Rev. 6:12 KJV  And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 
Rev. 6:13 KJV  And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 

****** As far as the seals go,the opening of the sixth seal began back in the 19th Century and we are presently situated between verses 13 and 14 in relation to the sixth seal with the next great event in relation to the sixth seal being the soon visible second coming of Jesus Christ. *******

Rev. 6:14 KJV  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 

I don't believe the sixth seal prophecy need to make such separation for interpretation of the events because it is connected with "and". Rather it indicates a continuation of the same event, which is the theme of second coming of Jesus.

Another perspective is that if we read it as historical timeline that God has revealed the events sequentially, the same principle should be applied to all of the seal vision.

The fourth seal says that "power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth" (Rev. 6:8).

Did the persecution of the Papacy 1)killed saints with sword to begin with, and then 2)with hunger, and with 3)the beasts, respectively during the Dark Ages, for example? No, this is not the right way to interpret. Isn't it?

The principle to interpret the fourth seal provides understanding for us to consider a proper method of the application in the sixth seal also.

The history of the Dark Day and Shooting Stars may cast a shadow of the event of the Day of the Lord (Jesus' second coming), but I don't believe that we should separate the verse 12 and 13 from 14 in Chapter 6 into the historical timelines.

We are not to break the phrases of each seal vision within the vision into a historical timeline, but see them as a whole—one unit or a theme of vision in the unfolding history.

Our Adventists believe that we are commissioned to proclaim 3 angels message of Rev. 14, which related to the command of the "prophesy again" of Rev. 10.

In Revelation, the interludes portray the most important issue of the themes. For example, Seven Seals unfold the historical events from the first century to the end-time. After the sixth seal, an interlude is inserted prior to the seventh seal opens, which explains the very critical issue—Sabbath, the seal of God—before the breaking of the seventh seal.

Within the Seven Trumpets message, an interlude is also inserted after the sixth trumpet, which is Rev. 10-11:14 to explain Sabbath truth and its rediscovery and its advent movement. I believe the 3 angels message is included in this focal point of the interlude. In other words, I see that the seven trumpets message is basically the same message that is enlarged of the three angels message.

The command to "prophesy again" in the interlude (Rev. 10:11) is given to God's people to sound the message of the seven trumpets, which is the warning of the imminent of the close of probation. The expansion of the prophesy again is the three angels message, which is also expansion into the seven trumpets message.

Having said this, I find the seven trumpets message has the health message, Sabbath truth, warning of the Papacy who would enforce the mark of the beast, and the close of probation. "The mystery of God should be finished" (Rev. 10:7) very soon, because God has given us understanding of the message of the seven trumpets.

As the bottomless pit is opened in the fifth trumpet's announcement, an angel ascends to destroy the inhabitants of the earth. The angel is the fallen star—the beast—who received his power from the Dragon and connives the world into glorifying him (Rev. 13:2-3).
When the fifth plague mentions the seat of the beast, it is the Papacy, the fallen star in the fifth trumpet. The repeating features of the combined issues—seat of the beast, fallen star, darkness, seal of God, torment—can lead to no other conclusion.

Just as God sends His servants of light to deliver messages to His church, Satan uses his servants of darkness as well to do his bidding. So the angel rising from the abyss is his emissary: “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them” (Rev. 11:7) and “the beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit” (Rev. 17:8). This angel is also referred to as the king of tormentors: “They had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit” (Rev. 9:11).

Who is this king? which is the fallen star? The Papacy! He is the destroyer of the earth. His name is called "whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon" (Rev. 9:11).

The locusts of Rev. 9 represent a vicious spiritual force that carries out the beast’s orders. Please consider the 10 characteristics of its features:
1) Their shape are like horses prepared for battle.
2) They wear crowns like gold.
3) Their faces are like the faces of men.
4) They have hair like the hair of women.
5) Their teeth are like the teeth of lions.
6) Their breastplates are made of iron.
7) The sound of their wings is like the sound of chariots.
8) They have tails like scorpions.
9) Their tails have stingers.
10) They have a king over them.

I believe the accompanying meanings are:
1) They are prepared for war
2) They are conquerers
3) They are intelligent
4) They are seductive
5) They have destructive capability
6) They are invulnerable
7) They are swift in battle
8) Their mission is to hurt men
9) They force men to seek death (spiritual torment)
10) They have a king (=the beast)

The word "bottomless pit" appears seven times in the book of Revelation.
1) Rev. 9:1
2) Rev. 9:2
3) Rev. 9:11
4) Rev. 11:7
5) Rev. 17:8
6) Rev. 20:1
7) Rev. 20:3

When we read the each verse carefully, it is clear as a day light that they are associated with the evil force—spiritual darkness. Seven portrays spiritual perfection in Revelation.
Thus I perceive that the seven times of the bottomless pit identify the powers of the enemy of God against His saints and the church.

Therefore I understand that the mention of the fifth trumpet is the warning of the activity of the Papacy and of the coming judgment upon the seat of the beast as written in the fifth plague.

In Rev. 9, bottomless pit appears 3 times.


Where did Satan come from?


The verse indicates that Satan fell from heaven to the earth. We know that:
1). the bottomless pit means the earth. (Satan will be bound 1,000 years in the bottomless pit. See Rev. 20:1-2).
then look into Rev. 9, what's happening in the earth?:
2). the key means worldwide ruling power by the Papacy.
3). Smoke-suffering smoke- means prayers which are intercepted by the religious system of Catholic. Thus she will be rewarded by 'smoke' at her destruction - see Rev. 19:3 "Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”

According to the Scripture, the Papacy is the angel of the bottomless pit and she is called the great city who has a worldwide ruling power. See Rev. 17:18 and Rev. 16:10:

Notice that the fifth trumpet and fifth plague are counterparts.

In the sixth plague, the three mouths are mentioned and so is with the sixth trumpet, which are also connected with the great river Euphrates. See Rev. 16:13 and 9:17 :
See Rev. 16:12 and Rev 9:14:


Rev. 13:5 tells us the Papacy has a mouth to speak great things and blasphemies:

See Daniel 7:20

Who spoke pompous words and blasphemed God with the mouth? The Papacy.


The destroyer is called Abaddon (in Hebrew): when they join with other forces, their name become Armageddon (in Hebrew) (Rev. 16:16). It means destroyer or destroyers. It carries the same meaning. The king of the destroyer is the Papacy (Rev. 9:11). We can see the threefold forces in Rev. 16:13. They are the dragon (paganism), the beast (Papacy), and the false prophet (apostate Christians). The three entities are the destroyer who are going to be destroyed ultimately by the holy angels in Rev. 9:16-17 which have breastplates of fire, of jacinth, and brimstone.

In the great river Euphrates: dragon's mouth, beast's mouth, false prophet's mouth (Rev. 16:12-16
In the great river Euphrates: 200 horsemen have breastplates of fire, of jacinth, and brimstone coming out of their mouth (Rev. 9:13-21).

Rev. 18:2 enlarges who are the threefold destroyer.
1) Dragon: habitation of devils-Paganism or Buddhism
2) the Beast: the hold of every foul spirit-Catholic
3) the False prophet: a cage of every unclean and hateful bird-apostate Christian

The threefold evil spirits are working actively together in ecumenism at present time.

In Rev. smoke represent prayers (See Rev. 5:8, 8:3-4).
We see the beast's mouth brings about 'suffering smoke' which causes the sun and the air to become darkened. In another words, the Papacy intercepts saints prayers which causes the trouble of darkness.

Next time, I will discuss about "five months" in Rev. 9:5, 10.

Satan cast down from the heaven to earth, which is the bottomless pit.
In Rev. 9:1, key means a controlling power on the earth.
Smoke represent prayers (Rev. 5:8, 8:3-4, 19:3)—suffering smoke.

Papacy is the angel of the bottomless pit (Rev. 9:11): "they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit". The Papacy controls the earth, so she is called the great city: "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH". (See Rev. 17 and 18).

In Rev. 16:10, 'the seat of the beast' received the fifth plague and his kingdom became full of darkness, which means they have home in the bottomless pit.

Rev. 16:10 "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain".

Notice, the fifth ones! The fifth trumpet and the fifth plague share a common imagery of suffering: "shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them" and "they gnawed their tongues for pain". (See Rev. 9:6 and 16:10).

In the sixth plague, there are three entities by the great river Euphrates: mouth of dragon, mouth of beast, and mouth of false prophet.

The sixth trumpet has three weapons to slay the wicked by the great river Euphrates when the close of probation occurs: "mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone" (Rev. 9:17).

A mouth speaking blasphemous words of the beast parallels with the mouth of the little horn in Dan. 7:20.
Rev. 13:5 "there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies" Dan. 7:20 "And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows."

Rev. 9:11 "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
Rev. 16:16 "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."

Abaddon has same connotation as Armageddon: the both are the Hebrew word indicating destroyer. When the three unclean spirits—dragon, beast, false prophet— unite their power to destroy, their name become Armageddon. The individual, Abaddon, is the king of the bottomless pit.

Rev. 11:7-8 "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified".

'Finishing their testimony' ended at 1798 after the Dark Ages of 1,260 years. Bible mentions this period 7 times (Dan. 7:25, 12:7, Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5). Knowing this period must be very important for the interpretation of prophecy!

After French Revolution, the beast came out from the bottomless pit: "finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" "shall make war against them".

Rev. 17:8 "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is".

The beast represent Papacy who ascend out of the bottomless pit and she is mother of harlots and "drunken with the blood of the saint (Rev. 17:6).

In Rev. 20:1, 3, "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand." "3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season".

It is easy to assume that the bottomless pit is just a simple darkness. But it is Devil and Satan himself and he sends his children of the darkness.

The Papacy is the originator of the destruction of the earth(Rev. 11:18).
The Papacy is the one who holds "every foul spirit" by worshipping the dead saints (Rev. 18:2).
The Papacy "made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Rev. 14:8). Her fornication is with money and to cause the whole world into bankruptcy. Rev. 17:2 "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication". Notice, she made them to drink; they were far from willing!
The Papacy is "drunken with the blood of the saints" (Rev. 17:6).

In Rev. 9, the fallen star from heaven has clear connection to the Papacy for he is the angel of the bottomless pit. The fifth trumpet is warning about the Papacy and prophesied of the 5 months period of their evil doing in the end-time when the final sealing of God is taking place on this earth. (See Rev. 9:4).

Rev. 9:5 "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man".

I believe the fifth trumpet speaks about the imminent probation closing, which will come approximately after 150 years of the beast’s maximized powers.

Here are two examples when the given prophetic time periods ran longer than predicted and were fulfilled belatedly: Israel departed Egypt after 430 years, not the prophesied 400 years (see Gen. 15:13, Exod. 12:40). Also, the 70 years of captivity in Babylon ended in Nehemiah’s time in 444 BC, 91 years later than prophesied (Jer. 25:11, Neh. 7).

Thus the prophetic time of five months of the locusts’ torment is conditional, but it surely will be fulfilled in God’s own time: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (Hab. 2:3).

Thanks for sharing your convictions and study, Karen. Understanding the role of the seven trumpets is key to surviving the end times and staying in step with the unfolding Providences of God. I agree with you that the purpose of the seven trumpets and the command to prophesy again is the same - to announce the soon close of probation; and I agree that they are central to the message, the focal point, of the three angels messages - judgment, the seal, the Sabbath, the mark of the beast, the health message, the blood of the final atonement of Christ in the Holiest.

Thanks Charity. I love sharing my understanding of Revelation with others, and feedback is always welcome.

There is simple way of looking at the book of Revelation.

The first portion, Chapter 1-7, is applicable to righteous saints.
The last portion, Chapter 20-22, is applicable to the most righteous saints.

The second portion, Chapter 8-16, is applicable to wicked.
The third portion, Chapter 17-19, is applicable to the most wicked.

The candidates for heavenly kingdom are chosen from the seven churches of the earth.

The righteous saints must go through investigative judgment, and those who are sealed with the blood of Christ, they will be given a privilege to participate during the millennium judgment to review.

The wicked receive verdict judgment and they will be perished by executive judgment.

The four judgments are:

1. Investigative judgment (Chapter 1-7),
2. Verdict Judgment (Chapter 8-14),
3. Executive Judgment (Chapter 15-19), and
4. Reviewing the Judgment (Chapter 20-22).

Jesus is Our Judge (John 5:22).
Jesus is Faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5).
Jesus is Our Attorney (1 John 2:1).

The same John wrote these words in his letters (John, 1 John and Revelation). John is saying that our salvation is assured in Christ because of His blood which He shed for us. Blood is thicker than water. He "made us kings and priests", which contrast to the word "begot". Our salvation cost Jesus' precious blood. Now we have the King's inheritance.

So what is the purpose of judgment?

Chosen kings of the earth will be placed as kings and priests in the cosmic world. Christ shall reign the whole universe (Rev. 11:15, 17) and we shall reign too(Rev. 5:10, 20:4, 6 and 22:5).

Because we are chosen out of the earth, we are called the kings of the earth(Rev. 21:24).

Jesus is Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13).

God used this earth to unmask Satan's identity. Since the earth became the sacrificial offering, he shall reward the righteous saints. 24 Elders became aware of this great drama when they sang a hymn: "for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11).

God had fore-knowledge that Satan will rebel to His government and Eden will be attacked (Rom. 8:18). God's plan of salvation and future glory reveal in Revelation such way as compacted cosmic blueprint. In this sense, we shouldn't use the history of the earth to interpret the book of Revelation.

Present suffering is teeny thing compared to the coming glory of the kingdom of God so soon. Jesus is at the door. The warning sound is plainly clear by the seven trumpets of Revelation.

Jesus is our faithful witness.

Rev. 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."

Jesus came to this earth and suffered temptation just as we are, but without sin. (Heb. 2:17-18).

Witness is one who truly knows: without this qualification, no one is eligible to be a witness.

Jesus said He knows: Rev. 2:2-3 "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. And hast corned, and hast patience, and
for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted."

Rev. 2:9 "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."

Rev. 2:13 "I know thy works, and where thou dwells, even where Satan's seat is: and thou coldest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."

Rev. 2:19 "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first."

Rev. 3:1 "...I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."

Rev. 3:8 "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."

Rev. 3:14-15 "...These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works".

Salesman may know something about merchant but builder knows with a certainty.
Psalms 139:2-5 "Thou knows my down-sitting and mine uprising, thou understands my thought afar off. Thou compasses my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knows it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me."

When we believe and confess Jesus as our Lord, He knows us well and will be our faithful witness: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:10).
If we acknowledge our sin, Jesus is faithful and just, He forgives our sin and cleanses us and we are accounted as righteous.

Do we really know and believe that we are being judged right now in the heavenly courts?
1 Cor. 4:9 "For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men."

There are three record books in heaven that are being used for the judgment (Dan. 7:10): The book of life (Rev. 3:5), the book of remembrance (Mal. 3:16), and the book of sin (Jer. 17:1-2).

Our sins are, not merely recorded, but engraved with a pen of iron. Seriousness of sin issue is being dealt with in the courts of heaven.
There are thousand thousands of ministering angels and ten thousand times ten thousand stood to watch the procession of the judgment. (see Dan. 7:10, Rev. 5:11).

Those angels who are watching the judgment are given Seven Trumpets to signal the termination of the judgment. The purpose of blowing the seven trumpets is warning for the close of human probation, which the seven angels' trumpets portray. The warnings are written for us prior to the fulfillment of the event.

Rev. 8:1-2 "And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half and hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets."

Since the seven trumpets is for the warning, it is absolutely future event; it cannot be historical past events. Great error is found in this point for interpretation.
It is clear that the seven trumpets are future event for: 1) the seventh seal is not broken (Rev. 8:1-2),
2) last task of casting ashes on the Day of Atonement (10th day of the seventh month) has not occurred,
3) the four angels who are holding the four corners of the earth has not loosed yet. It is clear that Rev. 7:1-3 is future event and also Rev. 9:13-21; the command to loose the four angels has not occurred yet, which is at a point in time.

Notice that the high priest's job on the Day of Atonement: Lev. 16:14 blood of bullock, Lev. 16:15 blood of goat, Lev. 16:18 blood to the horns of the altar (Lev. 16:13-18).

The imagery of Rev. 8:5-6 parallels the activity of the high priest on the Day of Atonement: "And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake."

I believe because of the error that the seven trumpets have been interpreted as historical event, church became deadened with dumb speech without trumpets' warning to the world.

There are many many eyes to see in the heavenly courts. The eyes of the angelic host (Dan. 7:10, Rev. 5:11); the eyes of the throne (Rev. 4:6); the eyes of the 24 Elders and the 4 beasts; and eyes of the every creature in heaven (Rev. 5:13).

The heaven is sending the seven trumpets' warning that the efficacy of the blood of Christ is available only while He is in the heavenly sanctuary and soon the probation would be closed forever when Jesus declares "It is done". "Be ready, be ready, be ready!"

Why half an hour silence when the seventh seal is broken?

The story of marriage invitation for a king's son portrays God's plan of salvation.

Matt. 22:2-4 "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

Humanity is invited to the marriage of salvation, which is made possible through the Creator God who even suffered to become a man to die for us. Everything is prepared for the mankind to be saved and the invitation is mercifully offered in a long suffering of God. It has been rejected till the end. So God must terminate its extension, while the whole universe is breathlessly watching and observing in hope to see someone or one more, might be repenting. Half an hour signifies that moment of the breathless observation.

Each of the seven church receives a call for repentance except two; Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) and Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). So there are five times for a call for repentance to the seven churches; five signifies mercy of God in the Scripture.

Ephesus (Rev. 2:5)-Repent, if not, I will remove thy candlestick.
Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11)- No calls for repentance (persecuted and martyred)
Pergamos (Rev. 2:16)- Repent, if not, I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Thyatira (Rev. 2:21-23)- Repent, I gave her space to repent, but she repented not.
Sardis (Rev. 3:1-3)- Repent, and remember how thou hast received and heard. If not, I will come as a thief.
Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13)- No calls for repentance (Advent Movement)
Laodiceans (Rev. 3:19)- Repent, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore.

There is also five times mention of "repented not" in Revelation.
1). Rev. 16:8-9 "...And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
2). Rev. 16:11 "And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds."
3). Rev. 16:21 "And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great."
4). Rev. 9:18-20 "By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they" do hurt.And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk"
5). Rev. 9:21 "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."

Salvation is determined at the point of repentance. Abundance of God's grace were given to men and many times they were rescued from almost point of death, but until the end of life, the salvation has been belittled and rejected. Alas, sin is not life, but why loving the sin like life! This is angels' grief! Half an hour is kin to the one week period when Noah and his family were shut-in in the ark(Gen. 7:4), while the heaven were looking to see if there is anyone repenting even at that point of probation.

God, Creator, cares even a blade of green herb. He accounts the life of sinner as the life of Jesus, who hungered 40 days and nights to endure for our salvation.
Those who farms, they consider and care for even a small plant. The probational time for humanity is fast approaching to the end, as an automobile gear adds to its velocity to the speed. You see, that the importance of the beginning of humanity and the end of humanity are the same dot, which is the crucial point in time. No wonder, the heaven is silent for half an hour!
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