A Journey through Revelation, Part 23: The Fifth Trumpet, The Bottomless Pit

 

Revelation 9:1-12 

 

Introduction

Revelation 9 records the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments:  the first two "woes" that the eagle spoke of in 8:13.

 

The first four trumpet judgments had brought disaster upon nature:  the earth, trees, grass, sea, and rivers. 

 

With the fifth and sixth trumpets, demons are sent to attack the people of the earth and torment them.

 

Strangely enough, it appears that the demonic forces will destroy their own worshipers. They will be sent to torment those who don’t have the seal of God.

 

v.1, “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.”

·     The fifth trumpet is very specific and independent of the sixth and seventh.

 

·     The description of fifth trumpet falls into two parts:

o   The effect of the locusts in vv.1-6.

o   The characteristics of the locusts vv.7-12.

 

First, The Impact of the Locusts:

·     With the sounding of the fifth trumpet, John sees another “fallen star”:

o   This “star” is different from those under the sixth seal and the third trumpet.

o   This “star” receives and uses “the key of the bottomless pit.”

o   This tells us this is an intelligent being, not a meteor.

 

·     There are many interpretation of who this intelligent being is:

o   Some say this “star” could be any number of persons throughout history.

o   Some believe that this is the antichrist, but there is very little supporting evidence.

o   Some believe that this could be Mohammed or another false prophet:

§  But that would mean that this man had a heavenly origin.

 

·     Conservative scholars believe this could only be an angel, sent by God.

 

·     Some have argued that this must be either Satan or an unidentified evil angel:

o   But in the greater context of Revelation, this “star” must be an angel, sent from heaven on a Divine mission to move to the next stage of judgments.

 

·     Where did this “key” come from?

o   God has to give it to him for use on this special occasion, “the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.”

 

·     The term "abyss" comes from two Greek words, a-bythos. The “a” in front makes this a negative. And bythos, which means “depth.” Used together, it means, without depth, or “bottomless”:

o   Here, it’s a picture of a subterranean cavern connected to the earth's surface by a "shaft" or literally a deep well, whose opening has a secured lid of some type. 

o   Its inhabitants include the demonic prince of 9:11 and the beast from the abyss, mentioned in 11:7 and 17:8, which we’ll see later in our study.

 

v.2, “And he opened the bottomless pit; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit”:

·     The angel proceeds with his mission of releasing those who are held captive in the abyss:

o   The angel uses the key to unlock the shaft that leads to the underground chamber.

 

·     When he did so, smoke rose from the shaft as from an erupting volcano, but this was no volcano:

o   This was literal smoke that John saw, not a figurative representation of deceptions and errors sent forth by Satan, as some believe. 

o   Remember, we take the words in their plain sense unless told otherwise.

 

·     In Revelation, we’ve seen smoke related to holy thanks in 8:4:

o   But most of the time it’s in connection with judgment, doom, and torment.

o   The smoke is a reminder of Divine judgment at Sodom (Gen. 19:28), and Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:18). 

o   The volume of smoke compares to that produced by a large smelting furnace, used for purifying metals. 

o   The volume of smoke is so great that it darkens the light of the sun and the air.

 

v.3, “And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power”:

·     From the cloud of smoke comes a swarm of locusts.

 

·     Some believe that this trumpet resembles the eighth Egyptian plague in Ex. 10:12-20, but these locusts are not ordinary locusts:

o   They have a leader, unlike the locusts of the earth.

o   And unlike regular locusts, their power to hurt is in their scorpion-like tails. 

o   These locusts are different and we need establish their identity.

 

·     It’s important for us to see that the passage contains no hint of symbolism:

o   Ordinary locusts don’t breed in the center of the earth, which is where these locusts come from.

o   These locusts do not eat grass like regular ones. So, they’re not like the locusts of the eighth Egyptian plague.

 

·     The text favors the identification of these locusts as demons, or fallen angels, who assume a locust-like form:

o   They have an angel as their leader (9:11).

o   They come from the abyss where evil spirits are held captive.

o   That they attack men, rather than consuming green vegetation, which points to their demonic nature.

o   They have a form such as no human being has ever seen.

o   The ability of demons to assume an assortment of material forms will be shown later Rev. 16:13, where three demons appear as frogs.

 

·     What comes out of the abyss to afflict rebellious mankind is a band of supernatural creatures intent on spreading as much misery as possible:

o   Remember, it’s only God’s Divine permission that gives them the stinging power of scorpions’ tails to afflict their agony.

 

v.4, “And they were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads”:

·     The locusts have strict limitations:  they are not to hurt any green thing or tree.

 

·     The one giving them these restrictions isn’t named, but we can be pretty certain that it’s God Himself.  Why?

o   Because God exercises sovereign control over all the judgments.

o   The demons can go only as far as He permits (remember Job?).

o   In this case, men, not the earth, are the direct object of judgment.

 

·     Ironically, it’s a group of people in rebellion against God who are victims of demons who themselves are in rebellion against God:

o   We would think that they should have formed an alliance with one another.

o   The demons may not afflict all humans, however, only "such ones as do not have the seal of god upon their foreheads."

o   Those whose foreheads lack the seal of God will receive the torment.

o   Those with the seal, the ones granted earlier to 144,000 in 7:4-8, are secure against this physical pain and those who have received Christ in that day. 

o   Just as Israel, while in Egypt, escaped the plagues that punished the Egyptians, the servants of God will be exempt from the attack of the locusts.

 

v.5, “And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man”:

·     The demons receive further limitations here in v.5:

o   They have permission to torment, but not to kill. 

o   If you remember, under the third trumpet, wormwood, death was possible, but not here.

 

·     The Greek word, “basanizo,” means torment or pain, either physical, mental:

o   The duration of the torment is five months.

o   This corresponds to the normal season of ordinary locusts, beginning in May and extending through September.

 

·     Most views search for a hidden or figurative meaning:

o   Some believe that this signifies an indefinite long period of time.

o   Some see a hint to a limited or brief period of time. 

o   Some understand the five months figuratively with no real reference to time.

o   But, again, there is no indication in the text that this is to be taken in a non-literal way.

 

·     Accepting the text’s plain meaning is perfectly fine:

o   There is no good reason for changing the normal meaning of the time reference.

·     Some object that normal locusts don’t remain stationary and don’t wreak havoc continuously for the stated length of time. But that’s not a valid argument:

o   The torment of this plague could be intermittent and can move from place to place too.

o   Ultimately, this judgment is designed and sent from God Himself.

 

·     Such torture may be offensive to some modern minds but this is a Divinely appointed method of punishing sin.

 

v.6, “And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die and death flees from them”:

·     The painfulness of the scorpion’s sting brings men to desperation.

 

·     The words "and in those days, men will seek" mark a change of style from a witness of visions to a prophet predicting the future:

o   John has been a reporter, but now he switches to be a direct conduit of the Spirit.

o   "in those days," that is, in the five-month period.

 

·     Hopefully, the scorpions’ sting would bring repentance, but instead it evokes a desire for death.

 

·     Physical pain, not depression, is the reason for them seeking death, but death will escape them:

o   Their reason for wanting to die is quite different from Paul's desire to die, so as to be with Christ and Phil.  1:23.

o   This is to escape the misery on this side of death.

o   For Christian's death is gain because of what is on the other side of death, eternal life with Jesus our Savior!

 

·     The meaning of "will flee" emphasizes the elusiveness of death:

o   Death will not just be hard to find, it will run away from those trying to catch it.

 

v.7, “And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads, as it were, crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.”

·     In his description of the locusts, John uses the words "as" and "like" nine times to convey a picture of the demonic locusts:

o   He begins with the head and moves progressively toward the tail of the creatures.

 

·     Broadly speaking, there are three views of what the locusts are:

o   A natural swarm of locusts.

o   A picture of an army of men.

o   Or a representation of the demonic locusts, which will torture men for five months.

 

·     Viewing these as demonic locusts is best because it partially explains the unusual features of the locusts:

o   They're like locusts, but their supernaturalness adds a degree of horror to their appearance.

o   The resemblance between actual locusts, and horses, (particularly those wearing armor), is the description behind the words "similar to horses prepared for battle”:

 

§  There is no reason to think that John had in mind the mythical monsters called “centaurs,” whose upper bodies were like human beings or parts like horses.

 

·     The creatures also had something like gold crowns on their heads:

o   Symbolic meanings of these have included:

§  The yellow tipped antlers of a natural locus.

§  The gold turbans of the Muslim hordes.

§  The bronze helmets of the Roman legionnaires.

§  And a feature distinctive only to these demonic locusts.

 

·     It's best to see these gold crowns as a feature distinctive only to these demonic locusts, where the crown represents success to be enjoyed by them throughout the five-months of torture.

 

·     Their victory is implied from the Greek word, “stephanos,” means a “crown" or "wreath."

 

·     That their faces “were as faces a men” suggests these creatures have intelligence like human beings, not just that of insects:

o   Because of this comparison, some have concluded they are literal men,

o   But the whole imagery goes against the picture of men afflicting other men.

 

·     These creatures are not a product of nature, but are creatures of demonic evil.

 

v.8, “And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions”:

·     v.8 adds two more attributes of locusts appearance:

o   They had hair “like the hair of women,” and their teeth were “like those of lions.”

 

·     Some see this “hair” as their antenna:

o   The reason why the “hair” of the creatures cannot refer to antenna is that antennas can hardly be called hair.

o   This must be another feature that differentiates these creatures from natural insects.

o   It also adds to the hideousness of this demonic army.

 

·     Ordinary locusts had teeth, but not like the powerful teeth of these creatures:

o   These lion-like teeth symbolize fierceness.

o   Yet, in spite of their fierceness, these demons do not tear their victims apart.

 

v.9, “And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle”:

·     Two additional characteristics resemble Roman soldiers on the battlefield:

o   One was their iron breastplates:

§  The material of which it was made, iron, suggests of the invincibility of these demonic locusts.

 

o   The other battlefield resemblance lies in the sound made by the wings of these demonic locusts:

§  The loud rushing sound of the swarm creates a terrible psychological problem that implies the hopelessness of resisting them.

§  The prophet Joel compares the noise of locusts’ wings to the sound of chariot wheels and hoof-beat of horses moving swiftly to battle (Joel 2:4-5).

 

v.10, “And they have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months”:

·     As awesome to the eye and ear as these locusts are, it’s their tails that cause all the damage:

o   The power to inflict torture lies in their scorpion-like tails with sting's:

§  Which are not found on normal locusts.

 

o   The Greek word, “kentron,” translated as "stings," comes from the word meaning "I prick" or “I sting."

o   What was referred to as torment in v.5, becomes the power to hurt in v.10 for five months.

 

v.11, “They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon”:

·     Another characteristic of this swarm of locusts is that they have a leader: 

o   Yet another indication that these are no ordinary locusts.

 

·     They have over them, the angel of the abyss as king, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek he has the name Apollyon:

o   “Abaddon,” in Hebrew means destruction.

 

o   “Apollyon,” in Greek means destroyer.

 

·     These locusts resemble an advancing army with a commander to coordinate the battle plan:

o   Some see this king as a symbol of John’s imagination. But the text gives the leader a name (two, in fact):  Abaddon and Apollyon: 

§  The text calls him “an angel”.

§  The text assigns him a role as “king” of the demonic locusts. 

§  We can’t just disregard him as part of John’s imagination because there’s no evidence for that.

 

·     Another idea is that he is Satan:

o   But nowhere does Satan have a connection with the abyss until he is cast into it later in Revelation 20:1-3.

 

·     Our best interpretation is that this king is an unknown fallen angel, who, appears to be in charge of the abyss:

o   Satan has leaders and sub-leaders under his command. So this could easily be one of those sub-leaders.

o   The angel’s title of “king” insures that the locusts will obey his orders.

 

·     So it appears that this is a fallen angel whose name and responsibility are revealed to us.

 

v.12, “The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things”:

·     With the completion of the fifth trumpet, the announcement of the completion of the first woe and anticipation of the remaining two are in order.

 

·     Mankind will welcome the passing of the first woe, but it’s too soon to breathe a sigh of relief, as two more judgments are yet to come.

 

·     When John writes "has passed", he means in this future time of fulfillment:

o   This “woe” had not been completed at the time Revelation was written.

o   Remember, John is now writing prophecy, future events that have not happened yet.

 

·     The second “woe” of 8:13, the sixth trumpet, starts at the end of this announcement:

o   It continues until Revelation 11:14, with another angel, a little book and the two witnesses.

o   This all takes place in 10:1 -11:13.

 

·     We’ll take a look at these passages in the next article.

 

May the Lord bless you and keep you as you continue to grow in His grace and truth.

 

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Journey through Revelation, Part 22: The Trumpet Judgments 1-4

Revelation 8:7-13 

In this article, we will look at the first four trumpet judgments. Let’s start with an introduction so we can get some context in place.

 

Introduction:

There are seven trumpet judgments:

·     Trumpets were used throughout the history of Israel at Mount Sinai:

o   To call the entire nation to the mountain of God to receive the Ten Commandments.

o   To call the nation or leaders to the tabernacle.

o   To call the nation to war, special feasts, or ceremonial processions.

o   To announce the “Day of the Lord.”

 

·     The purpose of the trumpets of Revelation 8, however, is different in three ways:

o   1.  They will be given to the angels to announce calamity.

o   2.  These trumpets will relate to the breaking of the seventh seal.

o   3.  These trumpet blasts will not expect anyone to respond. Instead, they will introduce what God will send on the earth.

 

·     The first four trumpets affect natural objects:  the earth, trees, grass, sea, and rivers. 

 

·     The fifth and sixth trumpets (which we’ll look at a later date) are more specifically aimed at mankind:

o   And unlike the first four, which are connected and interdependent, the last two are separate and independent. 

 

·     The first four have only an indirect effect on mankind, which we’ll see in this article. 

 

·     Then, in v.13, the voice of the eagle separates the trumpets into two distinct groups:

o   The first four and then the fifth and the sixth together.

o   The seventh trumpet is blown later in chapter 11.

 

·     God’s people, believers, are not the objects of these judgments. Rather, it’s a world that’s completely hostile toward God.

 

·     The ultimate goal of these judgments is to lead unbelievers to repentance:

o   Some will respond and, sadly, some will not.

 

·     The judgments that are about to begin are those that were held back in 7:3 until the servants of God were sealed.

 

 

The Trumpets Judgments:  1-4

v.7, “And the first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”

·     First trumpet brings judgment in the form of "hail and fire mixed with blood."

 

·     The similarity to the seventh Egyptian plague (Ex. 9:23-27) – which spared the Israelites – is pretty clear, except here the blood is added.

 

·     Once again, we have the issue of how to interpret John’s words – literally or symbolically:

o   How we interpret these words will tell us how bad these trumpet judgments will be.

 

·     To interpret these words symbolically, one has to avoid any realism in this vision:

o   Some would say that the events described here by John cannot be taken as literal.

o   Some would suggest that this is simply the nature of apocalyptic, or end times literature:

Ø  Therefore, they lean toward a symbolic interpretation.

 

·     One of the problems with symbolic interpretation is that it leads to an endless number of contradictions:

o   For instance, they would say that the earth, grass, and trees are symbols for nations and men in the first trumpet. 

o   As we’ve said before, the problem with symbolic interpretation is whose symbols are right?

o   Only Scripture itself can justify a symbolic understanding by its own words, and that’s not the case here.

 

·     A literal interpretation of the judgments is always better than the unscriptural explanation given by some who want to spiritualize the text.

 

·     The casting of the hail and fire mixed with blood has a three results:

o   A third part of the earth is burned up.

o   A third part of the trees will be burned up.

o   And all green grass is burned up.

 

·     The destructive part of this plague is the fire:

o   It will burn up a significant portion of earth's vegetation.

o   By contrast, it was the hail in the Egyptian plague that brought the destruction of vegetation (Ex. 9:25).

 

·     The first thing destroyed is the soil on earth's surface, a third of which was burned up:

o   No soil, no planting; no planting, no food!

 

·     The second thing destroyed is a third of the trees:

o   Fruit trees, in particular, were important to life in Israel and in Asia Minor. 

o   No trees, no oxygen; no trees, no fruit; no fruit, no food!

o   No olive trees means no olive oil, which is a very important food staple in the Middle Eastern culture.

 

·     The third thing to be burned is "all the green grass":

o   This phrase poses a bit of a problem because grass is still around when the fifth trumpet sounds in 9:4.

 

·     However, two things help to resolve this problem:

o   First, a time lapse between the first and fifth trumpets allows time for grass to grow again after the burning, but before the fifth trumpet sounds.

 

o   Second, in most parts of the earth, grass is not green all year-round; it’s seasonal. 

 

o   Therefore, the burning of all the grass that’s green during a particular season would leave other grass untouched.

 

o   Whether the affected portion was one third or some other percentage, the text does not say. The text simply says "all" the green grass at the time of this judgment.

 

o   Either of these two explanations allows us to take the "all" in its literal sense without contradicting v.4 of chapter 9.

 

o   One more thing:  with the grass gone the livestock in that area would die leaving them with no meat

 

v.8, “And 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”:

·     As you can imagine, opinions regarding the actual meaning of "something like a great mountain burning with fire" run the gamut of interpretations.

 

·     A majority fall into three groups:

o   The first opinion sees the mountain as representative of spiritual Babylon, or some other great kingdom:

Ø  But there’s no Scriptural support for this.

Ø  That’s the problem with not taking the words in their normal and plain sense.

 

o   A second opinion tries to connect the fall of the mountain-like object with local volcanic activity:

Ø  But this explanation also fails because it was not something from the great mountain, but it’s the great mountain itself that falls into the sea.

 

o   The third, and more literal explanation, takes the mountain-like image to be a meteor ablaze with fire due to entering earth’s atmosphere:

Ø  This allows for the use of the word "like," (a simile).

Ø  This great mountain falls into the category of the stars falling from heaven that we saw during the sixth seal.

Ø  This literal interpretation allows for the figurative language, “… it was like a great mountain,” because the text itself indicates it to be figurative.

 

• Next, we’ll consider "the sea." The Greek word is thalassa, which literally means, all bodies of water:

o   The burning mountain-like mass is thrown is the sea as a whole, not just the Mediterranean sea:

Ø  The result was "a third part of the sea became blood."

 

• Will this be actual blood or only a blood-like color? 

o   Some would argue that the sea only looked like blood:

Ø  It’s the result of volcanic eruptions that would create a bright orange color in the water. 

 

o   But the text says, “the sea became blood,” not “it became like” blood. There is no simile here. 

o   John believed that a large part of the sea would, literally, turn into blood as it had under the first plague in Egypt in Exodus 7:20. 

o   In our finite human minds, it’s impossible for an object like a burning mountain to turn one third of the sea into literal blood, causing one third of marine life to perish, and destroying one third of the ships. 

o   But with God’s infinite mind and infinite power, nothing is impossible for Him. 

o   Man is not now, nor will he be in the future, in a position to question the “how” and “why” of God’s judgments.

 

v.9, “and a third of the creatures, which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.”

·     The description continues by explaining the impact on sea life and shipping.

 

·     Just like the first Egyptian plague (Exodus 7:21), the fish in the blood-filled environment die from:

o   No oxygen, no food and no sunlight.

 

·     The Greek word is ktisma, and it means creature:

o   Referring to something created, which, in this context, must be fish and sea creatures.

 

·     Also, the seagoing ships are hit hard as well:

o   These are literal ships on the seas at the time the “great burning mountain” strikes the sea.

o   Notice it says, "… the ships were destroyed.”

o   Can you imagine the tidal wave that will be generated as this “great mountain of fire” hits the ocean?

Ø  And you know how far a tidal wave can travel!

 

o   It’s not difficult to take this literally is it?

 

v.10,  “And 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 waters”:

·     The sound of the third trumpet brings another object falling from heaven:

o   This time, the falling object is like "a great star burning like a torch."

 

·     The symbolic interpreters see the star as:

o   Representing a false religious leader.

o   A deluding influence given to people as an act of judgment.

o   Or an angel.

 

·     The first two ideas are hard to accept because heresy is hardly a judgment inflicted on men as a penalty for sin.

 

·     In fact, all three symbolic interpretations fail, mainly because there is no Scriptural evidence that the star is a symbol for something other than a star.

 

·     Following the basic rules of interpreting Scripture, take the words in their plain sense unless the Scripture tells us to do otherwise:

o   This is a literal star or meteor. 

o   The ancient Greeks would use the Greek word "lampas,” which means torch, to represent a meteor shooting through the air.

o   Their use of this word helps us to confirm the literal sense of the word.

 

·     Just like back in 6:13, this is a singular meteor, not all the stars in the sky:

o   The stars remain in the sky until the time of the third and fourth trumpets.

 

·     This meteor pollutes a third of the rivers:

o   All the rivers are not destroyed by this trumpet judgment.

o   It pollutes only a third of them.

 

·     This judgment brings to mind the first Egyptian plague with its contamination of the drinking water supply (Ex. 7:21):

o   This was a familiar sign of Divine punishment (Jer. 9:15). 

o   Pagan worship of spirits associated with rivers and springs was widespread in John's time, so this could be an expression of God's anger at their sin of idolatry.

 

v.11, “and the name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter”:

·     This star has a name, "and the name of the star is called ‘wormwood.'"

 

·     “Wormwood” is mentioned seven times in the Old Testament, always depicting bitterness and sorrow.

 

·     The Greek word is “apsinthos,” which means, wormwood, is found nowhere else in the Greek text.

 

·     It’s a plant with a bitter taste appearing in several varieties throughout the geographical region of Palestine.

 

·     In Exodus 15:23-25, at Marah, a tree made the bitter water sweet, but here, the star makes the sweet water bitter.

 

·     Wormwood in the Old Testament was a symbol for Divine punishment in Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Lam. 3:15, 19, and its appropriately named for this trumpet.

 

·     Wormwood itself was not a poison, though poisonous effects were sometimes connected with it:  

o   Its bitterness can sometimes lead to death, but not always.

 

·     The remainder of v.11 tells us that some deaths do occur, "and many among men died from the waters, because they were made bitter":

o   Many who drink the water die, but not all.

 

·     God threw wormwood into the sweet water made it bitter. 

 

·     There’s a similar contrast between Christ on the cross, atoning for sin, and making that which is bitter sweet for the believer:

o   And Christ coming in judgment turns the vain hopes and ambitions of men into bitterness and despair due to their rejection of Him.

 

v.12, “And the fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were smitten, so that a third of them might be darkened and the day might not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way”:

·     The sun, moon, and stars receive the immediate force of the fourth trumpet.

 

·     This trumpet has no mention of what was used to strike the heavenly bodies:

o   Perhaps what was used is not as important as the judgment itself.

 

·     Darkening is a symbol for judgment throughout the Old Testament.

 

·     The parallel of this trumpet is the ninth Egyptian plague (Ex. 10:21-22).

 

·     The prophet Amos, in 5:20, called this the "Day of the Lord, a day of darkness"

 

·     ISAIAH 13:9-13, “See, the day of the LORD is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.  10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. 12 I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.  13 Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.”

 

·     The fourth trumpet fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament.

 

·     Once again, there are those who question the literalness of this judgment.

 

·     The symbolic explanation sees this judgment as a removal of the light of the truth. But that is too subjective:

o   This reads into v.12 something that’s not there.

o   And that always results in a variety of meanings, such as a reference to the spiritual darkness of Islam, or the fall of long-established governments around the world.

 

·     When taken literally, however, the reduction of light serves as a warning that more severe judgments are coming.

 

·     How this phenomenon is going to happen is a puzzle to us – we simply don’t know:

o   But the Creator of all things is certainly able to cause this to happen.

 

·     Notice:  this verse mentions no direct effect of this judgment on mankind, but the impact will still be great:

o   Almost every area of life – agriculture, navigation, human health, productivity, and the like – will feel the consequences of this judgment.

 

v.13, “And I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe, to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

·     This scene is a transition between the first four trumpets to the next two.

 

·     The Greek word “aetou” (ah e too) has much stronger manuscript support for our English word “eagle” than for our English word “angel,” which is how the King James translators translated it.

 

·     "Vulture" is how this word is sometimes translated:

o   If the bird is a vulture, it may be flying in the sky in anticipation of the carnage and decaying flesh yet to come in the sixth trumpet judgment.

 

·     The ability of the eagle to speak is not a strong enough reason to conclude it’s symbolic:

o   Creatures in creation, other than man, have received the ability to speak on occasion:

Ø  Serpent – Gen. 3:2.

Ø  Balaam’s donkey – Num. 22:25.

 

·     On the one hand, the eagle speaks of the salvation of God for Israel, reminding them that the judgments are but the birth pangs of God's coming new day:

o   On the other hand, it’s a bird of prey, associated with blood, death, and rotting flesh.

o   For the rebellious, it’s a sign of destruction and death.

 

·     Notice that the eagle’s position is flying in "mid-heaven," the position of the sun at noon:

o   This is a place where all can see him.

o   His "loud voice," assures that all will hear him.

o   The disasters he announces will touch mankind in every part of the world.

 

·     The eagle says, “woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth”:

o   The Greek word for “woe” was used when a person would scream under intense pain or suffering.

o   Here, we see a woe for each of the remaining trumpets.

o   The past trumpets have been woeful in themselves.

o   This announcement predicts that the remaining three will be especially dreadful.

o   The remaining three trumpet judgments will be aimed directly at mankind, not nature, “… woe to those who dwell on the earth.”

o   From this point on, their future is very bleak.

 

·     We also see another step in the process of God answering the prayers of the martyrs back in 6:10.

 

·     We’ll look at trumpets 5 and 6 in the next article.

 

Lessons Learned from Ch. 8:7-13:

·     The omnipotence of Almighty God:

o   Over objects in space:  stars, meteors.

o   Over things on the earth:  sea, rivers, trees, grass.

o   Over man:  “woe to those who dwell on the earth.”

o   This is not the end. In His power, He will recreate a new heaven and a new earth for those who have responded to His gracious offer of salvation through faith in Christ.

 

·     We see the love of God for mankind, despite the rebelliousness of so many:

o   Though the cross of Christ was bitter for Jesus, it’s sweet in its result for those who will believe, who will trust in Him alone as their personal Savior.

o   The bitterness of sin, of separation, of loneliness has been removed and the sweetness of fellowship with God is restored at Calvary.

 

May the Lord continue to bless you as you grown in grace and knowledge of Him through His Word.

 

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.