The Trumpets

Note that when Satan is “cast out” of the heavenly dimension, he comes with “a third of the stars of heaven.” These are his angelic host. These are the angels under his authority. This is where the allegorical language of the first trumpet must be understood. “A third” refers to that which is under the command of the devil! This judgment, and the trumpets that immediately follow, are all being poured out on the people linked with Satan, the ten-kingdom federation, and any allies they may have. This is where the Antichrist reigns, the one who the Red Dragon gave his power to.

• Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (Revelation 13:1, 2)

What is clear then from the first trumpet, and the following three trumpets, is that these judgments are being meted out upon the Satanic kingdom as a means for the whole world to make a distinction between God’s people and the devil’s. This is precisely what God did in Egypt. We know history is cyclical, but pattern is a defining characteristic of Bible prophecy.

It has been suggested that the hail and fire (caused by lighting), which brings some death to men but is mostly going after their agriculture, may result because of men interfering with the weather with such problematic things like “cloud seeding,” but I do not think so. The Scripture clearly says this is coming from Heaven. As with Egypt, this is all the doing of the Lord. The intent is to get people to repent and turn from the evil of their ways.

The Second Trumpet

Up to the trumpets, the Antichrist’s kingdom has been operating with relative impunity against the followers of Christ as prophesied, but the trumpets signal God’s heavenly response as terror and death are poured out upon his kingdom expressly. The second trumpet continues and expands upon the damage done by the first. 

• Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. (Revelation 8:8,9)

As with the first trumpet, this judgment is directed at the kingdom of the Antichrist. This would indicate that the sea being referenced is most likely the Mediterranean Sea. What is the mountain that brings about this destruction? First, it is clearly allegorical since we are told that what is being said is “like a great mountain.” I would also note that this is NOT coming from heaven. The mountain is merely said to have been thrown into the sea. In Scripture, mountains refer to nations. 

• Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. (Isaiah 2:2)
• Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. (Revelation 17:9,10)

So, what appears to be happening is that a mighty nation is “cast into” the Mediterranean. The word here is ballō (bä’l-lo) and means “to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls; to scatter, to throw, cast into; to give over to one’s care uncertain about the result.” The intent is that this “mountain” scatters all over the sea, and this produces death and destruction as a result. It is my contention that this then might be a military, naval strike of some kind.

Considering that the Antichrist’s kingdom is dealing with war and chaos throughout the federation, and probably surrounding border countries, and that up to this point in the narrative, he has been unable to get to Israel, it makes sense that a military action involving Israel and its allies is what is being referenced here. It has already been argued that the United States is indeed defending Israel. The great nation who unleashes death, in the form of a great naval battle in the Mediterranean Sea, specifically against the Antichrist’s federation, is likely America in concert with its defense of Israel. Since the “mountain” is “thrown” into the sea, it could also signify a crushing defeat for the US naval powers here, that cripples our ability to protect Israel any longer.

The Third Trumpet

The sounding of the third trumpet brings a truly unique, and hard to explain, event into the narrative. 

• Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter. (Revelation 8:10,11)

It has already been established that “the starry hosts” reference demonic, spiritual forces. Throughout Revelation, stars are used interchangeably with angels. Using our methodological approach here, we will assume that is what is happening here as well. Hence, this is likely NOT an asteroid or a comet. There are many who believe that this is indeed what is referenced here—a cosmic death star that has been scheduled for this time to bring destruction upon the earth. I am not saying this will not be that for certain, only that it goes against the interpretative model we have used for the book. I think we should remain consistent.

Considering that stars are personified as angels and that this star is given a proper name (Wormwood) and that it comes from heaven (not the heavens), this is an angelic being sent to wreak specific and contained damage to the drinking water supply of the ten-kingdom federation. God did this in Egypt with the striking of the Red Sea (Exodus 7:14–21), and of course, the Lord sent the Angel of Death to kill all the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 12:29, 30). The connection to Egypt is further made in that whatever this is, it is temporary and seems to only last a specified time, just like when Moses’s rod turned the Red Sea into blood for three days. Once again, God’s people will be protected from this carnage. Before moving on to the fourth trumpet, I want to take a moment to distinguish the interpretation of the asteroid Apophis and the star Wormwood dealt with here. It is my contention that Apophis represents the coming of Satan to the earth as described in Revelation 12. In that chapter, Satan’s fall to the earth is described as a “sign” “in heaven.” This tells the reader right away that it’s an actual physical thing to look for in connection with the fall of “red dragon” to the earth. Apophis fits this perfectly. There are many today who argue that Wormwood could be this asteroid. It just doesn’t fit. Nothing in the description of the third trumpet tells us this “star” is anything but allegorical, a stand in for an angelic being. Unlike the heavenly sign of Revelation 12, Wormwood comes directly from the heavenly dimension to wreak havoc upon the physical world.

The Fourth Trumpet

The blast of the fourth trumpet brings darkness upon the kingdom of the Antichrist. 

• Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” (Revelation 8:12,13)

As with the earlier trumpets, this one is localized to the kingdom of the Antichrist. As God protected the nation of Israel from His judgments on Egypt, though they were in the midst of Egypt, so He will do here. We have already seen how many of the plagues of Egypt have a parallel occurrence in these trumpets so too with the darkness. 

• Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” So, Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. (Exodus 10:21–23)

Considering how the text reads and what happened in Egypt, I do not believe these are natural occurrences. It may be that there is a volcanic explosion, and I am extremely certain that a volcanic explosion of some kind in Italy may very well kick of the trumpets sounding, which will cause ash to block out the sun, or it may be that the horrible economic policies, coupled with the destruction of war, will lead to rolling blackouts or maybe even an eclipse. There isn’t one during this time; I checked. Yet none of these can explain what Scripture says is happening here. This is something done by the hand of God and is once more the Lord’s attempt to get people to turn to Him before the horrible and complete judgment of His wrath is poured out.

The fourth trumpet sounding brings in its wake the cry of an angel declaring that “woe” is about to be brought upon the earth with the sounding of the final three trumpets. Indeed, for the unrepentant, things are about to get much worse. 

The Fifth Trumpet

The final events of Daniel’s final week begin about a month in with the sounding of the fifth trumpet. This is the first “woe” upon the earth. 

• Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So, the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days, men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:1–11)

To anyone who reads this passage, it can elicit nothing but terror. A plague of demonic “locusts” is released upon the earth. From the language, this is not some natural phenomenon. A “star,” an angel, descends and opens the bottomless pit. This is hades, or Sheol in the Old Testament—the place of the dead. This army is led by the angel called the Destroyer. Some have surmised that these might be microscopic creatures, some sort of a virus or bacteria unleashed through chemical warfare.  

One major problem with that viewpoint is that these are only allowed to do damage for a selected time period by the Lord. They have a clock to operate under. This does not seem like a disease. However, it very well could be. One thing is clear: they are not designed to kill. Rather, they are designed to inflict intense pain and suffering. Considering all that has happened until now, this shows again that God is doing everything in His power NOT to destroy but to cause people to repent and turn to Him. He is not willing that anyone perish, but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). This is a comfort to me and should be to others as well. Even in this eleventh hour, God is trying to save people, not send them to everlasting destruction.

This is the first trumpet to NOT mention “a third.” Hence, it is my contention that this attack is global in nature. Some sort of supernaturally induced pandemic that makes people sick, but does not kill them, is released upon the earth. Notably exempt are believers. What a tremendous sign to those who do not believe! Only Christians, whether Jew or Gentile, will be unaffected by what is happening.

The sounding of this fifth trumpet begins in the second month and extends over most of the fourth month on the prophetic calendar. This entire time, the armies of the Antichrist have been unable to get to the nation of Israel. They have been sovereignly protected by the Lord. However, as we near the time of the end, I believe the lawless one will begin to assemble his troops with the design to take them on. By this time, he will have strengthened his power and might greatly, and nations are clearly taking sides.

I believe it very possible that this is the trumpet in which the invasion of Israel begins. I say this only because in the history of the nation of Israel, this month has been a time of great aggression by their enemies. The Six Day War (1967) and the advance of Israel’s enemies in 1948 both happened in this month. Israel won in both of those cases. If the prophetic and historic pattern holds, it makes sense that the final enemy of the Jews makes his move in this month.

In the history of the nation of Israel, the fourth month has always been a month of great sorrow. Specifically, it is in this month that the two great destructions that came on Jerusalem and the temple began with the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar and the Romans both broke into Jerusalem on the ninth and seventeenth of this month, respectively. It is very likely that, true to pattern, the Antichrist will do much the same thing at this time.

The Sixth Trumpet

With the sounding of the sixth trumpet, God ups the ante yet again to get people to turn to Him. This time though, many will die. 

• Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So, the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus, I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 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. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9:13–21)

From the imagery in the text, something clearly supernatural is going on. It is terrifying to think that there have been four demonic angelic beings kept bound at the Euphrates River, awaiting their set time to unleash hell on mankind. It is what the text says. This is a demonic host, like that unleashed in the previous trumpet, but this time, death is part of their mission. I honestly do not know what these are. They could be another virus or bacteria that follows on the heels of the previous one and is even more deadly. This may not be so simple because we are given the total number of the host, 200 million.

It has also been theorized that this is some sort of weapons system. That is a possibility as well. Either way, death is coming in their wake. But the means of death are called “plagues,” and this seems very literal in the context. Still, what sort of plagues kills by fire, and smoke, and brimstone?

The death toll here seems to be truly staggering because it says one third of mankind. Unlike the first four trumpets, which specifically said their events applied only to a one third of things, the context here is the full scope of mankind, and one third of them will be killed. Think logically. If it only applied to the Antichrist’s federation kingdom, that would kill all his people! That is obviously not what is happening here. If this “plague” is to kill one third of mankind, that will mean an incredible 2.26 billion people will be slain at this time! This is truly horrifying, but the worst is yet to come.

Even more terrifying than this plague is the fact that the majority of those who are left of the unbelieving world, who have not been slain, REFUSE to repent and turn to God. As this death and terror is unfolding around the globe with this plague, the Antichrist is pushing the advance against Israel.

A very compelling reason as to why this trumpet might be signifying a deadly disease is that given our timeline, this trumpet overlaps exactly with the final 2.5 months of the 5 months that the army of locusts unleashed by the fifth trumpet are inflicting their damage. Perhaps the plague described in the sixth trumpet is indeed a morphing of the original viral agent of the fifth trumpet into an agent of death here. This is all entirely speculative but intriguing to consider, especially when we get to discussing the mark of the beast.

Before the sounding of the seventh trumpet, John is given one last prophecy, which tastes like honey to his mouth but is bitter to his stomach. This is not a positive word for the world, yet it is one that he is instructed to give to the whole world (Revelation 10). It is the word of impending doom to the world that is soon to come. It is the same message that Noah preached. There is sweet deliverance for the believer, but the bitterness is in knowing that most will reject its truth. Preach we must though.

The Seventh Trumpet

After the two witnesses and their ministry are unveiled, the seventh trumpet sounds. 

• Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.” Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:15–19)

The blast of this LAST trumpet begins the unveiling of all mysteries and culminates in the Rapture of the bride of Christ. I say culminates because many things from the Jewish feasts, the stories of the Bible, and the mystery of the Gentiles will tie together here. There are several things that are revealed by this blast in these verses and in the next several chapters that show what is happening during this time.

First, once this trumpet sounds, the kingdom of Christ is declared as being at hand. The kingdoms of this world are ready to receive the authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Some think that this trumpet declares the immediate reign of Christ rather than the soon-coming reign. The Greek word used for “have become” is ginomai (ge’-no-mi). The tense here is a prolongation and middle-voice form of this primary verb which means “to be.” What is being said here is that Christ’s kingdom, which was already established in the past, has finally arrived at the point where it will finally take control of all other kingdoms. Yet there is no indication it happens at that second, and in fact, the context of what follows suggests the defeat of His enemies must come first.

The other thing that happens is that the temple of God in heaven, which has remained empty to this point in time, is finally opened. This is vital because this means the way is finally open for His people to enter in and worship in the true sanctuary of God before the real ark of the covenant. The seventh trumpet signals the true beginning of the most anticipated events of the Day of the Lord: the rapture of the Church! The prophet Joel prophesied in Joel 2:31 that the moon would turn to blood and the sun become dark “before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” The word for before there, is the Hebrew word pānîm (paw-neem’). This literally means to be on the face of, or upon something, hence the translation. These signs then are right on top of the day, or simultaneous to the Day of the Lord. If you refer to table 10 in the book, you see that the day after the seventh trumpet should be sounding on the earth, we are introduced to a Blood Moon that will appear. This moon will be a full, lunar eclipse that will entirely be seen from Israel. Hence, it will also be seen from the Antichrist kingdom. Even more incredible is that the eclipse begins right as the first day of that final trumpet sounding on earth is coming to a close. Remember, in Jewish time the days begin in the evening. So, the tenth day of the seventh month goes from the evening of October seventeenth to the evening of the eighteenth. As the last scant rays of the sun sink below the earth, in Israel, on the eighteenth, something known as astronomical twilight, the moon will begin immediately to go into eclipse! And this happens 6 days before the actual sounding of the seventh trumpet in Heaven, just as Joel prophesied.

If you look at the timeline, the seventh trumpet comes right after the end of the 1,260-day period, right after the slaying of the two witnesses. It is this time frame that the next chapters in Revelation address, leading to what to expect after that period is through. Revelation 12 reveals the war between Satan and Israel, both the nation and all believers in Christ (the spiritual Israel). Since he is prevented from hurting the nation for 1,260 days, he makes his war on Christians (believers) exclusively as has already been explained. This takes the reader to chapter 13 where a further explanation of the Antichrist and false prophet are set forth.