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In the book of Revelation, chapters 8 through 11 describe a series of 7 trumpets (shofar שופר in Hebrew). Each of these trumpets releases a fearful and awesome judgment upon the earth. Each one is more terrifying than the former.

Revelation 8:6 – And the seven angels who held the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

We are not yet in the period of those 7 trumpets, but we are getting closer each year. Those are THE FINAL trumpets. We are in the period leading up to those final judgments. We are part of the process, part of the series before the final seven.

The trumpets of the book of Revelation are connected to all the rest of the trumpets in the previous books of the Bible. They are the culmination of the history of prophetic and priestly shofar blasts that what went before. We are the “now” part of this process.

We are living in the present reality, following up on previous history, leading up to the future prophecies. We have a fulfillment now in our stage. The word in Greek for the present time is kairos. The word for revelation is apokalupsis.

What is happening now is LESS SEVERE than the final trumpet judgments, but it is SIMILAR. The biblical pattern and principles hold the same. Therefore, we approach the subject with humility, fear and trembling.

Blowing of the shofar in the light of the Apocalypse is not a game, it is not silly, it is not merely religious culture. It is a prophetic symbolic action that is accompanied with a release of judgment. It has spiritual authority and power. It has earth-shaking results. It mobilizes angelic warfare and has divine purpose.

There is a logic to the 7 trumpet judgments. Each one escalates in its severity. Their purpose is to warn us of the coming final judgment. Therefore the more severe they are, it really means more grace. They are temporary punishments in order to turn people away from eternal punishment.

The summary of the 7 trumpet judgments in order is logical, and relatively simple to remember:

A third of vegetation destroyed
A third of sea life destroyed
A third of fresh water ruined
A third of stars/planets turn dark
All mankind tormented for 5 months
A third of mankind killed in war
Worldly governments submit to Messiah’s Kingdom.

(Note: After the 4th shofar and before the 5th, a great voice is heard in heaven, crying “Woe, woe, woe” – Revelation 8:13. The reason is that the first four contain natural disasters, while the last three directly involve human suffering.)

These are the events leading up to the Second Coming. Each one seems to be in the context of a year, and therefore would fit the 7-year period of the Tribulation. That is why they are referred to as the Tribulation Trumpets. (Tribulation in Greek is thlipsis.)

Connection with the Biblical Early Autumn Feast of Trumpets

Since they are one per year, and a trumpet is sounded; it is biblically logical that each one is connected to the Feast of Trumpets (in Hebrew, the day of sounding the trumpet – יום תרועה – yom teruah.)

Trumpets are sounded in heaven by angels before each judgment. This is parallel and in coordination with the people of God on earth. Power is released that shakes the world, each time becoming more severe as the final day of judgment approaches.

These apocalyptic judgments involve horrible natural disasters and wars. Although these events are terrifying and heart-breaking. The divine judgments are righteous and pure, motivated by God’s mercy and holiness.

The basic purposes of the tribulation judgments are three-fold:

Repentance for the sinner – by demonstrating the negative effects of human selfishness.
Purification of the righteous – as fire refines gold, those who are faithful during trials come out stronger.
Warning to the wicked – temporary suffering demonstrates to evil people that eternal judgment is at hand.

Each year we are seeing more and more painful events around the world: environmental, political, economic, military, public health, social breakdown and psychological distress. Anyone with a sincere heart has experienced heaviness, weariness, and even hopelessness at times.

All these prophetic events are part of spiritual warfare between good and evil. Although there is darkness all around, we are called to shine with light (Isaiah 60:1). Remember that good ultimately triumphs over evil.

The sound of the trumpet is a call to victory. Joshua blew the trumpet and the walls of Jericho fell (Joshua 6:20). Gideon blew the trumpet, and the enemies began to fight against one another (Judges 7:22). Elisha told his servant that there are more for us than against us (II Kings 6:16).

In ancient Israel, the trumpet was sounded at the coronation of the new king. Our sounding of the shofar is a declaration that the King is coming. The Messiah will rule in a kingdom of peace and prosperity. Righteousness and justice will prevail in the end.

When John saw Yeshua in glory and fire in heaven, the voice of God was so great, it sounded like a trumpet blast Revelation 1:10. There is no actual power in a shofar. The shofar is a tool which reminds us of the voice of the Lord. It is the prophetic declaration of God’s word that releases the power.

We have a window of opportunity to release that power, to marshal angelic armies, to change history and influence the world around us. (One Jewish tradition even says that Satan becomes confused during the shofar blasts.)

Let us believe together to break the forces of darkness, to cast out depression, demonic spirits, and despair. This is a time to be energized by the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit. There is authority in the name of Yeshua, and in our agreement in His name.

As we sound the shofar, we believe that angels will also sound the shofar. The heavens will open, power will be released, curses will be broken, light will push back the darkness, and we will be renewed in a spirit of joy and victory.

The traditional definition of tolerance is sympathy for others’ beliefs that conflict with our own, even admitting that our views may be wrong. But today’s definition refuses to assess right and wrong, assuming that all beliefs, values, and lifestyles are equally valid.

As an example, the old definition of tolerance is rooted in the belief that there is objective truth, but the new one says, “I have my truth, you have your truth, and they’re equally acceptable.” Today, if you voice even a mild disagreement with someone’s concept of truth, you’ll be criticized for being intolerant. People will accuse you of not being loving, lacking grace, and being hateful. That’s a very small box you have to fit into!

John tells us that Jesus came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, niv, emphasis added), not one or the other. Grace and truth must go together, like peanut butter and jelly, Batman and Robin, or the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Grace without truth is only emotion, and truth without grace is the legalism of harsh demands and guilt motivation.

One of the most common statements made today is a quote from the Sermon on the Mount: “Don’t judge!” We hear people say it whenever anyone voices a criticism or even an opinion. To understand this short but powerful statement, we need to look at the context of the passage.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. —Matthew 7:1–2

The word judge has a range of meaning. You might say, “I cut the board too short because I didn’t judge the length accurately.” In that context, the word simply means an observation without a value judgment. But if you say, “I was asked to judge the best tomatoes at the county fair,” then this is an assessment with a value judgment, albeit without condemnation.

In other words, Jesus isn’t saying that we can’t make assessments and we can’t differentiate right from wrong or good from bad—He did that all the time! And the Bible is full of these judgments. In fact, later in this passage, Jesus calls some people dogs and pigs. I think that’s a value judgment! So, what point is Jesus making? He wants us to avoid delighting in finding fault in others or harshly condemning them while feeling superior. It’s not wrong to simply state the facts—that’s observation. So, read this carefully: you harshly judge when you assume to know the motives of people’s hearts and when you conclude that you’re better than they are.

To illustrate this concept, Jesus uses a metaphor that you might find comical, but He uses exaggerations for a purpose.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. —Matthew 7:3–5

The plank and the speck are character flaws. Our normal tendency is to see others’ flaws as huge boards, but we think ours are only tiny specks. Yet Jesus reverses this perception. If we believe we’re superior or better than, the sin of pride blinds us so that we can’t see anything clearly. We may want to focus on the flaw in the other person, but our first priority should be to look in the mirror and deal with our arrogance, our wrong perception, and our blindness. Then, we’ll have the humility and perception to gently, carefully help the person overcome a character flaw.

This illustration isn’t just a theory; we need to apply it in every relationship. When you’re dating, you don’t see specks or planks in your girlfriend or boyfriend, but after a few years of marriage, many couples have collected enough insults and hurts that they’ve built up a case against each other. They have enough planks to build a mansion!

We can also build a case for the prosecution against people at work (especially employers), against friends and neighbors, and against people in the church. The statement that should stop us in our tracks is Matthew 7:2: “‘For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’”

If you’re harsh, others will be harsh toward you. If you make a habit of finding things wrong with another person, that person will look for your flaws too. This is simply the way human nature works, but it can be reversed. Keep in mind what Jesus said a few verses later: “‘So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets’” (Matt. 7:12).

We can draw a distinction between a critical judgment and a charitable judgment. A critical judgment mocks, “I’ll destroy you!” But a charitable judgment sees the same flaws and asks, “How can I help you?” One is motivated by superiority and resentment; the other is propelled by love.

Sometimes, we’re critical because we don’t have the facts, and when we have the wrong facts, we inevitably draw the wrong conclusions. I heard a story about a pastor who sat in his car in the parking lot on a Sunday morning reviewing his sermon notes before the service. He was using a white pencil, and as he read, he absentmindedly held it in his mouth. One of the deacons walked by and saw him with the white pencil jutting out from his lips. He ran inside and gathered as many deacons as he could find. When the pastor came in, the group confronted him for smoking in the parking lot. The pastor smiled, pulled his pencil out of his pocket, and put it in his mouth.

Even if we have the facts—even if we’re eyewitnesses—we can be wrong. We’re human, our perception is limited, and we come to every conversation and every event with our own presuppositions based on past experiences. Once we acknowledge this truth, we will be more likely to relate to others with grace rather than with judgment.

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This is an excerpt from “Love Them Anyway: Finding Hope in a Divided World Gone Crazy” by Pastor Choco De Jesus. More at https://lovethemanywaybook.com

Pastor Choco De’ Jesus is the former senior pastor of New Life Covenant Church in Chicago, one of the largest churches in the nation. He serves as General treasurer of the Assemblies of God. He was named in 2013 as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. He is the author of several books, including “Love Them Anyway”.

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