Interpreting the seven trumpets of Revelation

Clarence Larkin

1st trumpet

There is no need to spiritualize this. It means just what it says. These things have happened before why not again? ... The Lord is going to repeat the "PLAGUES OF EGYPT." They were literal, why not the "Trumpet" and "Vial" Judgments? ... And the HAIL smote throughout all the Land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the HAIL smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. ONLY IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN, WHERE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE, WAS THERE NO HAIL." Ex. 9:22-26. The difference between this Egyptian Plague, and the Plague of the First Trumpet, is, that the situation will be reversed. Then the "CHILDREN OF ISRAEL" escaped, now they will suffer. The Judgments of Egypt were directed against Pharoah, the Judments of the Tribulation Period will be directed against Israel.

2nd trumpet

Notice that John does not say that it was a "Mountain" that he saw cast into the sea, but that it appeared like a mountain, not a burning volcano, but an immense meteoric mass ablaze with fire. That was as near as John could describe it. The effect of this "burning mass" on the sea, into which it fell, was to turn a third of the sea into BLOOD. If any are disposed to doubt the possibility of such a thing let them turn to the "First Egyptian Plague" Ex. 7:19-21, and read the account of the turning of the waters of the Nile River into BLOOD.

3rd trumpet

This will doubtless be another "Meteor," that will assume the form of a "Torch" in its blazing path through the heavens, and when its gaseous vapors aare scattered as it explodes, they will be absorbed by the third part of the rivers and fountains of waters, and they will be poisoned by the noxious gases, and made bitter, and many men shall die from drinking of those waters. "Wormwood" is a perennial herb, very bitter, and is used in the manufacture of "Absinthe." It is much used in France as a bverage, and iss more intoxicating and destructive than ordinary liquors.

4th trumpet

What happens under the sounding of this "Trumpet" is so similar to what happened under the "Sixth Seal" that it is not necessary to further dwell on it here.

5th trumpet

The LOCUSTS that John saw come out of the "Bottomless Pit" were a kind of "INFERNAL CHERUBIM." That is, they were a combination of the HORSE, the MAN, the WOMAN, the LION, and the SCORPION, and the sound of their wings in flying was as the "sound of chariots of many horses running to battle." Their size is not given, but they were doubtless nuch larger than ordinary locusts, but they were not like them, for ordinary locusts feed on vegetation, but these locusts were forbidden to hurt the grass, or the trees, or any green thing, but they were to afflict ONLY MEN, and they had human intelligence, for they afflicted only those men who had the "SEAL OF GOD" in their foreheads. These men they were not permitted to kill, but only torment, and that for only a limited period--FIVE MONTHS, the time limit of ordinary locusts, which is from May to September. The length of time is mentioned twice, and the character of the torment was like that which follows the STING OF A SCORPION, which causes excruciating pain that often causes the afflicted person to desire to die. So fearfully excruciating will be the anguish of those who shall be tormented by these "SCORPION LOCUSTS" that they will "seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, but death shall flee from them," the inference being that the LOCUST or DEMON controlling them shall have power to prevent their death. ... The meaning then of this scourge of "SCORPION LOCUSTS" seems to be, that an Angel, the custodian of the "Pit," will open the "Bottomless Pit," and liberate a vast multitude of Demons who shall enter into and take possession of the bodies of men, and so torment them that they shall desire to die and shall not be able.

6th trumpet

That these "Four Angels," who were bound at the river Euphrates, were bad angels is seen from the fact that they were bound, and that they are the leaders or commanders of an army of 200,000,000 "INFERNAL CAVALRY." This army of 200,000,000 horsemen is a supernatural army. It is not composed of ordinary men and horses. The fact that these "Four Angels" were bound at the Euphrates, where Satan's seat was in ancient times, and from whence he sallied forth to do his diabolical work, makes it clear that this army is a part of Satan's forces. Supernatural armies are not unknown to the scriptures. Horses and a chariot of fire separated Elijah from Elisha in the day when Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind into heaven, 2 Kings 2:11. When Dothan was besieged by the army of Syria, God opened the eyes of Elisha's servant, and he say the mountains around the city full of horses and chariots of fire. 2 Kings 6:13-17. When the Lord Jesus Christ shall come to take "The Kingdom," He will be attended by the "Armies of Heaven" riding on "White Horses," and it stands to reason, if there is to be a "War in Heaven" between Michael and his angels,and Satan and his agngels (Rev. 12:7), that Satan has his armies, and among them horsemen, and that the 200,000,000 Horsemen mentioned here are Satan's Horsemen, for no such army of ordinary horsemen ever was, or ever could be, assembled on this earth.
   
Again the horses were not ordinary horses, for while their bodies were like the body of a HORSE, their heads where as the heads of a LION, and their tails were like unto a SERPENT, the end of which had the HEAD OF A SERPENT, and it was SULPHUROUS SMOKE AND FIRE that issued out of their mouths, and the SERPENT STING of their tails, that killed all that crossed their path, that reveals the Satanic chaaracter of the horses and their riders. ... The wonderful thing about this invasion of "INFERNAL CAVALRY" was the awful destruction they wrought. They slew the THIRD PART OF MEN. If that means of the whole world, and the present population of the earth is 1,700,000,000, then this army will destroy 566,666,666 persons. It probably however refers to one-third of the men of the old Roman world.

7th trumpet

This is the announcement that the time had come for Christ to take "THE KINGDOM," though "The Kingdom" does not fully come into His possession for 35. years.