Continuing on with our synopsis of the first six trumpets…

The fourth trumpet sounds 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 turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night” (Rev. 8:12).  Does this remind anyone else of the ninth plague, where a darkness that could be felt descended upon the land? (EX 10:21-29)

The fifth trumpet sounded and a star falls from heaven with keys to the Abyss. When the Abyss is opened, smoke rises as though from a great furnace and darkens the sun and sky. Locusts emerge from the smoke and sting those who do not bear the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev. 9:1-12). Remember the sixth plague? There was a great furnace, the smoke of which rose up and became a fine dust that fell on everything, creating terrible boils on both man and beast (EX 9:8-12). How about the eighth plague, the plague of locusts (EX 10:1-20)?

The sixth trumpet sounded and a “third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury” (Rev. 9:18-19). This is reminiscent of the tenth plague, the plague of death, in which the angel of the Lord kills every firstborn male of both people and livestock. This was the final plague before the exodus of Israel from Egypt. In Revelation, the sixth trumpet is the last one before the seventh, which marks the consummation of God’s People; the “New Exodus.”

The trumpets of Revelation contain a good amount of language and imagery that is similar to, but not identical to that of the plagues in Exodus. Revelation, unlike Exodus has direct eschatological implications, with the result of having the images kicked up several notches in their intensity. For example, hail in Exodus becomes hail mixed with blood in Revelation. Locusts in Exodus are normal locusts that attack vegetation, but in Revelation they are locusts on steroids that attack people. This is also seen in the way the entire era is portrayed. For example, Daniel 12:1 speaks of “labor pains” a time of distress “such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then” (cf. Matt. 24:21). By adopting this manner of writing, John communicates to his readers that these are times that lead directly to the end of this world and the consummation of the fullness of God’s Kingdom.

The first six trumpets deal with partial and not total destruction; note how many of these plagues affect a “third”, for instance. There are definite limits to how far the destruction and privation can go, and the time of their effects is limited; this is a crucial point. Consider Revelation 9 and the torment suffered by those with the seal of God; they could not be killed, and their time of suffering would be limited to “five months” (Rev. 9:5, 10); there are limits being imposed on all of this. In contrast, Revelation 11 speaks of total destruction: “At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Remember that the number “seven” and its multiples represent “completeness” thus the all of those who refuse to follow Gad are destroyed. Now note that in the early part of the vision, trumpets 1-6, there is partial destruction and at the end there is total destruction. This is because the first six trumpets tell us what is going on throughout this “present evil age” and at the end of the vision we have God completely destroying all evil, after which nothing will ever be the same again.

To put this in a different light, the first six trumpets tell us about the spiritual war we are living through. God against Satan, the agents of Satan against the agents of God; we are on the front lines. When the time comes, and may it come soon, God will defeat His enemy in detail; there will be nothing left of Satan and his charming little friends.