As this text opens, the seventh seal on the scroll of destiny is broken and, together with all of heaven, our anticipation rises. What will be revealed next? John describes what he sees and hears — seven angels who receive each receive a trumpet. Over the rest of the passage we hear the blasts of the first six trumpets, each unleashing God’s judgments upon the inhabitants of the earth. To be sure, this passage is a difficult one to read and contemplate, yet even as we see God’s judgments, we recognize God’s loving and gracious invitation to receive his mercy, to repent and turn to Him.
