23. The Seven Trumpet

PRAYER THOUGHT

"The servants of God who teach the truth should be men of judgment. They should be men who can bear opposition and not get excited; for those who oppose the truth will pick at those who teach it, and every objection that can be produced, will be brought in its worst form to bear against the truth. The servants of God who bear the message must be prepared to remove these objections, with calmness and meekness, by the light of truth. Frequently opposers talk to ministers of God in a provoking manner, to call out something from them of the same nature, that they can make as much of it as possible and declare to others that the teachers of the commandments have a bitter spirit and are harsh, as has been reported. I saw that we must be prepared for objections, and with patience, judgment, and meekness, let them have the weight they deserve, not throw them away or dispose of them by positive assertions, and then bear down upon the objector, and manifest a hard spirit toward him; but give the objections their weight, then bring forth the light and the power of the truth, and let it outweigh and remove the errors. Thus a good impression will be made, and honest opposers will acknowledge that they have been deceived and that the commandment keepers are not what they have been represented to be."  {EW 102.1}  

PURPOSE

To reveal the meaning and the objective lesson of the 7 Trumpets as a warning to us upon whom the end of the world has come.

INTRODUCTION

*Rev. 8:7-9 “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up; And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”

*These cannot be literal things but symbolic , because we never find a flaming mount casting itself into the sea to turn it into blood!  Or a fire mingled with hail to burn only green grass!   Note that the trumpets are also similar to the 7 plagues.

1st Trumpet - Rev. 8:7  

“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” 

 *We need to unlock each symbol for us to understand the meaning of each trumpet:  

Fire: Exo 3:2 /Exo 19:18 / Jer. 23:29 /Act 2:3 - the symbol of the Holy Spirit - the word of God = Inspired Truth or message.  Blood: Lev. 17:11 = (that which saves) Mortal life.  

Hail:  Job 38:22-23 = destruction from God.  

Trees: Dan 4:20-22 / Isa 5:7 / COL 214 = Rulers or leaders - can be civil or religious leadership (see lesson 2:3 on trees).  Grass: Isa 40:6,7 - "Surely (the common) people is grass.”  This 1st trumpet spared 2/3 of the "trees" of the earth but destroyed 1/3 of them; i.e. of the earthly leaders.

Meaning:  The first destruction = Noah's flood, therefore the first trumpet = Noah's message and the punishment to those who rejected it:  

Fire = his inspired message.  

Hail = Flood (could not use "water" because it means people Rev 17:15).  

Blood = the ark to save mortal life. 

Third part of trees (leaders) died - meaning those in the ark (8) were the 2/3 of trees survived. “Third" will be used in this lesson to mean the part of the wicked (e.g. third angels followed Satan's rebellion Rev. 12 /3T.115).  All green, grass (common people) died in the flood.  Time: Noah's time.

2nd Trumpet - Rev.8:8-9  

“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”

*Mount - Zech 8:3 / Acts 7:38 = church.  

Fire = inspired message. 

Sea - Rev 17:15 = nations, people.  Blood - mortal life saved.

Isa. 2:2-4

Mic. 4:1-4

Dan. 9:16, 20

Meaning: Moses's Exodus time.  

Mount = The Exodus church organized at Mt. Sinai, with the message of sacrificial system - a shadow of Christ's sacrifice.  1/3, wicked nations - became blood - saved, e.g. Rahab, etc.  But the1/3 part which had the life (salvation) lost it, died.  These are the wicked Israelites who could not comply and died in the desert, onward (see 1John 5:12 / 1 Cor.10:8-11).  1/3 ships are the heathen places of worshipping their idols.  Israel instructed to destroy them (Deut. 12 2-3).  Time: Moses' time.  Again, we can see a message which came and the destruction of those who could not comply - whether the messengers or the hearers.

3rd Trumpet: Rev 8:10,11   

“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” 

Great Star - the arrival of the Bible - as it was written by Moses

Lamp - the light that leads people to walk in righteousness

3rd part of the rivers - nations of the earth

Wormwood -

3rd part of the waters -

 *Star - "It", burning as a lamp (Ps. 119:105 = Word of God).  This is the arrival of the written Bible upon the nations of the earth (rivers) and especially upon Israel (the fountain of waters - John 7:38 /Deu.t 33:28).  

The Bible is a lamp unto the righteous but as biter as the herb wormwood (Artemisia absinthium /or vulgaris).  Many died for not following the Bible truth.  

Time: Moses to setting of the typical kingdom in Palestine.

4th Trumpet: Rev 8:12  

“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.” 

*Jacob had a clue: Gen. 37:9, 10.  

Sun = Word of God, written Bible.  

Moon = Reflector (teacher) of the light (word) = the Church Ministry, and the stars = Church laity.  

Time: This was the captivity of the Jewish church into Babylon for 70yrs = without the Temple sacrifices, resulting in the 70 years of spiritual darkness upon the earth.

Rev. 8:13  “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!” 

 *This is an interlude between the Old and New Testament periods. The last three woe trumpets are in the New Testament period.  They are full of prophetic action!

The 5th Trumpet Rev. 9:1-12 

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment [was] as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them…… 

“…And the shapes of the locusts [were] like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads [were] as it were crowns like gold, and their faces [were] as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as [the teeth] of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings [was] as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power [was] to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon. One woe is past; [and], behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”

Verse 1-2: Star, "He," similar to the star in Trump 3.  = Jesus, "the bright morning star" (Rev 22:16 /John 1:1-2,14).  

The "Key" of the bottomless pit was given to the one who is having it.  Therefore, the angel of the bottomless pit (Rev 20:1) is Jesus.  (See GC 657 - 659).  

The pit here is the earth as a prison house for God's people from the fall of Adam to the time they were set free by the sacrifice on Calvary (31AD).  

The "key" Luke 4:18,19 - the  Gospel of salvation, restoration and freedom of man "smoke " = sacrifice of Calvary.  "Sun" darkened = end of ceremonial (sacrificial) system - the Temple  curtain torn.  Also refer to the literal eclipse of sun at His death.

Verse 3-5" Locusts from the smoke = liberated disciples of Christ, early Christian.  They were commanded not to kill but only to "torment" men by preaching the Gospel.  Note that those to feel the sting of their torment were those without the seal of God, not the believers.  (The star is not Mohammad as Uriah Smith tried to explain.  Mohammed did not come from heaven - neither was he given the key of the pit.  Joshua Litch only used the trumpets to make his own prediction of the end of Turkish power, not the fulfillment of the Trumpets.  Elder Smith frankly tells us that he borrowed his interpretation of the Trumpets from Cardinal Gibbon, a high-ranking Roman Catholic.  Though EG White seems to support Litchi (GC she is here not referring to the Trumpets, but to Litch’s prediction.  E.G. White, Elders Smith and Litch (the latter not an SDA but a Millerite at the time he wrote)  could not understand or interpret the Trumpets because it is a light of the 4th Angel.

Tails" = following of converts was a torment to the opposers (Act 4:34, 35).

* Verses 7-11 "Horses" - Micah 5:8 /Zech 10:3 = soldiers of the Cross - preachers.  "crowns" - Matt 16:19 / Rev 12:1 = divine authority. "faces of men"= brave soldiers. "hair of women" - GC 381 / 1Cor 6:2 = Christian church with the glory of the Pentecostal power.  "Teeth of lion" = hard enough power to defend themselves - but for the command not to kill.  (e.g. Act 5:11-).  "Breastplates" - 1Thess. 5:8 = faith and love.  Locusts - a fitting symbol for the Christians, harmless to man's body but you can't finish killing them - neither do they fear anything - man, his weapons or death!  Their king - "Abaddon" (Hebrew = "destroyer") is Jesus in the Old Testament period.  He destroyed the wicked and enemies within and without.  "Apollyon" (Greek - New Testament time) = "Exterminator" or finisher of the wicked (Rev 19:15-18 / Rev 20:9,10).

Rev. 9:5, 10, 6  

“And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment [was] as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man….And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power [was] to hurt men five months…. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”

5 months of torment, from 31AD to Ezekiel 9 (purification of  the church), during which Christians are commanded not to kill but torment only with the Gospel, while they can be killed by their enemies. But after the 5 months, things shall change: they can't be killed, they not only hurt (torment) but also kill their enemies (See Jer. 51:20-23 / Zech. 12:3).  They shall seek death by preaching against the mark of the beast (Rev 14:9-11) but death shall flee from the 144 000 (Joel 2:8 / E.W. 283). EW 34

Time of 5th Trumpet: From 31AD to sealing of the 144000.

6th TRUMPET - Rev 9:12-19  

“One woe is past; [and], behold, there come two woes more hereafter. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.  And the number of the army of the horsemen [were] two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them….

“…And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses [were] as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them, they do hurt.” 

Verses 12-15:  These four are not literal angels, for you cannot capture literal angels!  They represent God's church underworld bondage, from the Dark Ages time to date (See 7BC 978 /GC 54-55).  The preparatory message for their release comes at an "hour" Rev 14:7- the hour of the Judgment of  the living is come), at a  "day" (Mal 4:5 - Elijah's message of the sudden coming of Christ to His temple, Mal 3:1-3, to purify it), at a "Month" (Joel 2:23 - the latter rain or 4th Angel's message; at a "year"- Isa 63:4 / Isa 11:10-16 = the year the church will be liberated from sinners and world civil dominion!  She will do what God likes, without fear, restriction or obstacle. 

Verse 16: From 4 angels to 200 million horses and horseman!  From 144 000 (at the liberation time, Ezek. 9) to 200 million preachers of the Loud Cry message! How? Isa 66:15-21 plus special resurrections (Dan 12:2-3, 10 / Ezek. 37:11-14 / 7T.17).

*Verses 17 - 19: Horses = Preachers (see Zech. 14:20 /Zech. 10:3). 

Horsemen on the horse backs = angel guard and guides to the preachers in the Loud cry time Isa. 13: 1-5 / EW 270 - 271 /GC 312 / Zech. 2:5, 10-10-12 /Isa 4:3-6) .  That is why the breastplates (protection) are not on the lion-like horses (preachers) but on the horsemen (angels).  

Power is in the mouth and the tail - 5Tr 98.1

Each horse significantly has a lion-like head and serpent-like "tails," the one looking ahead and the other watching behind.  They therefore can represent but one inseparable host, "as an army with banners," going "forth into all the world, conquering and to conquer." -- Prophets and Kings, p. 725. 

Snake-like tails = the followers - the great multitude, will be of more torment to opposers than the scorpion tails of trumpet 5.

Verses 20 - 21:  “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”      

*Of all the effort of the Loud Cry, not the whole world will be converted.  Some will not answer the invitation to the marriage supper - they will remain in the mark of the beast system. 

 Time of this Trumpet = from Ezek. 9 to the Loud Cry.

The Nature of the Trumpets

That singular parallelism exists between the several effects of the seven trumpets and the several effects of the seven last plagues, is clearly to be seen in the following collocations:  

(1) Both the elements of the first trumpet ("hail and fire mingled with blood") and the contents of the vial of the first plague are cast upon the "earth" (Rev. 8:7; 16:2). 

   (2) The "mountain" at the sounding of the second trumpet and the contents of the "vial" at the pouring out of the second plague find their point of coincidence in falling alike into the "sea" (Rev. 8:8; 16:3).  

   (3) "Upon the rivers and fountains of waters" (Rev. 8:10; 16:4) fall both the "star" of the third trumpet and the contents of the "vial" of the third plague. 

   (4) Just as at the sounding of the fourth trumpet, so likewise at the pouring out of the "vial" of the fourth plague, the sun is affected (Rev. 8:12; 16:8). 

   (5) Darkness (Rev. 9:2; 16:10) ensues in common at the sounding of the fifth trumpet and at the pouring out of the fifth plague.

   (6) As with the sixth trumpet just so with the sixth plague, the "river Euphrates" is the focal point (Rev. 9:14; 16:12).  

   (7) And bringing up the seventh parallel, the seventh trumpet and the seventh plague exhibit the identical components: the temple in heaven the voices and thunderings and lightnings therefrom,  the earthquake and the hail (Rev. 11:15; 16:17-21) -- the second coming of Christ.  

These coincidences demonstrate beyond the slightest peradventure that the nature and the purpose of the seven trumpets are the same in kind as the nature and the purpose of the seven last plagues: destructive; and that of the wicked after their probation has closed. 

Announcement: Rev. 10:7  “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”

*The mystery of God shall be finished at the sounding of the 7th trumpet.  What is the mystery of God?  "But what is the mystery of God?  'Christ in you, the hope of glory.' 'God …manifested in the flesh.'  Then in these days that mystery is to be finished in one hundred and forty - four  thousand people" (A.T Jones - RH July 18, ad 25, Aug 1, 1899).  That is, the 144 000 are the first fruits to mature to this stature and fulfil (finish) this Gospel in the world during the Loud Cry time.

Rev 11:13  “And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” 

*Though pointing back to the signs of the times of old, it is actually pointing forward to the judgment of the living time:  The city = church (not only Lisbon).  The great earthquake = the shaking and slaughter of Ezek. 9 purification of the church. The remnant in the city who give glory to God = 144,000 - who survive the slaughter.  

Verse 14: The end of the 6th Trumpet brings us to the sounding of the 7th.  

The composite symbolism -- rider, lion's head, horse's body, and serpent-like "tails" -- in comparison  with that of the "locusts," indicates that whereas the early Christians were killed by their enemies like helpless locusts, God's people today shall, as invincible horses, suffer no harm at any hand.  

The angelic beings that "sat on them," are the ones who, though invisible to the human eye, will lead "everyone in his path" (Joel 2:8), and who, "having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone," will cause any sword lifted against the saints to break, and fall "as powerless as a straw." (See Early Writings, pp. 34, 285; The Great Controversy, p. 631; Life Sketches, p. 102.) 

The 7th Trumpet: Rev. 11:15-19  

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned….. 

“….And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thundering, and an earthquake, and great hail.”  

*This is the finishing of the Gospel of the kingdom, in the Loud Cry period - which brings the close of probation in verse 19. This door now being opened is of the heavenly sanctuary which was closed in 1844 and remained shut during the judgement of the dead and  of the living.  At close of probation, the Jury moves out and deliberately leave the door open, and those on the earth will be made to see the Sabbath shinning in heaven!  What a panic to those who opposed it!  No wonder they hunt for the Truth (Amos 8:11-13) but alas! Jer. 8:20.  

Verse 18 - is a list of events that will occur from close of probation onward:  

"Anger of the nations" = Time of Trouble (Sunday Law), 

God's, "wrath" = 7 plagues.  

2nd Coming and Executive Judgment during the 1000 years.

SUMMARY

*The 7th trumpets are God's punishment to those who in their generations, rejected Present Truth as an objective lesson to us - that if we follow their way we shall surely fall as they did.

*Trumpets are similar to the 7 plague, because God's The warnings and punishments (trumpets) of old are to continue up to the close of time, when they will be summarized into the last Loud cry and the last 7 plagues.