Revelation: The Fuel Project Guide Part 14 – The First Four Trumpets

The Fuel Project study guide to the Book of Revelation.

In this video Mark says that the Day of Wrath begins with four disasters that affect the earth, salt water oceans, fresh water rivers and springs, and the sun, moon & stars.

Mark’s explanations of the first, second, third and fourth trumpets of Revelation 8 are biblically and historically inaccurate.

In this study you will learn that the true historical fulfillment of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th trumpets of Revelation represent our Lord continuing to pour out His wrath on the Roman Empire, by sending the armies of the Goths, Vandals, Huns and Heruli, to attack them.

The 1st Trumpet represents our Lord sending the Goths to attack the Roman Empire from 400-410 A.D.

Rev 8:7 “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire 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.”

Once again Mark ignores biblical definitions for prophetic terms, and just speculates about what they may be.

He says that hail represents a huge massive natural disaster, while the Bible defines hail as symbolic of war.

“Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?“ Job 38:22-23

Isaiah 28:2 speaks of God sending the King of Assyria and his army against the House of Israel, “Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.”

Fierce Gothic tribes had been at war with the Romans along the Northern frontier for many years, but they were restrained by the genius of Roman military leader Theodosius. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goths

But when he died in 395 A.D., the northern cloud of warriors, who had so long been gathering, discharged itself with fury upon the Roman Empire.

The barriers of the Danube were thrown open, as the uncommon severity of the winter allowed them to roll their large wagons over the broad and icy back of the river.

From 395 – 410 A.D., under the rule of Alaric, the Goths moved in the direction in which literal hail comes, and attacked the Roman empire in Greece, Gaul, Spain, and then 300,000 Goths invaded Italy.

This caused the Roman Empire to withdraw its troops from the British Isles, which made them vulnerable to invasion from Anglos and Saxons from Denmark and NW Germany.

The fire represents their scorched earth policy in their invasions of enemy territory, as they burned everything in their path, and there was much blood being poured out.

Thus did the first great storm of hail lay waste the Roman Empire.

The trees represent the proud and lofty people who were destroyed, as Israel was often likened to trees.

“For thus says the Lord to the house of the king of Judah… I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons: and they shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire…Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods,…O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.” Jeremiah 22:6,7,9,29

Isaiah 40:7 shows that the grass represents common people.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.”

The green grass represents peace among the people, and the burning represents the destruction of the peace, as the countryside was pillaged and ravaged.

Alaric confirmed that he was sent by God to attack the Romans when he said, “It is not of my own will that I do this; there is One who forces me on and will not let me rest, bidding me spoil Rome.”

The 2nd Trumpet of Revelation represents our Lord sending the Vandals to destroy Rome’s naval fleet between 425-470 A.D.

Revelation 8:8-9 “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 the ships were destroyed.”

Once again Mark speculates about what a mountain and sea means, and says it will be massive volcano pouring out into the sea, killing sea life.

A mountain in Biblical symbolism represents a great nation, an empire or a kingdom.

In speaking of Babylon, God declared, “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys all the earth,” says the Lord. “And I will stretch out My hand against you, Roll you down from the rocks, And make you a burnt mountain.” Jeremiah 51:24-25

The sea in Biblical symbolism represents large centers of people — nations.

When the great army of Medo-Persia came against Babylon, God declared in Jeremiah 51:42-43, “The sea is come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof, her cities are desolation.”

Our Lord’s wrath is against Pagan Rome, as they persecuted Christ’s Church and helped combine paganism with Christianity.

The Lord had sent Alaric and his army who destroyed the lands and cohesion of the Roman armies, but they left a considerable power of the Roman navy intact.

The second trumpet represents the Vandals (a branch of the Goths) under the leadership of Genseric, who was known as the “tyrant of the seas” attacking Rome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandals

They fought naval battles against Rome in the Mediterranean Sea between 425 – 470 A.D., and they destroyed Roman ships by pirating the seas. (1/3rd the seas)

The Vandals were like a great burning mountain that attacked the coast-lands on the Mediterranean and all the islands, leaving bloodshed and confusion in their wake.

Many portions of the sea were turned to blood, as ships were captured and many sailors were killed.

The word vandalism comes from this time, as they plundered the empire and stripped it of gold and silver, and ornaments and trophies.

By former ravages, the power of Rome had been greatly weakened, but by Genseric it was utterly broken.

Genseric, like Alaric the Visigoth, believed himself to be an agent of divine wrath.

“At length the work (of ravaging the coast) became almost monotonous and the choice of a victim hard. Once, when the fleet had weighed anchor and was sailing forth from the broad harbor of Carthage the helmsman turned to the king and asked for what part he should steer.

“For the men with whom God is angry“, answered the Vandal king and left the winds and the waters to settle the question who were the proper objects of the wrath of heaven.” (Thomas Hodgkin. “Dynasty of Theodosius” pp 219-220).

The 3rd Trumpet represents our Lord sending Attila the Hun to war against the Roman Empire.

Revelation 8:10-11, “And a great burning star, like a lamp, fell out of the heaven. And it fell onto the third part of the rivers, and onto the springs of waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.”

Mark speculates that it will be a literal meteorite where 1/3rd of the worlds drinkable water is polluted.

A falling star is a great person or leader, who executes evil plans from Satan, which are used by God to execute His judgment.

The great burning (destroying) star was the king of the Huns, Attila, who was called “the scourge of God.”

Attila the Hun came on the scene after the Goths and Vandals. The Huns were wild, hideous barbarians who did everything on horseback. They were divided into groups called Hordes, who had their own Chieftan.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila

Historian Gibbon says that all of Attila the Hun’s major battles were fought on rivers. His strategy was to lure Roman armies into crossing the rivers after he had feigned a retreat. While the armies were crossing the rivers he ordered his troops to attack.

He came from the area around a river in Illyricum which in Greek is called “Apsynthos” (Wormwood).

The absinthe plant — Wormwood — grows freely in the Alps and is bitter and is associated with gall in Scripture (Deut. 29:18).

Therefore, the same name gives us both the local origin of the “great star” and the effect of his war on the Roman third. Attila burnt cities, massacred and enslaved inhabitants and generally caused despair, famine and bitterness.

Attila and his 800,000 man army rose quickly and flashed across the land, and desolated the Italian Alps, which is the source of the Danube, Rhine and Po rivers.

This is an area with over 40 rivers that covered 1/3rd of the Roman Empire.

Historians estimate that 300,000 men lay slaughtered in the rivers, causing them to become contaminated (bitter), leading to diseases which caused thousands of people to die downstream.

“The rise of the great Hunnic power which threatened European civilization in the fifth century was as sudden and rapid as its fall.” (J.B. Bury. “History of the Later Roman Empire” Vol. I. p 161).

Attila’s attack only stopped when he died on his wedding night, after he got drunk, suffered a severe nosebleed and choked to death on his own blood.

The 4th Trumpet of Revelation 8 represents our Lord sending the Heruli to war against the Roman Empire.

Revelation 8:12, “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. 

Mark again applies this literally to the Sun, Moon and stars..

The Sun, Moon and Stars symbolizes the leaders of kingdoms, and this trumpet represents the downfall of Roman leadership when Romulus Augustalus, the last Roman Emperor of West was captured.

He was the top leader of 1/3rd of the Roman Empire, so his removal represented 1/3rd of the sun being smitten.

If the Sun is the supreme ruler, the Moon and Stars are subordinate rulers (Gen. 37:9-10).

One third of the moon (Consulship) was extinguished by Justinian in 541 A.D. (Decline and Fall, Gibbon, Vol 4, chap. 40, pg 286).

The stars (Senate) kept glimmering until banished from their country by Totila, who was a Goth, and basically meet their fate from lack of power in 553 A.D. (Decline and Fall, Gibbon, Vol 4, chap. 43, pgs 445, 446).

So in 476 A.D., just like 70 A.D. when Jerusalem fell, “the SUN was darkened, the MOON gave no light, and the STARS fell from heaven” (Matt. 24:29)

The Heruli, a branch of the Goths, under the leadership of Odoacer, invaded and conquered the city of Rome in 476 A.D. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heruli

1/3rd of the Roman Empire (the moon and the stars) had completely passed away.

It only took 76 years for the Goths, Huns, Vandals and Heruli, to conquer the Western Roman Empire,  which is why only 7 verses were devoted to the first four trumpets of judgment.

You will see that the 5th and 6th trumpets spanned greater periods of time, thus there are more details given about them in Revelation 9.

Can you now see the historical fulfillment of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th trumpets of Revelation 8?

So any person that teaches that they are in the future, is teaching you false prophecy, and unfortunately, that includes Mark.

To see how the Revelation seal, trumpet and bowl judgments all fit together, and to see where we’re at on the timeline today, click on Revelation Fulfillment Timeline.

Next Fuel Project Guide To Revelation Video: 5th Trumpet of Revelation 9