The seven trumpets.
The first trumpet.
Revelation 8:7: The plants of the earth are affected, the first plague.
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
The contents of the first trumpet were cast upon the earth so that it hits a third part of the earth’s trees and green grass and is a clear parallel to the 7th plague that struck Egypt, (Exodus 9,13-35). Hail and fire hit all herbs in Egypt.
What is first affected under the trumpets is therefore what is on the earth and reflects the seventh plague in Egypt. Hail and fire affected all trees and all green plants in Egypt. If this is interpreted literally, it points to a possible famine in the world, where a third of the world’s population will suffer from food shortages. But we must take into account in the interpretation of this that trees and green plants are often used as an image of God’s people. This is clearly stated in Revelation 9:4.
The second trumpet.
Revelation 8:8-9: The life in the sea is affected, the second plague.
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
The contents of the second trumpet were cast into the sea, with the result that much of the life in the sea died. This is the same thing that happened in Egypt during the first plague, (Exodus 7,14-25). Here, what is in the sea is affected, and a third part of the sea became blood, which can be interpreted as meaning that it is a great war that takes the lives of a large part of the earth’s population. If we choose to interpret this in a spiritual context, then we can see the results of the spiritual war that has been going on in all times since Adam and Eve fell into sin. Seas and rivers are used in the prophecy as images of peoples. Blood is used for death and war. Verse 9 indicates that there will be an economic collapse, because ships are often used in the Bible as a picture of the economy.
The third trumpet.
Revelation 8:10-11: The fountains of water are affected … … …
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
I would like to ask whether this is a plague in the true sense of the word. To find out what this is about, we need to look more closely at certain words in these two verses.
The third angel shows us a star falling from heaven. Who is it that is called “morning star” in the Bible? In Isaiah 14:12 we read this: How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! (New Version International 1984). This sequence is about the fall of Lucifer, and the third trumpet is actually outside the chronological order. Lucifer tried to exalt himself, but was cast out of heaven before the earth was created. After Jesus died on the cross, he was also denied access to heaven. That Satan had access to heaven after the fall and before the crucifixion of Jesus we read in the book of Job, (see chapter 1 verse 6). The star that we see falling in Revelation 8:10 is none other than Satan. Here, however, he is called Wormwood, which in itself is very interesting. There is a specific reason why Lucifer has been given this name in Revelation 8:10.
In the Bible, the name characterizes the qualities of the one who bears the name. So, when the «star» here is called Wormwood, it probably has a meaning for how we should understand it all. When this star is called Wormwood, it gives reason to stop and think about what lies in the meaning of this word. We primarily associate wormwood with something bitter, and the plant has been used for many things throughout history. The plant wormwood contains a substance called thujone, which is a substance that occurs naturally in oil from wormwood. Excessive intake of wormwood, or thujone, can cause sleep problems, intestinal cramps, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tension, brain damage, and ultimately wormwood can lead to death.
The parallel to false teachings is more than relevant and is certainly present in that false teachings over time lead to death just as wormwood does. I believe these two verses tell us that it is Satan who is behind all paganism and all unbiblical traditions that the church has adopted over the years. When the star called Wormwood mixes with the water, this probably means that the water found in rivers and springs here is the «water of life» or the word of God, and it is being polluted by «Wormwood», which is the devil’s false doctrine that he has tricked into the church. As a curiosity, I can mention that wormwood in Russian is called «Chernobyl».
I am therefore confident that we can establish that the third trumpet in Revelation 8:10-11 is not a plague in the normal sense. It tells us, as I said, who is behind all the false teachings that the church has adopted and the unbiblical teachings that the church itself has presented throughout history. Therefore, we find only two plagues under the first three trumpets.
The fourth trumpet.
Revelation 8:12-13: The heavenly bodies are affected, the third plague.
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
The fourth trumpet strikes the sun, moon, and stars, and they all lose a third of their light. There are many who equate the fourth trumpet with the sixth seal. I believe these are two very different events, and that is because the sixth seal in a way ends prophetic time and heralds the beginning of the end time, while under the seventh seal we have moved into the end time. When the ninth plague fell on Egypt, darkness covered Egypt for three days (Exodus 10,21-23). The references to the Egyptian plagues suggest that God is aiming for the final liberation of his people, who in many ways are slaves in a world ruled by hostile forces. However, I think we should stay on the spiritual plane, and then we can understand the darkness in verse 12 as a spiritual darkness that descends upon the wicked. We are now right in front of the sealing of the 144,000, who will forever and ever distinguish between God’s faithful remnant and the wicked. God will also now in the end times, as He said to Pharaoh, put a separation, literally ransom between his people and the people of Pharaoh, (Exodus 8,23).
We now come to a crossroads in history. Although the plagues that have already fallen have had great consequences, we see in verse 13 that there must remain great tribulations for men. It is worth noting this ending with three woes. I understand this so that we now have come to the aforementioned distinction, and it is now the 144,000 are sealed. When it comes to the translation here, they have chosen to use angel. In the Greek text, however, the word aetû is used which means eagle (and/or vulture). The eagle was seen as a sign of judgment, (Deuteronomy 28,49; Hosea 8,1; Habakkuk 1,8 and Matthew 24,28). That this angel/eagle flies in the middle of the heaven means that everyone should hear this message. This concludes the first part of the trumpets.
In Egypt, God made a distinction between His people and the people of Pharaoh after the third plague, Exodus 8,22-23: And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms [of flies] shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I [am] the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be. We will find the same thing before the seven last plagues of the end times.
The first three trumpets affect the nature, and if we want to interpret this literally, we can see around us today that nature is out of balance. There are droughts in many places so that they cannot cultivate, and there are floods in many places which also mean that it cannot be cultivated there either. More and more often the news tells us that there are hundreds of thousands of dead fish that suddenly appear in a harbour or on a beach, or about thousands of birds that fall dead to the ground, and no one has a natural explanation for these phenomena. In 2020, East Africa was plagued by a swarm of billions of locusts that ate up the crops that had not been destroyed by drought or floods. In 1947, when Thor Heyerdahl sailed from Callao in Peru with Kon-Tiki, the Pacific Ocean was almost free of pollution. By 2025, less than 80 years later, the world’s oceans are so polluted that one can see entire islands of garbage drifting around. Furthermore, we also know that water quality is deteriorating. Even in Norway, where we always have had clean water, this is about to change. We learn that lakes and watercourses are no longer so clean.
Sometime after the fourth trumpet, but before the fifth trumpets, things will happen that will have great consequences for God’s faithful remnant. We have to go to Revelation 13:14-17 to find this event. There it says: And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
This means in plain language that a worldwide law will be introduced that requires all people to observe Sunday as the Sabbath of the Lord, the so-called Sunday law. What packaging and form it will take is impossible to say for sure, but it will prohibit all unnecessary work on Sundays, and it will be mandatory to attend mass on Sundays. In some countries, laws have already been introduced that require public employees to work a minimum of 48 hours a week, divided over six days – Sunday excluded!
When this law is introduced, people will be given time to choose which side they will belong to. If they want to go God’s way, they must deny this Sunday law with the consequences it will have, or they will choose to follow the Sunday law with the consequences it will have. There are only two choices, it is either God or Satan. When everyone has had enough time to choose, those who choose to follow God wholeheartedly will be sealed with the seal of the living God and will then be beyond Satan’s reach. Those who choose the Sunday law thereby take upon themselves the mark of the beast
on their hand and/or forehead. Let’s see how this is explained during the fourth plague / fifth trumpet.
The fifth trumpet.
Revelation 9:1-12: The locusts from the bottomless pit, the fourth plague. This is the first plague that does not affect God’s people, and the first of the last seven plagues. This is a relatively long sequence, so we will concentrate on the beginning and the end, and we will divide it into two parts: a) which are verses 1 to 4, b) which are verses 11 and 12.
a) And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
This chapter has also given rise to many imaginative explanations, and there are many who see the ravages of the Muslims and the Ottoman Empire. Others again see armored vehicles in the picturesque descriptions of these locusts. But the answer is simpler than that. The fifth trumpet affects people in particular, and then it is important to notice what is said to those who have the power to torment people. They are not allowed to touch anyone except those who have the mark of the beast. This means that the Sunday law has been implemented worldwide, and everyone has made their choice, and God has sealed his faithful but small remnant.
When John sees this vision, the star he saw has already fallen. What John sees here can therefore be nothing more than a repetition of what he saw under the third trumpet in 8:10, just to emphasize who we are dealing with. The star in verse 1 is probably the same power that is called the angel of the bottomless pit in verse 11, the destroyer or Satan. God’s people are now sealed, so they escape the suffering that the locusts from the abyss are behind. These will be given power to torment those who do not have the seal of God, but they will not be given power to touch those who are sealed with the seal of God. Although we see the fall of Satan in 8:10-11, we also witness his fall here, and this supports a claim that says that the sum of the events in the letters, seals and trumpets not only shows us the present and the future but also gives us a little refresher on history.
Smoke is usually a symbol of deception. It is difficult to see clearly when there is a blanket of smoke around us, and when the truth is hidden, we can say that there is a veil over the truth, a veil of smoke. But when we come to verses 2, 3 and 4, it is clear from the context that we have come so far in history that people have been put on the final choice. Everyone has chosen whom to follow, God’s faithful remnant has chosen to follow God and keep His commandments which include God’s day of rest, the seventh day of the week – the Sabbath. The wicked have chosen to follow the son of perdition and keep his commandments and the day of rest which is Sunday – also called the family day. Those who have chosen without reservation to keep God’s commandments and keep His Sabbath God have marked with His seal, while those who have chosen to keep Sunday have, through their actions, chosen to take the mark of the beast.
The bottomless pit is translated from the Greek phrear tés abussou, which actually means the bottomless or unfathomable depth. Strong’s Concordance adds that there is also another understanding of the expression in the Jewish understanding of the term: the place where the dead and evil spirits reside.
b) And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon. One woe is past; [and] behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
That this star has keys (see Revelation 9:1) implies that he has the power. He did not have this power in the first place, as it is said that the star was given the key. In other words, it is a higher power that allows the fallen star to use this power. But he does not get this power until God has sealed his people so that they are out of Satan’s reach. The devil and his locusts can no longer harm God’s people precisely because they are beyond their reach at this time.
That the star now opened the abyss to release the locusts we can read in this way. We have now come so far into the end times that God’s people have been sealed. This is expressed in verse 4 where it says: They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
When God’s people are out of reach of Satan’s devastation, he will have free hands to unleash his demons on the people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads through the fact that God has withdrawn his holy spirit from the earth. The door of grace is closed. The same thing happened in Egypt that night when God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. God’s people were told to strike the blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death could pass by. God’s people opened their doors to those who lived in Egypt, and many sought refuges with them before it was too late, and the door of grace was closed to the wicked.
The smoke we see in verse 2 cannot be a symbol of seduction all the time we are after the sealing on the timeline, and in that way the destinies of all have been settled forever and ever. Revelation 22,11 says about the people who live in this period between the sealing and the return of Jesus: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. The smoke in question here is rather a spiritual darkness that envelops all those who chose the mark of the beast.
The sixth trumpet.
Revelation 9:13-21: The angels of the Euphrates, the fifth plague.
And 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 which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen [were] two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus, I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses [were] as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries*, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
* Sorcery: is translated from the Greek word pharmakōn, and the definition of the word is sorcery and witchcraft, in the sense of using magic in any form including spells. It also means a drug and administering a drug. It is also used of medicine and spell given potions which imply the use of drugs.
Now the four angels (see Revelation 7:1) who have been holding back the four winds of the earth are loosed, and a great war is brewing. There are many explanations of who these angels under the 6th trumpet are, and what this is really about. It is probably not a war in the literal sense that we are dealing with, (see also the sixth bowl in Revelation 16:12-16). It appears under the sixth bowl that three unclean spirits came out of the dragon’s mouth, and these three unclean spirits manage to incite the wicked to a final attack on God and God’s people. Now it is probably not a physical war that we are witnessing here, it is rather a war on the spiritual plane, and we find it clearly described in Daniel 11. This war has been going on for a long time, and it intensifies in the time just before the sealing, which occurs between the fourth and fifth trumpets, just before the door of grace is closed so that as few as possible will find the way to Christ. Once again, I must add that prophecy is not a linear story. This battle is being fought with false doctrines and paganism mixed into Christianity. Everyone must decide whether they will follow the call of the three angels’ messages in Revelation 14 and worship the one true God, the Creator, or whether they will worship his enemy, Satan, through the fallen church. There is no other choice.
This trumpet is covered by as many as 9 verses and provides detailed information about what is to happen. That the voice in verse 13 comes from the altar before the throne of God, where the prayers of the saints ascend, indicates that the judgment that now follows truly is the Day of the Lord, great and very terrible (Joel 2,11), (see also Psalm 65,6; 66,2). Many interpret the time in verse 15, an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, as prophetic time, which will be 391 years and 15 days if this is prophetic time. There is greater reason to believe that this is about the concept of appointed time, a specific point on the timeline, which is often used in the Bible, and which here describes the exact time when God will intervene in history. The number of riders is not a literal number, but a large unknown number, limited upwards.
The rivers Euphrates and Tigris have played an important role in relation to God’s people in ancient times. Here by these rivers grew the kingdoms of Assyria, Babylon and Medo-Persia forth. The survivors of Israel, also called the Ten-tribe Kingdom or the Northern Kingdom, were taken captive beyond the Euphrates River by the Assyrians, and to the Euphrates Judea (the Jews) was taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The Euphrates became a symbol of the power that dominated the lands by the two rivers, and the Euphrates was traditionally considered the eastern border of both God’s people and the Roman Empire. The Euphrates was also seen as a symbolic bond of the evil forces.
When the angels unleash the destructive forces, this describes the end of the spiritual battle that is the same as Armageddon, and the persecutions that God’s people will be subjected to in the end times. The struggle has been going on for a long time already but will intensify when we get to this point in history.
As I said, many interpret the time in verse 15 as prophetic time and claim that this amounts to 391 years and 15 days. There is greater reason to believe that this is the term an appointed time (Habakkuk 2,3) which is often used in the Bible, and which here describes the time when God will intervene in history. It says truly that they were prepared to the time that God had predetermined, at the appointed time of God, expressed as an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year. I mean this points to a specific time. I do not mean a specific date, but until the time when the conditions God has set are fulfilled so that God can intervene and complete his plan, and this does not happen until everything that God in his perfect plan has decided to happen has happened before the angels are released.
The four angels in verse 15 are released when the fifth angel has blown his trumpet, and it does not happen until God has sealed his people. It is only when God allows the locusts, the devil’s angels, to torment those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads, and the first woe has been heard. Then, neither before nor after, the time for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year has come. The expression an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year is in other words a specific point on the timeline, not a prophetic time period.
Despite the fact that our focus is involuntarily drawn towards demonic forces such as the locusts under the fifth trumpet, and the cavalry army of 200 million here under the sixth trumpet, we must remember that God is sovereign and controls the course of history according to His perfect plan.
There are different interpretations of what this huge army is, and not least who it consists of. And once again, the kingdoms of the East, China, Russia, Turkey, or a coalition of these are mentioned. Since we are now after the sealing in time, there is reason to look at another explanation that is more plausible and that harmonizes with the battle called Armageddon. It is a spiritual battle we are fighting, and then there is every reason to believe that this is the same demonic army that we see under the fifth trumpet. Although many seem to be programmed to believe that this is today’s Turkey, I will hold on to the spiritual interpretation of the scripture, adding what Isaiah 9,15 says about the tail: The ancient and honourable, he [is] the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he [is] the tail. As we see there is a clear connection between the tail and telling lies.
The fact that the judgment acts are called plagues are due to that many claim that there is a clear parallel between the seven trumpets and the seven vials. This is despite the fact that there is more that separates the trumpets and the bowls than unites them. In relation to the text in verses 18 and 19, I will once again refer to Joel 1,4; 2,4 despite the fact that many have chosen to read the cannons of the Turks and the tanks of our time into the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
Verse 19 points directly to the tails of locusts and tells us that the tails are like snakes that have heads. We connect snakes first and foremost with two things. From the Bible, where the serpent seduced Eve, and the fact that many serpents are poisonous. As elsewhere in Revelation, I believe John uses such allusions here to give us clues so we can find out who is the origin of evil, who with his poison (which is the same as poisonous or seductive speech), brings the whole world down.
And they repent not we must read in the light of Deuteronomy 4,28; Psalm 135,15 and Jeremiah 1,16. In Old Testament times, people made physical idols, which is not so common nowadays. We must rather look at what we consider important for us, and what we spend a lot of time, effort and money on in daily life. The way of life we choose will determine whether we worship the works of our hands in the form of excessive pleasure and luxury. Those who choose such a way of life will then create their own idols that are equivalent to the old idols of gold, silver, stone or wood. John ends his 1st letter with the following: [My] little children, guard yourselves from idols.
The seventh trumpet.
Revelation 11:15-19; The kingdoms belong to Christ … … …
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come: because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thundering, and an earthquake, and great hail.
The seventh angel marks the beginning of the third woe that we find in Revelation 12:12 and ends the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. The second woe is found as we saw under the sixth trumpet. The seventh trumpet is one of the last things that happens in this world, and the kingdom now belongs to Christ.
The seventh trumpet cannot be considered a plague!
The 7th trumpet belongs to the absolute end time, and we get a new glimpse into God’s heaven. God the Father has taken back control of the earth, and the kingdoms of this world now belong to our Lord, who here is God the Father, and his Christ. John sees God’s temple opened in heaven, and there he sees God’s ark of the covenant. This raises an important question: Why do we get to look into heaven? I have said it before, and I will repeat it to the point of boredom: There are no coincidences in the kingdom of God. There is a reason why we see this, and that is that God will soon hold judgment on the people of the earth, and they will be judged according to Gods ten commandments that are inside the ark of God’s covenant. This is the standard by which all people will be judged. God comes with a final request, turn ye from your evil ways … … (see Ezekiel 33:11).
The seventh and last trumpet heralds the final settlement of history, which we can see from what follows the seventh trumpet: lightning, and rumblings and thunder. Thunder and lightning are symbols of God’s presence, which is followed by earthquakes and great hail. This implies that Jesus has gone out of the most holy place (hagia hagion), which in turn means that Yom Kippur, or the investigative judgment, has been completed, and now it is just before our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
It was the task of the trumpets to reveal the political and religious conflict in the world, and God’s judgment on what has happened, and / or to herald various events. Here in the seventh trumpet, it is to tell that Jesus Christ is the King of the universe – the King of kings. It is one of the highlights of Revelation when the seventh trumpet proclaims that the dominion has become to our Lord and His Anointed, and that the Lamb shall reign forever. Before the seven trumpets sounded, attention was directed to an altar in the heavenly temple, and it ends with the same panorama where the Ark of the Covenant comes into view. Why? It is to remind us that God’s Ten Commandments will be used as God’s standard in the judgment that is soon to be pronounced on all people on earth, on the living as well as the dead. And the judgment comes first on God’s people. When the seventh trumpet sounds, then the mystery of God is finished. The plan of salvation has been carried out to the letter, and Jesus will forever be the rightful King of the universe.
After the seventh trumpet, there is an interlude where we get a glimpse into the cosmic conflict in chapters 12 and 13, before John is comforted with a vision of the 144,000 who have already been sealed (see the fifth trumpet), before the interlude ends with the prelude to the seven vials.
Before we go any further, I want to say once again that prophecy is not a linear story, yet the angels holding the vials are named numerically, just like the angels who blew the seven trumpets. This does not necessarily mean that the plagues follow one another in numerical order. Looking at the seven seals, we see that the 1st, 2nd, and 5th seals begin in the year 31 (or 34), the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th seals end at the return of Jesus. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seals follow one another successively.
The seven vials are opened some time after the sealing is done, and the sealing occurred before the fifth trumpet. This means that the events that we find under the seven vials are not the same as those that we find under the seven trumpets. However, we will find certain similarities between the trumpets and the vials, such as the second trumpet and the second vial affecting the sea, the third trumpet and the third vial hitting the springs of water, the fourth trumpet and the fourth vial affecting the heavenly bodies, the fifth trumpet and the fifth vial causing pain and sickness, the sixth trumpet and the sixth vial telling something about the Euphrates. But the first trumpet and the first vial and the seventh trumpet and the seventh vial are fundamentally different. Under the first trumpet, 1/3 of the people die because of the plagues, while no one dies as a result of the first vial. Under the seventh trumpet, it is proclaimed that the kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of Christ, while the seventh vial proclaims that it is done, and the restoration of the earth begins.
Chapter 16 of Revelation begins with John hearing a loud voice coming from the temple. This voice gives the command to carry out the last plagues. Since the seven angels with the seven vials had already left the temple (15:6) and no one was able to enter it (15:8), it can only be God’s own voice that is heard. The first five vials constitute the last five plagues, while the last two vials tell us about the final resolution of the cosmic conflict.
After the seventh trumpet, there is an interlude where we get a glimpse into the cosmic conflict in chapters 12 and 13, before John is comforted with a vision of the 144,000 who have already been sealed (see the fifth trumpet), before the interlude ends with the prelude to the seven vials.
We should remember what happened in Egypt when Israel was led out of captivity. All of Egypt had been through ten plagues, of which only the first three affected Israel. But after Israel was led away, they were pursued by Pharaoh and his soldiers and they all thought they were going to be killed on the shores of the Red Sea. Then God intervened in a miraculous way. A similar event will occur in the end times.
The ten vials.
The first vial.
Revelation 16:2: Horrible sores, the sixth plague.
And the first went and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and [upon] them which worshipped his image.
As it appears from the text, the first vial is poured out upon the earth with serious consequences for those who have taken the mark of the beast. These are the ones who did not care about the warnings given in Revelation, respectively in 14:6-11 and 18:1-4. Time after time God has given mankind a new opportunity to stop their rebellion and turn to Him. God does not want any man to perish (Jeremiah 29:11), but as we can see through history, there comes a point when God cannot let it continue. God told Abraham that his followers would become slaves in a foreign land and that they would be allowed to return to Canaan, but not until certain conditions were met. The Amorites who lived in Canaan were idolaters, but God would allow them time to either repent or let the iniquity be full (Genesis 15:16). This is also the case in our time. The iniquity of the world must be full, and when we come to the last seven plagues under the trumpets and vials we have passed this point, and God’s judgments begin to fall upon the earth.
The first vial is a parallel to the sixth plague that struck Egypt, (Exodus 9:8-12).
The second vial.
Revelation 16:3: The sea turns to blood, the seventh plague.
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead [man]; and every living soul died in the sea.
Here we recognize the first plague that affected Egypt, (Exodus 7:14-25). This does not mean that water becomes blood in the literal sense, but something happens in the oceans that causes a total extinction of all life. Then we can always ask ourselves if it is a literal interpretation we are going to use, or if we have to read this in a figurative sense. Some argue that this may be a collapse in international trade as long as the sea is a kind of highway for the sea freight between countries. I believe, however, that we must look at a literal interpretation of this verse, because it says that every living thing in the sea died, so it can in no way be the people we are talking about who dies in this verse, because the mankind will live and see Jesus’ return. The word living thing is translated from the Greek word psykjê which is translated to, among other things, every living being, and in Revelation 8:9 this word is used about the creatures in the sea. In Genesis 8:1, the Hebrew word chayyah is used for the animals that followed Noah into the ark, meaning living creature or animal. (See also Job 2:12.)
The third vial.
Revelation 16:4-7: The water turns to blood, the eighth plague.
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous [are] thy judgments.
Once again we see the first plague that affected Egypt. The water turns to blood, but the question remains whether it should be interpreted literally or whether the water is destroyed in some other way. Many will equate the third trumpet with the third vial, which I do not agree with. I believe that the third trumpet, which is blown before the sealing, shows us the false teachings that Satan has historically planted in the church, which he now uses with all his power because he knows that time is short, very short. The result will be that many will also be lost in the end times before the sealing. Here, under the third vial, we find ourselves in the time after the sealing and the door of grace are closed, and the torments of God fall upon the wicked, those who, among other things, did not take notice of the message of the third trumpet.
If we go into the text, we see that the angel of the waters says that the Lord is righteous because He gives them back what they have given to God’s saints throughout history. The judgments that are called righteous are the afflictions that afflict the wicked.
The fourth vial.
Revelation 16:8-9: People in extreme heat, the ninth plague.
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
In Greek, the first three vials are poured out eis, while the last four are poured out epi. Even though the English translations do not distinguish between eis and epi there is a distinct difference between these prepositions. Eis means to or into, while the meaning of epi is over or upon. We can then understand the fourth vial so that it is emptied out on or out over the sun.
These two prepositions are explained in this way (Strong´s)
G1519 eis, a primitive preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) … … Often used in composition with the same general import, but only with verbs (etc.) expressing motion (literal or figurative).
G1909 epi, a primitive preposition properly meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution [with the genitive as in this verse], over or upon (literal or figurative).
The ninth plague caused darkness over the whole land of Egypt, (Exodus 10:21-29). During the fourth trumpet and here in the fourth vial, the celestial bodies are also affected, the trumpet causes darkness, while here people are scorched with great heat of the sun.
And they repented not. Since the door of mercy is closed, the wicked can no longer repent of their sins, but they will continue on their wicked path to perdition. Whether or not they will realize their sins is irrelevant, and they increase their guilt by continuing to blame God for all misery.
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Revelation 22,11
The fifth vial.
Revelation 16:10-11: Darkness in the beasts kingdom, the tenth plague.
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores and repented not of their deeds.
The seat of the beast is obviously the beast’s headquarters and represents the papacy as a religious-political world power and its dominance over all the nations of the world. The beast considers that the whole world is his kingdom, which it also is, with the exception of God’s faithful remnant. There is therefore reason to believe that the whole world, with the exception of this small, strange group who would rather follow God than man, is shrouded in darkness. This will be a spiritual darkness – a spiritual night. The fifth vial is the last plague that falls on a world where all people suffer in one way or another. The wicked suffer the last seven plagues, while the faithful remnant of God suffer the greatest persecution that any human being has experienced, staged by the wicked who suffer the plagues that affects them with full force.
Even though we also have darkness here as it was during the fourth trumpet, we see that the people of the earth mock God. This is due to sores and pain. Here we see clear similarities both with the fourth trumpet (darkness) and to the fifth trumpet (pain), where people are inflicted great suffering by the locusts. Since the locusts in 9:3 are the devil’s angels, I think we must interpret the darkness here in Revelation 16:10 in the sense that God’s presence through the Holy Spirit is now totally absent on earth.
As in verse 9, the wicked continue their blasphemous behaviour because of their perverse hatred of God and his special people.
What happened in Egypt after the tenth plague?
After all the firstborn died as a result of the tenth plague in Egypt, Israel was allowed to leave Egypt. However, once again Pharaoh hardened his heart and went after them with many soldiers and chariots, and he caught them at the Red Sea. There Israel was terrified, and they were sure that they would all be killed, because they had no weapons to defend themselves with, nor anything that could bring them across the Red Sea. Then God intervenes and frees his people once again from Pharaoh’s grip. He opens the Red Sea so that Israel can cross over to the other side, while the Egyptians all drown as one when the water closes over them.
As I said, this is a typological story and end-time Israel, God’s faithful but small remnant, will feel just as trapped as Israel at the Red Sea. God’s remnant will be surrounded by the wicked who want to kill them. Like Israel at the Red Sea, God’s remnant also has no weapons to defend themselves with, and no means that can take them beyond the reach of the wicked. Then God will again intervene in history and redeem his faithful people, leading them home to heaven.
The ten plagues have now fallen upon the earth, and the final preparations for Jesus’ return will take place, which the sixth and seventh vials confirm.