The National Sunday Law - Revisited

What will cause seven billion people
to worship the beast?
Revelation 13:8
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A Horrible Mistake

 

SDAs have ruined the intended meaning of Revelation’s story by forcing the seven trumpets into the past. By using the correct timing for the seven trumpets, a Bible student can understand how, when, and why false worship becomes an issue that engulfs the whole world. This is crucial to understanding Revelation’s story because the seven trumpets will change life, as we know it and a trigger a worldwide controversy over worship!

 

SDAs and other evangelical groups both embrace a prophetic schematic that denies the importance of the seven trumpets. The SDA Church teaches the seven trumpets happened centuries ago, whereas other evangelical groups teach the seven trumpets will occur after a pre-tribulation rapture. Tragically, the end result in both cases is the same. Both groups conclude the seven trumpets of Revelation are personally insignificant. “This is a horrible mistake!” The first four trumpets are about to sound and almost everyone is asleep to their importance. The rejection of the Messiah at the first advent and the bitter Millerite disappointment of 1844 prove that a failed prophetic schematic can be spiritually fatal. Several hundred million Christians are about to wake up and discover church leaders have misled them, and the irony is, there is no need for this.

 

The SDA Position on the Seven Trumpets

 

Before we investigate what the Bible has to say about the seven trumpets, please consider the historical interpretation that SDAs hold and vigorously defend:¹

 

Trumpet 1: A.D. 395 – Alaric leads the Goths against Rome

 

Trumpet 2: A.D. 428-465 – Genseric leads the Vandals against Rome

 

Trumpet 3: A.D. 460 – Attila leads the Huns against Rome

 

Trumpet 4: A.D. 476 – Odoacer forces the collapse of Rome

 

Trumpet 5: A.D. 1299 – Ottoman Empire founded by Othman

 

Trumpet 6: August 11, 1840 – Ottoman Empire falls

 

Trumpet 7: 1844 until the close of salvation

 

What Does the Bible Actually Say about the Seven Trumpets?

 

Trumpet 1: Burning hail falls. A third of the trees and all the green grass burned up (Revelation 8:7)

 

Trumpet 2: Something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, impacts an ocean – water turns to blood, kills sea creatures, sinks ships (Revelation 8:8,9)

 

Trumpet 3: A blazing star impacts a continent – rivers and springs contaminated; people drink poisoned water and die (Revelation 8:10,11)

 

Trumpet 4: Darkness – the light from the Sun, Moon, and stars is obscured (Revelation 8:12)

 

Trumpet 5: The angel king and his demons are released from the Abyss – the wicked are tormented for five months (Revelation 9:1-11)

 

Trumpet 6: A great war starts and Lucifer takes control of the Earth – one third of mankind killed. (Revelation 9:13-21)

 

Trumpet 7: Close of Salvation – Ark of the Covenant shown from Heaven (Revelation 11:15-19)

Why do SDAs apply the first four trumpets to the fall of Rome? The answer is clear when one studies the early history of the church. The Millerites put the seven seals, seven trumpets, Two Witnesses and even the seven last plagues¹ into past centuries for a simple reason. The Millerites believed the world would end in 1844; therefore, they reasoned, everything in Bible prophecy must be fulfilled prior to 1844. To make the book of Revelation meet their prophetic needs, they researched history, and invented “Historical fulfillments.” Think about this. The Millerites were forced by their end-of-the-world conclusion to put the bulk of Revelation’s story in the past.

 

During the period between 1844 and 1863, members of what would become the SDA Church reexamined Miller’s views and they made a few prophetic changes. Perhaps the most notable change, in terms of timing, concerned the worship of the beast in Revelation 13:8 and the seven last plagues. Since nothing occurred in 1844, these events were moved to the future.

 

The First Four Trumpets Are Literal Events

 

Contrary to what most SDA scholars say, the first four trumpets are not symbolic. The first four trumpets are four literal, physical judgments that will soon befall Earth. The first four trumpets are expressions of God’s wrath. The first four trumpets will awaken the whole world to the reality and holiness of Almighty God, and man’s accountability to Him. The first four trumpets must be treated as literal descriptions of literal events for three reasons:

 

1. If the first four trumpets were symbolic, God would have clearly defined the symbols with relevant texts. (Notice the clarity of symbols defined with relevant texts. See Daniel 2:38; 4:20-22; 7:17; Revelation 1:20; 17:15,18.) Consider this: The Bible says that people will die from drinking poisoned waters from rivers and springs during the third trumpet. Now, let us ask a few clarifying questions? What are people if they are not literal people?   What are rivers and springs if not literal rivers and springs? What is poisoned water if not poisoned water? If the language of the third trumpet is symbolic as SDAs claim, where is the relevant text that defines these symbols? What about the forth trumpet? If the Sun, Moon, and stars are not literal, what else could they be? What else could turn dark so that a third of the day and night is without light? There is no better way to destroy the intended meaning of “the more sure word” of Bible prophecy than to declare prophetic elements symbolic that God has not made symbolic.

2. The first four trumpets describe literal events because the outcome in each case is consistent with the laws of physics. For example, fiery hail (a meteoric firestorm) will fall from the sky during the first trumpet and the result will be wildfires all over the world! The Bible says a third of the trees and all the green grass will be burned up! This “cause and effect” is consistent with the laws of physics. Remember, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with a fiery hailstorm (Genesis 19:24) because “… the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.” (Genesis 13:13) Consider this: During the second trumpet, the Bible says something like a great mountain – all ablaze – will impact an ocean and the sea will turn to blood. Science affirms this result is physically consistent with an asteroid impact. A white-hot asteroid impact would boil available oxygen out of the sea. Red tide algae (which is very toxic) quickly blooms and thrives in oxygen-deficient environment. The phenomenon of red tide is found around the world. In fact, red tide has covered areas up to 10,000 square miles! During July 2009, red tide caused a near-complete closure of the shellfish harvesting in the state of Maine. Red tide killed more than 23 million dollars worth of shellfish during 2005 in Maine and Massachusetts alone! The Bible says that sea creatures will die from the asteroid impact (due to superheated water and the growth of red tide algae) and a third of the ships will sink (as a result of the tidal wave that follows)! What is this great mountain – all ablaze if not a burning asteroid, sea creatures, and ships? No one can declare a prophecy symbolic and then make up a meaning for the symbol. The Bible must be permitted to speak for itself. If God does not define an item to be a symbol with a relevant text, then the item cannot be symbolic.

 

 

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