Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

The Trumpet Plagues of Revelation!

by John D. Keyser

During the "Day of the LORD" -- a "day" equals a "year" in fulfillment, so this "Day of the LORD" will most likely last about one literal year in length -- YEHOVAH God Himself will begin to "judge" the nations and send plagues upon the earth. These plagues will be introduced by seven trumpets, which will be blown by angels, introducing seven plagues which will be poured out on the world (see Revelation 8-9). Notice -- there are many trumpets blown -- each one being a "call to repentance," as it were -- and a warning for YEHOVAH's people Israel that YEHOVAH God is sending another plague upon the earth! There are six trumpet plagues announced.

The Feast of Trumpets represents the day of TRUMPETS, which pictures the last trumpet BLOWN in the book of Revelation (Revelation 8-7), the seventh trumpet-plague of the "Day of the LORD." This is the time when YEHOVAH God is enthroned in preparation for His return and the Judgment Day. The "trumpets" are warning blasts, a call to repentance, and a warning of impending calamities. Each trumpet blast, starting on Nisan 1 in the Hebrew calendar, will be accompanied by a divinely sent PLAGUE to convince those of Israel that YEHOVAH God means business! (see Revelation 8-9).

They are a warning, sent by a loving God who doesn't desire to have to punish His people Israel, but who will not put up with sin and rebellion any longer. The "trumpets" -- plural -- lead up to the soon-coming JUDGMENT, which will occur when YEHOVAH God is enthroned in preparation for the judgment of His people Israel, presided over by the Messiah (see Revelation 11:15-19).

According to the book of Revelation, the soon-coming "Day of the LORD" will be divided up into "seven trumpets" -- seven angels will blow seven trumpet blasts, and these will introduce seven calamitous plagues that YEHOVAH God will send on the earth. The apostle John writes:

"And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given SEVEN TRUMPETS...And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound" (Revelation 8:1-6).

These trumpet blasts of the heavenly shofar are WARNINGS FROM YEHOVAH GOD to His people Israel, that the time has come to REPENT of their sins and iniquities -- or suffer the dire consequences! Notice! The first four of these seven angelic trumpet blasts will be followed by physical calamities, or incredible, intense catastrophes of "nature of man" gone amok:

NISAN 1: "The first angel sounded, and there followed hail [meteor showers] and fire [burning, sizzling meteorites] 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" (Revelation 8:7).

The imagery of hail and fire mixed with blood is rich with symbolic meaning. Hail and fire are often associated with divine judgment and wrath in the Bible. For instance, hail was one of the plagues that YEHOVAH God sent upon Egypt (Exodus 9:23-24), and fire frequently symbolizes YEHOVAH's purifying and consuming presence (Hebrews 12:29). The addition of blood intensifies the imagery, suggesting a violent and deadly judgment.

According to the Bible, the First Trumpet is understood as a literal event that will occur during the end times. It is seen as a direct act of YEHOVAH God, demonstrating His sovereignty and justice. The destruction of a third of the earth, trees, and all green grass signifies a partial but significant judgment, emphasizing the severity of YEHOVAH's wrath against sin and rebellion.

The First Trumpet serves as a warning to YEHOVAH's people Israel about the consequences of sin and the reality of divine judgment. It underscores the holiness of YEHOVAH God and His intolerance of sin, calling believers to repentance and faithfulness. The event also highlights the urgency of the gospel message, as it foreshadows the ultimate judgment that will come upon the world.

IYYAR 1: "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 ships were destroyed" (Revelation 8:7-9).

The "great mountain burning with fire" is a vivid and powerful image that has been interpreted in various ways. Some scholars suggest that it represents a massive volcanic eruption or a large meteorite impacting the earth. The fiery mountain being "thrown into the sea" indicates a sudden and catastrophic event, emphasizing the divine judgment being executed upon the earth.

The transformation of a third of the sea into blood echoes the first plague in Egypt (Exodus 7:20-21), where the Nile River was turned to blood. This parallel suggests a divine act of judgment, reinforcing the theme of YEHOVAH God's sovereignty and power over creation. The death of a third of the sea creatures and the destruction of a third of the ships further highlight the severity and global impact of this judgment.

From a theological perspective, the Second Trumpet serves as a warning of the impending judgment and the need for repentance. It underscores the reality of YEHOVAH's wrath against sin and the ultimate accountability of humanity before the Creator. The catastrophic nature of the event is a reminder of the transient nature of earthly life and the futility of placing hope in worldly security.

The destruction of a third of the sea and its inhabitants also symbolizes the disruption of commerce and trade, which were heavily reliant on maritime activities in the ancient world. This aspect of the judgment may serve as a critique of economic systems that prioritize wealth and power over righteousness and justice.

The Second Trumpet, like the other trumpet judgments, is a call to heed the warnings of Scripture and to turn to YEHOVAH God in faith and obedience. It serves as a reminder of the urgency of the gospel message and the hope of salvation through Yeshua the Messiah.

SIVAN 1: "And the third angel sounded, and there FELL A GREAT STAR FROM HEAVEN, burning as it were a LAMP [a ballistic missile coming in from space?], 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 ["bitterness"]: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter [polluted and poisonous]" (Revelation 8:10-11).

Keep in mind that John is doing his best to describe visions of future events from a first century perspective. John doesn’t really know what he’s looking at but he does the best he can with what his eyes are offering.

As the the third trumpet sounds, John sees what looks like “a great star, blazing like a torch,” falling from the sky. Could John’s vision be showing him intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) reentering the atmosphere and descending upon their target? An ICBM ascends into space to achieve the speeds it needs to arrive at the far destination it’s programmed to travel. It’s trajectory will take it through space. Once it approaches the target, it’ll reenter the atmosphere descending upon its preprogrammed mark.

These ICBM’s would appear to any reasonable person as a star looking like a blazing torch, especially as it encounters the atmosphere on its way to earth. It’s very likely given, what we understand so far, that John is witnessing mankind’s own destruction through nuclear capabilities. The same nuclear capabilities that have existed for decades but whose use has been held back by the restraining arm of YEHOVAH God.

In order to understand what wormwood is and how it relates to John’s vision, we need to look closely at this verse. The word wormwood is used nine times in the Bible. It’s only used once in the New Testament. The remainder are found in the Old Testament. Wormwood is a bitter herb that was used in making medicine in ancient times. It was recognized by the Israelites as a bitter tasting substance. In all its uses throughout biblical times, it was used in reference to bitter water.

Notice closely what John records in this verse. The blazing star that he sees is called Wormwood. It doesn’t say that it’s going to contain wormwood. Just that it’s called Wormwood. What’s the difference? In naming the star Wormwood, the Messiah is giving John the ability to understand some of what he’s seeing. John, being an Israelite, would know what the word wormwood would mean. This would allow John to understand the next verse which describes the bitter water as a result of the star.

To John, if wormwood means bitter water and the star is named Wormwood, then it makes sense that the fresh water of the earth will turn bitter in taste. But the meaning of this passage to those in the Time of Jacob's Trouble in the end-time will be much more disastrous. The bitter taste will lead to death.

If we were to follow the logic that this third judgment of Revelation is revealing to us more evidence of the introduction of nuclear warfare, then bitter water that kills begins to make sense. Enter in a nuclear war and the radiation dispersed from the detonation, then suddenly a third of the planet’s water is bitter and undrinkable. This becomes the making of an apocalyptic scene of epic proportions. After the detonation of a nuclear weapon and the poisoning of the surrounding fresh water, people would not last very long. In other words, people will die from drinking the fresh water tainted with radiation. People might refrain from drinking the bitter water for a while, but very quickly they’ll be so thirsty for water that they’ll be forced to drink and eventually die.

TAMMUZ 1: "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" (Revelation 8:12-13). As John hears the fourth angel sound his trumpet, he sees a third of the sun, moon, and stars are struck with darkness. This causes a third of the day and the night to be without any light from these celestial bodies.

Let’s not forget what’s already occurred on earth up to this point. On top of that, a third of the earth is going to be cast into darkness. Among the imbalances that already exist with vegetation, oceans, and fresh bodies of water, the necessary nutrient that light offers our planet will throw the earth into further disruption and chaos. Not to mention the temperature drop that will ensue due to the absence of sunlight.

In the book, The Fate of the Earth, the author, Jonathan Schell explains that an all out nuclear conflict would be so massive that a thick cloud made from smoke and debris could obstruct the sun, moon, and stars from shedding their light upon the earth. This would cause what scientists call a nuclear winter. In the book, There’s A Whole New Planet Coming, the author Hal Lindsey also took the position that the series of Trumpet Judgments portray the use of nuclear weapons.

Is it possible that John the apostle, watching the visions shown to him by the Messiah, is seeing from a 1st century perspective -- a 21st century nuclear event? It certainly appears so.

AB 1: "Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star [messenger, angel] fallen from heaven to earth. And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power" (Revelation 9:1-12).

The first action that immediately follows the sounding of the trumpet is the fall of a star from heaven to earth. That this star represents a mighty spirit-being is confirmed by the next words: "And to him" -- evidently a person -- "was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit." None but a mighty spirit could do that.

Turning now to the details of the vision of the fifth trumpet, it shows the darkening of the sun and air by the dense smoke from the pit, and the locusts with their scorpion-like tails. But further concerning the abyss, or bottomless pit, it may be noted that the abyss appears in the New Testament as the home of the demons, the source of the evil spiritual agencies that exercise their influence upon men. This is made evident, for example, by the desire of the wicked spirits whom the Messiah cast out of the man dwelling in the tombs, that he should not command them to depart into the abyss (Luke 8:31).

Out of the pit arose dense smoke, as the smoke of a great furnace. This recalls one of the signs that are to precede the great and terrible day of the LORD -- namely "pillars (or columns) of smoke" (Joel 2:30). Who are these "locusts" that "came upon the earth" out of the smoke? About 900 years before John’s Revelation, the Prophet Joel symbolically described an invading, attacking army as a swarm of locusts. Any large, invading army might be compared to a swarm of locusts, but the Arabs and Muhammad have a unique connection to the locust: “In the Bedoween romance Antar, the locust is introduced as the national emblem of the Ishmaelites [one of the ancestors of the Arabs]. And it is a remarkable coincidence that Muslim tradition speaks of locusts having dropped into the hands of Muhammad, bearing on their wings this inscription -- ‘We are the army of the Great God.’”

Verse 7 states that the shapes of the locusts were like "horses prepared unto battle." In Judges 6:5 we read that the children of the east came up like locusts (not "grasshoppers") for multitude; and in Jeremiah 46:23, YEHOVAH God speaks of the armies that were to overwhelm Egypt, saying that "they are more than the locusts, and are innumerable". Thus we learn that the term locusts also signifies armies of immense numbers.

The army of locusts came forth from a dark cloud of smoke that rolled out of the bottomless pit. The “bottomless pit” in Greek is abussos (abussoß), the source of our English word abyss. Some English Bibles simply translate it as “the abyss.” It is remarkable that Abul A’la Mawdudi, one of Islam’s most prominent scholars of the 20th century, used the very word "abyss" when writing about the beginnings of Islam.

In a book written to introduce English-speaking people to the basics of Islam, Mawdudi tells his readers that Muhammad and his message came out of “Arabia -- the Abyss of Darkness.” These are his exact words, and they appear in bold print as a sub-heading in his book. It is no mere coincidence that this outstanding Islamic author unwittingly identified Islam’s source, in bold print no less, as “the Abyss of Darkness” -- using the very same word that appears in Revelation.

ELUL 1: "Then 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 who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates'" (Revelation 9:13-14).

The origin of this "woe" was in the region beyond the great river Euphrates. It was from that quarter of the world that the Turks made their appearance, and even until today there is some mystery as to the precise part of the East from which they came.

There was an astonishing resurrection of Islam after centuries of stagnation, resulting in the Ottoman Empire, which continued to our own time to be the inveterate foe of the gospel -- and a curse to all the nations that have been blessed by the gospel's beneficial influences.

TISHRI 1: 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 [YEHOVAH God] shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:15).

Here, in graphic description, is a prophecy of natural disasters prophesied to overwhelm the earth in the year immediately preceding the coming of YEHOVAH God. At the end of 6,000 years of Adamic man's misrule of planet earth, mankind will be punished with natural disasters, because he has polluted, spoiled, desecrated, and destroyed much of the pristine natural environment which YEHOVAH created him to rule over and nourish and protect (Genesis 1:26-28; Isaiah 45:18; 24:4-6, 16). Because of these grievous sins against the environment, and the natural world, YEHOVAH God will "destroy them which destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18).

The Final Three "Woes"

The last three of these trumpet plagues -- numbers 5, 6, and 7 -- are also known as the "three woes" (Revelation 8:13). These represent the final three rounds of WAR, culminating in the return of YEHOVAH God to settle the issue of who will rule the earth once and for all!

Notice! In Revelation 9, the "fifth angel sounded," and the first "woe" followed -- "locusts" which utilize chemical warfare, "tormenting mankind" for five months" (Revelation 9:1-11). The head of this religious power is Satan the devil, working through the "angel of the bottomless pit" (v. 11). The prophet Joel symbolically described an invading, attacking army as a swarm of locusts. YEHOVAH God therefore, through Joel, compares the soldiers -- the forces of Islam -- to "locusts." But these are peculiar locusts -- they use chemical and biological weapons to "torment" mankind. In appearance, these soldiers are described as "women" (Nahum 3:13; Revelation 9:8).

This world religious power will inflict awesome calamities everywhere.

Following hard on the heels of this "trumpet plague," John writes, "the sixth angel sounded," followed by the "second woe" (Revelation 9:13). Notice! This woe will consist of a massive army which will number 200,000,000 men! (Revelation 9:12-21). This huge army will undoubtedly consist of millions of soldiers from Islamic Turkey and the Islamic hordes of Europe! This tremendous army, like the terrible hordes of Genghis Khan, will march into the Middle East. These hordes come from "beyond Euphrates" (Revelation 9:14-15; 16:12). They will slay the third part of men -- about 2 billion human beings will likely die in the horrendous world war to follow (v. 15).

I should mention here that there is some difference of opinion regarding the Greek words that are translated 200,000,000 in most Bibles. The largest number named in Ancient Greek was a myriad myriad, and Archimedes of Syracuse used this quantity as the basis for a numeration system of large powers of ten, which he needed to count grains of sand, see The Sand Reckoner. The Barnes' Notes on the New Testament comments as follows:

"Verse 16. And the number of the army of the horsemen. It is to be observed here that the strength of the army seemed to be cavalry. In the former plagues there is no distinct mention of horsemen; but here that which struck the beholder was the immense and unparalleled number of horsemen.

"Were two hundred thousand thousand. A thousand thousand are a million, and consequently the number here referred to would be two hundred millions. This would be a larger army than was ever assembled, and it cannot be supposed that it is to be taken literally. That it would be a very large host -- so large that it would not readily be numbered -- is clear. The expression in the original, while it naturally conveys the idea of an immense number, would seem also to refer to some peculiarity in the manner of reckoning them.

"The language is, two myriads of myriads -- duo muriadev muriadwn. The myriad was ten thousand. The idea would seem to be this. John saw an immense host of cavalry. They appeared to be divided into large bodies that were in some degree separate, and that might be reckoned by ten thousands. Of these different squadrons there were many, and to express their great and unusual number he said that there seemed to be myriads of them -- two myriads of myriads, or twice ten thousand myriads. The army thus would seem to be immense; an army, as we should say, to be reckoned by tens of thousands.

"And I heard the number of them. They were so numerous that he did not pretend to be able to estimate the number himself, for it was beyond his power of computation; but he heard it stated in these round numbers, that there were "two myriads of myriads" of them.

"Regardless of the exact number, the inference here is that John is describing a huge number of horsemen about to cross the Euphrates River and descend into the Middle East for the final battle of Armageddon."

It is a fascinating and ominous fact that today the continent of Europe is rapidly becoming Islamic due to unlimited immigration and simple demographics! In the opinion of Bassam Tibi, an academic of Syrian origins who lives in Germany, Europeans are facing a stark alternative: “Either Islam gets Europeanized, or Europe gets Islamized.” Going still farther, the eminent historian Bernard Lewis has speculated that the clash may well be over by the end of this century, at which time, if present demographic trends continue, Europe itself will be Muslim. Some demographers believe this could occur by the year 2050!

If that is the case, or is becoming the case, is it any wonder that some Europeans are switching sides, so as to be on the winning one? The sheer élan and cultural confidence displayed by Islamist spokesmen may have something to do with the fact that every year, thousands of people all over Europe convert to Islam. Some of these converts, from Britain, France, and Germany, taking the direct route from words to action, have gone on to play a disproportionate role in terrorism and Islamist militancy. The Bible strongly warns about converting to this satanic religion -- notice!

"If anyone worships the [Islamic] beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand [arm], he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God..." (Revelation 14:9-10).

This refers to the Arabic writing across the head and arm bands of the Islamic jihadists, which is "the name of Allah" -- called the bismillah in Arabic. (See our article, The REAL "Mark of the Beast"!). The Beast from the land in Revelation 13 is Islam and this Beast's prophet is Muhammed. Islamic jihadists do everything in "the name of allah." The Book of Revelation says that his number is his name. Notice Revelation 13:17:

"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."

The Beast from the sea in Revelation 13 is the leader of those nations or peoples controlled by the Vatican and, in order for Catholicism to survive in a continent under the control of Islam, the Vatican will have to have some sort of liaison with the dominant Islamic power. The fact is, the Vatican has been forging ties with Islam for decades! With the combination of Islamic and Catholic forces it is easy to see that an immense army could be assembled.

The "Third Woe" -- ARMAGEDDON!

At this point, after billions have already died in natural disasters and worldwide wars, Satan and his demons will bring all the armies of the earth together, for one final "battle" -- to fight against YEHOVAH God at His return! John writes:

"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], and out of the mouth of the [Catholic] beast, and out of the mouth of the [Islamic] false prophet. For they are the spirits of demons, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, TO GATHER THEM TO THE BATTLE OF THAT GREAT DAY OF [YEHOVAH] GOD ALMIGHTY....

"And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue, ARMAGEDDON..." (Revelation 16:13-16).

Armageddon! Finally, it will happen. The battle of the ages -- the final conflict -- the final awesome battle between good and evil! All the world will be gathered together to resist YEHOVAH God. All nations will fight against Him, thinking that He is an "invader from outer space," some "alien intelligence" seeking to overthrow the earth!

"Aliens Attack," the world's headlines will shriek. "Alien Monsters from the Cosmos Launch Campaign to Subdue the Earth," news reports will cry out on worldwide television and in the mass media!

Is it any wonder, then, that the DAY OF JUDGMENT is soon coming?

Despite these severe warnings, and massive judgment strokes, the vast majority of people will not repent of their sins (see Revelation 9:20-21 and Revelation 16:11, 21). Six powerful angelic trumpets of Revelation will be blown, calling the nations to repent. They will refuse. They will gather at Armageddon -- Har Megiddo -- to fight YEHOVAH God when He returns from heaven!

The plagues unleashed by the blowing of the first six trumpets are judgments of grace, primarily designed to lead the people of Israel to repentance. This is clearly stated in Revelation 9:20-21 where twice we are told that people "did not repent," in spite of the judgments that accompanied the blowing of the first six trumpets. Gerhard Friedrich notes that the judgments of the six trumpets are,

"the final warning of God, His summons to repentance....That these penal judgments are at root judgment of grace is emphasized in Revelation 9:20-21. The aim of God in sending the plagues is that men should be converted from idolatry. They are meant to drive men to repentance before it is too late" ("Salpinx," Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. VII, p. 87).

At that moment, the seventh angel will sound his trumpet -- a final call to repentance. The great shofar will be blown on the Feast of Trumpets -- and the final judgment of Israel will commence.

"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 [YEHOVAH], and of His Christ; and He [YEHOVAH] shall reign for ever and ever... And the nations [non-Israelite nations of the earth] were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead [Israelites], that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:15-18).

When YEHOVAH God appears, the final Judgment of Israel will take place. All the "preliminaries" will be finished. John declares: "But 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).

In addition to calling our nation to repentance, we need to educate people. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” YEHOVAH said (Hosea 4:6). Most Americans’ knowledge of the Scriptures is very superficial and shallow -- or totally non-existent. Sadly, this is often true even among church people. As a result, people are ripe for deception. One deceptive lie that is currently making great headway among many Americans is the notion that Islam is “a fine, noble religion.” Unfortunately, even our President has used these words to describe Islam. While there are some fine, noble Muslim people, the religion of Islam is a counterfeit faith that has as its source the bottomless pit -- the Abyss of Darkness.

It is not popular to say that Islam is a counterfeit faith that should be renounced, rejected, and abandoned by Muslim people. The spirit of this age is pushing for an all-inclusive, New Age view that sees all religions -- even Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism -- as legitimate faiths. Our proclaiming that all non-Biblical faiths are illegitimate will not make us popular, but we are not in a popularity contest. The Scripture speaks of only “one faith” (Ephesians 4:5), “the faith that was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Our proclaiming this one faith, the faith described in the holy scriptures, will set us apart from the mainstream, but it is the only hope for our nation.