. In other words, we will be protected from the plagues and such, which will envelop this earth.

I’ve seen the odd scripture that "might" slightly indicate that we would get out before these things occur, but I’ve found them to all be simple mis-interpretations, or not seeing the big picture. I have also found other scriptures that refute these mis-interpretations.

Also, Revelation does not appear to be in any particular order. It seems like there is some sort of overlay that occurs.

I recommend you read this article in it's entirety. But, if you want to read it one piece at a time, I have provided a table of contents so that you can finish where you left off.

Table of Contents

1. Trumpets and Vials
2. Surrounding Context
   1. Temple of God Closed and Opened
   2. Several Identifying Events
   3. The Mystery of God Finished
   4. The Judgment Set

The Trumpets and Vials

Before we get into the trumpets and vials, I want to explain one thing that can apply to all pairs of the trumpets and vials. There is no reason to put ourselves in a box, and believe that they must all be connected. For instance, the first trumpet and vial don't appear to have any connection to each other. Well, they don't have to either. Just because they don't have a specific connection, doesn't mean they are not poured out around the same time.  In fact, I wouldn't even necessarily say that those trumpets are connected with each other.  They may very well be at different times.  What I'm really trying to show here, is that there is a very clear parallel between the trumpets and vials, over all, as a whole.

Furthermore, over the next while, I may be adding in something about the seals as well.

#	Trumpet	Vial
1st	Revelation 8:7 7The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.	Revelation 16:1-2 1And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. 2And 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.
2nd	Revelation 8:8-9 8And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.	Revelation 16:3 3And 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.

Some would argue that the verse about the vial says "every" living soul died, where the verse of the trumpet says that only a third died. There are two possible explanations for this apparent discrepancy, besides the general one I mentioned earlier.

1. many times in scripture words like "every", "all", "forever" are used, but are not meant to be literal. For instance, "all Israel shall be saved" is both literal, and not literal. It's literal regarding the elect, but not literal given the physical nation of Israel. Not all of them will be saved, as we know that scripture says only a remnant will be saved of the Jews.
2. The trumpet only leads into the vial, and is not the fullness of judgment, whereas the vial completes the judgment.

3rd

Revelation 8:10-11 (KJV) And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Revelation 16:4-7 (KJV) And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5And 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. 6For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

Some would argue that wormwood and blood do not match up. Once again though, they do not need to match up. However, I believe they do. For the rivers and fountains of water to be made like blood, would be very bitter indeed. Not bitter as in the flavor bitter, but bitter as in "bitter cold". In other words, figuratively bitter. So, wormwood could just be describing the water figuratively as well.

4th

Revelation 8:12-13 12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. 13And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Revelation 16:8-9 8And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

These two are virtually opposites. But, as described earlier, there's no need to make a connection between them. Perhaps one happens before the other.

5th	Revelation 9:1-5 1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.	Revelation 16:10-11 10And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
6th	Revelation 9:13-16 13And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.	Revelation 16:12-16 12And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Notice how the 6th Vial is poured out in order to prepare for what the 6th Trumpet set loose. So in other words, the great river Euphrates was dried up so that the armies of the 6th Trumpet could pass by easily. Also take special note of how it is now clear that the book of Revelation cannot possibly be linear, because the trumpets are written first, and the vials next. So, if it was linear, the 6th trumpet and vial make no sense together, which it is clear that they do go together.

7th

Revelation 11:15 15And 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.

Revelation 16:17-21 17And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 18And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Could this be when the Lord touches down on the Mount of Olives? I think so. After all, in order for the Mount of Olives to separate like Zechariah says, it would have to be a very great earthquake indeed.

Surrounding Context

The last thing I want to show you is the surrounding verses of the trumpets and the vials. We'll see how precisely they fit together. First, let's look at Revelation 11:19 and Revelation 15:8, which comes just after the seventh trumpet.

Temple of God Closed and Opened

Revelation 11:19 (KJV) And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Revelation 15:8 (KJV) And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Some important things to note about these verses. The temple is closed before the vials, and opened after the trumpets. It's like God purposely gave John the revelations of the vials and trumpets in the precise order, so as to hide this fact from our eyes. But, it gets even better than this; there are even greater clues that the trumpets and vials are inseparable. Let us look at some other events that take place surrounding the trumpets and vials.

Several Identifying Events

Revelation 11:19 (KJV) And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.	Revelation 16:18 (KJV) And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
	Revelation 16:21 (KJV) And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

It seems so clear that these verses are all connected, showing that the trumpets and vials are indeed together. Sure, one might try and defend their pre-trib view point by saying that they simply happen twice, but that's just dancing around the God given clues. God doesn't throw in so many cookie crumbs, just to throw us off.

What is really interesting is that when I read Revelation, I understand it fairly well, but it's as if there is a veil over it, yet I somehow see through the veil to a degree. Like when I focus, everything becomes clear, yet seemingly foggy. I'm wondering if this is because Revelation was sealed up until the time of the end, just like Daniel was. And, perhaps this is why so many people are confused over it?

Almost every time I study the end times, I learn something new, or I refresh my memory of something I already knew.

The Mystery of God Finished

Revelation 10:6-7 (KJV) And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 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.

Revelation 11:15 (KJV) 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.

Revelation 16:17 (KJV) And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

Let us view the scriptures above with a careful eye.

1. There will be no delay, when the seventh trumpet blows, to when the mystery of God is finished, as declared to his servants the prophets.  I believe the mystery of God is God's plan for us on this earth, and His plan of redemption for man kind.
2. The seventh angel sounding gives way for the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdom of our Lord. meaning that God now reigns, there is no more sorrow, nor war, nor resistance to the King of kings. This is in direct connection with Daniel 2:44.
3. The seventh vial ushers in "It is done". What is done exactly? Well, I think it's pretty clear that the mystery of God, as declared to his servants the prophets, is finished.

Now, one might say, "But yeah, none of that matters, because we're out of here before the trumpets or vials". But, if that be the case, the following call of Yashua, in the midst of the vials being poured out, is completely useless.

Revelation 12:12-15 (KJV) And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

This is a clear warning to those in the midst of the great tribulation, and in the midst of the vials/trumpets being poured out, to keep sober, and wait. This is the time of the waiting for the bridegroom. We will not be certain of the EXACT timing of his coming. This was written to Christians (Jew or Gentile), NOT natural Jews. How do we know this? Because, the last of the Jews DO NOT get saved until the very end, as shown in Zechariah 14. And besides, Christianity is NOT a new religion. We were ADOPTED into the fold, God did not create a NEW fold. Virtually everything that applies to the Jews, applies to us. The only things that do not, are the very specific things concerning the role of the actual nation of Israel. That doesn't apply to us, simply because we do not live in Israel. But, it wouldn't apply to a natural Jew either, if they did not live in Israel.

The Judgment Set

This section added on December 9th. On a side tangent, I want to address one of the theories of post-tribulation rapture believers that I have heard frequently, which is not biblical. It is the idea that we get out of here at the 7th trumpet, thereby escaping the wrath of God that is being poured out. These people believe that the trumpets are blown first, and the vials second. First off, I do believe we escape the wrath of God that is poured out, but we remain here while it is being poured out. Let us examine Revelation 11:18, which is directly after the 7th trumpet (Revelation 11:15), in connection with Revelation 20:11-13.

Revelation 11:17-18 (KJV) 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 20:11-13 (KJV) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Now, there are some interesting points in the above verses.

1. The end of the seventh trumpet is the time of God's wrath. Which most people believe ushers in the vials. But, as we should now see, this is simply not so. It ushers in the great white throne judgment, not the vials. In other words, when the trumpets are finished, it's all over. As shown earlier, and as was recorded in Revelation 10:6-7, Revelation 11:15 and Revelation 16:17, the mystery of God is finished at the end of the last trumpet and the last vial.
2. The time of the judging of the dead (Great White Throne Judgment) happens after the last trumpet, so there is no more time for vials to be poured out, if the vials were to come after the trumpets.
3. The dead are judged in Revelation 20:12, not before.  So, we see that Revelation 11:18 is DIRECTLY connected with Revelation 20:12.  Some believe the 7th trumpet is directly in the middle of the tribulation.  But, as we should be able to now see, the time of the judging of the dead is directly after the 7th trumpet, just as the 24 elders say.  Revelation 11:17-18 and Revelation 20:11-13 are referring to the EXACT SAME time period.

And, if you are now thinking that you'd like to claim "Oh, but that's for the tribulation saints, not me". Then, I recommend reading my blog entry on "Pre-Mid-Post Tribulation Rapture", as it makes clear that the whole idea that we get out, but the tribulation saints must remain, is not scriptural. It is all or nothing.