The Seals refer to events in the world, the Revelation Trumpets herald events in Christendom, the bowls events against the kingdom of the Beast.
The Seven Trumpets
Revelation is a book of prophecy (Rev. 1:3; 22:7, 10, 18-19). Therefore, although Christianity barely existed when John wrote, the fact a third of today’s population claims to be Christian must be given weight. Especially as we are interpreting prophecy about the population as it exists on earth in the end time.
Its natural in a prophetic book about the End, whose first three chapters concern the seven churches then existing in Asia, it treats the end time church in a special and unique way.
Consistent with the view the third of the earth’s population that claims to be Christian is the main target of these Trumpets, in Revelation 9:4 “trees, grass, green thing” consists of those who have or do not have the name of God on their forehead. That division in end time church population was predicted by Christ (Mt. 13:36-42).
What should we conclude then? John used symbols pertinent to Christendom, not the world in general. The “earth, sea, rivers and springs” “signify” (4591 σημαίνω semaino Rev. 1:1) Christendom. The first three trumpets spiritually kill all the TARES in Christendom, a third at a time (Rev. 8:7-11).
It is not until the fourth Trumpet announces the effect the first three Trumpets had on God’s revelation to the earth, that things get literal in the last Three Trumpets. God’s revelation on earth has been darkened by the loss of light from the church (cp. Gen. 1:14-18; Rev. 12:1), its apostasy has caused the earth to be in total darkness a third of both day and night (Rev. 8:12).
Then an angel appears in mid-heaven warning about the “three woes of spiritism”, two more are left. (First woe is Rev. 8:7-11; Second Woe is Rev. 9:1-21; 11:7-14; Third Woe is (Rev. 12:9-12).
First Trumpet
The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. Rev. 8:7 NKJ)
When hail and fire struck ancient Egypt (Ex. 9:23-26), it literally destroyed trees and grass, but that wouldn’t the “signification” of hail and fire mingled with blood striking an apostate church (2 Th. 2:3). This scene springs from an angel taking fire from God’s altar, and casting it down to the earth, signifying the hail mixed with blood is recompense for sin against God’s saints (Rev. 6:9-11). Jesus predicted apostates would betray believers to the Beast (Mt. 24:9-10). This is the wrath of God, unlike Revelation 11:19 where the hail remains in heaven, here hail is about to be unleashed on the apostates (Ps. 78:47; Hag. 2:17) so the power of God symbolized by “noises, thunderings, lightnings” include an earthquake because earth is about to be radically shaken by this display power. Hail destroys the refuge of lies and affirms God’s authority (Is. 28:17; 30:30; 32:19; Ezek. 13:11, 13). Fire (Rev. 1:5) and blood (Rev. 16:6) signify God’s judgment is the apostates die eternally. The first three Trumpets kill Christendom completely, 1/3rd at a time. This hail kills a third of Trees/leaders in Christendom, and all the grass/followers living under their shade.
God would not treat the false prophets of Christendom differently than the false prophets of Israel
1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart,`Hear the word of the LORD!'”
3 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
4 “O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.
5 “You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD.
6 “They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying,`Thus says the LORD!’ But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed.
7 “Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say,`The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken.”
8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord GOD.
9 “My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
10 “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying,`Peace!’ when there is no peace– and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar–
11 “say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down.
12 “Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you,`Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?'”
13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it.
14 “So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezek. 13:1-14 NKJ)
13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. (Jer. 23:13-15 KJV)
Second Trumpet
8 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.
9 And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. (Rev. 8:8-9 NKJ)
Mountains can signify enemies of God (Isa. 41:15), the king of Babylon is likened to a great destroying mountain:
“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys all the earth,” says the LORD. “And I will stretch out My hand against you, Roll you down from the rocks, And make you a burnt mountain. (Jer. 51:25 NKJ)
The “great mountain burning with fire” signifies the arrival of the “Man of Sin” who destroys the church by condoning every sort of sin, making the sea become blood so a third of those swimming in it, or making their living from it, die spiritually.
Third Trumpet
10 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.
11 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. (Rev. 8:10-11 NKJ)
John often uses stars to signify angels (Rev. 8:12; 9:1; 12:4; cp. Job 25:5; 38:7; Dan. 8:10), Satan is the burning star that poisoned the rivers and springs of the church with damnable lies and apostasies, that kill all who drink them in.
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:`I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying:`Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’ (Isa. 14:12-17 NKJ)
13 “And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people Israel to err.
14 Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets: `Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Profaneness has gone out into all the land.'”
16 Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD. (Jer. 23:13-20 NKJ)
Fourth Trumpet
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. (Rev. 8:12 NKJ)
This isn’t the coming of the Day of the LORD (Joel 2:31; Ac. 2:20) because then more than a third of the sun and moon would be affected.
The first three Trumpets spiritually killed everyone in Christendom “not having the seal of God on their forehead”. That affects Divine Light reaching the earth, because the Church radiates that light to the earth (Rev. 12:1).
The fallen away Church has become Egypt, Sodom (cp. Rev. 11:8) to God. Her apostasy will reap its just reward.
The darkening of sun moon and stars signifies calamity is about to befall Christendom, just like it did to Egypt:
2 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:`You are like a young lion among the nations, And you are like a monster in the seas, Bursting forth in your rivers, Troubling the waters with your feet, And fouling their rivers.
3 `Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people, And they will draw you up in My net.
4 Then I will leave you on the land; I will cast you out on the open fields, And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens. And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth.
5 I will lay your flesh on the mountains, And fill the valleys with your carcass.
6 “I will also water the land with the flow of your blood, Even to the mountains; And the riverbeds will be full of you.
7 When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, And the moon shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you, And bring darkness upon your land,” Says the Lord GOD.
9 `I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known.
10 `Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.
11 `For thus says the Lord GOD: “The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. (Ezek. 32:2-11 NKJ)
Fifth Trumpet
1 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.
2 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.
3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 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.
5 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.
6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7 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.
8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.
9 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.
10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months.
11 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. (Rev. 9:1-11 NKJ)
The star/angel given the keys is not a fallen angel, later the key is used to imprison Satan (Rev. 20:1-2). The angel had “fallen” (4098 πίπτω pipto) before the fifth Trumpet sounded, he was waiting to get this key.
This event illustrates how God is lifting His restraint on spiritism (2 Th. 2:6-7), His decree limiting its manifestation “taken out of the way” just like the decrees against us were taken “out of the way” ( ἐκ τοῦ μέσου Col. 2:14 BGT).
God sends the “deluding influence” (NAS) by not restraining the energy of Satan and his agents to inwardly convince people falsehood is true (2 Th. 2:7-10), that the “Lawless One” “Man of Sin” false Christ is The Christ:
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work (1754 ἐνεργέω energeo); only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working (1753 ἐνέργεια energeia) of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion (1753 ἐνέργεια energeia), that they should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thess. 2:7-12 NKJ)
The angel uses the key to open the prison door so the “spirits of demons”, disembodied Nephilim (“Fallen Ones” Gen. 6:4), can flood the earth.
They have been in the Abyss since they died physically in the flood of Noah’s Day (Gen. 7:21-23). That explains their appearance. Their crowns of something like gold show they are Satan’s “principalities and powers” (Eph. 6:12) who were cast down to the earth to stop the incarnation of Christ (Rev. 12:4) warring against the woman’s seed (Gen. 3:15) by corrupting the image of God in man with the DNA of angels. That is why they have “hair like women”, to identify sex with human women is the chief reason for their being imprisoned in the abyss (Gen. 6:1-4; 2 Pt. 2:4; Jude 1:6-7).
Apostates Tares (Mt. 13:36-42) will never choose to be true believers in Christ (Rev. 9:4), but these cowards don’t want to manifest themselves. Lest they fail to do so in a timely fashion, God permits the Devil persuade them. The demon-locusts torment and afflict until they do what they want to do anyway, follow the Antichrist Beast.
The locusts are bioships, “fallen angel technology” that allows disembodied “spirits of demons” ( πνεύματα δαιμονίων Rev. 16:14 BGT) to physically torment humans. The “locust/bioships” fly out of the tunnel of the abyss, having the “appearance” (3667 ὁμοίωμα homoioma) like “horses prepared for battle” because they are coming out to battle.
Confirming these are “bioship locusts”: They have breastplates like iron, which signifies spears and arrows cannot pierce them. The engines in their wings had the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle (Rev. 9:9-10), like a jet engine.
After five months of intense torment the TARES of Christendom are on board. They can’t wait for the Man of Sin to reveal himself at midweek, as the “son of Destruction” seed of Satan” (Gen. 3:15) prophesied to come, declaring himself God above all Elohim, including above the God of God’s Yahweh, in the Temple of God the Church:
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thess. 2:3-4 NKJ) (Mt. 24:15; Dan. 7:8, 11, 25; 9:27; Rev. 13:5-8)
He declares war on everything called god, especially blaspheming Yahweh and his angels, claiming: “He is just another Extraterrestrial Elohim who can be defeated in battle. He is jealous of His position, doesn’t want humans to increase in knowledge and ascend to a higher plane, immortality” (Gen. 3:22-24; 6:1-4). “Ancient alien theory” reveals he can be defeated at Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16).
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. (Rev. 13:5-6 NKJ)
Sixth Trumpet
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
15 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.
16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
17 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.
18 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.
19 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.
20 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.
21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries (5331 φαρμακεία pharmakeia) or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Rev. 9:13-10:1 NKJ)
The voice coming from the altar signifies this is God’s answer to the prayers for justice by the saints (Rev. 6:10; 8:3-5).
The “great river Euphrates” is the symbolic boundary of the land of God (Gen. 15:18; Deut. 1:7; 11:24; Josh. 1:4). Releasing the four angels signifies the dimensional barrier separating the spiritual realm from the physical has been removed. Spiritual wickedness in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12) can now manifest itself on earth, the restraint has been “taken out of the way” (2 Th. 2:6-8).
If these four angels were demons John would have said so. Therefore, we should interpret their being “bound” (1210 δέω deo) to mean they were “put under obligation” (Strong’s), just as the Cherubim were keeping humanity out of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24). They were awaiting God’s orders to accomplish the work they were ordained and prepared to do (Rev. 9:15). They likely are the same “four winds of heaven” stirring up the “Great Sea” who permitted the four beasts to rise onto the earth (Dan. 7:1-3). We can speculate they had shifts standing post at the “great river Euphrates”, which likely exists in the parallel world of heaven also.
Except for the breastplate armor, John does not describe the horsemen, only the craft they pilot. John’s description could fit modern military drones. As these are fallen angels, its certain they will be piloting truly dreadful attack vehicles appearing just as John described, killing just like he said.
When the Elohim appear and their technology is seen I’m sure what John described will be obvious.
John is surprised this massive betrayal of Beast worshipers didn’t cause the rest of the earth to question their allegiance to the Dragon. The slaughter of Christendom by Satan’s Nephilim didn’t slow the worship of demons and idols even little. Incredibly, the earth continued their murders, drug use (5331 φαρμακεία pharmakeia), sexual immorality and thefts as if nothing ever happened. John’s wording may imply his shock, not just because they didn’t repent, but they even celebrated the destruction of those Christendom hypocrites.
Seventh Trumpet
15 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!”
16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 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.
18 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.”
19 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. (Rev. 11:15-19 NKJ)
The “third woe” is Satan appearing on earth (Rev. 12:12), not the seventh Trumpet which flashes forward in time to AFTER the Bowls of God’s wrath have been poured out. That is why the verbs are in the past tense, these are “prophetic perfects”, John is seeing the Future after God began to rule. Its interpretation is obvious, plainly stated. It telescopes forward to the millennial Kingdom of Christ and then to the Great White Throne Judgment of the dead. Why flash forward to God’s Kingdom just before the bowls poured out? Its in celebration, now God will “kick ass” and soon nothing will remain of the enemy, God will rule!
Revelation 6 The Seven Seals
The War Between God and Satan: The Seven Bowls
The Sign of Jesus’ Coming will be an Opening in the Heavens
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Antichrist: His Names Titles and Descriptions
What did the apostle John reveal when he said: “It is the last hour”?
Where Is The Judgment Of Fallen Angels?