4th Trumpet

Darkness & Blackness

“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.” – Rev. 8:12

Herein, upon the sounding of the 4th Trumpet, we see no entity that is destroying like in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Trumpets. We see no hail or fire, no burning mountain or great star falling from heaven, and yet the quantified volume of destruction and death remains the same, a third part. Yet again, however, this points toward the singularity of the trumpeted event(s) taking place: for, the same forces of destruction that smote elsewhere did and do, in their smiting, equally affect the sky. Speaking in terms of unconventional and modernized warfare, that which destroys and kills the earth, the sea, and the fresh water of the world must also wreak havoc upon the sky: the sun, the moon, and the stars.

To rightly comprehend these event(s) one must have a biblical understanding of the sun, moon, and stars, from a physiological perspective. These were created by God to be lights in the sky to govern or “rule” both day and night (Gen. 1:14-18). Hence if these lights are “smitten” (Rev. 8:12), as is depicted in the 4th Trumpet, the creative purposes of these lights in their shining / governing / dividing of the day and night is likewise affected. Therefore, the consequence of these lights being smitten is, simply put: DARKNESS. The primary factor of destructive influence is the darkening of the lights of the day and night respectively. Gloriously and harmoniously, and without surprise, the divine tutorial of old speaks much concerning this in various synonymic and analogous terms. Deserving of a first mention, however, is what God said in Isaiah 50:3.

“I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.” – Isa. 50:3

God’s affirmation here is, in essence, but in slightly different terms, the event(s) sounded by the 4th Trumpet. Can you tell? Contextually, as you can observe in Isaiah 50:2-3, God is saying that this act is exclusively within His power, and His alone. This should give the reader some pause, some holy wonder, so as not to diminish the Majesty of the LORD being utilized to fulfill the prophesied event(s) of Revelation 8:12. Suffice it to say, my reader, on the day(s) that God clothes the heavens with blackness in the daytime and thereby makes sackcloth its covering, it is for good reason. If the ongoing interpretation of the trumpeted event(s) proves harmonious in the 4th Trumpet, like all the rest, God’s use of earthly war will be the primary interpretation.

Remarkably, though, one such day that Isaiah was prophesying of in Isaiah 50:3 was when Jesus Christ the Righteous was crucified (Matt. 27:45, Mk. 15:33, Lk. 23:44). The scene of Christ’s suffering and death was remorseful to look upon in a sense (for in it the blasphemers portrayed Jesus’ death as his ultimate defeat!). Following this thought, the sun was ashamed to look upon such a scene (Ps. 22:1, 12-19)! It was a woeful and glorious scene, a darkened day, “and about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46; Ps. 22:1, 12-19)! Moreover, and harmoniously (as we have observed heretofore concerning the strictly spiritual sense of analogous terminology), this day was a day of war, conquest, and victory in which “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed” (Rev. 5:5)! Did you know that a battle was fought and won in the accomplishment of the crucifixion?

Christ prevailed in the act of spiritual war and conquest, I mean, because “for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the Devil” (1 John 3:8)! Jesus fought and overcame the Devil’s fallen host of principalities which lawfully held mankind captive in sin, and therefore it was written of Jesus that He, “having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them” (Col. 2:15). Hereby, as the Spoiler of a defeated host, Jesus was and is the spiritual Victor of the battle via the crucifixion (Lk. 2:34-35). However (as the reader may already recognize), the event of Christ’s crucifixion is not the primary thrust of what is being communicated in the 4th Trumpet. Harmoniously, though, just as strictly spiritual uses of analogous terminology have served as a peripheral confirmation to the primary vision that the prophecies foretell in 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Trumpets, so it is with the 4th Trumpet. Having understood this and marked it, let us turn our eyes from spiritual warfare to physical and earthly warfare through the following evidences.

The divine tutorial of old speaks unanimously and overwhelmingly concerning the primary meaning and significance of such an event wherein the ruling lights of heaven are darkened thus, as God spoke of in Isaiah 50:3. Speaking in very personal terms regarding the foreboding dreadfulness of such an event, my reader, let the Preacher of Ecclesiastes convey the significance. It was written,

“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the Evil Days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the Day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” – Eccl. 12:1-7

The Preacher warned of a foreboding evil, calling it, “the Evil Days” (Eccl. 12:1). Prior to this time the Preacher made use of an illustration to emphasize the Good Days, saying: “While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain” (Eccl. 12:2). The foreboding Evil Days are, in other words: DARKNESS; a darkness the Preacher described by the onset of progressive and deadly tribulations whereby men tremble and bow, darkness pervades and doors are shut, food is scarce and music is silenced, fears surround and death is imminent, famine thrives and human desire fails, and hereby mankind dies and the spirits of men return to the God who created them! All of this unmistakably defines the analogous experience illustrated, in that, the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened. Can you believe it?

“Gather yourselves together…Before the decree bring forth, before the Day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the Day of the LORD'S anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the Day of the LORD'S anger.” – Zeph. 2:1-3

If you can believe it, my reader, know this: there is an Evil Day greater than any other, called, “the Day of the LORD”. The prophets foresaw it for decades and centuries and sounded the alarm of its soon arrival with an unmistakable intention in their declaration. They preached what they foresaw to the end that the reader would examine himself and see if he, or she, would be spiritually fit to stand, abide, and endure the soon-to-be tribulation of the Evil Day! What drove the prophets to compel the readers to such an examination except, as prophets, they understood the scarce survival of all men who unwillingly entered the darkened day. Ah… this Day! Joel foresaw it and declared it, saying, “the Day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” (Joel. 2:11)! Nahum, also, repeatedly exclaimed the same question, saying, “Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of His anger?” (Nah. 1:6)! Malachi, also, compelled to repeat the question in like manner, said, “But who may abide in the Day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth?” (Mal. 3:2)! Speaking of this Day (in the consummation), Christians are put to the task of preparation and readiness to “be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Lk. 21:36); and, notably, the mystery of this “worthiness to stand” is the very thing that staggers the minds of the Kings and Judges of the earth, who will distressfully cry aloud in confoundedness, asking: “…the Great Day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Rev. 6:17)!

The Divine Utility of Spiritual Darkness Rendering People Unprepared for God’s Judgment via War

It is my hope that the reader, having been moved by the aforementioned questions that came from the lips of holy Prophets, is filled with intense longing to behold the prophetic vision that made the Prophets so to speak. After all, this is the reason these prophesies were uttered of old. It is so that we might see what they saw, to feel what they felt, and hereby ready ourselves by faith through grace in Christ. In the event of earthly warfare brought about by the hand of God and herein foretold as the soon-to-be experience of a doomsday people, sincere listeners would no doubt desire to be ready for it! To be prepared for such a day, however, one must see what these Prophets saw long before the vision becomes reality in real time! Long before it arrives, I mean, you must see and feel the foretold experience through the prophetic vision. Speaking of this, it was written, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Do you have faith, my reader?

“Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” – Luke 18:8

For most people it will be too late! They will never see what they’ll wish they could’ve seen, I mean, until the woeful Day of Darkness is upon them and they are found unprepared! When physical darkness falls upon a land the inhabitants thereof turn on the lights, right? And in ancient terms this means that they will light a candle or an oil lamp. Well, what if the inhabitants are unprepared for the darkness? What if they have no oil stored in vessels for their lamps (“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” – Matt. 25:4)? The storage of oil in vessels is a worthy preparation for those who wish to survive the dreadful Day of Darkness! I speak parabolically. What about the dreadful Day of the LORD via the rise of Spiritual Babylon by war and conquest!? My reader, this is the ultimate forewarning signified by the 4th Trumpet; howbeit, let us consider the divine utility of spiritual darkness in its relationship to the preparedness of souls for the Day of Darkness. This consideration is necessary because the spiritual battle that Jesus fought and won against the Devil is not finished, overarchingly (see Rev. Ch. 12). The spiritual battle for the atonement of man is finished, no doubt, but the spiritual battle for the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom is unfinished (1 Cor. 15:24-34); and, if the battle against the Devil is unfinished then the battle against spiritual darkness is unfinished (“the Rulers of the darkness of the world” - Eph. 6:12; “the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit” – Rev. 9:2)! Therefore, a man’s faith begins at the saying, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), and a man’s faith must continue to grow and abound enduringly until the saying, “It is done” (Rev. 16:17). “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Rev. 13:10).

My reader, have you ever tried to stay awake in the dark, in a room with no light? If so, you know that it is hard to stay awake without the aid of light! Speaking plainly, we’d better study all foreseeable wars that stand as a threat to the people of God (Ps. 119:105). For, in such a circumstance, the day of calamitous earthly warfare will come upon men as a Thief in the night! Speaking of this, Jesus said,

“If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a Thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” – Rev. 3:3

At this threat we observe the forerunning and strictly spiritual use of darkness that makes men unprepared for the ultimate Day of Darkness, the 2nd advent of Christ (Isa. 24:21-23). Ultimately, this means that suddenly, in the darkness of night, your eternal soul is robbed from its refuge of false security as by the violence of an unstoppable Thief who came upon you undetected in the covert darkness! It was to the Churches, that Jesus said: “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Rev. 2:16)! THIS MEANS WAR. As is observed in the 3rd Trumpet, there’s harmony: those who by spiritual influence do poison others, as by gall and wormwood (Deut. 29:18, Heb. 12:15, Acts 8:23, Amos 5:7), are justly punished in that God does give them the wormwood and gall of destruction via earthly warfare (Jer. 8:14-15, 9:15, Lam. 3:5, 15, 19, Rev. 8:11); so likewise, those who by spiritual influence (“having the understanding darkened” – Eph. 4:18) do spread darkness upon others, by committing the “works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11), are justly punished in that God does give them the darkness of destruction via earthly warfare (Jer. 13:16, Micah 3:6-7, Amos 5:18-20, 8:8-13, Isa. 6:9-11, 29:9-14, 59:9-10). THIS MEANS WAR!

There are two wars on the horizon according to the prophetic calendar, my reader. Both of them are the judgment of God and both transpire on earth in a physical and literal sense. 21st century Christians stand in danger of the plight of earthly war, firstly, via the rise of Spiritual Babylon by war and conquest (the Lord’s judgment of the Church through Spiritual Babylon – Ezek. 32:10-11, Dan. 7:21, Rev. 13:7), and, secondarily, via the heaven-to-earth descent of Christ upon the head of Spiritual Babylon’s soldiers insomuch that He sprinkles his garments with the blood of the nations (Isa. 63:1-10, Rev. 18:4-5)! As you can hopefully see, my reader, God uses the covert of spiritual night, or spiritual darkness, to delude the guilty and thereby make them unprepared and unknowledgeable of the Day of the LORD no matter which war is being spoken of. Spiritual Darkness is the hard-to-be resisted environment of the Last Days, as in the pastime Evil Days found in the divine tutorial of old; therefore, prophetic warnings against deception in terms of spiritual darkness and spiritual sleep are prevalent in the New Testament (John 8:12, 12:35, Matt. 24:42-43, 25:5-6, Lk. 12:39-40, 1 Thess. 5:1-6, 2 Pet. 3:10, Rom. 11:7-10, 13:12-14, Eph. 5:14, 1 John 2:11).

In the divine tutorial of old such warnings were delivered in the divine threat, “I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day” (Amos 8:9). Sound familiar? In context, as in many other places, God was speaking of the curse of spiritual darkness and spiritual sleep (for more information, see: “Spiritual Darkness” & “The New Testament Curses of God”). God does hereby, through spiritual darkness, prepare the unprepared for damnation (destruction via war) by impairing their spiritual senses. An overview of such happenings in the divine tutorial of old are, as follows.

“Give glory to the LORD your God, before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.” – Jer. 13:16

“Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.” – Micah 3:6-7

“Woe unto you that desire the Day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the Day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the Day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?” – Amos 5:18-20

“Shall not the Land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. And it shall come to pass in that Day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the Land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. In that Day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.” – Amos 8:8-13

“And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate” – Isa. 6:9-11 (see Isa. 44:18-19)

“Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” – Isa. 29:9-14 (see also Hab. 1:5, Isaiah 19:14, & Hos. 5:4-6)

“Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.” – Isa. 59:9-10

The Tribulatory Judgments of God (the surprising and unexpected destruction wrought upon the Church by God’s use of Assyria and Babylon via earthly war) were inescapable partly because of the spiritual delusions (spiritual darkness) that God would employ as a means of deceiving those who were worthy of the soon-to-be fatal woes. Furthermore, when the prophet said (speaking in the name of God), “I will send a famine in the Land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD…in that Day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst” (Amos 8:11, 13), he was speaking of God’s curse of spiritual famine and spiritual desertification (for more information, see: “Spiritual Famine” & “The New Testament Curses of God”). These divine curses, and such like, are inescapable judgments of spiritual delusion sent by God to maneuver the souls of men into the position of greater judgments: the calamities that accompany earthly war! In Amos 5:18-20 & Amos 9:1-10, speaking directly of this maneuvering process, Amos speaks of the spiritual darkness of the Day of the LORD in that it makes possible the physical circumstances of greater judgments upon the bodies and souls of impenitent Jews. Now, it is important to note that spiritual darkness was and is not the Day of the LORD, comprehensively stated, hence we must move onward in our study beyond the forerunning and strictly spiritually definition.

Analogous Darkness Illustrating the Physical Act of War

With the forerunning maneuvering process in mind, my reader, turn your eyes upon the actual Day of the LORD from a physical perspective. Speaking of this (a man of note among many prophets who uttered alarming prophecies of various historical and future days of impending war), the Prophet Joel illustrates just how momentous the Day of Darkness is in its physical experience.

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My Holy Mountain: let all the inhabitants of the Land tremble: for the Day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A Day of Darkness and of Gloominess, a Day of Clouds and of thick Darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains…” – Joel 2:1-2

“The great Day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the Day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That Day is a Day of Wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a Day of Darkness and Gloominess, a Day of Clouds and Thick Darkness, A Day of the Trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” – Zeph. 1:14-18

Like the trumpeted event(s) of the 4th Trumpet: lo, and behold, a trumpet was blown in Zion as an alarm, a message, that all men might ready themselves for the Day of Darkness which is nigh and at hand (Joel 2:1-2, Zeph. 1:15-16)! This event, prophesied by Joel and Zephaniah, had a historical fulfillment in a real-time war that took place. Before looking at the details of this war in specific and exclusively, there is an order of priority that would aid in simplifying the Doctrine of the Day of the LORD as a Day of Darkness. I say this, because, the very same illustration is used in description of God’s judgment of Egypt through historical Babylon (Ezek. 30:3, 18, 32:7-8), God’s judgment of the Church [Judah and or Israel] through Assyria (Isa. 5:26-30), God’s judgment of the Church [Judah] through Babylon (Jer. 2:12, 4:19-29; Joel 2:2, 10, 30-31), God’s judgment of historical Babylon through the Medes (Isa. 13:6-11), and, superiorly, God’s judgment of all nations [Spiritual Babylon’s World] through Christ’s 2nd Advent WAR (Isa. 5:26-30, 24:21-23, 34:1-8, Joel 2:1-11, 30-31, 3:9-16, Rev. 6:12-14). The sheer number of paralleling and harmonious verses that interpret the 4th Trumpet only adds to the strength and clarity of the message that God is sending to the inhabitants of the earth who will experience the Revelation 8:12 experience.

“For the Day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a Cloudy Day; it shall be the time of the heathen.” – Ezek. 30:3

“At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD.” – Ezek. 30:18-19

First, and in lowest priority of the number, Ezekiel prophesied of God’s judgment of Egypt in the above description, calling it, “the time of the heathen”. This was, in other words, the Day of the LORD or the time of trouble for the Heathen (see “2-Stage, Populous Distinct, Chronology of Judgment”). Egypt was of old time and at different seasons an arch enemy of Israel, the Church, thus in the rise of historical Babylon God was sure to visit a punishment upon them. Fearfully, though, the analogous employment of terms is harmoniously exact even in this pastime war of God’s judgment upon the heathen via a Babylonian invasion! The Almighty solemnly testified, saying,

“And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.” – Ezek. 32:7-8

Not only is this staggeringly exact in its rendering, the meaning is frightening. Contextually, the analogous illustration of darkness is representative of a literal experience of Egypt’s population, a bloody slaughtering of the people (Ezek. 32:5-6). With the messy carnage of sprawled flesh wasted and scattered on the countryside in full view, herein we behold the Day of Darkness according to the divine tutorial of old; all of this, as an unashamed and bold declaration that God Himself was responsible for this! Speaking of this, the Lord said,

“I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the Nations, into the countries which thou hast not known. Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish MY SWORD before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall. For thus saith the Lord GOD; THE SWORD of the King of Babylon shall come upon thee.” – Ezek. 32:9-11

What a dreadful description, a Dark Day! Increasing in priority with respect to our study, such rhetoric is unceasingly constant with respect to God’s judgment of the Church. Whether speaking of God’s judgment of the Church [Judah and or Israel] through Assyria (Isa. 5:26-30) or speaking of God’s judgment of the Church [Judah] through Babylon (Jer. 4:19-29; Joel 2:2, 10, 30-31), we read of the of the same frightening events! Whether from Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or Joel, the message was purposefully united, in that…

“…in that Day…if one look unto the Land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.” – Isaiah 5:30

“For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black…” – Jer. 4:28

“…let all the inhabitants of the Land tremble: for the Day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A Day of Darkness and of Gloominess, a Day of Clouds and of thick Darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains…” – Joel 2:1-2

“…the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” – Joel 2:10

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before the great and terrible Day of the LORD come.” – Joel 2:31

What each of these illustrations analogously represent is the act of war! Utterly devastating conquests of war whose dreadfulness and terror cannot be overstated, truly! Through reading the greater context of the above citations, this is evident. Pointedly, though, the impossibility to overstate the war in description lies in the fact that historical wars and future wars are embodied in the same prophetic revelation. The prophecies are multi-sensed. The above prophecies (Isa. 5:30, Jer. 4:28; Joel 2:1-2, 10, 31), like those which were delivered to portray of God’s judgment of Egypt (Ezek. 30:3, 18, 32:7-8), were partially, incompletely, and inferiorly fulfilled in the historical wars of Assyria and Babylon. By this, I mean, they were not fully, completely, and superiorly fulfilled in the ultimate intent of each prophecy. Typologically and with superiority, all the aforementioned prophecies will be fulfilled in the rise of Spiritual Babylon through war and the ultimate conquest of all nations (in direct punishment of the Gentile Churches therein) until Spiritual Babylon resides as a One World Government – and, herein, as we have been carefully noting thus far, the divine tutorial interprets the analogous terminology employed in the 6 Trumpets of Revelation Chapters 8-9 – however, hereafter, God’s judgement of the Church and all nations therewith continues under the One World Government of Spiritual Babylon until at last, God judges Babylon’s World.

One must remember that the Book of Revelation is categorially emphatic of two future events: The Day of the LORD through Babylon and the Day of the LORD upon Babylon; or, if you will, the Day of Darkness through Babylon and the Day of Darkness upon Babylon! In other words, this means God’s judgment of the Church and all Nations therewith through the rise of Spiritual Babylon by war and conquest, firstly, as we have been observing heretofore; and, secondarily, this means God’s judgment of all nations who will reside within Spiritual Babylon’s dominion at the 2nd Advent War of Christ (Jr. 50:19-24). In Joel 3:9-16, Joel testified of the 2nd Advent War as a distinct Day of Darkness, different from the former Day of Darkness spoken of in Joel. 2:1-2, 10, 31.

“The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” – Joel 3:15

This, yet again, is the analogous illustration of all-out-war resulting in a devastating defeat of God’s opponent. With inferiority, Joel 2:1-11 describes God’s judgment of the Church (Judah) through historical Babylon. With superiority, Joel 2:1-22 describes God’s judgment of the Church (Christians) through Spiritual Babylon. Distinct from these two interpretations, and uniformly, one must also understand that the Almighty genuinely intended to prophesy of His judgment upon historical Babylon through the Medes in Isaiah 13:10 (inferiorly speaking; see Isaiah 13:17), but the complete, superior, and ultimate meaning of the prophecy is in the illustration of God’s judgment of all nations [Spiritual Babylon’s World] through Christ’s 2nd Advent WAR (Isa. 5:26-30, 13:1-22, 24:21-23, 34:1-8, Joel 2:30-31, 3:9-16, Matt. 24:29, Rev. 6:12-14). There’s a historicity and a futurity at hand, simultaneously. With all the aforementioned in mind, Christ’s 2nd Advent WAR is the unmistakable event that is signaled by the Day of Darkness prophesied in Matt. 24:29. Can you see it, my reader?

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” – Matt. 24:29-31

“The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.” – Isa. 24:20-23

No doubt, the primary emphasis of Matthew 24:29-31 & Isaiah 24:20-23 is God’s judgment of Spiritual Babylon through the 2nd Advent of Christ. Hereby, however, prophetic futurity speaks of a Day of Darkness that is twofold and at last, consummatory: (1st) God’s judgment of the Church through Spiritual Babylon and (2nd) God’s judgment of Spiritual Babylon through the Church. Hence, even though every one of the aforementioned passages of scripture do descriptively announce the coming of a divinely empowered and unstoppable army for the Day of Darkness, the ultimate fulfillment of them all will be when “the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints” (Jude 1:14, Matt. 24:29-31, Jer. 50:19-24, Joel 3:9-16)! My reader, it is needful for you to know that according to Holy Scripture a WAR will ensue when Christ returns: He will fight for and win the dreadful admiration of His enemies through the BATTLE waged and won, and thereafter Jesus reigns as Christ over the whole world (Isa. 24:21-23)! “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:14).

Even so, and by necessity, there is a clarifying maturation of the trumpeted event(s) proceeding thus far, from the 1st to the 4th Trumpet. Now, we are poised to look upon the 5th and 6th Trumpets only to find a uniform and parallel transition of perspective within the body of prophecy, a shift from the terrestrial to the celestial, the natural to the spiritual, all in relationship to the earthly armies which these prophecies do summon into God’s instrumentality.