Many teachers allegorize the seals, trumpets and bowls of the book of revelation because natural explanations for some Revelation events do not seem logical to them. Yet, these theologians resort to allegorical metaphysics more convoluted than any literal interpretation. Rather than resorting to spiritual alchemy, it would be wiser to realize that some things written in Revelation are beyond our present understanding or they are supernatural but literal events that have no natural explanation at all.

On the other hand, I remember that Hal Lindsey in his Late Great Planet Earth tried to explain all the Revelation events through wars and other natural occurrences.  The seven seals can be explained by wars and other natural events but most of the trumpet and bowl judgments have nothing to do with war or nuclear weapons. Some of the trumpets may be explained naturally in a way that I will later suggest. At least it may seem natural to unbelieving observers of those events. I will make no attempt to explain the bowl judgments naturally because I believe they are supernatural.

Most futurists think the seal, trumpet and bowl events occur over a seven-year period. I think they will play out over at least 10 years and possibly many more.

The first four seals are pretty straight forward. It is the events that bring  the Beast/Antichrist into power. He starts by conquering and it turns into a world war. That war brings about the rationing of the third seal. By the fourth seal, there is a revolution occurring over a quarter of the earth.

I believe the most likely explanation for the first four seals is the Harlot that rides the Beast into power does that by continuing her crusades against her historical enemies. The first four seals describe the crusade against Islamic nations of North Africa and the Middle East. This also necessitates the purging of Muslim migrates in Western Europe.

We need to keep in mind that the Beast that will arise will be both a person and a kingdom. The Beast Kingdom starts as the revived Roman Empire. What happened in the past will happen again. The last dress rehearsal for this empire was Hitler. The EU or something that comes out of it will become authoritarian and expand toward the south, east and toward Israel (Dan 8:9).

The persecution at the fifth seal is the continuation of the Harlot’s crusade against those that will not submit to the Rome/Vatican religion. This woman claims to believe in God but she commits spiritual adultery by mixing in humanistic and pagan beliefs. The scriptures tell us that a time will come when people will think they are doing God a favor by killing believers. This is the fulfillment. It is a social justice movement sweeping the globe that has no tolerance for those not obeying the collectivist papal decrees.

We can surmise that those being persecuted are not yet in the last seven years at the fifth seal because the saints are asking the Lord how long before He avenges them. If this persecution started in the last seven years like some suggest, they could just count down the days.

Some incorrectly believe the global religion of the Harlot and the world religion of the Beast are the same. The Harlot of Revelation 17 is “Abrahamic” rooted works based religion led by the Vatican but Beast worship is worship of the son of Lucifer. Nobody will be allowed to worship the God of heaven or his Son after the False Prophet arises and declares that the Beast is God. The Beast will be the son of Lucifer (In Greek paganism, Apollo the son of Zeus fits the bill).

After the opening of the sixth seal the seven-year tribulation begins. There is a great earthquake, the sun is darkened, the moon is the color of blood and meteors fall from heaven.  All people will take shelter in the earth because of these events. I think they will see a great comet that is on a path to hit the earth. The electromagnetic forces and gravitational forces will initially cause the crust of the earth to slip. When people experience this everyone on earth will know that the prophesied time of God’s judgment has arrived. The big question at that point will be how people react to it? This will be the time of testing to try all that dwell upon the earth (Rev 3:10).

The comet will not just be a central core, it will contain countless pieces that go into a decaying orbit around the earth. After the initial crust movements there will be an interlude. Before judgment God always sends his prophets. God will send His two witnesses. Who are they? Why is it that nobody is able to kill them until the 1260 days of their testimony is completed? It is clear that these are mortal men, so angels must be supernaturally protecting them from harm. How is it that fire comes out of their mouth to bring judgments as often as they wish? I think that is a figure of speech. I think God’s angels will actually carry out whatever they speak and that is what this passage is saying.

At the sixth seal there also is the mystery of the 144,000 sealed witnesses. They will continue their ministry throughout the seven trumpet judgments that starts right after the opening of the seventh seal interlude. The 144,000 apparently impact the world enough so that a huge number refuse to take the mark of the Beast. In other words, those that believe the message of the everlasting gospel pass the great trial on earth. They refuse to take the mark and receive eternal salvation as a reward.

The first four trumpet events happen in rapid succession. The first trumpet is a fiery hail storm on a third of the landmasses. They start countless grass and forest fires. This probably happens as the smaller particles of the comet impact the earth.

The second trumpet is about a great burning mountain crashing into the sea. It kills a third of the creatures in the sea and destroys a third of the ships. The iron oxide of the comet causes that sea to turn blood-red. It seems likely to me that this occurs on the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean and not just a third of one sea. This is caused by a larger piece of the comet. There is another large piece on its way.

The third trumpet involves a piece of the comet given the name Wormwood (bitterness). It probably explodes in the atmosphere and it makes the water blood red, bitter and poisonous on a third of the landmasses of earth.

By the fourth trumpet, the smoke from the fires block out the sun and the moon on a third of the earth.

Another star falls to earth when the fifth trumpet sounds but the star is not something only related to the comet because the star is called “he” and he has the key to the Abyss. Apparently something physical happens as well because smoke and strange creatures come out of the Abyss. The Abyss is where fallen angels and evil spirits are bound. The king over them is said to be an angel named Apollyon (the destroyer).

One of the great mysteries of Revelation is the locusts that come out of the smoke of the Abyss. The description and what these flying beings with stingers do defies natural explanations.  That has made some suggest that they are just evil spirits. The specifics given in the narrative does not allow for such interpretation.  And those claiming that helicopters might fulfill the prophecy also are not following the text.

How are intelligent stringing beings like those described possible? They torment people with their stings for five months and the pain is so great that people will wish they could die but they will not be able to die? Why can’t people die? This is one of those supernatural events in Revelation that simply defies natural explanations. This supernatural event apparently is giving people a five month taste of the torments of Hell so that they will seek salvation.

The sixth trumpet brings a 200 million man army from east of the Euphrates which kills a third of all humankind. That huge number makes many think the army is demonic spirits. Those conjectures also do not fit the description. Demonic spirits do not directly kill people and there is no reason to believe that this many demonic spirits even exist.

There are now over 3 billion people in Asia but it is still difficult to envision any way to put together an army of 200 million. Four bound angels will be released to assist in this great assembly. This appears to be an all out East vs West war using modern weapons. It seems to me that these fallen angels are the spiritual powers behind the four major eastern religions.

I think this army influenced by eastern pagan religions will war against the Harlot riding the rising Beast/Antichrist.  The destruction of this eastern army is probably how the Beast/Antichrist gains power over the whole world. After this is accomplished, the ten kings turn on the Roman Harlot and burn her with fire. From that time, until Jesus returns, people are only publicly allowed to worship the Beast.

The sounding of the seventh trumpet brings the seven bowl judgments. These and other events occurring during the 42 months under the Antichrist are not going to have natural explanations.  When supernatural beings are allowed to run the world and angels are pouring out God’s judgments on earth most anything becomes possible.