It is not clear whether the sixth angel sounded the trumpet before the five months of torment and testing had ended, or whether the swarm of supernatural scorpionesque locusts had completed its mission.
Revelation 9: Strange Locusts
Are these actual monsters that will rise up out of some sepulchral chasm cleaving the mantle of earth? Or is their appearance allegory rich with symbolical meaning?
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Revelation 9: The Fifth Trumpet, an Historical View
The fifth trumpet seems either definitely metaphysical or highly allegorical, so how do expositors who take the historical or more specifically preterist views read these verses?
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Revelation 9: Purpose of the Inquisition
Perhaps for John’s audience, such a prospect generated a redoubled commitment to deal with temptation and sin right away. Better to respond to the first prick of conscience before it becomes complicated.
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Revelation 9: The Fifth Trumpet
Is this a metaphorical examination of some kind, that brings on spiritual torment (painful conviction of personal sin?), which displays for all to see who is at peace with God and who is still God’s opponent?
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Revelation 8: The Lone Eagle
as so often happens with misfortune, when things feel like they could not possibly get worse … they do
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Revelation 8: The Fourth Trumpet
It is a strange vision, when read all in one breath. I imagine John watching—peering, really, into the gloom—as something inflicted the sun with a power that could diminish it by a full third of its strength.
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Revelation 8: The Third Trumpet
Is this blazing star a political figure? A religious leader? Literally a poisonous star fallen from heaven? Each few sheds fascinating insight on John's vision.
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Revelation 8: The Second Trumpet
How interpreters have imagined this scene is in large part influenced by their point of view. Taken simply as a scene, it is horrific. Is it metaphorical? Is it commentary on a situation? Is it prophecy to be literally fulfilled? Is it a warning that may not come to pass if heeded?
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Revelation 8: Hail, Fire, and Blood
Though each perspective sees the fulfillment of these trumpets occurring in very different timeframes, there are certain overarching themes on which all four views agree.
