Six Trumpets of Unleavened Bread: God’s Trumpet Judgments
“Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
– James 4: 8-10
Revelation 8 & 9 – Feast: Unleavened Bread
Theme: God’s Cleansing Judgment on the leaven
The previous opening of the seals in Revelation 6 revealed the leaven of sin and unbelief introduced during six millennia of mankind’s history. Having digressed in chapter 7 to cover the theme of the feast of Firstfruits during the week of Unleavened Bread, the present two chapters return to this weeklong feast, describing the coming six trumpet judgments on the previously revealed leaven that permeates the earth at the end of the age.
The six trumpets of Revelation 8 & 9 judge the leaven of six millennia of sin and unbelief. Before this judgment can occur, the seventh seal is broken. Because the seventh millennium will be under the righteous reign of Christ and the saints, the opening of this seal is greeted with silence. No leaven is revealed, so there is will be no cleansing judgment on this millennium. Therefore, only the first six trumpets are needed to fulfill the feast of Unleavened Bread. These trumpet judgments are related to God’s creative work, with each trumpet cursing the blessing of one of the first six days of Creation. Because the purpose of God’s trumpet judgments is to bring mankind to repentance, they are partial in nature, affecting only a third part of God’s Creation.
Opinions about whether the six trumpet judgments are literal or symbolic have changed through the centuries. A literal interpretation of mountains and fiery stars falling to earth has generally been viewed as a remote possibility, even in modern times. However, the world’s opinion regarding the probability and results of encounters with cosmic objects was forever changed with the impact of the Shoemaker-Levy comet into Jupiter in 1994. A great deal was learned from observation of this collision, opening the eyes of the scientific community to the chain of events a comet strike would precipitate. Two worldwide programs now monitor the night skies 24-7 in an attempt to track and anticipate the threat of possible earth collisions with objects from space. NASA has even undertaken long-range missions designed to test the feasibility of intercepting and changing the direction of earthbound objects with nuclear weapons. The possibility that the trumpet judgments of Revelation may describe the consequences of an actual comet or asteroid strike can no longer be discounted.
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Revelation 8
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who are in the presence of God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood close to the altar, carrying a censer of gold; and abundance of incense was given to him that he might place it with the prayers of all God’s people upon the golden altar which was in front of the throne. And the smoke of the incense rose into the presence of God from the angel’s hand, and mingled with the prayers of His people. So the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and flung it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder, and voices, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made preparations for blowing them. The first blew his trumpet; and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, falling upon the earth; and a third part of the earth was burnt up, and a third part of the trees and all the green grass. The second angel blew his trumpet; and what seemed to be a great mountain, all ablaze with fire, was hurled into the sea; and a third part of the sea was turned into blood. And a third part of the creatures that were in the sea—those that had life—died; and a third part of the ships were destroyed. The third angel blew his trumpet; and there fell from Heaven a great star, which was on fire like a torch. It fell upon a third part of the rivers and upon the springs of water. The name of the star is ‘Wormwood;’ and a third part of the waters were turned into wormwood, and vast numbers of the people died from drinking the water, because it had become bitter. Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet; and a curse fell upon a third part of the sun, a third part of the moon, and a third part of the stars, so that a third part of them were darkened and for a third of the day, and also of the night, there was no light.
Then I looked, and I heard a solitary eagle crying in a loud voice, as it flew across the sky, “Alas, alas, alas, for the inhabitants of the earth, because of the significance of the remaining trumpets which the three angels are to blow!”
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Revelation 8 Commentary
v. 1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8 picks up where chapter six left off, with the Lamb unsealing the scroll. Since each seal covers approximately a thousand years of earth’s history, the seventh seal represents the millennial reign of Christ. All of heaven waits for any witnesses to come forward with evidence of leaven that can be charged to the seventh millennium. This is somewhat reminiscent of the part of a wedding ceremony when an opportunity is given for anyone to come forward with a reason why the marriage should not proceed. There is only silence because no charges can be brought against Christ and his bride.
Christ’s character was proven at his trial. The only admitted or proven charge was his own admission that he would be seated at the right hand of the Almighty and would return to earth on the clouds of heaven, a claim that will be proven true soon enough. As for the bride, the trials and tribulations that test and purify the believer’s faith in this life will have produced a blameless bride, above reproach, “without spot or wrinkle.”
It could be argued that because the seventh millennium has yet to take place, there is nothing to judge. However, Revelation is a primarily a thematic progression rather than a chronological one, and the character of Christ’s millennial reign is already known. Righteousness will cover the earth and iniquity will be quickly punished (Rev. 19:15).
v. 2-5 Then I saw the seven angels who are in the presence of God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood close to the altar, carrying a censer of gold; and abundance of incense was given to him that he might place it with the prayers of all God’s people upon the golden altar which was in front of the throne. And the smoke of the incense rose into the presence of God from the angel’s hand, and mingled with the prayers of His people. So the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and flung it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder, and voices, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
The golden altar of incense was placed in front of the heavy curtain that separated the sanctuary from the inner chamber of the Holy of Holies. Twice daily, the priest on duty would offer incense and prayer at this altar, interceding for the nation. All those in the vicinity of the temple were also called to pray. The time for God’s trumpet judgments has finally come, symbolized by thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. Each trumpet announces a partial cleansing judgment that will affect a third of creation. Partial cleansing judgment is always a call to repentance. The six trumpet judgments are a warning from the Lord for mankind to turn from the ways of the world and seek him before final judgment falls.
v. 6-7 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made preparations for blowing them. The first blew his trumpet; and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, falling upon the earth; and a third part of the earth was burnt up, and a third part of the trees and all the green grass. The first day God created light and divided the light from darkness. The first trumpet curses this division, bringing the two extremes associated with light and darkness together in judgment. The fiery heat of light and the intense cold of darkness are combined into the contradictory elements of fire and ice, falling on the earth as instrument of injury and destruction.
If the earth’s orbit passed closely enough across the path of an inbound comet, this would subject the planet to a shower of fire and ice that would cover a third of the planet, given the earth’s rotation. The notation of the fiery hail being “mixed with blood” could describe a toxic substance that poisons the earth’s waters, as announced by the second and third trumpets. It might also be a symbolic description of the injury resulting from being struck by one of these objects.
v. 8-9 The second angel blew his trumpet; and what seemed to be a great mountain, all ablaze with fire, was hurled into the sea; and a third part of the sea was turned into blood. And a third part of the creatures that were in the sea—those that had life—died; and a third part of the ships were destroyed. On the second day God made the seas; the second trumpet curses them. It brings an impact of a ‘fiery mountain’ that results in some kind of contamination that causes death to a third of sea life. This could occur with the destruction of nuclear reactors that release large amounts of radioactive pollution into the ocean. Or it could happen as a result of the introduction of some toxic substance. The destruction of a third of the ships could result from the huge tsunami that would follow the impact of a large asteroid or comet into the ocean. One might question why God’s cleansing judgments would result in greater pollution. The answer is that judgment always involves destruction in some form. It is only in the fires of tribulation that a rebellious world can be called to repentance. It is better to come to repentance and find spiritual salvation in a world scarred by judgment than to continue in sin.
v. 10-11 The third angel blew his trumpet; and there fell from Heaven a great star, which was on fire like a torch. It fell upon a third part of the rivers and upon the springs of water. The name of the star is ‘Wormwood;’ and a third part of the waters were turned into wormwood, and vast numbers of the people died from drinking the water, because it had become bitter.
The third day God separated land from the water and clothed it with plants and trees. Implicit in this description is the formation of streams that were necessary to give life to the land and allow vegetation to grow. Judgment now falls on the streams of water that perpetuate the life of the land. The question is whether the blazing mountain of the second trumpet and the fiery star of this one involve two separate space objects or just one. Due to mathematical probabilities, it is more likely that John is seeing events resulting from a comet’s collision with the earth. His description closely matches the results of the impact of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet into Jupiter in 1994. The planet’s gravitational field caused it to break up into numerous large and small pieces well before it entered the atmosphere. The blazing mountain announced by the second trumpet would likely be the largest piece, while the third trumpet accurately describes the continental impact of numerous smaller pieces of a single comet as it breaks apart.
The name Wormwood means bitterness, which implies the work of some kind of pollution or poison, perhaps even a virus. People will sicken and die from drinking the water polluted by this star. The obvious question on reading this passage is how this might occur. A comet’s impact into nuclear biological, or chemical storage facilities could release enough pollution into the atmosphere to affect large areas of earth’s lakes and streams for years afterward. Another possibility is toxic pollution from the comet itself. There is recent scientific support for the theory of space borne viruses that can sicken and kill over large areas of the planet.
Recent analysis of the influenza of 1918 that killed 50 million people worldwide indicates that the virus may actually have come from space. The flu struck simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean as well as in numerous remote villages along the coastline of Alaska, although there had been no opportunity for anyone to travel between them to carry the virus from one village to the next. Given the lack of air travel between continents in 1918, this simultaneous global outbreak could be explained by a virus coming from space.
With the recent global interest and research on avian flu, it is now believed that these viruses may actually exist. It has been suggested that they enter earth’s atmosphere with the increased solar wind during active sunspot cycles. Researchers theorize that birds may be the initial contractors and carriers of space borne viruses circulating in the atmosphere. As our scientific knowledge increases, the idea of a comet carrying a fatal disease from space is becoming more plausible. This theory is consistent with the belief held by some scientists that life on earth got its start from a planetary impact carrying space borne bacteria.
v. 12 Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet; and a curse fell upon a third part of the sun, a third part of the moon, and a third part of the stars, so that a third part of them were darkened and for a third of the day, and also of the night, there was no light. The fourth day God created the sun, moon and stars that served as “signs to mark seasons and days.” (Gen. 1:14) This trumpet judgment on the sun, moon, and stars removes any doubt that these trumpet judgments are a curse on the blessings of the six days of creation.
Some expositors interpret the fourth trumpet events to mean that the light from these bodies will be cut by one third, which might result from the atmosphere becoming occluded by volcanic eruptions. Others theorize that the actual length of the day and night are cut by a third. This latter scenario could result if the earth’s rotation were increased by 30 percent from a massive object striking the planet. Astronomers discount this possibility, calculating that a direct strike by an object of such great magnitude would wipe out all life on earth.
Even a relatively small comet striking the earth could result in earthquakes and a significant increase in volcanic activity that would block the light of the sun, moon and stars for an extended period. History records that the ash from previous volcanic eruptions such as the Krakatau (Krakatoa) eruption in 1883 was responsible for several weeks of darkened skies thousands of miles from the volcano itself. The dust and ash that circled the planet was believed to be the reason for a worldwide drop in mean temperatures that lasted five years and cut crop production. It is possible that a comet strike would result in a Mammoth volcanic eruption, causing similar global atmospheric pollution and a significant decrease in the intensity of light reaching the earth. Such an event would be consistent with the darkness that covers the earth with the fifth trumpet.
v. 13 Then I looked, and I heard a solitary eagle crying in a loud voice, as it flew across the sky, “Alas, alas, alas, for the inhabitants of the earth, because of the significance of the remaining trumpets which the three angels are about to blow!” Although an eagle’s wings can signify deliverance, in the Jewish culture the eagle itself was considered a vulture. The eagle flying in midair with its proclamation of coming woe is a familiar Scriptural symbol, implying a severe judgment resulting in unburied corpses. This same omen is found in Hosea’s warning: “Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law.” (Hos. 8:1) The eagle’s pronouncement of coming woe means that the remaining three trumpet judgments of God will be directed specifically at mankind.
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Revelation 9
The fifth angel blew his trumpet; and I saw a Star which had fallen from Heaven to the earth; and to him was given the key of the depths of the bottomless pit, and he opened the depths of the bottomless pit. And smoke came up out of the pit resembling the smoke of a vast furnace, so that the sun was darkened, and the air also, by reason of the smoke of the pit. And from the midst of the smoke there came locusts on to the earth, and power was given to them resembling the power which earthly scorpions possess. And they were forbidden to injure the herbage of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree. They were only to injure human beings—those who have not the seal of God on their foreheads. Their mission was not to kill, but to cause awful agony for five months; and this agony was like that which a scorpion inflicts when it stings a man. And at that time people will seek death, but will by no possibility find it, and will long to die, but death evades them.
The appearance of the locusts was like that of horses equipped for war. On their heads they had wreaths which looked like gold. Their faces seemed human and they had hair like women’s hair, but their teeth resembled those of lions. They had breast-plates which seemed to be made of steel; and the noise caused by their wings was like that of a vast number of horses and chariots hurrying into battle. They had tails like those of scorpions, and also stings; and in their tails lay their power of injuring mankind for five months. The locusts had a king over them—the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is ‘Abaddon,’ while in the Greek he is called ‘Apollyon.’
The first woe is past; two other woes have still to come. The sixth angel blew his trumpet; and I heard a single voice speaking from among the horns of the golden incense altar which is in the presence of God. It said to the sixth angel—the angel who had the trumpet, “Set at liberty the four angels who are prisoners near the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept in readiness for that hour, day, month, and year, were set at liberty, so that they might kill a third part of mankind. The number of the cavalry was two hundred millions; I heard their number.
And this was the appearance of the horses which I saw in my vision—and of their riders. The body-armor of the riders was red, blue and yellow; and the horses’ heads were shaped like the heads of lions, while from their mouths there came fire and smoke and sulphur. By these three plagues a third part of mankind were destroyed—by the fire and the smoke, and by the sulphur which came from their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails being like serpents, and having heads, and it is with them that they inflict injury.
But the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not even then repent and leave the things they had made, so as to cease worshipping the demons, and the idols of gold and silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear, nor move. Nor did they repent of their murders, their practice of magic, their fornication, or their thefts.
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Revelation 9 Commentary
v. 1-2 The fifth angel blew his trumpet; and I saw a Star which had fallen from Heaven to the earth; and to him was given the key of the depths of the bottomless pit [Abyss], and he opened the depths of the bottomless pit. And smoke came up out of the pit resembling the smoke of a vast furnace, so that the sun was darkened, and the air also, by reason of the smoke of the pit. This star is not a flaming object like the star of the third trumpet, but is personified as a spiritual being who is allowed to open the Abyss. Due to the negative spiritual implication of having ‘fallen” from heaven to earth, this is not a ‘good’ angel. The dark smoke that covers the earth conveys an end times’ demonic oppression as well as actual smoke.
v. 3-6 And from the midst of the smoke there came locusts on to the earth, and power was given to them resembling the power which earthly scorpions possess. And they were forbidden to injure the herbage of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree. They were only to injure human beings—those who have not the seal of God on their foreheads. Their mission was not to kill, but to cause awful agony for five months; and this agony was like that which a scorpion inflicts when it stings a man. And at that time people will seek death, but will by no possibility find it, and will long to die, but death evades them.
The fifth trumpet continues with the theme of judging the earth according to the days of Creation. On the fifth day, God created fish to fill the depths of the earth, and birds to grace the heights of the sky. When the fifth trumpet sounds, dark smoke and flying insects are released to torment mankind: a dual plague that rises from the depths of the earth and curses the heights of the sky. Examining this subject more closely, the Hebrew word ofe translated here as ‘bird’ literally denotes “a winged creature.” According to the fossil record, the first winged creatures to appear on earth were actually insects, not birds.
Locusts are creatures of destruction. They gather when conditions bring females together at a common location to produce offspring. They swarm by the billions, flying at great heights; they have even been known to interfere with commercial jetliners. When they descend they completely strip crops over large areas of land. Rather than destroying crops, these locusts attack people instead. Due to their small size and great number, the effect would be similar to being stung by a swarm of killer bees. The text is not clear whether the locusts continue to attack mankind for five months or if, once stung, the torment of the sting lasts that long. The former scenario is probably the better one, as locusts generally have an adult life cycle of a few months.
Although those sealed by God would be the first target of a demonic attack, the locust’s stings are limited to those who have not been sealed by God. Although this sounds like a direct reference to the 144,000, the Holy Spirit has sealed all believers (2Cor. 1:22), so all of God’s people are protected from this attack. As with the ten Egyptian plagues, God does not allow his chosen ones to experience all of his trumpet judgments. This may be a partial fulfillment of Jesus’ remark: “Be always on the watch and pray that you may be able (counted worthy – KJV) to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Lk. 21:36)
v. 7-11 The appearance of the locusts was like that of horses equipped for war. On their heads they had wreaths which looked like gold. Their faces seemed human and they had hair like women’s hair, but their teeth resembled those of lions. They had breast-plates which seemed to be made of steel; and the noise caused by their wings was like that of a vast number of horses and chariots hurrying into battle. They had tails like those of scorpions, and also stings; and in their tails lay their power of injuring mankind for five months. The locusts had a king over them—the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is ‘Abaddon,’ while in the Greek he is called ‘Apollyon.’
John paints these locusts as an army of winged, longhaired, lion toothed, scorpion tailed insects. Throughout church history, this imagery has been interpreted as being symbolic. The specific interpretation has depended on the age in which it was made. In the late middle ages, the locusts were believed to represent Moslem invaders sweeping across Europe, not an unrealistic threat at the time. Today, some believe that John’s description of these locusts is an elaborate depiction of some type of airborne biological or chemical agent that results in five months of agonizing pain. Whatever the locusts represent, the symbolism is consistent with the portrayal of Apollo, the destroyer who is described in Greek mythology as using pestilence, poison and even locusts to accomplish destruction.
A symbolic interpretation may be easier to accept than a literal one. If this passage does describe literal hordes of locusts, they are not your garden-variety insect. Unlike ordinary locusts (or even viruses) that move with the prevailing winds, these locusts are described as being subject to the control of Apollo, the destroying angel of the Abyss. These creatures are apparently animated or at least controlled by a demonic force. If the demons that Jesus cast out from the Gerasene man were able to enter into a herd of pigs and direct their course (Lk. 8:33), then it is plausible that legions of demons could direct the course of these creatures. The only thing that would be up for speculation is the cause of their odd appearance. Ongoing genetic experiments are currently attempting to create just such chimeras containing the combined genetic makeup of two or more insect classes or even phyla.
v. 12 The first woe is past; two other woes have still to come. This is a reference to the pronouncement of the eagle in Rev. 8: 13 that three more woes would be unleashed on mankind with the sounding of the last three trumpets. While the first four trumpets fell on the earth with indirect consequences for mankind, the last three trumpets are directed specifically at man, with indirect consequences for the earth. The implication appears to be that each woe is worse than the preceding one.
v. 13-16 The sixth angel blew his trumpet; and I heard a single voice speaking from among the horns of the golden incense altar which is in the presence of God. It said to the sixth angel—the angel who had the trumpet, “Set at liberty the four angels who are prisoners near the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept in readiness for that hour, day, month, and year, were set at liberty, so that they might kill a third part of mankind. The number of the cavalry was two hundred millions; I heard their number. The sixth day God created man to be the crowning glory of his Creation, giving him a home in Eden near the source of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This is where Adam sinned, and near where Cain slew Abel. It is also in the general vicinity where Nimrod raised his tower in defiance of God, the same location in which the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Alexander the Great would establish the capital city of their empires.
These are the same four angels encountered in Revelation 7, whose job it was to loose the winds of violence and destruction on the earth. It is likely that they were imprisoned at this location when God destroyed the earth in the great Flood. When they are released, they do not need to be given any further commands. Given their malevolent nature, their actions will have been planned for a long time. Under the direction of the Dragon, they will resume their previous crime of stirring up the people of the earth to violence and bloodshed.
The great conflict that follows the release of these four dark angelic beings will involve several different alliances of nations, including a “cavalry” 200 million strong. This is an almost unbelievable claim in light of the fact that the US boasts a standing army of less than a million men. However, the pieces are already in place. In the year 2000, China announced that it could field an army of two hundred million men, declaring that it was working to become a world power that would one day challenge the United States. This is no idle boast. Military engineers have been working for a decade on the reconstruction of the Chinese portion of the Old Silk Road traversed by Marco Polo in the 13th Century, leading to the heart of the Middle East.
v. 17-19 And this was the appearance of the horses which I saw in my vision—and of their riders. The body-armor of the riders was red, blue and yellow; and the horses’ heads were shaped like the heads of lions, while from their mouths there came fire and smoke and sulphur. By these three plagues a third part of mankind were destroyed—by the fire and the smoke, and by the sulphur which came from their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails being like serpents, and having heads, and it is with them that they inflict injury.
The horses and their riders are an apt first century description of modern mechanized cavalry, i.e., tanks and armored personnel carriers. Unlike first century conflict of armies that resulted in the cuts and slashes of personal combat, John’s description of fire, smoke, and sulfur characterizes modern warfare. It is possible that the colors red, blue, and yellow identify countries or national blocs, symbolized by their flags: Red could be identified with China and blue with NATO, the two opposing continental powers likely to come into conflict over events in the Middle East.
v. 20-21 But the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not even then repent and leave the things they had made, so as to cease worshipping the demons, and the idols of gold and silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear, nor move. Nor did they repent of their murders, their practice of magic, their fornication, or their thefts. There is still time for repentance and salvation, even after the great war of the sixth trumpet. However, like Pharaoh, people’s hearts will be hardened towards God. Love for others will have grown cold and people will turn away from their Creator. Mankind will continue to follow the passions of its lower nature and its idols despite God’s cleansing trumpet judgments.
Revelation 8 - 9
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