The next phase of the last days includes the destruction of thirds beginning with Revelation 8:7. As you read the destruction of thirds, remember, God is able to protect His children through anything happening on earth. We just need to continue to follow His leadings through Holy Spirit on where to be, what to do, and what not to do. Remember, as the plagues of God warned of by Moses were occurring in Egypt in the book of Exodus, the Hebrews, God’s people, were protected from every plague.
Trumpet 1 – hail and fire mingled with blood, 1/3 trees and all green grass is burned up.
Trumpet 2 – great burning mountain cast into sea, 1/3 sea becomes blood, 1/3 sea creatures die, 1/3 ships destroyed.
Trumpet 3 – Wormwood, great star from heaven falls, burning like a lamp, 1/3 rivers and waters become wormwood, bitter to drink causing death to many men
10And 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; 11And 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. – Revelation 8:10-11 KJV
Wormwood is another name for satan. He is again kicked out, this time to only dwell on earth. Scripture tells us that even after the original fall from God’s Throne Room, the devil is still allowed some access to petition against us in heaven. Here is one scripture reflecting this point:
6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. – Job 1:6-7 KJV
What we see from this scripture is that since the original fall, satan has been moving between earth and some parts of heaven. Originally, being the highest angel, he was in the Throne Room of Heaven with God. He was kicked out of that Throne Room, believed to take one third of the angels with him. He moved on to destruction on earth, injecting his evil into the Garden of Eden. The scripture above from Job confirms there is still opportunity for satan to interact with God. In fact, later Revelation scripture calls him the accuser that with the final casting out, will no longer be able to accuse the saints before God.
10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. – Revelation 12:10 KJV
The devil “accused them before our God day and night.” This again displays the interaction that is still going on today and through this period of time between the devil and God. Prior to being cast out, there are still saints on earth for him to petition against. Another passage calls out his ability to disguise himself as an angel of light:
14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. – 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 KJV
The third trumpet is the point satan no longer has an opportunity to petition against the saints in heaven. He is limited to what he can do on earth and literally all hell breaks loose. Think about it, satan has again been cast out. All his attempts to destroy God’s creation have failed. All his efforts to persuade God to leave His people for mistakes they have made, great and small, will not be realized. He will be desperate, “knowing his time is short.” We will discuss this in more detail in Chapter 12 when additional information regarding the battling in heaven is detailed at the point the devil realizes his time is short.
Trumpet 4 – 1/3 sun smitten, 1/3 moon, 1/3 stars darkened, no shine from any of these for 1/3 of day and 1/3 of night
The fourth Trumpet reflects a shortening of days by a third:
12And 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. – Revelation 8:12 KJV
The words of Christ in the gospels tell of the days being cut short the sake of the elect. The elect are God’s children who at the time these passages are still on the earth. Remember, we to are sealed by God at the point we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are protected.
22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. – Matthew 24:22 KJV
20And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. – Mark 13:20 KJV
After the days are cut short, there is an angel who warns of the final three trumpets to come.
13And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhibiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! – Revelation 8:13 KJV
The gospel of Luke also warns of the “days of vengeance”:
22For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. – Luke 21:22 KJV
An angel in heaven acknowledges the severity of the trumpets to come, crying out, “woe, to the inhabiters of the earth.” The dragon knows his time is short. It is why he is willing to hand over all the power he has on earth to a human man, elevating him as the antichrist.
13And 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! – Revelation 8:13 KJV
This verse refers to “inhabiters of the earth.” People who are still following earthly ways will not be protected from devastation. Those who have rejected Christ will now begin to reap the consequences on a grand scale. Those who sacrificed saints for the name of Christ will grasp for their last brief moment of power. Rejecting Christ results in eternal damnation and at this point in time, that reality will be undeniable. The pains described occurring on earth will be nothing compared to the eternity in hell these people have chosen.
Trumpet 5 (First “woe”, Revelation 9:1-9:12) – star falls from heaven and is given the key to the bottomless pit, pit is opened and smoke of a great furnace and locusts come out, stinging and tormenting the unsealed for five months.
Remember, the 144k are sealed, as are all the followers of Christ. So the elect, for whom the days were shortened for, still on earth at this time will be protected. They will not be harmed. They will see the pain and chaos affecting those who have rejected Christ and any left who have yet to make a final choice.
Reading this passage, we realize the sun still exists, as it is “darkened.” Men shall “seek death.” And the locusts doing the stinging are described in great detail. They are given power “as the scorpions of the earth have power.” Realize scorpions have the power to sting multiple times. “The angel of the bottomless pit” is identified by name, “Abaddon” or “Apollyon”, depending on the language.
The first “woe” has ended and there are two more yet to come on earth.
Trumpet 6 (Second “woe”, Revelation 9:13-11:14) – four angels bound at the Euphrates released at this time, 1/3 of men remaining are slain, 200,000,000 horsemen with breastplates of fire and brimstone, heads of lions, fire, smoke and brimstone coming from mouths. Power is in tails and mouths, men not killed by these plagues and repented not.
Revelation opened with a primary message to the churches being one of repentance. As the last days near a close, this message will continue to reign supreme, just as it did in Old Testament scripture when God told His people to repent and turn from their evil ways. This verse stands out, as it implies if any did repent at this point, there would still be mercy for them from a loving God, mercy from Jesus Christ, the one who was sacrificed to bring eternal life.
Pondering if scenarios could exist at this time where God’s mercy could be displayed, only one came to mind, deathbed salvation. Let’s look at this passage. There is a second component, “men no killed” to consider. Some will be stung and survive. Some will be stung and die. But there is no indication of the time between being stung and death. So for those who have not accepted the mark, there may be a very brief window of opportunity for salvation between sting and death. In fact, this may be one of the final moments the last remaining souls are saved for eternity. This may seem like threading a needle. But isn’t that an option for an Almighty God? How many times was God merciful to Israel? It’s hard to count!! God’s own words remind us that even at this point, His desire is still to have mercy!
“The rest repented not.” – Revelation 9:20 KJV. Given none who survive the plague repent, these outliers have chosen wrongly. There are no more lukewarm or on the fence members on earth. This final moment for repentance has ended. There is no going back.
Chapter 10 speaks of a mighty angel coming to earth, placing “his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth.” His cry is like the roar of a lion and “seven thunders uttered their voices.” John is told not to write these utterances down, so they will remain a mystery for God alone to reveal in His way, in His time.
Similar to seal six, there are many things happening, preparing for the next phase to come. Seal seven brought silence in heaven for an half hour. Trumpet seven likewise will be a great moment in heaven and on earth, a moment of completion.
7But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. – Revelation 10:7 KJV
The mystery of God is finished with the seventh angel blowing God’s trumpet. This is the moment all will be known.
John is told to eat the book from the angel’s hand. It is sweet in his mouth, as he is seeing the great glory of God. We too will see the great glory of God! There will be no more question or ability to deny Christ is His beloved Son, given authority to reign in glory at His right side. There will be bitterness for evil, as the final battle unfolds.
Chapter 11 shifts gears to present a time when power will be given over to those battling against God and Christ. The “holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” – Revelation 11:2. This refers to the time the antichrist will be in the temple, warring against the saints. This time will also see two witnesses displaying the great power of God over evil on earth. They hold back the rains, turn water to blood, bring plagues to earth and fire from their months will kill any seeking to harm them until a time of God’s choosing. They are pillars in God’s heavenly kingdom, “olive trees before God”, come to earth for a time to display the great power of the One True God, power calling for repentance.
The beast is allowed to overcome the two witnesses after 1,260 days. I would imagine this brings back the failure for satan of Christ dying on the cross. The devil for a brief moment may feel some sense of very brief victory, only to again realize his eternal fate is still sealed. God calls the two witnesses home to heaven after 3.5 days.
The two witnesses preaching and being called back to heaven has a feel of finality. There is a great earthquake with the death of 7,000 and the “survivors” (NIV), “rest” (NKJV, ESV) or “remnant” (KJV) give glory to the God of heaven (11:13). This verse tell us at the time of the two witnesses being called back to heaven, there are still some on earth who will glorify God.
Revelation 11 – Trumpet 6 Elements to Remember
- 42 months of power to tread on the holy city
- 2 witnesses preach for 1,260 days (3 score=60)
- Bodies lay where Christ crucified 3.5 days, those on earth rejoice
- When God calls His two witnesses back to heaven, there are still people on earth who are “affrighted” (KJV) and give glory to God.
- All is before the 7th Trumpet.
Trumpet 7 (Third “woe”, Revelation 11:15-11:19) – These five verses reflect finality. The kingdoms of earth and heaven come together with Christ reigning. The heavenly bodies closest to God and Christ fall in worship.
16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17Saying, 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. – Revelation 11:16-17 KJV
Anger of the nations comes because they can no longer delude themselves into believing there is some path to victory.
18And 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. – Revelation 11:18 KJV
The time of separation and judgment has come. The servants, prophets and saints will be rewarded and given power to destroy those which destroyed earth.
19And 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 thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. – Revelation 11:19 KJV
The “ark of his testament” is revealed when the temple of God is opened. The ark is Christ, who has been reigning on the throne to the right of God the Father. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. And with the sound of the seventh trumpet, the mystery of God is revealed. This completes the ordering of events tied to the breaking of the 7 seals by Christ and the sounding of God’s 7 trumpets. The next few chapters will add information regarding these events in heaven and on earth, aligning to this timeline established in Revelation.