The Seven Trumpets
Parts 7-9
(The Fifth Trumpet)

page l 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l
- 4 -

 

Four establishing points of reference are found in this prophecy:

 

1.   The Woman represents the people of God (this contrasts with the other woman in Revelation, the great whore who represents the wicked)

 

2.   The great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns represents the devil

 

3.   The male child is Jesus who will rule all nations with a rod of iron, and He was snatched up to God’s throne.

 

4.   Dragon chased the women to the desert for 1,260 days – a parallel reference to the time, times and half a time mentioned in Daniel 7:25.

 

                                  Time Line

 

            1                2                             3                             4

---------x------------x----------------------x-------1,260--------x----

 

1.   Jesus born 4 B.C. / Herod

2.   Jesus ascended A.D. 30

3.   Dragon chases woman 538

4.   Papal power broke 1798

 

Now that the time line in verses 1-6 has been established [Remember, according to Rule One, time lines are crucial in apocalyptic prophecies because every event is either date stamped or chronologically located] we will continue with the next prophecy in Revelation because it builds upon the time line laid out in the prophecy found in verses 1-6.

 

Revelation 12:7   And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angles fought back.

 

Revelation 12:8   But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.

 

Revelation 12:9   The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

 

Revelation 12:10   Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night.

 

Revelation 12:11   They [our brothers] overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

 

Revelation 12:13   When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had been given birth to the male child.

 

Revelation 12:14   The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach…”

 

Key question: When did this war in Heaven between the dragon and Michael occur? Many Christians think the war refers to the original conflict between Lucifer and Michael, but this is not the case! Watch closely how this unfolds:

 

Revelation 12:7   And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.

 

Revelation 12:8   but he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven…

 

Revelation 12:13   When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birthto the male child.”

 

Look again at verse 13.   This expulsion from Heaven has to occur after the male child is born. But wait, there is more! Look at these verses:

 

Revelation 12:9   The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 

 

Revelation 12:10   Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”

 

If this war occurred before the creation of the world as some Christians claim, how could Satan be called the accuser of our brothers when there weren’t any humans to accuse???  But wait, there’s more! Look at the words of Jesus:

 

John 12:26   Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also must be. My father will honor the one who serves me.

 

John 12:27   “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

 

John 12:28   Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

 

John 12:29   The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

 

John 12:30   Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine.

 

John 12:31   Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out [of Heaven].

 

Jesus hurried to Heaven on Resurrection Morning. This is why He told Mary not to hold on to Him. (John 20:17) He returned that morning to the Father to expel Lucifer and take his seat as Earth’s representative in Heaven’s Congress.

 

As the prince of this world, Lucifer had represented Earth for 4,000 years, but Jesus, on the basis of His sinless life and shed blood, declared that he had earned the right to represent the world. The Father agreed with Jesus.

 

Lucifer and Michael/Jesus fought over this position and Lucifer was humiliated, defeated and forever cast out of Heaven. No longer could he serve as Earth’s representative. (See Job 1.) What does this have to do with the fifth trumpet? Quite a bit actually. John saw the cosmic battle between Jesus and the dragon in vision. He saw:

 

KJV: Revelation 12:9   And the dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil or Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”  

The devil and his angels were cast into the Earth. In other words, like a stone thrown into a lake, the devil and his angels sank out of sight after they were cast into the Earth.

 

These demons have been confined in the Abyss since resurrection Sunday and at the fifth trumpet, the Abyss will be unlocked and the devil and a large number of his angels will pop out and be seen!

 

 

page l 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l
- 4 -

 

[TOP]