The Seventh Seal
The opening of the 7th seal reveals the appearance of 7 angels with 7 trumpets. Note there is a
pattern being established. The 7 seals were broken down into 2 sets: the 4 horsemen followed by 3
additional judgments. Likewise, the 7 trumpet judgments will be broken down into 2sets: 4 judgments
followed by 3 judgments called “woes.”
7 Seal Judgments:
Seal 1 Judgment White horse, Antichrist
Seal 2 Judgment Red horse, war
Seal 3 Judgment Black horse, economic collapse and famine
Seal 4 Judgment Pale horse, death
Seal 5 Judgment Persecution of believers
Seal 6 Judgment Earthquake
Seal 7 7 Trumpet Judgments --
7 Trumpet Judgments:
Trumpet 1 Judgment
Trumpet 2 Judgment
Trumpet 3 Judgment
Trumpet 4 Judgment (woe)
Trumpet 5 Judgment (woe)
Trumpet 6 Judgment (woe)
Trumpet 7 7 Bowl Judgments (woe)
· 1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of
half an hour.
When this seal is broken, the scroll will be completely open. An eerie silence will move across
heaven. Everyone will wait in anticipation of what is to come next.
· 2. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
The Tribulation Period carries many names:
· the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7),
· the Seventieth-Week of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27),
· the Day of the Lord’s Vengeance (Isaiah 34:8).
· The prophet Zephaniah gives it seven different names, and it is significant to notice that the last
one is a day of trumpet and battle cry (Zephaniah 1;14-16.)
· 3. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was
given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden
altar which was before the throne.
· 4. And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, as-cended up
before God out of the angel's hand.
The 8th angel will be given a great quantity of incense to mix with the prayers of the saints. Isn't it
good to know that God stores up our prayers and that they are a sweet fragrance to him? The
Almighty God will smell the incense, hear the prayers, and prepare an answer.
· 5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth:
and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
The prayers will go up to God and the answers will come down to earth. God will avenge the death of
the Tribulation Saints with fiery tri-als on earth. (Remember their prayer - 6:10 "And they cried with a
loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on
them that dwell on the earth?")
Try to visualize this great scene. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will rise to power leading the
inhabitants of the earth to worship Satan, while at the same time, God’s people will be hunted down,
persecuted, and killed. These martyred saints will arrive in heaven praying to be avenged. At first,
they will be told to wait until the number of saved is increased, but then after a brief time, God will hear
their prayers and respond by having his angel hurl the burning censer (possibly in the form of a
meteor) to earth. This will be a clear statement of God’s wrath. It will be followed by loud
thunderclaps, flashes of lightening, and an earthquake. The earnest prayers of God’s hurting people
will finally reach into his wrath and cause a response that will be felt by the whole earth.
Speaking of earthquakes, the following major earthquakes occurred during the first six months of
1996:
· 1/1 Indonesia – 7.7 on the Richter Scale
· 2/3 China – 7.0
· 2/7 Kuril Islands – 7.0
· 2/17 Indonesia – 7.5
· 2/25 Mexico – 6.6
· 4/29 Solomon Islands – 7.5
· 6/10 Aleutian Islands – two: 7.2 and 7.7
· 6/11 Philippines – 7.0
· 6/17 Indonesia – 7.5
Remember Jesus words concerning the endtimes -
Matthew 24
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and
earthquakes in diverse places.
8 But all these things are the beginning of travail.
· 6. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Once the burning censer has hit the earth the archangels will prepare to sound their trumpets. The
prayers of the saints will be heard, and the whole world will be ripe for judgment. God’s wrath will be
kindled to unleash the next set of judgments, and the archangels will prepare the alarm.
· 7. The 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.
pattern being established. The 7 seals were broken down into 2 sets: the 4 horsemen followed by 3
additional judgments. Likewise, the 7 trumpet judgments will be broken down into 2sets: 4 judgments
followed by 3 judgments called “woes.”
7 Seal Judgments:
Seal 1 Judgment White horse, Antichrist
Seal 2 Judgment Red horse, war
Seal 3 Judgment Black horse, economic collapse and famine
Seal 4 Judgment Pale horse, death
Seal 5 Judgment Persecution of believers
Seal 6 Judgment Earthquake
Seal 7 7 Trumpet Judgments --
7 Trumpet Judgments:
Trumpet 1 Judgment
Trumpet 2 Judgment
Trumpet 3 Judgment
Trumpet 4 Judgment (woe)
Trumpet 5 Judgment (woe)
Trumpet 6 Judgment (woe)
Trumpet 7 7 Bowl Judgments (woe)
· 1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of
half an hour.
When this seal is broken, the scroll will be completely open. An eerie silence will move across
heaven. Everyone will wait in anticipation of what is to come next.
· 2. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
The Tribulation Period carries many names:
· the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7),
· the Seventieth-Week of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27),
· the Day of the Lord’s Vengeance (Isaiah 34:8).
· The prophet Zephaniah gives it seven different names, and it is significant to notice that the last
one is a day of trumpet and battle cry (Zephaniah 1;14-16.)
· 3. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was
given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden
altar which was before the throne.
· 4. And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, as-cended up
before God out of the angel's hand.
The 8th angel will be given a great quantity of incense to mix with the prayers of the saints. Isn't it
good to know that God stores up our prayers and that they are a sweet fragrance to him? The
Almighty God will smell the incense, hear the prayers, and prepare an answer.
· 5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth:
and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
The prayers will go up to God and the answers will come down to earth. God will avenge the death of
the Tribulation Saints with fiery tri-als on earth. (Remember their prayer - 6:10 "And they cried with a
loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on
them that dwell on the earth?")
Try to visualize this great scene. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will rise to power leading the
inhabitants of the earth to worship Satan, while at the same time, God’s people will be hunted down,
persecuted, and killed. These martyred saints will arrive in heaven praying to be avenged. At first,
they will be told to wait until the number of saved is increased, but then after a brief time, God will hear
their prayers and respond by having his angel hurl the burning censer (possibly in the form of a
meteor) to earth. This will be a clear statement of God’s wrath. It will be followed by loud
thunderclaps, flashes of lightening, and an earthquake. The earnest prayers of God’s hurting people
will finally reach into his wrath and cause a response that will be felt by the whole earth.
Speaking of earthquakes, the following major earthquakes occurred during the first six months of
1996:
· 1/1 Indonesia – 7.7 on the Richter Scale
· 2/3 China – 7.0
· 2/7 Kuril Islands – 7.0
· 2/17 Indonesia – 7.5
· 2/25 Mexico – 6.6
· 4/29 Solomon Islands – 7.5
· 6/10 Aleutian Islands – two: 7.2 and 7.7
· 6/11 Philippines – 7.0
· 6/17 Indonesia – 7.5
Remember Jesus words concerning the endtimes -
Matthew 24
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and
earthquakes in diverse places.
8 But all these things are the beginning of travail.
· 6. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Once the burning censer has hit the earth the archangels will prepare to sound their trumpets. The
prayers of the saints will be heard, and the whole world will be ripe for judgment. God’s wrath will be
kindled to unleash the next set of judgments, and the archangels will prepare the alarm.
· 7. The 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.