7 The first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown on the earth. One third of the earth was burnt up, and one third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
the first trumpet, hail and fire, and blood – this is the plague of hail and fire poured out on Egypt (Exod 9:24). From here, we begin to suspect that these plagues are metaphorical. The meaning of the metaphor in the “Seven Trumpets” is simple. These plagues are like those on Egypt, that have no affect on the “righteous,” just as they passed over the sons of Israel, and only struck the Egyptians.
This is only one of two trumpets that do not seem to directly match the corresponding bowl of wrath. The first bowl of wrath is “sores on those who worship the image of the beast and receive his mark.” Of course, the hail and fire cause the “sores on those who had the mark of the beast and worship his image.” The fulfillment of this prophecy, which followed the outpouring of the holy spirit, was dramatic. Prior to the 20th Century, few people questioned Sunday rest, or the Trinity doctrine. But by the end of the 20th Century, there was scarcely a Christian who would try to defend either. Before the year 1950, businesses would not operate on a Sunday, but by the end of the 20th Century, both Sunday and Saturday had become acceptable days of business in the Western World: “they have no rest day or night,” Rev 14:11.
The other bowl of wrath that does not match is the fourth, because the focus of the Bowls of wrath are the attack on the kingdom of the Beast, whereas the focus of the trumpets is to show God’s deliverance of His people.
a third – the meaning of “a third” is clear in the fourth trumpet, where we see “a third of the sun, moon, and stars” darkened. The sun, moon and stars represents the kingdom of heaven, before its corruption, as described in Rev 12:1. A “third of the Angels fell” in Rev 12:4, representing the part of heaven that was lawless, and sided with Satan. In each of the first four plagues, “a third” represents the “lawless” part of the kingdom of heaven affected by the plague. These plagues are the work of Angels sent out to remove the lawlessness from Christ’s kingdom (see Matt 13:40-41; which was also explained in Revelation 14).
Before we comfort ourselves with the idea that God only considers 1/3 to be lawless, we must ask ourselves the question, do we know who the 1/3 is? Only those who receive the promised holy spirit have the assurance of salvation (Ephes 1:13-14).
of the earth – you may notice that the first three trumpets follow the judgment order of Rev 14:7, “the hour of His judgment has come…who made…the earth, and the sea and springs of water.” Here, in the first three trumpets, are the effect of these plagues against the earth (the people), the sea (their salvation), and springs of water (the spirit they drink).
one third of the trees – Jesus said we would know those who are true, in the kingdom of heaven, by their fruit: “a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.” (Matt 7:18) The trees, especially by the water, are the righteous, see Ps 1:3, Jer 17:8. The trees of the end time Church are fed by the water of the Holy Spirit, as we read in Ezek 47:12; “their fruit will not fail.”
all of the grass was burned – grass represents all men; “all flesh is grass,” see Isa 40:6, 1 Pet 1:24, and other verses. In Rev 13:16, we learn that the beast caused “all men” to receive a mark, as all men forsook the commandment of God. More specifically, from 1 Pet 1:23-24, the grass represents those who have not been born of the Spirit, “for you have been born again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, for ‘all flesh is as grass.” If anyone doubts the figurative meaning of this verse, they should consider the trees and the grass in Rev 9:4. The Greek text literally reads: “And it was said that they should not harm the grass, nor any green thing, nor any tree;
if not the men not having the seal of God on their foreheads.” The Greek grammar, in this verse, directly identifies the trees and grass as men.