There are remarkable and powerful inner-biblical allusions in the opening of Revelation 8 to the books of Zechariah and Joshua. These allusions lead to a better understanding of the events and circumstances surrounding what is about to take place in the sounding of the seven trumpets.
Chapter 8 begins with the opening of the seventh seal and silence in heaven. John sees seven angels with trumpets followed by fire. The fire is mixed with prayers of the saints and is thrown down to shake the earth.
The pattern of silence, trumpets, and shaking is an Old Testament motif seen in the book of Joshua when Israel crossed the Jordan to take possession of the land. Israel’s campaign against Jerico is similar to Revelation beginning with chapter six and continuing through chapter nine:
- The people of the region knew God was the miraculous force aiding Israel (Joshua 5:1, Revelation 6:12-17).
- All of Israel is re-dedicated to God (Joshua 5:2-9, Revelation 7:1-8).
- Circumcision was given to Abraham as a “sign of the covenant” of righteousness (Genesis 17:9-13).
- The Apostle Paul equates this sign as a “seal” (Romans 4:9-12).
- Seven trumpet marches in silence (Joshua 6:1-5, Revelation 8 & 9).
The Israelite army marched around the city of Jericho once a day for six days. Each day the priests carried the ark of the Covenant, in silence, while seven priests blew trumpets. On the seventh day they marched around the city seven times blowing trumpets. At the end of the seven marches all the host was to give a great shout (Joshua 6). Just as all inhabitants west of the Jordan knew that God’s judgment was imminent, so the nations of the earth will be aware that God is the miraculous force behind what is happening in Revelation 8 & 9.[1]
Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries prophesying, in the same year and in the same location, about the rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of God’s glory in Jerusalem. Haggai prophesied that God will shake the heavens and the earth when He destroys the Gentile nations and restores His glory to Jerusalem (Haggai 2:20-23) . The visions of Zechariah take up the theme of the destruction of the Gentile nations when the glory of God is restored. These visions begin with four horsemen, similar in color to those in Revelation 6, reporting to a man among the myrtle trees, a.k.a. The Angel of the Lord. They report that the Gentile nations are at peace. The Angel of the Lord asks, how long will God withhold His mercy while the Gentiles subjugate Israel (Zechariah 1:12)? The question refers to Haggai’s prophecy, how long until the nations are shaken and the glory of God is restored. The answer was given not in terms of time but in visions that show what it will look like when it happens, how to recognize that time. That time begins with Zechariah’s second vision.
Zechariah’s second vision starts with four horns that will scatter Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. The four horns are four powerful empires that will subjugate the Holy Land (Zechariah 1:19) The vision shows that God will “terrify” these powers by using four entities (Zechariah 1:21).
A significant number of translations of Zechariah 1:21 interpret the Hebrew word “elleh” as “craftsmen ” to identify the four entities designated by God to terrify the four horns. The word “elleh” translates more literally as “these” and an equally significant number of translations interpret the word as “these” with the addendum “craftsmen”. The reasoning for the inclusion of the word craftsmen is that in the time of the visions, artisans worked with carving and making craft from horns. Therefore the word craftsmen or blacksmith was added to better represent what Zechariah might have seen. But, there is no lexical or exegetical reason to interpret the Hebrew word “elleh” beyond its literal meaning of “these”. Whatever Zechariah saw, it was symbolic of what will come in the end-times which is described in Revelation 8:
- Trumpet 1 – hail and fire, mixed with blood
- Trumpet 2 – a great mountain ablaze with fire
- Trumpet 3 – a great star, blazing like a torch
- Trumpet 4 – sun, moon and stars struck
While Revelation chapter seven is considered a parenthetical break[2] between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals, the opening of the two seals when read in sequence suggests a strong allusion to Haggai 2:20-23 and Zechariah 1:19-21. With the opening of the sixth seal there will be undeniable cosmic events that will herald God’s impending judgment. Israel will re-dedicate itself to its covenant with God by recognizing Jesus as the Messiah.[3] Then God will strike down the defenses of the kingdoms suppressing Israel as prophesied in Zechariah 1 and Revelation 8.
The next vision in Zechariah is of a man measuring Jerusalem. Jerusalem is so large that it has no walls and God says He will be the wall around Jerusalem. The rest of the verses in this chapter make it clear that this is the result of God’s coming to dwell among His people. When God does come, all people are to be silent (Zechariah 2:13). The saints were instructed to watch in silence as the Lord of Armies led them across the Jordan to claim the Promised Land and destroy the fortress of Jericho (Joshua 6:10). The saints are, once again, instructed to watch in silence as the Lord of Armies reclaims the Promised Land for Israel in the end-times (Revelation 8:1).
In Zechariah’s prophecy the perspective is upward, looking from earth to heaven, and silence is commanded to those who look for the Messiah’s return (Haggai 2:20-23). In Revelation 8 the perspective is downward, looking from heaven to earth, and all the heavenly host is silent as God shakes the earth to contend with those who oppose the return of the Messiah.
The opening of Revelation 8 is the world’s end-times Jericho moment.
8 For the LORD of Hosts says this: “He has sent Me for His glory against the nations who are plundering you, for anyone who touches you touches the pupil of His eye.
9 I will move against them with My power, and they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.
(Zechariah 2:8-9 HCSB)
13 Let all people be silent before the LORD, for He is coming from His holy dwelling.”
(Zechariah 2:13 HCSB)
[1] David makes the same assertion when he met Goliath (1Samual 17:45-47 NKJV)
45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” (Bold added for emphasis)
[2] A parenthetical break refers to a moment when the author interrupts the flow of the story to insert additional information, thoughts, or commentary
[3] Zechariah 12:10 NKJV)
10“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.