In chapter eight, there is nothing to indicate we should
take verses 7-13 in any way other than in their literal
sense. If the literal sense makes good sense and if there is
no indication in the passage that suggests a symbolical
interpretation, then these verses should be taken literally.
These are literal judgments.
Many Bible students believe that four is the number of the
world. It marks God’s creative works. On the fourth day God
finished the material creation (Genesis 1:14-19). Revelation
7:9 gives us four divisions of humanity: nations, tribes,
peoples, and tongues. There are four directions or regions:
north, south, east, and west. There are four seasons:
spring, summer, fall, and winter. In presenting the Lord
Jesus to men, there are four gospels. There are four
kingdoms: animal, mineral, vegetable, and spiritual.
In this regard, the seven trumpets are divided into four and
three. The first four bring devastation to the world, God’s
creation. The last three are aimed more directly at man
though humanity is affected and hurt by all the trumpets.
This is significant since these first four are areas of
God’s common grace intended for man’s blessing.
The judgment of the first trumpet presents a grim picture of
devastation on the vegetation of the world.
With the sounding of the first trumpet, hail and fire are
cast to earth mingled with blood. These results in the
burning of one-third of the earth, specifically burned are
the trees and the green grass. This would also refer to the
various crops of the earth like wheat, barley, rice, corn,
etc. Imagine the famine because of this.
Each aspect of this judgment represents certain spiritual
concepts in the wrath of God. “Hail” represents the source
as well as the suddenness (Isaiah 28:2). “Fire” represents
the consuming character of God’s wrath. These judgments
consume and destroy the meaning and purpose of life on
earth. “Blood” is naturally descriptive of death. It not
only reminds us men will be killed by these judgments, but
that the wages of sin is death. God is judging moral and
spiritual death on the earth by the physical death caused by
the hail and fire.
One third of the earth is destroyed by fire, why not one
fourth, or one fifth, perhaps, because three is one of the
numbers of perfection as with the number seven. Three is the
number of God or the trinity. God is referred to by the
formula, “Who was, Who is, and Who is to come.” During the
last half of the Tribulation, the trinity from hell, Satan,
the beast, and the False Prophet, will rule the world. In
other words, the world has sought a solution to its problems
not in God, the Trinity, but in the satanic trinity.
Therefore, it appears that by the number one-third, God is
stressing the impotence of the satanic trinity and the
perfection of God’s wrath to establish His eternal purposes.
These are literal judgments, but they also seem to represent
some very basic spiritual truth.
