Dark Age

When the fourth trumpet sounds, the sun, moon, and stars are plagued (Revelation 8:12). A third of the stars are darkened, and day and night ceases to “shine” for a third of the time (two four-hour periods of darkness).

The fourth trumpet partially reverses the fourth day of creation, when sun, moon, and stars were set in the firmament. With the cancellation of the fourth day, the world slips back toward the dark, empty formlessness that existed before the first fiat of creation.

Day and night do not “shine” for a third of the time, but the verb is phaino, which typically connotes not merely “shine” but “appear” or “show.” If the sun, moon, and stars do not give light, nothing can give itself. There is no disclosure of anything if the heavenly lights don’t disclose themselves. The world may not be formless and empty; but it might as well be.

Throughout the Bible, sun, moon and stars represent rulers, who are raised on high to shine the light of life and of discerning judgment on the rest of humanity. The darkening of heavenly lights implies the failure of rulers to rule. And the world is plunged into a dark age as a result. And in that darkness, hideous creatures rise from the abyss to torment humanity (Revelation 9:1-11).

This is the natural consequence of the plagues of the first three trumpets: When fire and hail fall from heaven; when the sea of nations is polluted with blood; when the springs that flow from the presence of God turn poisonous – of course, those who rule the earth will be darkened, unable to bring anything into the light of day.