"And when He broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God; and seven trumpets were given them." (Rev. 8:1, 2 NASB).

Immediately after the rapture of the church (body of Christ) and the sealing of the 144,000 Jews (See: Rev. chapter 7; c.f., Rev. 14:1-5) is the breaking of the seventh seal that opens the scroll which contains the wrath of God (c.f., Zech.5:1-4). The awesome "half an hour" of silence in heaven precludes the seven trumpets of God's terrible wrath; one of the trumpet judgments lasts as long as five months (e.g., Rev. 9:5,10). In spite of these horrible drawn-out judgments, by the end of the sixth trumpet "the rest of mankind,...they did not repent." (Rev. 9:20, 21 NASB). By the conclusion of the sixth trumpet the mystery is finished (Rev. 10:7; c.f., Rev. 11:17) and we have the great harvest (Rev. 14:14-20); Daniel's seventieth week is ended and Christ has taken possession of what has legally been His all along--the earth. The seventh trumpet then introduces the seven bowls (vials) of Gods undiluted wrath in rapid succession to cleanse the earth before His millennial kingdom begins.

[Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.]