The
Seven Trumpets
Parts
4-6
Begin Text:
There are some key points
that we need to address as we proceed with this
study. Ultimately, I want you to consider and
understand that the seven trumpets were deliberately
and purposefully designed by God to
accomplish several marvelous objectives during
the Great Tribulation. This is one of the most
impressive things about God: Everything He
does has layers or purposes.
For
example, I like to think of God’s temple
in Heaven as a multipurpose room. It is a
courtroom, a stateroom and a cathedral – all
at the same time!
Let’s
begin with revelation 8:2:
Revelation
8:2 and I saw the seven angels’
who stand before God, and to them were given
seven trumpets. [This event is a
punctilliar moment – therefore, we have to
ask: “When does this event occur?”]
You may recall from last
month’s study that I believe the best answer
to this question is 1994. The
termination of the Jubilee calendar in 1994
harmoniously resolves three key issues in the
book of Revelation:
1. The full cup
principle – there is a limit to God’s
patience, thus the end of corporate mercy at the
altar of incense is appropriate after 1994
2. There is a
delay in Revelation 7 – Jesus is waiting for
the selection of the 144,000
3. There is
literal time in Daniel and Revelation – for
example, the 1,260 days, 42 months, 1,000 years,
1,290 days and 1,335 days
(Furthermore, for those of
you who understand that Daniel 8:14 reaches to
the Spring of 1844, the termination of the
Jubilee Calendar at the end of the seven full
“great days” in 1994 makes a lot
more sense than trying to terminate the Jubilee
calendar in 1844, which is 150 years short of
fulfilling the “great day” of Sabbath.
In other words, from the Exodus in 1437 B.C. to
1844 is 340 years short of seven “great
days.” However, 1437 B.C. to 1994 is a full
3,430 years, making seven great days of 490 years
each.) If you are still foggy on the operation of
the Jubilee Calendar, I hope you review this
study.
We have been informed about
a delay in God’s wrath in Revelation 7
because God wants us to know that He is waiting
for something more important than the execution
of His wrath against sin. Jesus is waiting
upon “the appointed time!” With God,
timing is everything!
Habakkuk 2:3 “For
the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end and will not prove false.
Though it may linger, wait for it; it will
certainly come and will not delay.”
Daniel 8:19 He
said: “I am going to tell you what will
happen later in the time of wrath, because the
vision concerns the appointed time of the
end.”
Daniel 11:27 The
two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will
sit at the same table and lie to each other, but
to no avail, because an end will still come at
the appointed time.”
Revelation 9:15 And
the four angels who had been kept ready for this
very hour and day and month and year were
released to kill a third of mankind.”
Again, “With God,
timing is everything.” Let’s assemble a
few ideas:
We know from our study on
the seven seals that the fourth seal is the next
seal to open.
Revelation 6:7 When
the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the
voice of the fourth living creature say,
“Come!”
Revelation 6:8 I
looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its
rider was named Death, and Hades was following
close behind him. They were given power over a
fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and
plague, and by the wild beasts of the
earth.”
The fourth seal consists of
punitive judgments that will kill 25% of
Earth’s population. Sword, famine, plague
and wild beasts are used by God to punish
wickedness. When Israel became hopelessly wicked,
the Lord told Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 14:21 “For
this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much
worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my
four dreadful judgments – sword and famine
and wild beasts and the plague – to kill its
men and their animals!”
In our day, the judgments of
the fourth seal will be accomplished by the seven
trumpets! When corporate mercy ends, when the censer
at the corporate altar is cast down,
God’s wrath begins. God’s four
judgments are punitive in nature, that is, they
produce corporate punishment. Last month,
we looked at the first four trumpets and found
them to be destructive judgments: 1/3 of the
Earth will be burned up, two asteroids impacts
will cause enormous destruction and the loss of
life and the darkness of the fourth trumpet will
keep food crops from growing….
Add to these facts the fact
that four angels in Revelation 7 have been waiting
since 1994 to release their harm on the Earth,
sea, and trees and there is no wiggle room left
on this topic.
When the censer is cast down
in Revelation 8:5, corporate intercession will
end and the wrath of God will break out on this
planet because the intercession of Jesus on
behalf of the whole world will be ‘taken out
of the way.”
Jesus has been “standing
in the way” of God’s wrath upon this
world for almost 6,000 years. [In other words,
Jesus has been interceding between God and man.]
Two critical points:
1. The
intercession of Jesus for 6,000 years on behalf of
the whole world [corporate intercession] is a
new idea for most Christians. Few people are
aware of the doctrine of parallel temples, and
very few of those who are aware of this doctrine
have investigated the unique role assigned to
each of the two altars in the earthly temple!
Most Christians do not understand the service
that took place at the Altar of Incense on earth,
and even fewer understand what takes place at the
Altar of Incense in Heaven’s temple. (Revelation
8:5)
Nevertheless, the Bible
teaches that God deals with mankind on a corporate
basis and He deals with us on an individual
basis. That’s why there are two altars in
the earthy temple as well as the heavenly temple.
To keep both levels of
intercession suspended in your mind, just
remember that at times, God dealt with ancient
Israel as one nation and He also dealt with
people as individuals. Cities and nations can
grieve away the Holy Spirit when a majority has
hardened their hearts. Ask Sodom and Gomorrah
about this. When this corporately occurs, God
takes action. His wrath is released.
Think about this: God dealt
with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as groups
of people. God dealt with the antediluvians as
one group of people. God dealt with Jericho as
one group of people. God dealt with Nineveh as
one group of people.
2. When a
majority of a city, nation or the whole world,
passes where God’s patience has no redeeming
effect, God steps in with redemptive judgments.
The Bible demonstrates this policy over and over
and over. I call it the “The Full Cup
Principle.”
If God’s redemptive
judgments do not bring about repentance and
reformation, then destructive judgments will
follow. This is why in revelation’s story
there are 7 trumpets and 7 bowls:
7 redemptive judgments
7 destructive judgments
The concept of corporate
intercession is highly important within
Revelation 8 because this service was called “the
daily service” in ancient times. It was
conducted every evening and morning on the Altar
of Incense in the earthly temple. Atonement
for the whole camp of Israel was conducted on the
Altar of Incense.
Therefore, the doctrine of
parallel temples leads us to understand that the
“casting down” of the censer at the
Altar of Incense in Heaven indicates that the
daily service on behalf of the whole Earth is
abruptly and permanently terminated.
Daniel 12:11 “From
the time that the daily (service in Heaven’s
temple or sacrifice) [the word sacrifice is
supplied by translators, it is not in the text]
is abolished and the abomination that causes
desolation [a horrible act that is designed to
destroy God’s people] is set up, there will
be 1,290 days.
Daniel 12:12 Blessed
is the one who waits for and reaches the end of
the 1,335 days.”
Daniel 12:13 “As
for you, go your way till the end. You will rest,
and then at the end of the days you will rise to
receive your allotted inheritance.”
The “casting down”
of the censer in Revelation 8:5 indicates more
than just the holy fire being put out, throwing
down the censer indicates righteous indignation.
Wrath!
The censer and the coals are
thrown down – something like Moses throwing
down the Ten Commandments when he came down the
mountain and saw the idolatry of Israel at the
base of Mt. Sinai.
Moses had just been in
God’s awesome and holy presence and no doubt
this glorious encounter made the depraved
behavior of Israel far more grievous than usual
because Moses saw the disgusting nature of sin
for what it was. Moses was justifiably outraged,
and he destroyed the law that had been broken by
Israel’s rebellion.
So it is. God’s
patience with evil has made people bold and
shameless in their sinful ways. Sexual
immorality, hatred, murder and violence are
escalating and I believe that the ultimate
display of violence is a coming nuclear exchange.
During World War III, I believe the censer will
be thrown down and divine wrath will arrest the
attention of everyone living on Earth.
We briefly examined the
contents of the first four trumpets in our last
study. I have a few more comments about them that
I hope you will consider:
In a sentence, the first
four trumpets will be a shock and awe campaign.
The first four trumpets will bring awesome and
overwhelming destruction on notably wicked
places.
How do we know that this
destruction will fall on notably wicked places?
1. At the end of
the first four trumpets, a warning is sent to
Earth:
Revelation 8:13 As
I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in
midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe!
Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth,
because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded
by the other three angles!”
When we study the last three
trumpets, you will find they exclusively fall on wicked
people.
2.
When we study the beasts of Revelation, you will
find that the first four trumpets will unite the
religious and political leaders of the world. All
of them will conclude, on the basis of
indisputable evidence, that Almighty God is alive
and very angry with the behavior of mankind.
In other words, by
destroying notably wicked places, the survivors
will easily conclude that God is angry at
wicked behavior. In other words, these
judgments will not appear to be coincidental.
Therefore, the response of mankind will be
focused from the start: God must be appeased
through repentance and worship or everyone will
promptly die.
3. We also know
the destruction described in the first four
trumpets perfectly align with the power given to
the first four angels in Revelation 7. Remember,
the four angels ‘had been given power to
harm the land, the sea, and the trees. [Physical
things] Therefore, the fiery hail will burn up
the wicked places like Sodom and Gomorrah. The
first asteroid impact will wash away wicked
seaport cities. The second asteroid impact will
ruin the underground aquifers on a very wicked
continent. The darkness of the fourth trumpet
will introduce famine and millions living in
heavily congested cites will die.
The destruction that attends
the first four trumpets is in perfect alignment
with the fourth seal (25% of earth’s
population will die) and the casting down of the
censer that marks the end of corporate
intercession by Jesus. And now that it is 2008,
there’s no question that all this will
happen after 1994.
When mercy ends, wrath
begins. Do you see that perfect harmony keeps
growing from the sum of all the parts! The Bible
is so amazing!
The book of Revelation was
written about 30 years after the Apostle Paul was
beheaded. However, Paul was shown a few things
about the end of the world.
Paul knew the devil would be
allowed to physically appear at the end of the
world. He knew that the devil would masquerade as
Almighty God and his blasphemous claims would be
‘backed up” with the most amazing
miracles the world has ever seen. Paul discusses
this event at some length in 2 Thessalonians 2.
Paul indicates that Lucifer
will take the form of a glorious man, and while
in this form, he will “be the man of sin [KJV],”
or “the lawless one [NIV].” [This is no
coincidence. Jesus took the form of a man to save
the world, and Lucifer will be permitted to take
the form of a man to destroy the world!]
Paul knew that Lucifer would
be allowed to come out of the spirit realm and be
visible at the appointed time! Paul knew the
devil would present himself to mankind in the
form of a glorious and beautiful man. [This
should not surprise us for we know the devil
appeared before Eve in the form of a beautiful
serpent for the purpose of deception.] The
point here is that Paul knew the devil could not
appear before mankind until corporate
intercession had ended!
In other words, the devil is
not permitted to leave the spirit realm where he
is presently confined [the abyss] until the
censer is cast down.
2 Thessalonians 2:5
Don’t you remember that when I was with you
I used to tell you these things?
2 Thessalonians 2:6
And now you know what is holding him [the devil] back,
so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
2 Thessalonians 2:7
For the secret [unseen] power of lawlessness [rebellion
against God] is already at work; but the one who
now holds it back [Jesus] will continue to do so
till he [Jesus] is taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:8
“And then the lawless one [the man of
sin] will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus
will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and
destroy by the splendor of his coming.”
We should not be surprised,
but Paul’s prediction perfectly aligns with
the details set forth in the book of Revelation
that was written 30 years after Paul’s
death. The devil will physically appear during
the fifth trumpet – and we know the fifth
trumpet will occur after the censer is cast down [The
fifth trumpet occurs after Jesus is taken out of
the way].
You may recall that the
casting down of the censer is marked on Earth by
four physical phenomena: Peals of thunder,
lightening, rumblings and an earthquake. When the
censer is cast down, the whole world will be in
the middle of World War III, but the whole world
will be brought to a sudden and abrupt stop.
This earthquake will break
up the surface of the Earth so that travel (and
war) will be difficult, if not impossible. The
global earthquake that comes from God in
Revelation 8:5 will be a surgical strike. God has
a strategic purpose – a deliberate purpose
for this earthquake. Bridges, roads, high rise
buildings, freeways, runways, hydroelectric dams,
power grids and underground utilities will be
toppled or pulled apart.
God will divide Earth
into 144,000 small parcels and in each
parcel, one of God’s servants will be found.
You may be wondering, how can this earthquake be
global since Revelation 8:5 doesn’t say
anything about the earthquake being global? Good
question. Consider this:
The following occurs at the Second
Coming:
Revelation 16:17
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the
air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from
the throne saying, “It is done.”
Revelation 16:18
Then there came flashes of lightening, rumblings,
peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No
earthquake like it has ever occurred since man
has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake….
Revelation 16:20
Every island fled away and the mountains could
not be found.
Revelation 16:21
From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred
pounds each fell upon man. And they cursed God on
account of the plague of hail, because the plague
was so terrible.”
So, at the Second Coming
there will be:
1. flashes of
lightening
2. rumblings,
3. peals of
thunder
4. the worst
global earthquake ever (every mountain and island
moved)
5. hailstorm
The Second Coming is a global
event. Moving the islands and mountains out of
their places is a global event.
Now, look at the text
concerning the seventh trumpet:
Revelation 11:19
Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and
within his temple was seen the Ark of the
Covenant. And there came flashes of lightening,
rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a
great hailstorm.”
At the seventh trumpet
there will be:
1. flashes of
lightening,
2. rumblings,
3. peals of
thunder
4. an earthquake
5. hailstorm
The seventh trumpet is a global
event. The Ark of the Covenant, which contains
God’s law, the Ten Commandments, will be
shown to the whole world because this is
the higher law, which the wicked refused to
acknowledge.
The point here is that the
seventh trumpet and the Second Coming share exact
same physical phenomena with this exception, the
earthquake at the Second Coming is more intense.
Now, look at this familiar
text:
Revelation 8:5 Then
the angel took the censer, filled it with fire
from the alter, and hurled it on the earth; and
there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes
of lightening and an earthquake.”
For the third time in
Revelation we find:
1. flashes of
lightening,
2. rumblings,
3. peals of
thunder
4. an earthquake
5. hailstorm
But you say, no hailstorm
was mentioned in Revelation 8:5. True, but the
hailstorm of burning hail is mentioned in verse
7, the first trumpet.
Revelation 8:7 The
first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail
and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down
upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned
up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all
the green grass was burned up.”
Ok, three times the same
physical phenomena take place. Since the end of
corporate mercy concerns the whole world, what
would be the point of a great earthquake in some
remote parts of Siberia when the censer is thrown
down?
Did the earthquake and the
tsunami that killed 250,000 people in December
2004, affect daily life in the United States. No.
Will the end of corporate mercy affect everyone
on Earth? Yes.
Therefore, these signs and
wonders have to be global. The book of
Revelation is just as pertinent and relevant in
Moscow, Jerusalem and Sydney as it is in
Washington, D.C.
What we have learned so far?
1. We know the
censer hasn’t been cast down because
God’s wrath has not begun. In fact, no
historical event meets the specifications given
in Revelation 8. Zero. [For what it is worth, it
was widely believed by geologists that a global
earthquake was impossible until 1995. During that
year, and earthquake occurred near Bogota,
Columbia that was felt from top to bottom
throughout the western hemisphere. That
event singularly and suddenly changed the
thinking of geologists and geosciences.
Then, again, the huge
earthquake that created the tsunami in southern
Asia during December 2004 proved that a global
earthquake was possible. That earthquake, a
9.2 on the Richter scale, literally shook the
whole world and it even affected the rotation of
our planet! So, the facts perfectly align with
Bible prophecy. We know the censer hasn’t
been thrown down because there is no historical
event that meets the specifications given in
Revelation 8.
2. The world has
not seen the 144,000. We also know that the four
angels have not inflicted the harm they have
power to do. They aren’t allowed to hurt the
Earth until the 144,000 are sealed.
3. We know that
the harm will be when the first two
trumpets sound:
1.
Land: 1/3 of the trees will be burned
up / all green grass burned up
2.
Sea: Great asteroid will impact sea,
1/3 of the ships will sink, 1/3 of the sea
turns red like blood, 1/3 of the sea creatures
die
These things have not
happened in history past and neither will they
happen after a pre-tribulation rapture.
They are coming soon and they will affect you and
me.
I am very impressed with the
timing of Revelation’s story. After the
world experiences a nuclear exchange or two, the
saints will be praying “Save us Lord
Jesus!” And the Lord will hear and answer
our prayers! As Man prepares to release another
round of atomic punishment on each other, God
releases His wrath on mankind and all of this
occurs a mere 1,335 days before the Second Coming
and the seventh millennium begins! Wow. With God,
timing is everything! Now, here’s an
interesting thought:
Jesus said, Matthew 24:22
“If these days had not been cut short, no
one would survive, but for the sake of the elect
those days will be shortened.”
This verse raises a
difficult question. “Why would God give us
the length of several time-periods within the
Great Tribulation, only to change them? Why would
God say one thing in the Bible, and then make the
Bible inaccurate?”
For example, the Bible
teaches the Great Tribulation will be 1,335 days
in length. The work of the Two Witnesses will be
1,260 days in length. The persecution of the
saints will last 42 months and the fifth trumpet
will be five months in length, etc.
If Jesus is waiting for a
day that is 1,335 days from the beginning of the
seventh millennium, it is possible that Jesus
could start the Great Tribulation a little early
because World War III breaks out? In other words,
instead of waiting for the precise day
that is 1,335 days from the beginning of the
seventh millennium, it is possible that the Lord
could cast down the censer and begin the 1,335
days of the Great Tribulation a little earlier
than planned. If so, this would put the Second
Coming a little earlier than the commencement of
the seventh millennium.
Of course, I can’t say
how “those days” will be shortened. I
can say that God will somehow reduce the number
of days for the sake of His children. It will be
just fine with me if Jesus gets here sooner than
later.
Let’s go through the
first four trumpets a second time because I want
to point out three interesting things:
First, the seven trumpets
should be considered ”designer
judgments.” This means they have been
deliberately and thoughtfully designed to say
certain things to the survivors. Second, you have
noticed the repetitive use of “1/3.”
Twelve times this quantity is mentioned. We will
discuss this. Third, please notice the language
– notice that literal events produce literal
results.
Revelation 8:7 The
first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail
and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled
down upon the earth. A third of the earth was (1)
burned up, a third of the trees (2) burned
up, and all the green grass was (3) burned
up.
Hail and fire mixed with
blood? The idea of blood mixed with hail and
fire is one of mercy. Yes, God justifiably burns
up a third of Earth, but God mercifully spares
2/3’s of the Earth. Let’s look at
Revelation 14 that promises there will be no
mixture of mercy for those who worship the
beast and receive his mark:
Revelation 14:9
And the third angel followed them, saying in a
loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his
image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or
in his hand,
Revelation 14:10 The
same will drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture (of
mercy) into the cup of his indignation; and he
shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence
of the Lamb.”
The parallel here is simple.
The first trumpet is a positive judgment of fire,
but the blood of Jesus is mixed in with
this sentence of wrath for the sake of saving
individuals. However, we find that those who
choose to worship the beast and receive his mark
will be destroyed with fire and brimstone and no
mercy will be shown them.
In addition to this, we know
the wicked will not be shown any mercy at the
Second Coming:
Revelation 6:12 I
watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a
great earthquake. The sun turned black like
sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon
turned blood red,
Revelation 6:13 and
the stars in the sky fell to earth, as
late figs fall from a fig tree when shaken by a
strong wind.
Revelation 6:16 They
[the wicked] called to the [falling] mountains
and the rock [meteorites], “Fall on us and
hide us from the face of him who sits on the
throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
The “falling
stars” at the Second Coming are rocks, as in
meteorites. Jesus will punish some of the wicked
with fire and brimstone. In fact, a lake of fire
will be ignited at the Second Coming that will
burn until the end of the 1,000 years. At the end
of the 1,000 years, the devil and his angels will
be thrown into this lake of burning sulfur.
The point here is that when
the first trumpet sounds, fiery hailstones will
speed through Earth’s atmosphere at 35,000 +
mph and these flying rocks will kill men and
beast alike. As I said earlier, thousands of notably
wicked places all over the world will be set
on fire, and millions of people will be burned
up. The survivors will think the gates of hell
have been opened up and that the end of life has
come.
These horrible fires will sterilize
notably wicked places, then, an asteroid will
hit an ocean and huge waves of water, several
hundred feet high, will wash inland for miles.
It’s a though the sins of notably wicked
places will be washed away.
Remember, fire and water
will be used to cleanse Earth.
Revelation 8:8 The
second angel sounded his trumpet, and something
like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was [deliberately]
thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned
into blood,
Revelation 8:9 a
third of the living creatures in the sea died, and
a third of the ships were destroyed.
[This trumpet describes an
asteroid impact on an ocean. A blazing hot
asteroid impact will make the water anoxic
[oxygen defiant] and red algae, which thrive in
anoxic water, will give the ocean the appearance
of blood. The stench of death will surface and be
found everywhere. Millions of sea creatures will
die and wash ashore. A third of the ships will
sink. The resulting tsunami will wash away
thousands of grossly wicked seaports and millions
of godless people living by the sea will perish.
Because the sea will remain angry and violent
after the impact, global commerce will be nearly
impossible. Ships will not be able to navigate
the churning water. The financial infrastructures
of Earth will implode. “…On the earth,
nations will be in anguish and perplexity at
the roaring and tossing of the sea. Luke
21:25]
Revelation 8:10 The
third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great
star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on
a third of the rivers and on the springs of water
–
Revelation 8:11 the
name of the star is Wormwood [the word means
poisonous]. A third of the waters turned bitter,
and many people died from the waters that had
become bitter.
This blazing asteroid will
impact an evil continent. This impact will
release more energy than all of the nuclear
warheads from all nations combined. Geological
strata will be broken up and some large
underground aquifers will become contaminated.
This judgment will cause
millions of people to drink poisonous water and
die. Let’s review a similar situation that
God faced during the time of ancient Israel:
Jeremiah 9:13 The
Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken
my law, which I set before them; they have not
obeyed me or followed my law.
Jeremiah 9:14 Instead,
they have followed the stubbornness of their
hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their
fathers taught them.”
Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore,
this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of
Israel, says: “See, I will make this
people eat bitter food and drink poisoned
[wormwood] water.”
After the second asteroid
impact (third trumpet), many of the survivors
will figure out that God is angry. They will be
motivated to quickly appease God because notably
wicked places were either decimated by fiery
hailstones, a great tsunami or by contaminated
water. In other words, God’s destruction
will speak volumes, but the destination of His
wrath will leave no wiggle room: God must be
appeased or everyone will perish!
After the third trumpet
occurs, religious conservatives will
demand legislation to prevent people from sinning
against God and who can intelligently argue
with their demands? Look at the evidence!
This will convince everyone that all will soon
die unless God is promptly appeased.
Listen carefully: The human
response to God’s judgments is clearly
described in Revelation’s story. In fact,
the Bible predicts a crisis government will
form. The crisis government will include all
of the religious and political systems of the
world because the planet has one common enemy;
His name is Almighty God (Jesus).
Man will rush into a
solution to appease God. They will form a crisis
government to lead the world in appeasing
God’s wrath. This crisis government is
“the beast” that comes up out of the
sea in Revelation 13:1. Because it will be
internally conflicted (in opposition with itself)
it is called Babylon in the book of Revelation.
Babylon will be the great authority and it makes
laws and rule over all nations.
Revelation 13:7 “He
was given power to make war against the saints
and to conquer them. And he was given authority
over every tribe, people, language and
nation.”
The point here is that God
designed the first four trumpet-judgments so they
would produce Babylon – a specific human
response. This response is clearly explained in
Revelation 13. In other words, the overwhelming
destruction caused by the seven trumpets will
suddenly force the topics of repentance and
worship to eclipse everything else that concerns
human beings.
Profound: This
is why the seven trumpets of Revelation are so
important. They are the catalyst that makes
everything described in the book suddenly
‘snap” into place so that the Bible
will make sense as it reads!
Revelation 8:12 The
fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of
the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third
of the stars, so that a third of them turned
dark. A third of the day was without light, and
also a third of the night.”
The Bible doesn’t say
what causes this darkness. However, I can think
of the cataclysmic event that is so powerful that
it could fulfill the specifications of the fourth
trumpet, namely, the simultaneously eruption of a
hundred volcanoes (or for that matter, six super
volcanoes).
Think about this: If
gigantic clouds of dust, ejecta and debris were
blown 20 to 40 miles high, it would not take the
jet stream very long to transport billions and
billions of tons of particles around the
middle third of Earth. Tiny airborne
particles could completely block the light from
the sun, moon and stars in the middle of the
Earth.
Regardless of how the
darkness is produced, it will have a very
sobering effect in two ways. First, at this point
in time, there will be very little, if any
electricity. The global earthquake, the meteoric
firestorm and two asteroid impacts will have
ruined the electrical grid in every nation. So,
you don’t have to worry one second about the
mark of the beast being a computer microchip.
There won’t be enough electricity to run a
cell phone by the time the fourth trumpet sounds.
The silence and darkness
imposed on mankind will be deafening and
blinding. A frightened world will sit in darkness
pondering God’s wrath and they will live in
fear of his next move.
The world will be deprived
of everything we take for granted. There will be
no oil, gasoline, telephones, TV, radio, lights,
air conditioning and hot water; the world will
huddle in whatever shelter can be found. –
waiting for God to strike with another deadly
attack. Modern man will live in fear of Almighty
Jesus. The authority of Jesus will be realized
when the fourth seal is broken and for the most
of the people on Earth, this will come as a
sobering revelation.
(Remember, 99.999% of the
world does not understand the book of Revelation,
so they don’t have a clue about the
revelation of Jesus nor do they know the sequence
or purpose behind the events.)
So, billions will sit in
darkness, hungry and afraid and anxiously
awaiting the next blow. Of course, Jesus sees
man’s desperate situation. Now that He has
softened up the arrogance and ignorance of
Earth’s survivor’s with some
destruction, He will send a message to test the
people of Earth. He will remove our spiritual
darkness by sending the light of truth throughout
the Earth. His servants, the 144,000 will speak
with authority, power and clarity. The gospel of
Jesus Christ will be presented to every survivor.
Isaiah 8:2 “the
people walking in darkness have seen a great
light; on those living in the land of the shadow
of death a light has dawned.”
The 144,000 will inform the
world that Jesus Christ has taken control of
Earth. They will tell the survivors that Jesus
will soon appear and everyone who wants to be a
part of His soon coming kingdom must make all
wrongs right by the fourth trumpet will last for
weeks, maybe months, and the result will be
worldwide famine.
Revelation 11:6 These
[two witnesses] have power to shut the sky so
that it will not rain during the time they are
prophesying; and they have power to turn the
waters into blood and to strike the earth with
every kind of plague as often as they want.”
Get ready for a world-wide
famine.
End Text:
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