[In view of the increasing number of often catastrophic geophysical events across the world (meteorological, oceanographic, geomagnetic and seismological), I felt it would be useful to share this brief extract, originally written in 2021, from my commentary on the Book of Revelation. I hope you find it explanatory. A link to this commentary is given at the foot of the piece].

Verse 2 of chapter 8 marks the beginning of the second vignette (main section in the Book of Revelation) which takes us through the seven trumpets beginning in verse 2 of chapter 8 and then right up to the end of chapter 11 which reaches into the time of the end — a vision of the moment when:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever… and there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm” (Revelation 11:15 & 19).

Remember that ‘the kingdom of the world’ referred to in the above quotation had been usurped by the fallen archangel, Satan, when he instigated the Fall of humanity long, long ago. The Book of Revelation and entire content of the Bible are essentially demonstrating how that kingdom is being restored from Satan’s usurping forces of darkness to God through the work of the Christ. The opening of the scroll with the seven seals by Christ in chapter 5 of The Book shows how He controls history and all the elements of life in a fallen world — such as the things we saw highlighted in those seals, e.g. the manifestation of Satan’s incessant work through the ‘spirit of the Antichrist’, war and social upheavals, scarcity, plenty and inequality, the many aspects of death, the persecution of the disciples of Christ, and geophysical catastrophes galore. All these are aspects of the fallenness of this world which is, temporarily, the usurped kingdom of Satan, by the permission of God; and now the seventh seal is revealed, which simply brings us to the revelation of the seven trumpets. Out of the seventh seal come the seven trumpets.

Keep in mind also that each of the six vignettes (main sections in the Book of Revelation) takes us through a similar time-period — predominantly from the ascension of Christ until the end of the age — but with different aspects emphasised and sometimes significantly taking us back in time to some vital background before the ascension, as we will see in the third vignette in chapter 6 below. It is so important to remember that in the Book of Revelation we are getting a bird’s-eye view of history rather than an instruction manual for aficionados of the Endtimes. Apocalypse is about revelation. That is what it means.

Therefore the Book of Revelation is about the revealing of Jesus the Christ and especially the ways in which He has cast out and is continually casting out Satan and is bringing the cosmos out from being under satanic influence and his imagined world control and in the end eradicating every trace of darkness with the ultimate creation of a new cosmos, the new heaven and new earth.

1. The Half-Hour of Silence and the Prayers of God’s People (8:1-5)

When we come to the first few highly potent verses of chapter 8, we read of a “silence in heaven” after the seventh seal is opened. “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour”. A search of the Old Testament shows three places where such silence is manifest. “The LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20). “Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling” (Zechariah 2:13). “Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near” (Zephaniah 1:7). It is clear that the silence mentioned in the first verse of chapter 8 of the Book of Revelation is cut from the same cloth.

What would be unleashed through the seven trumpets is a measure of the awe which accompanies the judgemental presence of God. Most people in this world have no consciousness of that whatsoever. Not even the smallest inkling. They say, “I don’t want to believe in a judgemental God. God is love. He wouldn’t judge”. But this is the great misunderstanding of all time. It is not so much that God Himself is judgemental in the way in which a human would be. It is simply what happens naturally when one rejects Divine law and pursues the life of a hardened narcissist bent only on self-promotion and the acquisition of material things. If one is living out of sync with one’s Creator, then terrible things will befall one, if not in this life, then in the next. This is a natural process which lies in our own hands.

Thus, those who believe in and follow the Light of God in Christ will be purified and empowered by it, whereas those who reject that Light will be burned-up and destroyed by it. For when our lives are impure and not dedicated to purity and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, then God becomes a consuming fire rather than a burning light. This is because we live in a world shot through with evil and there is a demonic realm which easily takes control of those who do not enjoy God’s protection, which is what it means to be ‘sealed’, as we discussed in the previous chapter. So silence in the face of terrible Divine judgements is the only appropriate reaction. Then we read that…

“…another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:3-5).

Again, these verses reveal to us the solemn awe of these upcoming seven trumpets. As if silence in heaven isn’t enough, there is also smoke, thunder and lightning, strange rumblings, and an earthquake. I am immediately reminded of the aura that surrounded the giving of the ten commandments on Mount Sinai: “When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the trumpet, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance” (Exodus 20:18). The blowing of a trumpet in the Old Testament was not only a call to arms (Judges 3:27; 6:34), but also a warning of God’s imminent judgement, as we see in an Old Testament context which was quoted by John in the verses dealing with the sixth seal: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD is coming” (Joel 2:1).

So this ‘silence in heaven’ and all the other elements are signs of God’s impending judgement summed up in the seven trumpets. Remember that the seventh trumpet unleashes the seven bowls of terrible judgements on the earth right before the end, thus paving the way for the kingdom of the world to become the kingdom of God once more. And that is the significance of the prayers of the saints being mentioned here in these opening verses of chapter 8.

The most central prayer in the heart of the saints (by which is meant all disciples of the Christ, who are sanctified by the Spirit) is ultimately to exclaim, “Thy kingdom come!” The penultimate verse right at the end of the Book of Revelation is, “Come, Lord Jesus!” And so all these prayers of the saints longing for that to happen reach into the throne-room of heaven and the text here gives the assurance that those prayers will be answered as we see that “the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake”. This shows the prayers directly leading to these portents of judgement, which are plainly the elements of the seven trumpets. In this way, all the disciples of Christ participate in the downfall of Satan’s pretended kingdom as their prayers find fruition in eschatological fulfilment — exactly as Peter said, that we participate in “hastening the coming day of God” (2 Peter 3:12).

2. The First Four Trumpets (8:6-12)

“And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass. Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood [Greek: ἄψινθος, apsinthos, denoting the bitter plant, known as Wormwood]. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters. Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well”.

The first four trumpets clearly stand together as a group; for they are all poured out on different aspects of the creation. This should not surprise us as four is the number mystically connected with the created world. Also, the text itself creates a division between the first four trumpets and the last three because it describes those last three as being “woes” because of the terror and grief they will bring on the world; for instead of being rained down on the created world, they are aimed directly at humans — specifically, those who do not “have the seal of God on their foreheads”, the seal which we saw in chapter 7 of the Book of Revelation is given to all disciples. As I said earlier, I believe that these first four trumpets — like the first six seals of which they represent an intensification — pertain to the entire age to a greater or lesser degree (the whole of the age being what Scripture calls “the last days”, as we saw earlier) but that they peak tremendously as the end of the age draws near and then continue at that level up till the end. What kind of forces are we actually dealing with here?

In a few words, we are dealing with the forces of nature which, in line with the will of God, unleash powerful elements onto the earth and into the cosmos which defy explanation. I do not think there is any need to spiritualise these four trumpets or place them solely in the distant future. I believe that the effects of these four trumpets, like the seals — in a pattern I have already outlined, because of the Fall — reverberate throughout time to a greater or lesser degree, and especially throughout this present “evil age” (the time from Christ’s ascension until His return at the end of this age); but that they will peak increasingly, exponentially, as the end draws near. In the first trumpet, extreme meteorological events are depicted as assailing the earth. There are parts of the earth where many events like this regularly take place, though they are not so common elsewhere. But imagine a future when such events begin to happen in places where they would not normally be expected. It is coming.

The first trumpet is concerned with meteorological catastrophes which have a destructive effect on plant life and herbage. Many times in the Old Testament, we read of hailstones raining down on people as part of God’s judgement (e.g., Book of Exodus, chapter 9, verse 23; Psalm 18, verse 12; Book of Isaiah, chapter 28, verse 2; Ezekiel, chapter 38, verse 22). They are often mentioned as being accompanied with lightning and burning sulphur. One gets a feeling here of the judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah or one of the ten plagues visited on Egypt. Could these be stones from meteorites? It would not be the first time that it has rained what appeared like blood from the sky. However this happens, the overall impression is of terrible meteorological-style catastrophes raining down on the earth. Such catastrophes have been happening throughout the age to a greater or lesser degree and more in some places than others. But we will definitely see an increase in such strange occurrences as time goes by; and as the end of the age approaches, these will rise to fever pitch. The use of the term “one third” is always to give the impression that there is much damage but not to the greater part of the earth.

The second trumpet is concerned with the effect on the sea by some extraordinary elements. Even in recent times there have been many cases where the sea has turned red as blood — known as a ‘red tide’ — due to algae and bacteria which kill fish and other living organisms (see image, above). Imagine this happening on a vastly increased basis across the oceans in the future, leading to immense loss of aquatic life. We also see in this text that “something like” a great mountain burning with fire is said to be thrown into the sea. Lava from volcanoes regularly pours into the sea, causing noxious effects. But most interesting is that 80% of volcanic eruptions on earth take place under an ocean. Most people would be currently completely unaware of these happenings. But imagine a future when such events begin to peak hugely and create spectacular outcomes, including many species of sea life dying in the chemical soup caused through them.

The third trumpet is concerned with the effect of astronomical events on inland waters, such as rivers, inland seas and natural springs. Meteorites, for example, are known to contain cyanide, a bitter-tasting poison. Although they rarely fall to earth and usually burn up in the atmosphere, it is believed that massive cataclysms in the past caused by large falling heavenly bodies have had a devastating effect on the earth. Should a very large object or objects fall to earth, they could have a huge effect on many aspects of life, including the water table which could be rendered poisonous. For some time, scientists have been concerned about a large meteorite falling on the Black Sea, an inland sea which is largely made up of hydrogen sulphide, which would create a vast catastrophic cloud of gas (See this link for details: https://tinyurl.com/m6yuxmyt ). Either way, the sense here is of astronomical fallout which poisons the waters. Wormwood is a classic Old Testament symbol of bitterness and grief, used here by John to dramatic effect (e.g., Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 29, verse 18 (in many versions); Book of Proverbs, chapter 5, verses 1-6; Book of Jeremiah, chapter 9, verse 15; chapter 23, verse 15; Book of Amos, chapter 6, verse 12).

The fourth trumpet is concerned with the effect on the earth through the lessening of light from the sun. This could be created by any number of causes. In the past, the impact of huge meteorites on earth created the same effect as a major nuclear explosion and blotted out the sun creating a concatenation of effects on vegetation and living beings. One can well imagine this kind of activity peaking in the future as the end draws near.

Now imagine all of these first four ‘trumpet-effects’ peaking together as the end draws closer. They have all happened in the past, sometimes to devastating effect — though nowhere near the manner in which they will take place when all hell finally breaks loose on earth. Each time anything like each of these trumpet-effects happens on a smaller scale, it is a reminder that the earth and cosmos lie under judgement and are awaiting their denouement towards the end of what Paul calls “the present evil age” (Letter to the Galatians, chapter 1, verse 4).

One particular catastrophic occurrence could very easily trigger a chain-reaction across the earth. Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) from the sun can cause volcanic eruptions and earthquakes on earth, not to mention complete malfunctioning of electrical and electronic devices. Such a catastrophe, in terms of the damage it could cause, could potentially set the world back to the stone age. I strongly feel that major electromagnetic pulses from the sun will be a prime material source of how the end will come.

People try to mitigate all this by claiming that the worsening geophysical problems on earth are caused by “climate change” due to human actions. One report used these words: “Unless humanity takes urgent action against climate change, we can look forward to a ‘ghastly future’ of mass extinction, unthinkable death tolls, and horrifying conflict” (See the link, https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-warn-ghastly-future-environment ). Such pessimistic reports are now common (see, for example, https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-warn-earth-dying ). They fail to recognise that these phenomena are all the outplay of the effects of the Fall and the continued refusal of the mass of humanity to recognise our fractured relationship with the Creator of this cosmos. Moreover, they are stark portents of the climax in chaos and catastrophe which is yet to come.

It is common for people to say that “Gaia” or ‘mother nature’ is angry with humanity for all its environmental peccadilloes. But very few would recognise that the Creator of this cosmos (the real God), through geophysical catastrophes, is reacting against much of the world’s population because of the failure to follow Divine law. No matter how big of a hint God gives about this, would people even notice? We see here in these first four trumpets that the most massive hint possible so far issues in no global metanoia or personal transformation. The same barrenness of response will be true of the next two trumpets also, to which we will now turn.

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[The commentary of the Book of Revelation, from which the above piece has been extracted, can be obtained in eBook or physical paperback format. See here: https://diakrisis-project.com/2025/03/12/second-edition-of-the-essential-apocalypse-is-now-available-as-an-e-book-in-pdf-format/ ].

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© Copyright, Alan Morrison, 2025
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]

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