A.  The Creation Story and the Framework Theory

One of the most important motifs in the book of Revelation is that of Decreation.  Throughout the book of Revelation we see the decreation of the cosmos just before its recreation revealed in the vision of the New Heavens and the New Earth.  This decreation motif is primarily seen in the vision of the Seven Trumpets and Plagues.  Before we can truly understand these visions, we must understand John’s perception of the Creation of the cosmos.  Although there are many different interpretations of the creation story, John appears to base these two visions on what has been called the “Framework View” of the creation. 

The Framework View interprets the seven days of creation as two parallel series of events, similar to what we have seen in the book of Revelation.  One will recall that before God began his creative work on the earth, the earth of “without form and void.”  That is, the earth was shapeless and empty.  According the Framework theory, the first three days of creation were concerned with FORMING the earth and the final three with FILLING the earth (with the seventh day being a day of rest). 

Although many do not support the Framework view, there is a definite correlation between the first three days of creation and the fourth through sixth days.  In general, what was formed on the first three days was filled during the fourth through sixth days.  The pattern suggests that God creates, then forms & fashions, then fills what he has formed. 

In the creation account, the heavens were the first object of creation, the seas the second, and the earth the third.  The pattern is a little more complicated than I imply here, as the chart below indicates, with some overlap between the days.  In John’s decreation motif, the order is simply reversed.  The earth is the first object of decreation, the waters/sea the next, and the heavens the final.  The remainder of the series also seems to follow the fourth through sixth days of creation, but in reverse order.  By decreating the cosmos first, this allows the cosmos to be recreated, that is transformed, into the New Heavens and Earth of the final chapters of Revelation.

 

[IMAGE 01 – Framework View of Creation]

 

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B.  The Seven Trumpets

In the vision of the seven trumpets, John seems to follow the exact pattern set forth in the framework view of the creation story, only in REVERSE.  That is, John is showing the DECREATION of the heavens and the earth, in stark contrast to the CREATION story of Genesis.  The similarities are readily apparent when the first four trumpets are placed in parallel to the final three.

 

[IMAGE 02 -  Decreation in the Seven Trumpets]

 

Notice the parallels and contrast between the days of creation and the seven trumpets:

The Earth

A)  On the third and sixth day of creation, dry land called “earth” appeared.  On the third day, grass and trees were created.  On the sixth day, one of Gods creations were “creeping things.”  As the culimination of his creation, man was created.

A’)  In direct contrast to the days of creation, the Earth is affected in the first and fifth trumpet.  Man, the culmination of God’s creation, are tormented in the fifth trumpet by scorpion – locusts, corresponding to the creeping things of creation.  Grass and trees are also mentioned in both trumpets, and are burnt in the first.

 

The Waters

B)  On the third and fifth day of creation, the seas are the object of creation.  They are gathered together on the third day.  They are filled with all manner of sea creatures including ‘whales.’  The Hebrew term for ‘whales’ has also been translated ‘dragon, serpent, and sea monster” in the KJV.

B’) The second and third trumpets affect the seas and the rivers.  A third of the creatures of the sea die after the second trumpet is blown.  Angels bound in the Euphrates river are loosed in the sixth trumpet.  Afterwards an army of horsemen ride on horses with tails like serpents.

 

The Heavens

C)  On the first day of creation, light is separated from darkness and they are called Day and Night.  On the second day of creation the firmament of the heavens are formed.  On the fourth day of creation, the sun and moon are placed in the firmament of heaven to rule the day and the night.  The stars are also placed in the firmament as well.  On the fifth day of creation birds are placed on the “face” of the firmament of the heaven.

C’)  During the third trumpet, the sun, moon and stars are darkened.  This is in direct contrast to the creation of light on the first day, as well as the filling of the sky with the sun moon and stars.  Again parting from the pattern for the seventh of the series, John draws from the vision immediately after the seventh trumpet.  In this vision the woman, who is clothed in the sun, moon, and stars is attacked by the Dragon and must flee into the wilderness for safety.

 

The Abyss

D)  The “deep” of Genesis 1:2, corresponds to the “abyss” or “bottomless pit” of Revelation.  In the beginning there was nothing but the abyss, or the primeval ocean.  God took this “deep” and formed the earth and all of creation. 

D’)  The decreation of the earth and heavens are also tied to the abyss.  In the fifth trumpet, the scorpion-locusts are released from the abyss.  As shown in the chart it stands in a mirrored state from the mention of the abyss in the story of creation.  The creation story begins with there being darkness on the face of the abyss.  God’s first act of creation is to create light and made a separation from the light and darkness.  At the fifth trumpet, the air and sun are darkened as a result of the locust plague that arises from the bottomless pit.

The model of decreation of the seven trumpets follows the framework view of the creation story in Genesis, but in the exact reverse order.  At the culmination of the seven trumpets we see

 

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 C.  The Seven Plagues

It has already been established that the seven plagues closely parallel the seven trumpets, so it should be no surprise that they also follow the pattern of decreation. 

 

[IMAGE 03 – Decreation in the Seven Plagues]

 

The Earth

A)  In the creation story, man is created in God’s image and given dominion over the beasts of the earth.

A’)  The first plague concerns the earth.  Men, who received the mark of the beast or worship his image, are tormented.  In the fifth plague, sores also appear on those in the beast’s kingdom (dominion).

 

The Waters

B)  As already mentioned, in the creation story the sea is formed on the third day and filled with sea creatures including ‘creeping things’ and ‘whales.’  The Hebrew term for whale is also translated dragon in other parts of the Old Testament.

B’)  In the second and third plague, the sea and rivers are affected.  All living souls in the sea die.  Frogs (corresponding to ‘creeping things’) come out of the mouth of the Dragon (corresponding to the ‘whale’).

 

The Heavens

C)  On the fourth day of creation, the sun was placed in the firmament of the heaven.  On the fifth day, birds were created so they could fly on the face of the heavens. 

C’)  In the fourth plague, the vial is poured on the sun.  In the seventh it is poured out in the air.  In the sixth plague, demons (which seems to correspond to ‘hateful birds,’ see Rev 18:2) gather men to Armageddon.  Although not found directly in the vision of the seven trumpets, birds are called to the supper of the God, which most scholars believe is the same as the battle of Armageddon.

 

The Abyss

Just as the scorpion-locusts arise from the Abyss in the fifth trumpet to darken the sun, the beast’s kingdom is also darkened during the fifth plague (the beast, one will recall, arose out the abyss, Rev 11:7).

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D.  Decreation and Recreation in other Visions

The decreation – recreation motif is seen throughout the book of Revelation.  It is seen in the vision of the Two Witnesses,

 

[IMAGE 04 – Decreation in the Vision of the Two Witnesses]

 

In the vision of the Might Angel, in which a chiastic structure is used,

 

[IMAGE 05 – Decreation & Recreation in the Vision of the Might Angel]

 

 

And throughout the visions of the New Heavens and the New Earth,

 

[IMAGE 06 – Decreation in Rev 7 & Recreation in Rev 21]

 

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The Motif of Decreation

Using an independent analysis, we found that all the lists in Revelation including the seven seals, trumpets and plagues, follow the pattern of splitting the series.  What’s more, by using this technique, the flow of the trumpets and plagues follows the reverse of the creation story, that is, it reveals the decreation of the heaven, seas and earth.  In fact, it is quite possible that John used this technique of ‘splitting the series’ based on the creation story found in Genesis which

1)  provides an antithesis to his decreation motif

2)  utilizes a sevenfold structure &

3)  can be organized into two parallel series of events using the framework view of creation.