Third trumpet

By the sound of the third trumpet, a great star called Wormwood falls to the Earth poisoning a third of the planet’s freshwater sources, such as rivers and springs. Men will die from drinking its bitter taste.[9]

Fourth trumpet

Following the sounding of the fourth trumpet, a third of the light that shines from the Sun, moon and stars became dark from these celestial bodies being “struck”. This catastrophe caused complete darkness for a third of a day, during the day, even through night hours.[10]

Fifth trumpet

The fifth trumpet sound is the “first Woe” of three. Before this trumpet sounds, an angel (translated eagle in some versions) appears, flying in mid-heaven, and warns, “Woe, woe, woe, to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”[11]

The fifth trumpet prompts a personified star to fall from heaven. The star is given the key to the bottomless pit. After opening it, the smoke that rises out, darkens the air and blocks the sunlight. Then from out of the smoke, the Locusts were unleashed. They were scorpion tailed warhorses, having a man’s face with lion’s teeth. Their hair was long like that of a woman’s and flew with locust-like wings. They were crowned with golden crowns and protected with iron-like breastplates. They were commanded by their king, Abaddon, to torment any man who does not have the seal of God on their forehead, by using their scorpion-like tails. It was also made clear to them that they must not kill anyone during their five-month mission of torment.[12]

Preterist views

Robert Witham, a Catholic commentator, issued his two-volume Annotations on the New Testament, in 1733. Commenting on Chapter 9, he offers two preterist views for identifying the locusts with scorpion tails.[13]