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continued 2
 World
response to the trumpets
I maintain that one cannot correctly understand
Revelation’s story, especially the four
announcements of Revelation, without first
understanding what the fourth seal and the seven
trumpets are all about. (Time will soon reveal if
my assertion is true or false.) The reason I
maintain such a position is that one has to first
comprehend something of the first holocaust
caused by the first four trumpets to appreciate
the panic and desperation that will galvanize the
whole world into a confused but collective unit
to appease an angry God. This collective unit of
seven religious systems is called Babylon, and it
will rapidly rise to a coalition having great
power – once the Great Tribulation begins.
I am convinced that the
four angels holding back the four winds in
Revelation 7:1-4 are the first four angels having
the seven trumpets. Without going into much
detail, here is why: The four angels holding
back the four winds have power to harm the earth.
Specifically, they have power to harm the
land, sea and trees. After the 144,000 are
selected and sealed, the four angels will harm
the land, sea and trees. The only place in
Revelation where the land, sea and trees are
specifically harmed is found in Revelation 8:7-9.
Here, the first two angels of the seven trumpets
accomplish the harm that God wants them to do. I
also find that the devil and his angels are not
permitted to harm the land, plants and trees;
rather, they can only hurt people who have not
received the seal of God. (Revelation 9:4) If the
devil’s angels could harm the land, plants
and trees, all humanity would prematurely die.
Thus, the devil could thwart the work of God to
reach people with the gospel. Therefore, God
prohibits the devil and his angels from harming
the environment. (Incidentally, trumpets five
through seven are called curses or woes because
they directly affect people.)
Therefore, an
understanding of the fourth seal and the seven
trumpets is central to Revelation’s story.
The fourth seal contains four literal judgments
from God: sword, famine, plague and wild beasts.
These four judgments are four winds that shall be
loosed after the 144,000 are ready to do their
work! Moreover, the seven trumpets are the means
by which the four judgments occur. The coalition
of the world’s systems (the rise of the
dragon like beast out of the sea, Revelation
13:1) is man’s response to the first
four trumpets. This background information is
imperative. It sets the stage for the
announcements. In addition, once the setting is
properly understood, one can see why these four
announcements are as volatile as dynamite.
Two
Witnesses
To make the testimony of the 144,000 credible,
Jesus will give them two assets: a clear grasp of
the five Bible doctrines and the Holy Spirit
power. The Two Witnesses will make the 144,000
servant-prophets a formidable group of people
even though they are few and far between. Here is
a mystery. The 144,000 will be largely
disconnected from each other by geography and
communication – but they are very similar in
character and they bear the same four powerful
announcements during the probationary period of
the Great Tribulation.
God’s purpose for
empowering the 144,000 is this: The gospel is not
only a proclamation of the love of God; it is a
demonstration of God’s love. The 144,000
will be a group of chosen people that have a love
for the salvation of souls. They will be
individuals who love God with all their hearts,
mind and soul and their neighbors as themselves.
In Revelation, we find
the gift of prophecy is given to the 144,000.
(Revelation 7:3; 10:7; 12:17) The gift of
prophecy is called the “testimony of
Jesus” because this phrase refers to a
process that is most exciting to understand. In
Revelation 1:9, we read, “I, John, your
brother and companion in the suffering and
kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in
Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the
word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Did
you notice that John was suffering on the island
of Patmos because of the testimony of Jesus?
Notice what the angel
told John the testimony of Jesus is: “At
this I fell at his feet to worship him. However,
he said to me, ‘Do not do it! I am a fellow
servant with you and with your brothers who hold
to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy.’” (Revelation 19:10) What
does the last sentence of this text mean?
Putting these two texts
together, we find that John was on the isle of
Patmos because of the spirit of prophecy! What is
the spirit of St. Louis? What is the spirit of
praise and thanksgiving? What is the spirit of
the Olympics? Basically, the spirit of something
is an attitude about that something. The spirit
of prophecy is an attitude of esteem for
prophecy.
Prophecy is a gift that
comes directly from Jesus. Notice these two
verses from Paul: “Follow the way of love
and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially
the gift of prophecy. Tongues, then, are a sign,
not for believers but for unbelievers, prophecy,
however, is for believes, not unbelievers.”
(1 Corinthians 14:1,22) Paul makes an interesting
point that prophecy is for believers – not
unbelievers! Why would he say that? Because
believers (should) have an eager attitude or
spirit of prophesy, a desire to know the will,
the plans and purposes of God. In addition, the
gift of prophecy is to be especially desired
among the people of God, for it is the most
direct means of knowing the plans and will of
Jesus. The testimony of Jesus can come through
Bible prophecy (the book of Revelation is called
the testimony of Jesus; Revelation 22:16) or
through a prophet. Regardless of the method of
delivery – prophecies from the Bible or
through a prophet – the testimony of Jesus
remains in constant agreement. In other words, a
true prophet has a correct understanding of Bible
prophecy will be found to be in agreement.
(This last concept needs
a qualifying remark. No prophet has ever been
shown everything about the times and dates set by
God. (Acts 1:7) Paul says of prophets, “For
we know in part and we prophesy in part.” (1
Corinthians 13:9) The end result is that when Old
or New Testament prophets were shown scenes
concerning the end of the world, they all thought
the end was imminent or near. However, their
supposition about God’s chronology has been
proven wrong by nearly two millenniums. Keep in
mind that God only unlocks His chronology when
the time for fulfillment arrives. This means the
final generation can know they are the last
generation because they alone are enabled to
assemble all that the prophets were shown.
(Daniel 12:9) The point here is that true
prophets have been wrong about the timing of
Christ’s appearing. (See 1 Corinthians 7:29;
1 John 2:18; Hebrews 1:1; 9:26; 10:37; John
21:22,23, 1 Peter 1:20, 4:7, Romans 13:11,12)
However, a correct understanding of Bible
prophecy will be found to be in agreement with
the content of the visions given to true
prophets.
Here is the mechanics of
the gift of prophecy works: First, Jesus says
something in heaven. The Holy Spirit hears what
Jesus says. Then, the Holy Spirit carries the
information to the prophet(s). Read the following
verse twice and notice the mechanics of this
operation: “But when he, the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own; he will only speak
what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet
to come.” (John 16:13) The gift of prophecy
is the vehicle through which the testimony of
Jesus comes. The 144,000 are servant-prophets
that will receive “the word of the
Lord” (testimony) from Jesus via the Holy
Spirit.
This matter nicely comes
into focus when we read Revelation 12:17:
“Then the dragon was enraged at the woman
and went off to make war against the rest of her
offspring – those who obey God’s
commandments and hold to the testimony of
Jesus.” In short, the last generation of
God’s people will be those obeying
God’s commandments (remember the first
announcement?) and holding to the testimony of
Jesus as communicated via the Holy Spirit to the
144,000. (Incidentally, the devil in verse 17
goes off to make war against the remnant. The war
is described in Revelation 13:7 Notice: “He
[Babylon, the dragon like beast] was given power
to make war against the saints and to conquer
them. And he was given power authority over every
tribe, people, language and nation.”) During
this coming war, the saints will be greatly
encouraged by the presence of Jesus!
Doctrine
is important
Within the context of the four announcements that
shall be given by the 144,000, five doctrinal
truths will be revealed. They are:
- The
salvation of God
- The
worship of God
- The
sanctuary of God
- The
return of God
- The
conditions of man in life and death
These five doctrines
converge and bring Revelation’s story into
clearest focus. For example, if one does not
understand the worship of God, how can he
understand the first announcement found in
Revelation 14:7 which says, “Worship
God?” If one does not understand the
sanctuary of God, how can he understand the
meaning of the throwing down of the censer in
Revelation 8:2-5? If one does not understand the
condition of man in death, how can he understand
the purpose and importance of two resurrections?
If one does not understand that the saints are
going to experience the great tribulation and
face martyrdom, how can he be prepared? I am not
suggesting that every person on earth is going to
receive the equivalent of a college education in
these doctrines. On the other contrary, I am
saying that every person on earth who wants to be
saved will receive a saving knowledge of
these five doctrines. The difference between a
saving knowledge and years of study will be
irrelevant. What will be relevant is knowledge
sufficient for faith and a determination to stand
firm for God and His truth.
A
calendar of event
There is an important
difference between doctrinal truths and
apocalyptic prophecy, and many people do not
understand the distension. Perhaps the easiest
way to understand the distinction is to think of
apocalyptic prophecy as a calendar of events.
Each element within a prophecy belongs to a
specific moment in time. For example, the first
trumpet in revelation 8 happens at a specific
moment in time. In fact, the Bible says that the
sixth trumpet happens at a specific hour, day,
month and year! (Revelation 9:15) Therefore,
every apocalyptic element has a date connected
with it. Thus, apocalyptic prophecy is
essentially a calendar of predicted events.
On the other hand,
doctrinal truth is knowledge from God about His
love and interest in man. Even more, doctrine
reveals God’s interest and ideals for man,
and within these ideals, we find God’s
purpose for man and our power of choice to
determine our destiny. I am personally convinced
of something that seems strange to most people. I
believe that many people would knowingly and
freely choose to forfeit heaven if they could see
the conditions and type of life that all in
heaven will live. Think about this concept a few
times. Can you imagine a person living in heaven
for eternity and not being able to get something
he wanted? Suppose someone wanted to get a
promotion, a better paying job, and God said,
“No.” How long could one live with this
desire and God’s refusal and remain happy?
(I chose this illustration, for this is a
repetition of Lucifer’s fall.
Most people do not search
the Scriptures to better understand doctrine.
Rather, most of us become satisfied with a few
simplistic ideas about this or that and that is
the end of searching the Bible for more truth.
Bible classes at Church are often discussions
revealing the poverty of knowledge rather than
serious investigation into the infinite realms of
God’s Word. It is a lot like high school
days. Can you still work an algebraic problem, or
have your mathematical skills decayed to the
point that basic math is a challenge?
The point here is that
apocalyptic prophecy and doctrine are brother and
sister. Apocalyptic prophecy has to do with when.
Doctrine has to do with why. Put them
together and we discover wonderful things about
God’s purposes that were set in motion
before the creation of the world!
The
messengers
Now that these matters have been examined, let us
examine the fullness of the four announcements
that are soon to be heard. The first announcement
is this:
“Then I saw another
angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal
gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth
– to every nation, tribe, language and
people. {7} He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear
God and give him glory, because the hour of his
judgment has come. Worship him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of
water.’” (Revelation 14:6-8)
The delivery of the four
announcements is represented to John as the work
of angels – flying in midair. Will
God’s angels deliver the four annou8ncements
to the inhabitants of earth? No, not directly.
The 144,000 servant-prophets will bear the
responsibility. The Greek word for angel is
aggelos which simple means messenger. Notice how
Jesus used the word aggelos in this text:
“Then what did you go out to see? A prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. {10}
This is the one about whom it is written: ‘I
will send my messenger [aggelos] ahead of you,
who will prepare the way before you.’ {11} I
tell you the truth: Among those born of women
there has not risen anyone greater than John the
Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew
11:9-12)
Clearly, the word aggelos
in verse 10 applies to john the Baptist
– a herald of the First Advent, and in
Revelation, 14:6 the aggelos represents the
144,000 – heralds of the Second Advent.
What is the first
announcement given to every person living on
earth?
1.
Fear God
2.
Give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment
has come
3.
Worship the Creator who made the heavens, earth,
sea and fountains of waters.
Let us look at each
element within the first message, “Fear
God.” The Greek word for fear is phobeo that
means to cause fear or terrify. (The English word
phobia is a derivative.) This command means
exactly what it says. God is above every power or
authority. He can speak worlds into –
or out of - existence. He requires
His subjects to hold reverent respect for His
authority and His throne. No sovereign, in heaven
or on earth, can tolerate insolent subjects and
maintain the dignity of His throne. Peter puts
some perspective on this saying, “For if God
did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent
them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons
to be held for judgment; {5} if he did not spare
the ancient world when he brought the flood on
its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a
preacher of righteousness, and seven others; {6}
if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
by burning them to ashes, and made them an
example of what is going to happen to the
ungodly….This is especially true of those
who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful
nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant,
these men are not afraid to slander celestial
beings.” (2 Peter 2:4-6,10)
Thus, the work of the
144,000 on behalf of the world begins after the
global earthquake. They begin with a call to fear
God as Supreme Ruler, having the authority of
life and death over all inhabitants of earth. As
the reader might expect, this message flies in
the face of the world’s attitude about God.
Like Pharaoh of old they scoff, “Who is your
God that we should be so concerned?”
The second element within
the first announcement contains more detail. It
says, “Give Him glory, because the hour of
His judgment has come.” The Greek sense of
giving glory is equivalent today as giving high
honor or exalted recognition. We give great glory
to Olympic athletes when we stand them on a
podium and place a medal around their necks that
recognize their accomplishments. This glory is
not imaginary. Often, it is converted into
millions of dollars for product endorsements.
In God’s case, we
give God glory by recognizing that all His works
and commands are faithful and true. We give God
glory by exalting His laws and commands above
anything else. We give God glory by putting Him
first, above anything else. Indeed, this is the
point of the first announcement because the hour
of His judgment of earth has begun. In other
words, when this message goes forth, God begins
the judgment of the living. He begins sealing
everyone in his or her decision for life eternal
or for death eternal.
I need to make an
important point here. God does not make a
unilateral decision upon each person during the
judgment of the living as He did upon the dead.
Rather, during the judgment of the living, He
seals people in their decision for faith or
rebellion. He sends the gospel to every nation,
kindred, tongue and people with great convincing
power to see who will receive His truth and lives
by faith, and those who refuse His invitation and
rebel against Him. Here is the mechanics of the
process:
- Each
person on earth will hear the full gospel
invitation.
- As
they hear, they will have to decide for
or against the message. There will be no
middle ground because desperate
circumstances will require each person to
accept the gospel as delivered by the
144,000 or reject it. (When survival
itself is at stake, decisions are not too
complicated – they may be hard to
make, but the issues are clear.)
- Once
a decision is made, God will test each
person to see if he or she is solid in
his or her decision. If he or she is not,
the testing becomes more intense until a
solid decision is reached.
- After
the test reveals the final decision, that
person is sealed in his decision of faith
or rebellion. The sealing is final.
continue [pg 1]
[pg
2] [pg 3]
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