1. Trumpets and Bowls

Decoding Revelation:
1. Trumpets and Bowls
by Dr. Dieter Thom

The Number of the Code
Is there a code to understanding the

Book of Revelation? Yes.
It is the one number that occurs
very frequently in the Bible, the
number of God. Can you guess
what it is?
NKJV Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc .Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.

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Seven
 You guessed right! The number seven.
 At the centre of the book of Revelation is two

pairs of sevens that provide the framework for
interpreting the entire book and the study of end
times Bible prophecy.
 They represent two pairs of cycles that are
integrally connected and lead us to interpreting
the rest of the book and other prophecies.

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The Two Pairs of Seven Cycles
The First Cycle

The Second Cycle

7 Seals (Rev 6: 1-17)

7 Angels (Rev 14:6-20)

7 Trumpets (Rev 8:1-11:19)

7 Bowls (Rev 16:2-21)

How do we know that these two cycles are connected?
Well, we need to read them backwards, starting with
comparing the seventh trumpet and seventh bowl.

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Victorinus of Poetovio (3rd century)
Commentary on Apocalypse

And the trumpet is the word of power. And it
may be repeating by the bowls, not as though
it was said twice, but because what will
happen only once, it is decreed by God that it
will be, therefore it is said twice. Accordingly,
whatever was said in the trumpets less, it was
said in the bowls more. (8:2)

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7th Trumpet (Rev. 11)
15 Then the seventh angel
sounded…
18 The nations were angry,
and Your wrath has
come…
19 Then the temple of God
was opened in heaven...
And there were
lightnings, noises,
thunderings, an
earthquake & great
hail.

7th Bowl (Rev. 16)
17 Then the seventh angel
poured out his bowl into the air,
and a loud voice came out of
the temple of heaven…
18 And there were noises and
thunderings and lightnings;
and there was a great
earthquake…
19 the wine of the fierceness of
His wrath…
21 And great hail from heaven
fell upon men…


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Did you see the patterns?
Both passages have 8 particular elements in common:
1. the seventh angel
2. the temple of heaven,
3. the wrath of God,
4. lightning,
5. noises,
6. thundering,
7. an earthquake, and
8. great hail.
Is this just a coincidence? Let us look at the previous verses.

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6th Trumpet

(Rev. 9)

13 Then the sixth angel
sounded…
14 “Release the four angels who are
bound at the great river
Euphrates”…
16 Now the number of the army of
the horsemen was two hundred
million…
18 By these three plagues a third
of mankind was killed—by the fire
and the smoke and the brimstone
which came out of their mouths.

6th Bowl (Rev. 16)
12 Then the sixth angel poured out
his bowl on the great river
Euphrates…
13 And I saw three unclean spirits
like frogs coming out of the
mouth of the dragon, out of the
mouth of the beast, and out of the
mouth of the false prophet.
14 to gather them to the battle of
that great day of God
Almighty…
16 to the place called in Hebrew,
Armageddon.


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Do you see the patterns?
Both passages have 5 particular elements in common:
1. the sixth angel,
2. the great river Euphrates,
3. the army of the horsemen and the battle of that
great day of God Almighty,
4. three plagues and three unclean spirits,
5. coming out of mouths.
Do you still believe that this is a coincidence? Let us
look at the previous verses.

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1 Then the fifth angel
sounded … 2 So the sun and
the air were darkened
because of the smoke of the
pit…5 And they were not
given authority to kill them,
but to torment them for
five months...6 In those days
men will seek death and
will not find it…

5th Bowl (Rev. 16)
10 Then the fifth angel
poured out his bowl …and
his kingdom became full of
darkness; and they
gnawed their tongues
because of the pain. 11
They blasphemed the
God of heaven because of
their pains and their sores,
and did not repent of their
deeds.


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Both passages have 4 elements in common:
1. the fifth angel,
2. darkness,
3. pain and torment, and
4. people blaspheme God and seek death.
Job’s wife told him: ‘Curse God & die’ (Job 2:9).
Do you still believe that this is a coincidence? Let
us look at the previous verses.

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4th Bowl (Rev. 16)

12 Then the fourth angel 8 Then the fourth angel
poured out his bowl on the
sounded: And a third of
sun, and power was given
the sun was struck, a
to him to scorch men with
third of the moon, and a
fire. 9 And men were
third of the stars, so that a scorched with great heat,
and they blasphemed the
third of them were
name of God who has
darkened. A third of the
power over these plagues;
day did not shine, and
and they did not repent and
likewise the night.
give Him glory.

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Both passages have 2 particular elements in
common:
1. the fourth angel, and
2. the sun (burning & darkness)
Do you still believe that this is a
coincidence? Let us look at the previous
verses.

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3rd Trumpet (Rev. 8)

3rd Bowl (Rev. 16)

10 Then the third angel sounded: 4 Then the third angel
poured out his bowl on
And a great star fell from heaven,
the rivers and
burning like a torch, and it fell
springs of water, and
on a third of the rivers and on
they became blood…
the springs of water.
6 For they have shed the
11 The name of the star is
blood of saints and
Wormwood. A third of the
prophets, And You have
waters became wormwood, and
given them blood to
many men died from the water,
drink. For it is their just
because it was made bitter.
due.”

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common:
1. the third angel,
2. the rivers and springs of water, and
3. death and the shedding of blood.
Do you still believe that this is a coincidence?
Let us look at the previous verses.

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2nd Trumpet (Rev. 8)

2nd Bowl (Rev. 16)

3 Then the second
8 Then the second angel
sounded: And something like a
angel poured out
great mountain burning with
his bowl on the
fire was thrown into the sea,
sea, and it
and a third of the sea became
became blood as
blood.
of a dead man; and
9 And a third of the living
every living
creatures in the sea died,
creature in the
and a third of the ships were
destroyed.
sea died.

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common:
1. the second angel,
2. the sea,
3. became blood, and
4. first a third, then all, the living
creatures in the sea died.
Do you still believe that this is a coincidence?

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Review
Between these two passages there are:
a total of 26 points in common,
in the same 6 sections and
all in exactly the same order.
Still believe that this is a coincidence?
Clearly not.

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Conclusions
 The Bible is giving us two different accounts in two

different passages (chapters 8 and 16) that essentially deal
with the same six major cataclysmic events of the
time of the end.
 The numbering of the angels clearly suggests the same
vertical chronological order of events.
 The horizontal correlation between each of these last
six events is very clear.
 What about the rest of the preceding passages? We will
see this in the next section on the seals and the angels.

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Summary

The Two Pairs of Seven Cycles
The First Cycle

The Second Cycle

7 Seals
(Rev 6: 1-17)

7 Angels
(Rev 14:6-20)

7 Trumpets
7 Bowls
(Rev 8:1- 11:19) (Rev 16:2-21)

11/30/2013

1. Trumpets and Bowls

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1. Trumpets and Bowls