This storyline is unique in that it not only harmonizes with the other three storylines but also with the Chapter Sixteen judgment chapter.
1) Harmonization of the four storylines.
The four storylines are primarily about the 3.5-year tribulation, although some of their narratives go into the 3.5-year judgment, as in the case of the latter portion of Chapter Eleven, as well as Chapter Sixteen, and Twenty-One that follows after the judgment. So the emphasis of the four storylines is the tribulation, but some language extends into the judgment and after.
In the trumpets storyline (Ch. 8-11), however, like the seals (Ch. 6-8), there are two threads of events. The first is given in the open at trumpets One through Six. The second begins at the first trumpet, but follows the pathway established in Chapter Ten. That is, trumpets one through six are in tandem, working alongside the events of Chapter Ten. So trumpets one through six are in the open, and the emphasis of the storyline is hidden in Chapter Ten. Both of these threads occur simultaneously.
This same thing takes place in the seals storyline (Ch. 6-8). The seals in the open are one thread, and Chapter Seven, the emphasis of the seals storyline, is taking place at the same time.
And I should mention that the seals, as well as the trumpets, have several layers of interpretation. One of which is the events during the tribulation that I am referring to now. Whereas in the power transfers that I focused on previously, the seals show how power and authority was not only given to the 144,000 but also the beast and false prophet.
This power transfer is also here in the trumpets, but must be approached with a discerning touch due to the uniqueness of the storyline serving two masters. The harmonization with the four storylines and the harmonization with the judgment Chapter.
Here is an example of the power transfer from John to the beast in the trumpets storyline.
Rev. 9:1 in chiasmus form:
a) And the fifth angel sounded,
…..b) and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth:
a) and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
There are two individuals in the verse. The fifth angel is the angel from the east in the previous storyline (Rev. 7:1-3), having authority from God to seal the 144,000 (Rev. 14:1). And as you may recall, this is John, not only having authority for the power transfer to the 144,000 but also to the beast and his false prophet in Rev. 6:8, called death and hell. John not only was given the calling to work in the sweet and sour (Rev. 10-10) of the two balances (Rev. 6:5) as described herein, but he was personally given the keys over death and hell by the Savior, in Rev. 1:18.
Therefore, in the chiasmus form of Rev. 9:1, John has the key of authority given by Jesus in Rev. 1:18. Secondly, the star fallen is Wormwood from Rev. 8:10-11. The verse is saying that while John has the keys of authority, Wormwood, also referenced in the first woe of Chapter Nine, caused the saints of God to fall, excluding them from the harvest of saints.
And let me say this about Wormwood. This individual causes the saints of God to change their allegiance to the beast and lose their eternal lives (Rev. 13:11-18). This is the false prophet of Rev. 13:11.
As you can see, although the harmonization of Rev. 6:8 in the seals storyline is to Rev. 8:12 in the trumpets storyline, there are extending circumstances such that the false prophet Wormwood causing the saints of God to fall (Rev. 8:10-11), as shown via the war against God (Rev. 13:6) resulting in the 144,000 (Rev. 9:4) rejecting those who took the mark of the beast (Rev. 14:9-11). That is, in the first woe of Chapter Nine, the saints who have fallen are excluded from the harvest of Rev. 12:14.
This is just an example of how to read the prophecy. But the point is that multiple interpretations of the revelation are present, and by reading these interpretations, one can read the prophecy.
2) Harmonization of the trumpets storyline with Chapter Sixteen.
Here we are looking at judgment era events that are stated as tribulation era events.
The main application is that the seals (Ch. 6-8) represent the 3.5-year tribulation and the trumpets (Ch. 8-11) represent the 3.5-year judgment.
This is also seen in the mark of the beast storyline (Ch. 12-16) where the tribulation is in Chapters Twelve, Thirteen, and Fourteen, while the judgment is in Chapter Sixteen.
So while the primary function of the trumpets storyline is to harmonize with the other three storylines, the secondary function is to show the entire length of the tribulation (3.5-year seals storyline) and judgment (3.5-year trumpets storyline), totaling seven years.
