The Seven Trumpets Resound
The song “American Pie” by Don McLean seems to describe a day in America when the gas pumps dry up and there will be nuclear fallout as well as spiritual barrenness, as the spirit of God is withdrawn from our country… “The day the music died.”
I was thinking about these things one icy Texas morning in December when the clang of the unwinding thermostat coil in my RV seemed like the tolling of an ancient churchyard bell, marking time through centuries of darkness, plagues, and war.
It had been a soul-searching year that concluded with purchasing my travel trailer tiny home just in time for winter. It started the spring before when I had left California with my car stuffed to the brim on my way to reacquaintance with my birth state.
Staying with family temporarily in a rural setting allowed me to experiment with some off-grid ideas in my free time as I watched the world grow increasingly troubled with problems and unrest. I had found most people’s seeming lack of concern for disaster preparation quite concerning.
With all the environmental and political troubles, increasing social tensions, and escalating international conflicts, it seemed to me we are at risk to become like the proverbial seagulls that died after the dumpster they had become dependent on was moved. Just as they never learned to find food for themselves, the day could come when modern conveniences and grocery stores may not be available.
I felt it would be senseless for millions of people to die in a serious national crisis of some kind if they could have lived with just a few basic survival skills. Though people have been living for centuries without buying groceries, most of us in modern times probably wouldn’t be ready to do that if a crisis were to come. So, I made it my hobby to try to find practical, easy ways to live with fewer conveniences.
Some of my experiments failed gloriously, like trying to do a laundry spin cycle using a bucket hanging from a tree on a twisted rope. All it managed to do was to spew my laundry all over the yard. Others turned out better. The washed acorn flour + oatmeal cooked in a tin can rocket stove with a drizzle of maple syrup and a pinch of salt was phenomenal.
In the midst of the months sometime between studying survival skills and practical building methods, my father died. He was someone I hadn’t known that well growing up, but somewhere along the way I had decided to forgive him for his absence throughout most of my life and focus on the present rather than the past. We had talked on the phone a few times yearly and I’d stopped by to see him a couple of times on treks across the US.
The last year before his passing, we’d gone caroling with a small group to a beautifully lighted town square gazebo on Christmas Eve. My sister played the accordion and other friends played guitar. He told the story of how he first bought an accordion while passing through Italy decades prior, which she had then played for years.
Just a few months later, he suddenly began to decline, then died of multiple myeloma after just three days in the hospital. And all my years of working as a nurse in hospitals, even on cancer units, did little to prepare me for that experience. It’s so different being on the other side when it’s your family member in that bed.
Driving back to the memorial service near his family farm in the Texas panhandle with the black box of his ashes by my feet gave me time to reflect about life, death and family. The mile after mile of flat grasslands dotted with occasional flashing tower lights under wind-swept clouds reminded me of where we’d lived in eastern New Mexico on land so flat that you could see reflections of the lights from a city nearly 20 miles away on a clear night.
Following his dream to move there and farm, that had become the place of my earliest childhood memories. My first years were full of country moments outside with my brother and sisters, gardening with my mom, climbing up cherry and apple trees to eat the fruit. We used to play in crystal-clear puddles made by irrigation pipes at the start of mile-long rows of peanuts or cotton. At different times, we had cats, dogs, chickens, geese, goats and even babysat the neighbor’s cow. I remember spring flowers all around the house and mom hanging clothes on the line to dry on sunny days. Sometimes thunderheads would roll in from the horizon and turn into storms so fierce that my brother and I could get a lightning strike every time we said “a la peanut butter sandwiches.”
Peanut butter was, incidentally, something we had no shortage of, since we lived on a peanut farm. And through those early years my memories of farm life were mostly positive, but my young age protected me from some of the harsh realities that we faced under circumstances of difficulty on the farm.
When I arrived at my grandparent’s homestead, on land that had been in the family for a century or more, I noticed how small the old house looked that had seemed so big to me as a child. The years had faded memories of sleeping on the floor and sharing an outhouse with cousins, but the aging structures were still there, along with updated buildings and indoor plumbing. It felt strange to come back to a place I had so seldom returned to over the years and wondered how it could be that family members sometimes hardly know each other.
Thistles and weeds scattered along the roadside, nodding in the cold wind, seemed to tell Earth’s story to my heavy heart. As Jesus told the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:27 “Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them…
…An enemy hath done this.”
It was never supposed to be like this. People weren’t supposed to be so distant and know each other so little. God created families to be social units of life, love, caring and courtesy, but the enemy of souls has planted weeds of mistrust, unkindness and indifference in the hearts of family members and friends toward each other. My own story pales in comparison to stories that I’ve witnessed and listened to my patients and clients tell. Shocking tales of abuse, dishonesty and betrayal are common enough to make this world seem like a haunted house of horrors.
During my dad’s memorial service I was meditative, but wept when Taps was played. Sometimes it helps to cry a little even if you don’t understand everything you’re feeling. My father had been an army medic, farmer, and builder, and had done a lot of prison ministry in his senior years. In my time getting to know him as an adult, I felt he had mellowed over the years. I was glad I had a chance to spend time getting to know him again. And now when I see a glimpse of his likeness in the mirror, I can remember the things about him that I liked.
But the inescapable conclusion I find myself coming to over and over throughout my life, and especially at a time of a death in the family, is that planet Earth is just not our paradise. At least it’s not anymore, though it was “once upon a time” long ago and far away, before sin entered the world. Besides the fact that we all have to die, the increasingly prevalent conditions of natural disasters, wars, disease, violence, crime, poverty, hunger, abuse and family dysfunction all demonstrate that our Earth is indeed no paradise.
And nearly all of these problems have a firm hold on America soil just as they do throughout the world. Even if these things don’t always touch our daily lives, every time you hear a siren in the distance, you know that there are tragedies happening every day.
This is why Hebrews 11:16 encourages us to look for “a better country” than any place this world has to offer, regardless of how much we may love our homeland. And, knowing that there is a better life in the future should give us the courage to take an objective look at the reality of problems in our world, and in our country, to better understand the meaning behind things and see what they might be leading up to.
But in order to understand the present or the future, of course, we must first understand the past. And that’s where the Bible is most useful. Revelation 12 offers one of the most important nutshell glimpses of the history of the cosmic struggle between good and evil, which can help us understand the reason for the tragedies and troubles we see in our everyday lives.
Verses 7 through 9, KJV, say, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Verse 12 says, “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
From these verses, we see the picture emerging of a silent enemy hiding in the shadows of this world, seeking to spread desolation and destruction wherever he can, an evil force lurking beneath the waters of humanity. And though many people don’t wish to believe there is such an evil force in existence, if you give the idea a fair chance, you may find it can help make sense of things that are happening. It is a well-grounded understanding, solidly based in scripture. Besides, if you were the devil, wouldn’t you try to make people believe you don’t exist?
Genesis 3 describes the temptation and fall of man in the Garden of Eden as the backdrop for how this world got into trouble in the first place. Yet all the same factors are at the root of problems in America today. And some of the issues in our country have deeper spiritual meaning as well, representing the culmination of the great battle between good and evil, which has been raging throughout millennia since it first began.
During my year in the country, I often saw the charred remains of a burned house, which seemed like a metaphor of the ultimate fate this world is heading for. The blackened rafters and studs spoke of the unfortunate tragedy that took away what was once a nice home. Similarly, drought, fires and storms are decimating large areas in our world as major world powers are on the verge of war. Jeremiah 4, KJV, gives a prophetic view of how the Earth will ultimately look after a final apocalypse;
23 “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down...”
In the same chapter, a link between “destruction upon destruction” with the “sound of the trumpet,” helps identify the 7 trumpets prophecy as an important clue to understanding how the world will have arrived at such a condition of desolation. Through the seven trumpets prophecy, the Bible predicts epic disasters of a worldwide scale.
Jeremiah 4:26, KJV says that the final state of desolation on Earth is due to “the fierce anger” of the Lord, and the 6th seal prophecy (Rev 6:12-17) indicates that at the very end of time, with the second coming of Jesus, there will be destruction on the Earth in judgment. However, we can understand this and all biblical subjects more clearly by looking at all verses related to the same subject. And, as we will review in the next chapter, the 7 trumpets prophecy makes it clear that most of the disasters and devastation that happen prior to the end will be brought about by the activities of man.
Confirming this two-phase view of God’s judgment on an Earth decimated by the activities of man is the concluding verse at the end of the 7 trumpets, in Revelation 11:18, which says that judgment will come upon “them which destroy the earth.” This verse, along with the calamities that befell Job, pulls back the spiritual curtain, revealing Satan’s responsibility in inspiring and causing many of the disasters in our world.
We can best understand why the Earth is becoming more desolate in the context of the sin which has dominated this world since the first fall of man into temptation. It’s much like the course of any terminal disease, such as cancer or infection, in which the full effects of the illness are not seen until nearly the end. At the early diagnosis stage, you hardly see any problems and things continue to appear mostly normal. You could even deny it and say “there’s no problem here” like many people say of Earth when pointing to areas that continue to function normally. But then disease starts showing up in more and more places.
All we are seeing on planet Earth indicates that a cure for evil hasn’t been applied, so the disease continues to rage unfettered. Furthermore, it’s coming to fruition before our very eyes in our lifetimes. This little world, a mere speck in the universe, is the only place in God’s kingdom where evil has been allowed to develop. A wise heavenly Father foresaw that if he destroyed Satan and his angels early in their rebellion, everyone else would always wonder why. Thus, people would forever serve him out of fear instead of love, which would lead to unhappiness and rebellion rising again.
As painful as it is, the natural results of evil had to be seen by everyone in order to allow men and angels to understand it is truly not desirable, and see why it can’t be permitted in the future eternal life to come. This is why God allowed Satan and his angels to set up their headquarters on Earth and go about a mission of deception and degradation here. God has provided continual resources of help and salvation, but many haven’t wanted his interference and prefer the deception. Fallen men and angels have wanted a chance to try sin, so God wisely allowed it. The disease, pain and death that naturally follows are not his fault.
But he has not abandoned this rebellious world to its fate in this experiment, instead he gave up the highest position in the universe to become one with humanity forever through taking on a human body, being born of a woman. God came to share the lot of those who suffer through life in this dying world. And through him, God is providing hope of eternal life in a re-created world to all who will receive his saving help.
The day is coming when the whole universe will see the final results of the greed and corruption that have put this world on a course of self-destruction. As Jesus said in Mark 3:25, a house divided against itself cannot stand. The fate of Satan’s kingdom will be seen, which works in cooperation with human beings who cherish his principles.
And we hope that the words Christ spoke, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate,” (Matthew 23:38, KJV) will never apply to us, but that danger looms on the horizon if we don’t heed the warnings that God has sent us in mercy.
The 7 trumpets prophecies seem addressed to the USA with specific warnings. And if you understand what they are saying, you will see how they read almost like an American history book, chronicling a record key moments throughout the years of the life of our nation.
Noteworthy American events have been documented not only by major news outlets but also in the scriptures. The difference is that they were recorded in the Bible hundreds of years before fulfilling. Knowing this should make us aware that we may glimpse of the future there as well.
But there is hope in the Biblical example of Ninevah, which shows us how God’s prophecies and promises are dependent upon our response. Even though God sent a prophesy to the city warning of eminent destruction, the disaster was averted because of people’s response to the warning.
The same can be true in our times. The blessings and prosperity that America has enjoyed are from God. How do we expect to always enjoy freedom and safety if we continue to fight against our Creator and turn away the principles of his kingdom? Yet the response must be individual, sincere, and spontaneous. Legislating religion is not the answer and is more likely to annoy unbelievers and persecute true believers than to accomplish anything good.
Nevertheless, the seven trumpets and other prophecies of Revelation offer serious warnings of what we are at risk for, not only of our country, but the whole world. These prophecies also show why it’s a mistake to teach that Jesus is coming back to Earth to set his kingdom up for 1,000 years, because after their full fulfillment there won’t be much left to come back to. Jeremiah 4 prophecies about the condition the earth will be in after the final sounding of the 7 trumpets of Revelation;
… I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment… 23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled…
The entire Earth will be “without form and void” again, after the time of trouble. The cities will be broken down, the whole world will be a literal ghost town. The Earth that is “without form and void” is symbolically the “bottomless pit” which Satan will be chained to for 1,000 years, as described in Revelation 20:1-6 while God’s people are with him in Heaven.
We know through letting the Bible interpret itself. All throughout the scriptures, the grave, or sheol, is called “the pit.” For example, Proverbs 27:20 says, “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” The word used for “hell” here is “sheol,” which means the “pit” or “grave” in the earth. The grave is in the earth/dirt.
And, planet Earth itself is also the only grave in the universe, since death does not exist on any other habited planets that God created. This Earth has swallowed up untold millions of carcasses since sin first entered the world, and will even more so before the end of time when it becomes reduced to a state of chaos. It will be kind of like a bottomless pit, or black hole. This is the place Satan and his angels will be confined to for a thousand years.
We seem to get a glimpse of the earth’s desolation through Madonna’s “Ghost town” video. Through it, you could imagine how it might be for Lucifer to be rambling through the broken Earth with other fallen angels during that thousand years after the apocalypse.
The video starts with the words “this is an international emergency message… please stand by for instructions,” while emergency words flash in every language, and then it goes on to show the nuclear holocaust that will be part of the final apocalypse. Some of the lyrics in the song could apply to Lucifer who is staying on planet Earth after the apocalypse, as he is “facing the darkest days,” while “everyone ran away,” but “we’re going to stay here,” “when it all falls down” and “this world is turned to dust.”
But for those with faith in Christ will be with him in Heaven, then return with him to recreate the earth anew (Revelation 21). Now is the time to seek refuge in him, before the storm of end-time events hits in full force.
“The Final Countdown,” by the group Europe, starts out with a spectacular trumpet interlude to a blastoff countdown. The lyrics of the song talk about leaving this planet and going on a journey through space. This illustrates what will happen to God’s people at the visible rapture when Jesus comes in the clouds following the fulfillment of the trumpet prophecies that count down to his return.
The song starts out, “we’re leaving together, but still its farewell,” describing those who are saved which will leave together with Jesus, saying goodbye to the Earth and to those who have chosen not to go to heaven.
I believe this is another example of where God can use multiple avenues to represent himself, even things which differ from his usual likeness. What I’m referring to is the head banging rock concert style, of course, since it puts you on a high similar to drugs and encourages the drug lifestyle and high-risk behaviors. But throughout scripture there are examples of how God has used inherently bad situations to represent himself, which appear different that at surface value when considered through that light.
As far as music, good music can have rhythm and be rousing, but in a positive way that uplifts and not in a way that is inflammatory and ultimately leads to depression and loneliness. Good music does not treat singers or those on stage as gods or idols in the way that worldly music puts man in the place of God.
Songs can be done in an uplifting way or a way that has a negative influence on us, and this is a song that I see as having some good potential. I can picture heaven’s choirs and earth’s redeemed people doing a version of it in heaven, starting with the trumpet interlude and having groups answering back and forth at the top of their lungs as it all reverberates through heavens perfect acoustics, in remembrance of our journey from Earth to Heaven.
So, anybody want to sign up for trumpet lessons in Heaven? I do. They’ll probably be needing guitar, piano along with other instruments. Heaven is going to be the kind of place where if you want to do something you’ll be able to do it. It’s not like here where so many people spend their lives just wishing they could, or watching other people do things. And music is going to be huge. I can picture concerts every weekend night where everyone performs and sings rather than just a few people on stage.
The trumpet interlude of the Final Countdown song also correlates to how the Seven Trumpets prophecy of Revelation are a countdown that lets us know we are getting close to that day when Jesus will come. And it’s something that can help us make sense of the things we see going on in the world in the meantime.
Though there’s not enough room here to go into detail in explaining their fulfillment, in this chapter we will take a look at a brief summary to see how the modern fulfillment of this prophecy is also set in…
…America.
Throughout history, God has chosen to bless certain lands or countries in order to make them lighthouses through which to bless the world. The United States of America, identified several times in scripture and prophecy, is one of those countries which has especially enjoyed the blessings of God. An awareness of this special divine blessing on the USA is something few would question, of those who have grown up here.
But for a land that has been so blessed, America has had many troubles, as it seems we are increasingly aware of these days. With great blessing comes great responsibility. And there is always the temptation to hoard blessings and to cherish spiritual pride. Thus, some individuals, institutions and even countries throughout the history of this world that have received God’s greatest blessings have not used them rightly and ended up growing estranged from God who sent them. Certainly, this is our danger too.
The historical fulfillment of the Seven Trumpets was ancient Rome. The United States has often been compared to ancient Rome, even in news media. These two world powers have many striking similarities, even down to things such as public health, public services, social issues, and architecture. As some have pointed out, factors which led to the decline and fall of ancient Rome are some of the same elements that the United States is struggling with.
While it may seem unsettling to think of it that way, the reality is that earthly kingdoms are ultimately coming to an end and Jesus’ eternal kingdom is soon to be established. That is the most comforting knowledge that can take us through the end-time events that are happening all around us.
Ancient Rome and the United States are similar world powers that sit like book ends of the Christian age. Ancient Rome presided in power over God’s people in the early Christian age and during Jesus’ life, while the United States is the presiding world power before Jesus’ second coming and during the appearance of the woman. Both powers have had worldwide impact.
The dual application of the 7 Trumpets relating formerly to the Roman Empire and finally to the United States seems to have some uncannily close parallels, to such an extent that there is almost a true repeating of similar historical events. They even occur in the US in almost the same western-eastern pattern as with Rome, which helps to confirm the interpretation.
Two extremely important principles in understanding prophecy interpretation are; 1)New light must not conflict with or set aside former truths and 2) all Bible verses related to the subject matter must be considered to bring the whole picture together. Any new understanding must logically fit into the whole picture that the Bible teaches about the subject matter. We must let the Bible interpret itself as we compare scripture with scripture.
The idea of repeat fulfillment of prophecies, with the subsequent fulfillments often thematically related to the former fulfillment, perfectly preserves the historical interpretation of the Bible prophecy without preventing a modern interpretation which may shed light on current events happening in our generation.
As we study into the Word of God, we find that dual application of some prophecies creates somewhat of a hologram effect, in that one may see a different picture depending on what generation they lived in. Contrary to making this a less than “perfect” interpretation, it shows an amazingly perfect picture of history at different times, foreseen by an all-knowing God who is able to make His Word relevant to people in every age. It shows that the Bible is not an outdated script that was only important to prior generations, but rather is “the living Word,” forever, just as current as today’s newspaper, and also validates the divinity of its Author, showing that it was not merely written by men but by God Himself.
The historic fulfillment of the 7 Trumpets prophecy is perhaps described best by James White and Uriah Smith. As described in James White’s book “The Sounding of the Seven Trumpets of Revelation 8 and 9,” and Uriah Smith’s book “Daniel and the Revelation,” the first four trumpets were fulfilled on Western Rome, the fifth and sixth trumpets (which includes the 2 woes) deal with Islamic attacks on Eastern Rome, while the seventh trumpet ended the empire. The dual fulfillment regarding the United States also seems to follow this same western and eastern pattern.
The worldwide nature of the 7 trumpets prophecy is shown repeatedly throughout it, with the repeated mention of “The Earth” as the battle ground on which these trumpets are fulfilling. The verses which make that clear include; Revelation 8:5, 7, 13, 9:1, 3, 4, 11:18. It is quite an obvious feature of this prophecy that it describes specific details of things that will happen on planet Earth as signs of the times.
The events that fulfill the second occurrence of the prophecy, just prior to Christ’s return, seem to happen on such a global scale and in such highly observable ways that it’s almost as if God is pleading with us through His Word to notice the signs of Christ’s soon coming. It also seems to fulfill the words of Christ that the signs of His coming would be such things such as “wars and rumors of wars,” natural disasters, etc.
An important key to understanding the 7 trumpets prophecy appears in the very last verse of the prophecy, chapter 11 verse 18, after the 7th trumpet blows. This is spoken in the song of the twenty-four elders which seems to summarize and comment on all that has happened during the time of the sounding of the trumpets, culminating in the very last phrase that says the time has come “that You... should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
The destruction of the natural environment on earth is a theme that seems to reoccur throughout the 7 trumpets prophecy. Each of the first 4 trumpets especially seems to refer to key events, which also serve as markers for some type of global environmental degradation. We will see how the destruction of the environment, as seen in deforestation/desertification, oceanic pollution, freshwater pollution, nuclear waste dumping, as well as air pollution, are all very significant in God’s eyes.
Not only is the degradation of environmental resources an obvious threat to life on Earth and a sign of the increase of evil in our world, but it is also something that God Himself is calling attention to through the 7 Trumpets prophecy – as if He’s calling out to us recognize that these things indicate our time on earth is growing short.
Another important factor to consider is that there are some time periods involved in the seven trumpets prophecy. Since some of those proved to last for several hundred years in the first fulfillment, it clearly cannot be repeated with the same lengthy time periods. But in order to understand this, we must look at what the angel says right in the midst of the 7 trumpets prophecy.
It says in Revelation 10:1-7:
"And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire; 2 and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth; 3 and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roars: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. 5 And the angel that I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his right hand to heaven, 6 and swore by him that lives for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall be delay no longer: 7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good tidings which he declared to his servants the prophets.” (ASV with revisions)
When this angel makes the proclamation that the mystery of God would be finished. This seems to be referring to prophetic time reckonings. The word that is translated “delay” in verse 6 is actually “time,” or “Chronos” in Greek, which Strong’s concordance defines as “time either long or short.” This is a key factor to understanding the repeat prophecy fulfillment, including the time periods.
The “mystery” that has to do with understanding “the prophets” has always been prophetic time, or the day for a year principle taught through Ezekiel 4:6. So, here we have a dramatic show of an angel who appears with a rainbow on his head and face like the sun, etc., who declares that this mystery is to be finished in the days of the sounding of the seventh trumpet.
In other words, after the first fulfillment of the 7 trumpets prophecy, which ended sometime around 1844, probably, we are not to use prophetic time any more in reckoning, instead we must use literal time. And since the second fulfillment of the 7 trumpets prophecy took place entirely after 1844, any time periods we may come across must be reckoned using literal time rather than prophetic time. So, if it says “5 months” that would be 5 literal months, rather than the 150 years you would get by multiplying 30 days times 5 (=150) and taking each of those days as one year.
Beyond the US, the seven trumpets prophecy encompasses the whole world. It addresses things that are happening on a global scale in highly observable ways. It’s almost as if God is pleading with us to notice the signs of Jesus’ soon coming. The trumpets also seem directly connected with Matthew 24, as if they are a more detailed view of the “wars and rumors of wars” and natural disasters which Jesus said would be signs of His soon coming.
The fulfillments seem to occur in a pattern that involves a description of a localized even which serves as a symbol for a global problem. But something we should be also aware of as we consider them is how the fulfillments seem to occur in echoes that crescendo leading up to a final catastrophic fulfillment on a much larger scale than anything we’ve seen before. Thus, all the earlier fulfillments of the trumpets may be meant to serve as warnings of an ultimate catastrophe if the messages continue to be ignored.
And it may turn out that the final repeat echoes of all seven trumpets will occur one after another in a final fireworks-style “grand finale” during the final time of trouble that immediately precedes Jesus’ coming. For example, consider how a nuclear war that triggers volcanic activity could easily fulfill the first four trumpets in rapid succession again.
The first four trumpets seem to document environmental degradation as epic signs of the fruition of sin on earth. The trumpets prophecies also show how God is documenting the destructive activities of mankind centuries before they occurred and making note of violence on Earth through the increasingly powerful weapons we are developing to destroy each other with.
Did you really think God wasn’t going to notice that?
…or say anything?
I know it’s true that many people have had a hard time being ready to accept that climate change is a real phenomenon. But it makes sense if you consider how this kind of thing is coinciding with the fruition of evil in the end of time. These realities are becoming too important to ignore. It’s time to take an honest look at what’s happening in the world and what these things could mean about where we are in Earth’s cosmic timetable…
But to set the stage before we start, please take a few moments to watch a video of Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto in A flat minor. And it’s totally worth it to listen all the way to the ending candescent.
The First Trumpet: WWI, Environmental Apocalypse
“And the first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of the earth was burned up, and the third part of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burned up.” Revelation 8:7 (ASV with revisions)
This prophecy seems to provide a nutshell summary of World War I, which was the first time that aircraft were used in war on a large scale. Pilots literally cast bombs down from open cockpits by hand. Bombs have a visual likeness to hail that falls out of the air, and when they explode the fire mingles blood, as they kill people. WWI was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with a huge toll of social trauma and lasting sorrow for participating countries (the “Lost Generation”). The heavy toll of US war-related deaths was the third largest in United States history, behind WWII and the Civil War.
Not long after that time, one of the longest and hardest droughts on record hit the United States. “a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.” But the environmental impacts of modern warfare techniques first used in WWI also seem to be alluded to by the combined description of bombs, followed by the grass and trees being burned up. Besides the beginning of the use of bombs, WWI was also called the “chemists war” because of the massive use of chemical weapons, which have significant environmental effects.
We also see an echo fulfillment of the prophecy in the American air campaign during the Vietnam war, which was one of the largest in history. It was said by Curtis LeMay, US Air Force Chief of Staff, “We’re going to bomb them back into the stone age.” And the use of Agent Orange for defoliation in order to increase visibility during the Vietnam War very literally burned up grass and trees on a large scale.
The spraying of this herbicide on more than 5 million acres of forest and agricultural lands caused almost immediate devastation of massive forest lands, much of which lingers to this day due to the erosion of exposed soil that followed the defoliation. It has been called “ecological warfare” or “ecocide.” Massive stretches of what used to be lush rain forest in beautiful countries all over the world have been transformed into open fields with a few twigs remaining. In many cases, it is not possible for these lands to recover or be useful to agriculture due to the erosion of exposed topsoil.
Not only as a side effect of war, but as a symptom of long-standing sin on earth, deforestation and desertification can be seen in many places all over the earth in our times. Haiti is an example of a country where rich green forests have been replaced by the scars of white, infertile soil that are left behind after topsoil erodes in the wake of deforestation.
On a world-wide scale, in our times, pristine forests from the Amazon to Canada are being consumed by climate change and greed for gain. Deforestation and desertification are by all means problems of apocalyptic proportions signaling the end of the age, as heralded by the first trumpet prophecy. But with continuing threats of global warfare and nuclear activity, it may be that what we’ve seen so far is merely a sample of what is yet to come.
The Second Trumpet: Pearl Harbor, Oceans in Crisis
“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; 9 and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, even they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.” Revelation 8:8, 9 ASV
Some versions say, “something like” a great mountain burning with fire, this says “as it were,” indicating it probably was not an actual mountain or volcano falling into the ocean, but something that looked like that was sunk into the sea by some force.
Pictures of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor blazing with fire after the Japanese attack seem to match the description. If you do an image search for “USS Arizona pearl harbor attack” you will see multiple images of what could fit the description of “something like a great mountain burning with fire.” Some versions say it was “thrown” into the sea. The blast was said to have lifted what was one of the Navy’s biggest battleships 15 feet out of the water, which adds more to the visual picture of something like a mountain literally being “thrown,” by the blast, into the sea.
Eyewitnesses said that the smoke and flames must have gone up more than 5-600 feet in the air. The ship burned for days. It’s interesting that the New King James Bible chooses the words “the seas struck” for the caption to these verses, since no choice of words could better portray what happened at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Japanese surprise attack of the US unguarded naval fleet in Pearl Harbor was the immediate cause of the United States’ entry into World War II. Though Hawaii was only a US territory at the time of the attack, it was to become a state later and the attack was directly on an American base.
In fulfillment of verse 9, “the third part of the ships were destroyed,” German U-boat “sea-wolf” pirate attacks were significant in WWII naval losses.
An obvious result of a ship full of fuel sinking is pollution. The sinking of this ship is representative of many pollution events that have resulted from sunken oil tankers and other types of ocean pollution.
We also see an echo of this trumpet in the Deep Horizon oil rig disaster. Doing an online image search about the event immediately turns up pictures of another event that looks like a great mountain burning with fire. After blazing for 36 hours, the Deep Horizon sank into the ocean, which was followed by massive oceanic pollution by the millions barrels of oil released from its broken pipes in the following months. It was considered to be the second largest environmental disaster in US history, behind the Dust Bowl, and as of the writing of this book, the environmental impacts are still devastating to the ocean bottom. Crude oil on the ocean’s surface turned red from oxidation of the oil’s iron content and looked literally bloody.
The second trumpet heralds oceanic pollution as a sign of the end times. The pollution of the oceans in our day reflects the times in which we live. Industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, pollution from ships and oil tankers, deep sea mining and trash dumping are just some of the sources, causing our oceans to be clogged with toxic chemicals and debris. Besides the destruction of habitats and creatures, oceanic pollution is promoting the growth of algae and bacteria, which can use up oxygen sources valuable to marine life.
The Red Tide is seen as this type of phenomenon in some cases, which turns the ocean to blood as well. These marine algal blooms are increased by pollution, such as agricultural runoff. Another prime example of the results of oceanic dumping is the Pacific Trash Vortex, the huge gyre of marine liter with high concentrations of plastics and chemical sludge. Dead birds are often found nearby with bellies full of plastic trash pieces who mistook the trash as food sources. Along with climate change, things like dredging, draining of wetlands and costal development are also responsible for the ongoing destruction of marine habitats.
The second trumpet’s herald of oceanic pollution as a sign of the end times indicates that God sees this as a problem of apocalyptic proportions, a symptom of the terminal illness of sin and evil which are increasingly taking over planet Earth. For human beings to “destroy the earth” through pollution of natural resources is not looked upon lightly by the Creator of life, who put mankind in charge of caring for our earthly home from the beginning of time.
The Third Trumpet: Nuclear Activity, Water Pollution
“And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters. 11 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.” Revelation 8:10, 11 ASV
Here we see how the trumpets prophecy chronicles mankind’s development of increasingly powerful weapons of mass destruction. Remember that this book was written by the apostle John nearly 2,000 years before nuclear bombs were even invented, but God sees the end from the beginning without even using a time machine.
It would only make sense that the Bible would warn the world about the development of one of the most destructive weapons ever developed in the history of the world - the nuclear bomb. The thermonuclear reactions which occur inside a star, such as our sun, closely match those that are involved with the explosion of nuclear weapons. So, the description of a “great star” burning like a torch falling from heaven fittingly describes a nuclear weapon. The prophecy is an accurate description of nuclear explosive force, even down to the description of nuclear fallout which pollutes the water.
The use of atomic force by the United States in August 1945 at the end of World War 2 marked the beginning of a different age in human history. For the first time in human history, we had begun to develop the power to destroy all life on earth. And with the development and use of atomic power and energy has come a great burden of nuclear waste, which has only compounded the toxic burden of pollution which is causing our earth to “grow old like a garment,” as Hebrews 1:11 describes.
It’s notable that the prophecy’s mention of this star falling from heaven closely matches Jesus’ description of having seen Satan fall like lightning from heaven, and also the 5th trumpet’s description of the star that fell from heaven who is the “angel of the bottomless pit” who is named destroyer. This association of atomic power with Satan seems to indicate that God sees the development and use of atomic weapons as pure evil. The power of indiscriminate, unnecessary destruction of innocent lives is not based on the principles of the kingdom of God, but rather the kingdom of Satan.
For the United States, “One nation under God,” to take a leading role in developing and using nuclear weapons is evidence of great moral decline. The deadly light of the nuclear explosion eradicating innocent civilians is a far cry from the torch of liberty that welcomed the “tired, poor... huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
According to the black and white principle, here’s where we see a negative image of the Statue of Liberty coming out. How could it be that somewhere along the way the “mild eyes” of this “Mother of Exiles” turned to a cold stare, and she used her “torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning” to annihilate thousands in the nuclear holocaust? And now, the great cities of the US are increasingly at risk of facing the same holocaust as world tensions grow and we progressively disassociate ourselves with God’s protecting spirit.
It is of note that nuclear weapons first used by the United States also fulfills how the beast with lamb like horns of Revelation 13 “performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” (vs. 13-14). Not only did the US make fire come down out of heaven through those two historic nuclear attacks, but also through conducting more test explosions than any other country, many of which have been in western states Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, Mississippi, and New Mexico, as well as our own territory of the Marshall Islands.
According to the pattern we’ve seen with the other trumpets, “echoes” of the third trumpet prophecy likely involve both the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters. The word “Chernobyl” actually means to “Wormwood” in Ukrainian. This strengthens the case that nuclear activities in modern times, such as this and other nuclear disasters, are included as part of the general focus of the third trumpet prophecy.
Nuclear deployment infuses radioactive material into the atmosphere, which results in global fallout. But in speaking of “a third” of things in the world being impacted by nuclear power, this prophecy warns us of a potentially massive global catastrophe likely to come at the end of time. That’s something we don’t like to imagine, but we should not remain naïve to the very real possibility that such a day could come.
Not only nuclear fallout, but water pollution in general is noted by the third trumpet as an apocalyptic sign of the end times. With increased population growth and urbanization as people have increasingly moved to the cities to find work, sewage and water systems are often inadequate to handle the influx of people. Up to 500 million people globally are living in conditions in which they do not have pure water available to drink. Water pollution is considered to be the leading cause of death and disease globally. Chemicals, sewage, agricultural wastewater, organic and inorganic substances all contribute to the problems of water pollution.
I personally have witnessed an example of water pollution changing the beauty of our landscape. When I went to visit Lake Tahoe in California for the first time around 1998, it was a breathtakingly beautiful, clear, sapphire blue like nothing I had ever seen. But when I returned to visit around 2015, the water looked nothing like what I had remembered. It was more like a slate blue, and it was reported that the clarity had greatly reduced over time.
The Fourth Trumpet: Mt. St. Helens, Air Pollution
“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.” Revelation 8:12
This prophecy occurred in the United States through the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. This was a singular disaster in the western United States, following the same east-west pattern as the occurrence of the prophecy in ancient Rome. The air was darkened by day and night as an ash cloud was sent 2 miles into the air, which caused streetlights to come on during by day up to 300 miles away. In total, 57 people lost their lives.
The rise of natural disasters in recent times signals that we are in the end times, as Jesus warned in Matthew 24. The rise in frequency of earthquakes and increasing volcanic activity are both related to plate tectonics, as earthquakes can trigger volcanic eruptions. Besides this, other destructive environmental activities of man in the end times have great potential to trigger even further increases of volcanic activity. For example, rising sea levels from global warming, as well as nuclear activity, have the potential to trigger volcanic activity.
That the 7 trumpets are also outlining problems of global proportions which effect “the Earth,” as is repeatedly mentioned in the prophecy, we see another echo of the fourth trumpet prophecy through the Grímsvötn volcano eruption in Iceland on May 21, 2011. The eruption on May 21, 2011 was Iceland’s largest eruption for 50 years, and it was said to be its most forceful eruption in nearly a century.
The Grímsvötn eruption created darkness in blotting out the sun, moon and stars and happened very close to the anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens of May 18, 1980, as well as the “dark day” of American history on May 19, 1780 of 200 years before that. Both of these two events also involved darkening of the sun in mid-day. Strangely, darkness re-occurred in an annular eclipse occurred one year later on May 21, 2012 (or May 20, depending on your location), which seemed to remind of the fulfillment of darkness from the year before.
The fourth trumpet also draws attention to air pollution as an apocalyptic sign of the end times. Let’s consider global sources of air pollution and their rates of increase. The two main sources of air pollution stem either directly from the human activity or from nature. Natural sources of air pollution include dust storms from arid land areas, radon gas released from the earth’s crust, wildfires, and volcanic activity.
Major sources directly from human activity include things like factory smoke stack output, crop burning, vehicle and aircraft emissions, chemicals and chemical fumes and aerosols, methane gasses from waste dumps and feed lots, as well as military activities such as nuclear testing and rocket launching.
As we mentioned above, though, human activity can be an indirect cause of these natural sources when their increased occurrence results from activities of man which led to things like global warming and climate change, etc. Deforestation and desertification causing increased dust storms are another prime example. So actually, some of the dust storms, wild fires and volcanic activity could also be traced to the activities of man.
Even though some local areas have shown improvement, global emissions are on the rise overall. Especially in the mega-cities of newly industrialized and developing nations struggling with growing populations, smog is often a part of everyday life. An example of this is coal burning in China, which contributes to thick and persistent smog in many areas.
Lethal smog in cities of Asia and the Middle East has increasingly become a cause of death. As of around 2010, it has been estimated that exposure to air pollution is one of the fastest growing causes of death and is beginning to be listed among the top causes of global mortality. This is due in part to increases in car ownership in many areas of the world, which results in increased exhaust emissions.
Climate change is also linked to vehicle emissions as well as many other sources of greenhouse gasses which have continually increased throughout the industrial age. Recent years have shown climate changes, weather patterns which have often turned nature out of its course and contributed to mass animal die-offs.
It has been said that the polar ice caps are melting up to 60% faster than what was estimated nearly a decade ago. It has been estimated that at the current rate, the summer ice in the arctic will be completely be gone within just a few years. As the polar ice melts, it worsens global warming because dark water absorbs heat instead of reflecting it as the ice did, and the effects of melting will eventually lead to melting of permafrost, which could release massive amounts of greenhouse gasses.
In regard to how earlier fulfillments of the trumpets may be meant to serve as warnings of a larger final apocalyptic catastrophe to come, a poem quoted by Uriah Smith in describing fourth trumpet fulfillment in Rome seems to carry some rather uncanny potential implications for our future. Even though the manner of fulfillment was not the same for Rome as it was in regard to the United states, the poem seems to describe not only the devastation created by the eruption of Mount St Helens but also could occur if the Yellowstone caldera erupted;
‘And then a deluge of wrath it came,
And the nations shook with dread;
And it swept the earth, till its fields were flame,
And piled with the mingled dead.
Kings were rolled in the wasteful flood,
With the low and crouching slave,
And together lay, in a shroud of blood,
The coward and the brave.’
But if you read the entire poem, it seems to confirm a reference to the Yellowstone Calderon even further since it was written by an American poet, James Gates Percival (1795 - 1856) and seems to be a sort of allegory about the American Eagle;
Bird of the broad and sweeping wing!
Thy home is high in heaven,
Where the wide storms their banners fling,
And the tempest clouds are driven.
Thy throne is on the mountain top;
Thy fields, the boundless air;
And hoary peaks, that proudly prop
The skies, thy dwellings are.
Thou art perched aloft on the beetling crag,
And the waves are white below,
And on, with a haste that can not lag,
They rush in an endless flow.
Again thou hast plumed thy wing for flight
To lands beyond the sea,
And away, like a spirit wreathed in light,
Thou hurriest, wild and free.
Lord of the boundless realm of air!
In thy imperial name,
The hearts of the bold and ardent dare
The dangerous path of fame,
Beneath the shade of thy golden wings,
The Roman legions bore,
From the river of Egypt’s cloudy springs,
Their pride, to the polar shore.
For thee they fought, for thee they fell,
And their oath on thee was laid;
To thee the clarions raised their swell,
And the dying warrior prayed.
Thou wert, through an age of death and fears,
The image of pride and power,
Till the gathered rage of a thousand years,
Burst forth in one awful hour.
And then, a deluge of wrath, it came,
And the nations shook with dread;
And it swept the earth, till its fields were flame,
And piled with the mingled dead.
Kings were rolled in the wasteful flood,
With the low and crouching slave;
And together lay, in a shroud of blood,
The coward and the brave.
But if you don’t think this poem could apply to modern society because it mentions slaves, you might be living in a bubble of protected reality. Sex trafficking and other forms of slavery are alive in America. Leviticus 18, confirms the same concept, giving further insight as to the reason such a thing could occur. It uses language descriptive of a massive volcanic rupture to relate what will happen to nations that do not repent of such abominations as are becoming rampant in our land. It concludes;
…And the land is defiled: therefore I visit its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out her inhabitants. 26 Keep my statutes and ordinances, and don’t do any of these abominations… 28 so that the land won’t vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. Leviticus 18:25-28 (ASV with revisions)
God doesn’t delight in destruction, but we have the evidence all around us in the geological layers that God has destroyed the world once by flood, and 2 Peter 3 tells us He will do it again in the end, by fire. When corruption and misery reach a certain level, the God who created human life can choose to end it. And this is a reality that everyone alive should consider;
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy living and godliness, 12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (ASV with revisions)
Here, the Bible clearly describes the destructive fires of hell as occurring on Earth at a certain time called “the judgment day” in which the Earth and works will be burned up. These verses are key to understanding that hell is not a place in the center of the Earth where demons are being kept or souls are being tortured.
The Fifth Trumpet: 9/11/01, Pandora’s Box
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss. 2 And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up 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. 3 And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And it was given them 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 it strikes a man. 6 And in those days men shall seek death, and shall in no wise find it; and they shall desire to die, and death flees from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war; and upon their heads as it were crowns like unto gold, and their faces were as men’s faces. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 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 rushing to war. 10 And they have tails like unto scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men five months. 11 They have over them as king the angel of the abyss: his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek tongue he hath the name Apollyon. Revelation 9:1-11 (ASV with revisions)
There is a change in theme with the final three trumpets. Instead of having an environmental theme, they are called “the three woes.” This one was called “the first woe” in the preceding verse. Because this prophecy is so important as a warning against corruption and abuses occurring in the last days, we will go into more detail with this prophecy than the others we have discussed so far.
In the fulfillment of the fifth and sixth trumpets, the parallels in the dual prophecy between ancient Rome and the US really stand out. Historically, the fifth and sixth trumpets both involved conflicts between Islam and Christianity. And, interestingly, the second fulfillment of these two trumpets in the end of time describes nearly an exact repeat of the history of the rise of Islam and establishment of the Caliphate.
Uriah Smith describes Islamic terrorism, fulfilling the fifth trumpet, as the “apostles of Mohammed” who are “robbers... with frantic valor... propagat(ing) their delusive doctrines with fire and sword.” He says, “They came as destroyers, propagating a new doctrine, and stirred up to rapine and violence by motives of interest and religion.”
In the United States, Islamic terrorism developed with the same spirit came into full force through the 9/11/01 New York attacks on the World Trade Center’s twin towers, launching America into the “War on Terror.” But before we describe in detail how that event fulfilled the fifth trumpet prophecy, let’s consider the spiritual implications and significance of why this prophecy is said to be the first “woe.”
First of all, the language of “I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth” brings to mind Satan, the fall of Lucifer. The story of the dragon in revelation 12:7 which gives details of Lucifer’s fall from heaven, and Isaiah 14:12 speaks about him in similar language to the fifth trumpet in saying, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (KJV) NIV translates it this way; “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!”
The fact that the “star” in the 5th trumpet is called “he/him” and then begins to do things that only an animated being could do also confirms that this represents a person, or possibly the “fallen” angel, Satan. In this way, the description of the fifth trumpet star differs from the third trumpet nuclear star, which was only described as an object falling and burning like a torch.
When it says “to him was given the key of the bottomless pit” and “he opened the bottomless pit” it to suggest that the event has strong apocalyptic implications, to such an extent that whatever he releases from the pit ultimately has the potential to lead to the end of all things on planet earth. It’s a proverbial “Pandora’s box,” of sorts.
Next, the sky is blackened with smoke from which warring locust arise. Since these locusts arise in response to the action of the fallen star, and because it says in verse 11, “they have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon,” (or “destroyer,” as listed in NIV and Strong’s Concordance) the locust seem to be identified as fallen angels under the direction of Lucifer. This picture seems to represent a symbolic unleashing of demons onto the earth, which are seeking to work final destruction on the earth.
Being the first “woe,” this symbolism seems to match the “woe” warning given in Revelation 12:12 which says, “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
Through these connections we see that not only does the fifth trumpet mark the opening of a sort of Pandora’s box of evil on the world, but it also seems to be some kind of indicator of entering the final time period on Earth in which demons are working with greater fervor than ever to try to spread evil and deception on Earth.
It is often the case throughout Bible history that a form of God’s judgment, or judgment day, is simply that his protecting hedge is removed due to the people’s rejection of Him as their leader. This allows Satan more freedom to work by stirring up enemies to attack and destroy. This may be what is happening with the fifth trumpet as well, as described by the releasing of demons which have up to that point been under restraint by the spirit of God. As God’s spirit is rejected on Earth, and in America, they have greater freedom to work.
There’s little doubt that terrorism is directly inspired by Satan and fallen angels. So, radical Islamic extremism would seem to fit to both the literal and spiritual implications of the satanic associations described in the fifth trumpet prophecy.
Regarding the 9/11 New York terrorist attacks having fulfilled the fifth trumpet, we can see that there are several factors which help us identify that the 9/11 event fulfilled the fifth trumpet prophecy in the US. First, the fact that it was a major attack on the eastern United States matches exactly the flow of the first fulfillment of the 7 trumpets on the Roman Empire (first 4 fell on Western Rome, 5th and 6th trumpets on Eastern Rome). Also, because the 9/11 event was one of the most significant attacks that has ever occurred on US soil and, as we saw with Pearl Harbor and Mt. St Helens, these kinds of major events in US history have proven to be significant in the eyes of Heaven. Additionally, the fact that it was said to be the work of Islamic terrorism closely matches the historical fulfillment of the fifth trumpet as described by Uriah Smith.
Another key evidence is strangely written into the geography of Manhattan Island, New York itself. The island looks exactly like a locust, which you can see in extremely clear, fine detail when you look at maps. You can also see that its tail is broken off by Massachusetts.
I don’t believe it’s likely that such a detailed and clear geographical picture of a locust in the very place which turns out to fulfill a prophecy speaking about locusts could mere chance. More likely, the master artist, God, orchestrated this design in order to direct students of the Bible to understand its fulfillment.
The mention of smoke is consistent with the judgment theme, as several places in the Bible it speaks of smoke rising as a testimony of a land being judged. For example, in Isaiah 34:10 it says, “the smoke there of shall go up forever” and Revelation 18:9 “When the kings of the earth...see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.” Locusts also represent judgment, as in the book of Joel, where it describes invading armies as locusts coming to for judgment on the land. In chapter 1 they are even described as having “teeth of a lion,” very similar to how the locust are described in the fifth trumpet.
Still more solid evidence that 9/11/01 NY (or “9/11” for short) fulfilled the fifth trumpet prophecy comes out when we look into the name meaning of Osama bin Ladin, who was the physical or human “king” said to be responsible for the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Is there any biblical connection between Osama and the “destroyer?” Well, the name “Osama” means “Lion” in Arabic.
Letting the Bible interpret itself, we see that a “lion” is compared to “destroyer” in several places, and one who “devours” in many places. For example, in Jeremiah 4:7, KJV, it speaks of a lion as a destroyer of cities, matching the concept of terrorism, when it says;
“The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.”
Interestingly, just a few verses later in verse 13 it speaks of a destruction that closely matches what could only be accomplished through aircraft, such as what happened with the 9/11/01 attacks;
“Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! For we are spoiled.”
Jeremiah 2 also makes the connection between destroying/devouring and the lion in verses 29-30;
“Wherefore will ye plead with me? Ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord. In vain I have smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.”
As mentioned above, the fifth trumpet prophecy compares this destroyer as being someone who represents Satan himself through the imagery which connects to the “star” Lucifer who is fallen from heaven. The biblical comparison of the “destroyer” as being a “lion” fits the image of Satan as well, since the Bible also compares Satan to a devouring lion in 1 Peter 5:8, where it says;
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Yet further, consider this...
The verse where the destroyer (Lion = Osama) is identified...
...is Revelation 9:11
9/11
Certainly, all of these connections show us that God is marking what’s happening in America in our times and saw it all long in advance. It also shows us that he sees terrorists as being under the direct leadership of Satan and as representing Satan himself. But when a nation continues to reject his protecting Spirit, he is not able to protect them from the attacks of the enemy, and he allows the judgment to come in order to help people to turn away from sin and evil.
Jesus Himself also made a connection between the throwing down of buildings which would ultimately be part of the first “woe” fulfillment and the shortness of time/ ushering in of world-wide end-time events, as we mentioned above. In Matthew 24, immediately prior to His descriptions of the signs of the end of the age and the great tribulation, Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple in great detail;
“Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Matthew 24:1-2
Since Jesus could foresee the future that He described to His disciples in the rest of chapter 24, it seems no coincidence that His description of an event of buildings being thrown down (“not one stone...left upon another”) immediately precedes his description final events, suggesting that when this sign occurs, it will be evident that end-time events are about to start fulfill in more obvious ways.
In the years since the 2001 fulfillment of the fifth trumpet, Americans have seen increased economic insecurity, increased terrorism, frequent mass shootings, climate change, drought, huge-scale natural disasters (hurricane Katrina, etc.), mass animal deaths, declining values, hatred, racism, worldliness, and immorality. Certainly, the final signs which Jesus indicated were to come after an event of buildings being thrown down… has come to pass.
Another passage which clearly connects 9/11/01 as being a marker that the end of time is near is Zephaniah Chapter 1. This entire chapter seems to be about the 9/11 New York disaster and gives specific insights about it. In verse 7 it says, “the day of the Lord is at hand,” and verse 14 says, “The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly.” This phrase “the day of the Lord” is a phrase used in other Bible verses to speak of the return of Jesus. The passage also shows us that 9/11/01 NY was meant by God to serve as a warning that God will “utterly consume everything from the face of the land” if mankind does not repent of evil. It is just a small glimpse of what is coming to the Earth on a much greater scale.
As you read through Zephaniah 1, it comes out clearly that it is a judgment on rich people who have heaped up treasures of gold and silver for themselves. The last verse of Zephaniah 1 says that “neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath.” As it was reported in the New York Times, there were huge vaults containing nearly a thousand tons of gold and silver underneath the World Trade Centers when they collapsed, but all that gold and silver was powerless to save them from the disaster, just as the verse says.
Further evidence that the disaster was a judgment on the complacent wealthy class is the fact that “one of the wealthiest towns in the east and in the nation” is a suburb of New York City named “Locust Valley.” Almost certainly many people who lived there at the time of 9/11/01 would have had significant investments affected by the disastrous events, and maybe even silver and gold in those infamous vaults under the trade centers.
The tower of Babel is strongly symbolized through this disaster as well. And it is of note that a picture of the unfinished tower of Babel seems to appear on the US $1 bill. When you consider that it also contains masonic symbolism, and masonry has connections with the original religion of Babylon, this makes it, it seems to be a presumptuous statement against Heaven because it suggests the idea that completing the unfinished tower of babel is still our goal, in defiance of how God stopped that effort originally.
The people of ancient Babylon had a similar presumptuous daring against heaven, as recorded in Genesis 11:3-4
“3 And they said to one another, go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
But verses 8 and 9 show how it ended;
8 “So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”
When you consider the changes following 9/11/01 and how the American military became “scattered abroad over the face of the earth” chasing the war on terror, the tower of Babel symbolism seems to closely fit the events of 9/11/01 New York. And notice, again, the verse where it says that is…
Genesis 11:9.
That’s 9/11 backwards.
New York 9/11 was a turning point for America. It really launched us into an age of terror and increasing losses of liberties in the name of preventing terrorism. While Osama bin Ladin was alive and beyond, the US continued to deploy troops abroad to fight Al Qaeda throughout the next decade, with a significant and continuing battle going on in Iraq and Afghanistan for most of that time. Nevertheless, terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda continued to proliferate and gain strength.
Many of even secular commentators have made the association between the United States and the overextended military involvement of the Roman Empire as having been a partial source of what lead to its downfall, because its resources were spread too thin. This is certainly a danger that the US faces in trying to combat the growing threat of terrorism worldwide.
The fifth trumpet goes on to describe the terrorist warriors and their activities. One thing the verses make clear through the description of “torment” is that they practice torture. Torture is clearly associated with Islamic terrorism. Al Qaeda was well known for practicing horrific forms of torture, as has been discovered by some of their underground torture bunkers.
But aside from that, terrorists, including Al Qaeda, are known for using such methods as chemical warfare, since it is illegal for civil governments to use them. Some forms of chemical warfare are known to cause severe stinging pain, which would also connect with the mention that they inflicted stinging pain like a scorpion. Both torture and chemical or biological warfare can cause serious pain that could be described as being like a scorpion’s sting. The pain of torture can leave severe “stinging” emotional scars as well.
But in Revelation 9 it mentions a specific five-month time period in regard to the torment of the locust. As we mentioned, torture is associated with acts of terrorism. So, do we find a 5-month time period in the years following 9/11/01 in which torture by Islamic terrorists took place?
Well, not exactly. And here’s where a different twist starts to come out of this prophecy. The only 5-month period in which severe torture was taking place following 9/11/01 was perpetrated by the American soldiers.
How could that fit? Well, strangely, it seems that somewhere along the way, out of the smoke that came from 9/11... Americans started to become transformed into the likeness of the terrorists that they were hunting, and God seems to have clearly taken note of that fact in the 7 trumpets prophecy.
Even though at the beginning of the prophecy it was talking about an attack on US soil by terrorists depicted as followers of a satanic leader, by the time you get to the topic of the 5-month period the prophecy it includes a record of terrorist atrocities committed by Americans, not just our enemies. There are several clues that make the interpretation clear, as we will explore.
It is a well-known fact that George Bush defended human rights abuses and the use of torture for interrogating potential terrorists, as well as saying that anyone they captured had no right to due process and could be indefinitely detained in prison. The United States military also failed to condemn or prevent horrific torture in the treatment of imprisoned suspects. Famously illustrating these factors was the “torture report” about abuses during the bush administration which declared the CIA to be a rogue organization because of the interrogation methods that were used.
One of the most startling examples of these abuses is what happened at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In order to prevent emotional trauma to sensitive readers, I have omitted any description of what took place, but suffice it to say that it was torture in the worst and fullest sense of the term. Cruel, inhumane and degrading in the manner which one might imagine that only terrorists could do. To make matters worse, in many cases they had no real evidence that their prisoners were suspected terrorists. In one case, a local taxi driver just happened to drive by and was imprisoned and then tortured to death in Abu Ghraib.
Most did not die, and they were not authorized to kill detainees, however, which fits what the prophecy says that they could only torment but not kill. The 5-month period started on August 4 of 2003, when the Abu Ghraib prison was reopened by coalition forces. Abuses continued throughout that time until January 13 of 2004, when prisoner abuse was reported and an Army investigation launched. A few days later, suspensions of some of the commanders began. So basically, from early August 2003 to early January 2004; 5 months.
Convincing evidence that this was indeed the event referred to by the fifth trumpet prophecy was the fact that this occurred in the same prison where Saddam Hussein tortured and executed prisoners under what Americans had once called his “rogue” regime. The name Saddam also has connections with the term “destroyer.” So, in keeping with the fifth trumpet prophecy, for the American soldiers to have carried out gross human rights violations in this manner of treating prisoners with the same rogue torture methods used by terrorists, and even in the very same prison where Saddam Hussein had once done the same, in God’s eyes it was as if the US soldiers were “under” the command leadership of terrorists “destroyer” leaders such as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Ladin, who also representative Satan in the prophecy. In reality, the US soldiers were under the command of Satan himself when they committed acts of torture, because that is the only way anyone ever commits an act of torture.
Another factor that makes it clear that all of these events were part of the fulfillment of the fifth trumpet, which calls attention to these gross human rights violations, is the fact that the Bill of Rights was originally introduced in the First Congress only a few miles away from the World Trade Centers that were destroyed on 9/11. Torture or any “cruel and unusual punishment” clearly violates human rights that were established by the Bill of Rights.
The description of the locusts that rose out of the smoke of 9/11 easily matches the picture of the US Apache helicopters. This factor once again highlights a connection between the US forces and the king of the bottomless pit (Satan), further strengthening the picture that through this prophecy God is rebuking America for human rights abuses and use of torture which was condoned from the president down and continues to be condoned in US politics.
Apache helicopters are shaped like locust and have a crown on their heads where the wings come out. At the time the prophecy was written, the “radiant crown,” which looks something like helicopter wings coming out in sunrays style was popular. Helicopters have men’s faces in the cockpit. The mention of having hair like women seems a direct reference to “Apache” Native American men who had long hair like women, further identifying the exact type of helicopter.
Having “lion’s teeth” identifies their fierce character, and once again associates them with “the destroyer.” Further, some Apache helicopters had lion’s teeth painted on them. The next verse needs no further explanation, as it unquestionably describes helicopters; “they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.”
I don’t believe that God would see it as wrong for a country to defend itself against enemy attacks. But when a country like the United States condones torture methods which reflect racism and abuse of human beings, it is highly significant as a crime against Heaven. That’s probably why it is chronicled in the fifth trumpet prophecy.
A glaring example of war crimes that were perpetrated through the use of Apache helicopters is a video entitled “Collateral murder” which was obtained by WikiLeaks that shows an Apache gunner murdering some unarmed journalists, van drivers and others in a public square in Eastern Baghdad in 2007. It says, “After the initial shooting, an unarmed group of adults and children in a minivan arrives on the scene and attempts to transport the wounded. They are fired upon as well.” It is extremely graphic, I don’t recommend watching it.
But even with the obvious evidence this video provides of the war crimes that were committed, the official statement by the US military listed the murdered civilian adults as “insurgents” and claimed they “did not know” how the deaths occurred. This shows that the military failed to punish war crimes, probably on numerous occasions. This kind of thing has not escaped the attention of the God of Heaven who documented this kind of criminal behavior through prophecy written centuries before it occurred.
The success of the 2014 movie “American Sniper” also indicates that God didn’t get it wrong about how American war attitudes bear similarity to terrorism. Being the highest-grossing film of 2014 in the United States, the highest-grossing war film of all time to that point, and Clint Eastwood’s highest-grossing film, it’s astonishing that the life of a brutal, sadistic and racist soldier could be so highly celebrated. In his own words, Chris Kyle described killing as “fun”, saying he “loved” it, that he believed everyone he shot was a “bad guy,” and made strongly racist statements such as “I hate the *** savages,” and “I couldn’t give a *** about the Iraqis.”
The fact that a movie portraying someone with these attitudes as a hero can be so highly successful in America demonstrates that it is generally accepted to be representative of some military attitudes and that this kind of thing is condoned by many of Americans as well…
…and God has noticed.
But another reason for the scriptural connection between the United States and the terrorists who caused 9/11 may be in the fact that there is evidence that the destruction of the twin towers may have been planned and executed by the American government itself. There seems to be little scientific validity to the claim that airplanes crashing into the towers resulted in them entirely collapsing as they did. The pancaking fall of each floor onto the next appears more like a controlled demolition. There is other solid evidence for this possibility as well. But because the event was said to have been planned by Osama Bin Laden, the Bible seems to associate it with him symbolically.
The Sixth Trumpet: ISIS Angels of Destruction
“The first Woe is past: behold, there come yet two Woes hereafter. 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 one saying to the sixth angel that had the trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men. 16 And the number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates as of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeds fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues was the third part of men killed, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails are like unto serpents, and have heads; and with them they hurt. 20 And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” Revelation 9:12-21 (ASV with revisions)
This was also called “the second woe” in the preceding verse. This is another example of how closely the modern fulfillment of the 7 trumpets prophecies matches the historic fulfillment and/or description. Just as Uriah Smith explains that the territory of the Ottoman Empire is identified in the prophecy because it was watered by the Euphrates, this also identifies the territory involved in the modern re-establishment of the caliphate with ISIS. The Euphrates flows through Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris, which empties into the Persian Gulf. Turkey was the seat of the Ottoman Empire, Syria and Iraq were the seat of the Islamic State. If you look at a map of the Euphrates River, it flows right through all of these three territories.
The description in Revelation 9:14-15 gives you the verbal image of some type of destructive entity that has existed in the territory of the Euphrates which has been kept in restraint from killing people and is suddenly released, or given more power to accomplish its purposes. A terrorist group, such as ISIS, which is bent on killing and terrorizing and also hopes to take over the world, would fit this description.
It seems more than coincidence that the acronym “ISIS,” as the group is often called, which stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is also the name of an Egyptian goddess which is often depicted with wings like an angel. So, we can easily picture how the 6th trumpet’s description of the release of these demon-like angels (demons are fallen angels) chronicles the rise to power of the ISIS caliphate.
The ISIS caliphate was declared on the morning of June 29, 2014 (they chose the first of Ramadan). The event mirrored the historical fulfillment of the 6th trumpet and marked the rise of a violent element bent on acts of terrorism and atrocities against humanity, which could be fittingly described as a releasing of angels of destruction.
While the Ottoman warriors fulfilled the historical 6th trumpet description by fighting with firearms while on horseback and wearing colorful uniforms, the ISIS fighters are often depicted riding on trucks (horsepower), which have external shells of varying colors upon which they have mounted machine guns or other weapons, out of which comes “fire and the smoke and the brimstone.”
It says that the “number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million.” The unique thing about the ISIS “army” is that it is made up of supporters all over the world, and specifically promotes the radicalization and indoctrination of individuals, encouraging them to perform lone-wolf acts of terror to show support for ISIS. It was estimated in 2015 by one source that possibly up to 200 million supporters might have existed for ISIS.
Regarding the significance of the prophecy’s mention of the angels being released at on the “hour and day and month and year,” as we have mentioned, in the historic fulfillment this was calculated as a time period by adding the prophetic values of each of the time periods mentioned (using the 1 day = 1 year principle that is given for prophecy interpretation in Ezekiel 4:6). But just to read it at face value, the verse could also be referring to one certain “hour, day, month and year,” one specific time or moment of God’s designation on which the 4 angels were to be released.
Could this make sense in the context of how God has done things in the past? I believe it could because he has often done things on a certain “hour, day, month and year” of his choosing. For example, Jesus died on a certain hour, day, month and year; at a specific time of day according to the time of the sacrifice, and on the Passover day, in a year following the prediction of Daniel about when the messiah would be cut off, etc.
The last chapters of Daniel tell us that there is an “appointed time” for certain end-time events. Daniel 8:19, 11:27 and 11:35 tell us this, and Daniel 12:1 tells us “at that time” the time of trouble will begin, signifying that at a time of God’s choosing Michael (Jesus) will stand up and the time of trouble will begin. In saying “no man knows the day or the hour,” Jesus let us know that God does not reveal to us the time of His second coming, but that God Himself knows and will act according to His plan.
The principle we have discussed in previous trumpets, which is that the trumpets serve as a warning to something worse that is to come if the initial warning is not heeded. In the case of the verse describing a certain important “hour, day, month and year,” it is preceded by “a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God” from the temple in Heaven. This is perhaps the most strongly emphasized description of any time ever recorded in the Bible. It has to be about something that will be of extreme significance to all humanity.
And, when in combination with the description of events starting with the release of angels bent on destroying 1/3 of humanity, it seems that this likely points forward to the actual “appointed time” for “The Time of Trouble” to begin. At that moment, Michael (Jesus) will finish his intercessory work in the heavenly sanctuary and “stands up,” symbolizing judgment, after which the time of trouble will begin.
The ISIS declaration of the caliphate, with the intention of ruling the world under the black flag of terrorism, seems to be a visual warning of the coming of Satan’s kingdom on Earth. It is a symbolic precursor of that final close of probation in which most of the world will have made their final choice to follow Satan as their leader. It is Satan’s studied goal to take over the entire world, and the caliphate was symbolic of the setting up of his world-wide kingdom of Babylon. Revelation 13 and other scriptures predict that this will happen, a one world government which enforces false religion with penalties all the way up to the death penalty, making it similar in character to the Islamic caliphates.
Besides the Tower of Babel, Babylon was originally a sun-worshiping secret occult religion. ISIS represented Babylon symbolically, as mentioned, but also because Babylon was physically located in Iraq. More than one organization makes up the symbolic “Babylon,” though. This biblical term seems to represent every organization that will ultimately join the world-wide kingdom of Satan on Earth.
Another organization that has historically manifested the same spirit and principles of terrorism and oppression as ISIS is the Roman Church, the papacy, through its inquisitions and persecution/torture of true Christians. The Bible depicts it as Babylon in several places.
But the United States is also at risk of becoming part of Babylon through linking with the papacy. Historically, the Roman Empire established papal power, then after the empire’s fall, the papal power continued to dominate nations. The Bible predicts a similar scenario occurring between the United States and the Papacy in the end times, in keeping with how the US seems to be following the pattern of ancient Rome. Revelation 13 depicts the United States, the beast from the earth, eventually being instrumental in helping to establish the papacy, the beast from the sea, as the major one world leader in the end, causing all the Earth to worship it.
But becoming a part of Satan’s kingdom is the most important factor in becoming part of Babylon. Satan hates the Christian values and individual freedom to worship God which the US constitution was set up to protect, and it is his purpose to ultimately subvert those principles of freedom and justice which God’s hand directed would be included in the government of the United States. It is Satan’s purpose to bring to America all the principles of his kingdom, which often take the form of two opposite ideological extremes, as we discussed in the last chapter.
Just as the serpent has a forked tongue, Satan’s ideologies can be found through the radical conservative and liberal extremes which are developing in our country. The more these extremes develop, the greater the evidence we have that our country is choosing to link itself with Satan’s leadership. On the one hand, you see liberal extremes, but at the same time there are religious extremes of hatred and racism.
The history of the papacy as well as ISIS demonstrate how Satan can work through religious hatred to accomplish his purposes. He can do that through Christians just as well as Muslims or Catholics. And that in itself proves nothing bad about any of those groups. There are many loving, sincere Catholics, Muslims and Christians who serve God to the best of their knowledge with all of their hearts.
It is only the radicalization of religion which takes the form of hatred, oppression, torture and murder which reflects Satanic values and puts it under the leadership of Satan instead of God. But Satan has loads of fun blaming God for all of this. With all of his work to radicalize religion and make it a terror, he also inspires the observations by cool atheism which wrongly conclude “that’s what religion is like.” In fact, that is what false religion is like.
General unrest, violence and mass shootings are acts of terrorism based on hatred which reflect the same principles of Satan’s kingdom that inspire ISIS. And we are seeing more and more of that kind of thing happening in our homeland. God has blessed this nation above all nations on the Earth. The Bible says that God is keeping a reckoning with the nations, so certainly the United States is at the top of that list. God is marking the development evidences which reflect the people and the leaders choosing principles of Satan’s kingdom.
With this in mind, along with the knowledge that the seven trumpets overall are chronicling events in relation to the United States, it may be that when the sixth trumpet speaks of the “hour, day, month and year” may reflect some sort of historical moment in United States history after which the pandora’s box of evil was to begin to be unleashed like never before.
I don’t think it was on June 24, 2014, the date the ISIS caliphate was established, but as an example of the setting up of Satan’s kingdom, it could have served as a warning of what we were at risk for. But with the association of Babylon, we find a story about its king, Nebuchadnezzar, that may be potentially useful in helping to determine the true importance of that caliphate date.
In Daniel chapter 4 the king is given a warning about judgment on his kingdom which is “grown and become strong” and “reacheth unto heaven, and… to the end of the earth” (verse 22). It does not fulfill until 12 months later. We will go more into the specifics about this fulfillment in the next chapter. But even here there is hope, because through that judgment Nebuchadnezzar came to believe in God and humble himself before him.
It seems to be that this is where we are in the Seven Trumpet prophecies so far, and I’m not sure that the final fulfillment of this one has come. At the end of chapter 9, the prophecy continues to describe a time of unprecedented apostasy and immorality, “as in the days of Noah,” as Jesus said it would be before His second coming. We can see that the time we are living in. In chapter 11, it also describes of the killing of the two witnesses with great jubilation as their bodies lie in the city described as “Sodom and Egypt.” As previously mentioned, one of the representations of the Two Witnesses is the Bible itself, the Old and New Testaments.
Within the last few years, our world is increasingly in chaos and less and less at peace, with terror in so many places that almost no place feels safe anymore. Racial tensions and hatred between all different groups of people climaxing everywhere; world powers are continually on the verge of war, there are increasing natural disasters every day. World economies are stretched to the limit, stacked up like a house of cards ready to fall.
But things are just warming up, we haven’t seen anything yet. Something will finally break loose and it will be huge, like the releasing of demons bent on destroying our world. In neither the historical (Ottoman Caliphate) nor modern fulfillment (ISIS Caliphate) referenced by the 6th trumpet prophecy a literal 1/3 of all mankind was killed, but in both cases this symbolically represents massive loss of life and the destructive spirit and power which would attempt to kill that many, if given the chance. But it will not likely be symbolic when Satan, the death angel himself who is the instigator of all hatred and murder, is ultimately released from the restraints that have prevented him from inflicting devastation all over planet Earth. Then an actual 1/3 of all mankind that will probably be destroyed. The 6th trumpet prophecy serves as a warning that this day is coming, which is probably why is called “the second woe.”
Those who have chosen Satan as their leader will be faced with the reality of what a cruel monster he really is and discover all too late that the prosperity and benefits he offered in exchange for fame, fortune and earthly pleasures were merely a deception. And then…
…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time… Daniel 12:1
It would be a merciful God who would not allow Satan to be released to do his work of massive destruction until after the final close of probation- after the time when all people had made their decision for life or for death. It’s true that life is dangerous, and there is never a guarantee that we have another day, but it shows a merciful God who would restrain Satan from killing millions more who had not had a chance until their decision has been made.
God knows the exact times and knows when the cup of iniquity on earth will be full. Only then will these events take place, as marked by that final “hour, day, month and year” for the final close of probation on Earth.
But we have nothing to fear if we cling to Jesus and the hope of his soon coming and prepare ourselves to be part of that kingdom through the power of his redeeming love for us. If we understand that all of these things herald the end of the age and the entrance of a new and better kingdom, it is not so discouraging after all.
All of these things point to our final hope of glory - that Jesus will come to deliver His waiting children from the desolated Earth to take us home to Heaven with Him “that where I am ye may be also,” as He said. If we make Christ our refuge, all the sadness and pain of this lifetime will serve only to make us appreciate the wonders and beauty of Heaven all that much more!
We have the promised assurance;
And at that time thy people shall be delivered,
Every one that shall be found written in the book.
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
Shall awake, some to everlasting life,
And some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And they that be wise shall shine
As the brightness of the firmament;
and they that turn many to righteousness
As the stars for ever and ever.
Daniel 12:1-3
The Seventh Trumpet: The Mystery of God is Finished
And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in Heaven, and they said, “The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, 17 saying, “We give you thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who was; because you have taken your great power and did reign. 18 And the nations were wroth and your wrath came, the time of the dead to be judged and the time to give their reward to your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, small and great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth. 19 And temple of God was opened in Heaven and the ark of the covenant was seen; and there followed lightnings, voices, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail. Revelation 11:15-19 (ASV with revisions)
This was also called “the third woe” in the preceding verse. The seventh trumpet is the third and final woe. This one is very unlike the other six trumpets, perhaps in keeping with the biblical pattern of sevens in which six are involved, but seventh is different.
In the historical fulfillment, the sixth trumpet reaches to August 11, 1840, when the Ottoman Empire effectively lost power to Christian nations by making admission of power surrender, as predicted two years in advance by Josiah Litch.
The fulfillment of the 7th trumpet historically was around the end of the 2300-day prophecy in 1844, when Jesus moved into the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary. That’s where he went after his resurrection when he ascended to Heaven. After he moved into the Most Holy Place in 1844 the final investigative judgment began, which will culminate in His second coming in the clouds at the end of time on Earth.
We can see this confirmed in how the verses speak of the time of judgment having come, then it immediately talks about the temple in heaven and ark of the covenant, seen with lightening and thunder, etc. which impresses the importance of its opening. This is similar to how there was lightening, thunder and earthquakes on Mount Sinai when the presence of God descended there.
The background for the 2300-day prophecy is Daniel 8:14, which says “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” The 2300 days started at the same time as the 70-week prophecy. According to the day for a year principle, the 70 weeks prophecy lasted for 490 years beginning from the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in 457 BCE (we will talk more about the significance of that 490 years in a later book). In calculating the times, remember that there is no “0” year between BCE and CE (formerly known as BC and AD). For example, 457 BCE + 34 CE = 491, or 457 + 1844 = 2301, but you must subtract “1” each time because there was no zero year between BCE and CE. That would be;
457 BCE years + 34 CE years – 1 year = 490 years that fulfill the 70 weeks prophecy
Or…
457 BCE years + 1844 CE years – 1 year = 2300 years that fulfill the 2300 days prophecy
Revelation eleven, eighteen, and nineteen have the cleansing of the sanctuary starting immediately after the 7th trumpet of the ancient roman empire, which was the year eighteen forty, as above noted. It coincided close to the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14.
The picture of the Jesus entering the most holy place of the temple in Heaven for the final judgement with the thundering and lightening and trembling earth reminds us of the picture of Moses going up on the mountain to meet with God and receive the 10 commandments. So, his shows us how Moses also prefigures Jesus.
The Day of Atonement is being fulfilled by Christ, our High Priest, who has entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary for the final cleansing of the sanctuary prior to returning to get his people, as described in Revelation 11:18-19, which was to begin around the time of the 7th trumpet on ancient Rome which was (Hebrews 8:1-2, 9:23, Daniel 8:14,).
In doing this he is administering the authority of the Kingdom of God which he gained by overcoming sin in his life and on the Cross. The cleansing of the temple, described by the 2300 days prophecy, was also based on the symbolism of the day of Atonement. During that time the people were instructed to carefully examine their hearts and participate in the cleansing process.
So, the time from 1844, when Jesus entered the Most Holy Place, to his coming in the clouds of glory is symbolically the antitypical “Day of Atonement” in which Jesus’ people are to be preparing for his soon return. It is not the time to live it up with pleasure seeking and worldly passions.
That doesn’t mean we can’t have joy, by any means. God certainly intended for his people to live in happiness and to have many pleasurable life experiences, to “live, laugh and love.” However, the natural joys of life are quite different than wonton pleasure seeking, drunkenness and worldly partying. Those who truly believe that Jesus is soon coming will live differently, in a way that shows they are preparing for Heaven.
In considering the modern fulfillment of the seventh trumpet we notice especially how it marks a time when “great voices in heaven” and the 24 elders seem to be announcing that the time of Jesus’ kingdom is nearing. It also emphasizes that he reigns, signifying a restoration of the domain which Adam and Eve lost to Satan.
In saying “the nations were angry” it describes the time of global turmoil detailed in the first six trumpets. Then, when it says that the time of judgment it probably refers to the soon coming close of the end-time judgment which began in 1844.
Revelation 10:7 explained that at the time the seventh trumpet is about to sound the “mystery of God” would be finished;
“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.”
As we already reviewed, this revealed a change in the reckoning of prophetic time to literal time since the historical fulfillment of the 7th trumpet in 1844. But also, in letting the Bible interpret itself we can see that there are several meanings to the mystery of God. It is somewhat like a multifaceted diamond with several themes, all of which perfectly match the golden setting of Revelation chapters 10 and 11 and the seventh trumpet.
First, Ephesians 6:19 calls the Gospel a mystery, “the mystery of the gospel.” The gospel involves a two-phase process of justification (forgiveness for sins by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us) and sanctification (becoming holy by God’s power of grace through faith). There are many verses that explain these processes. Some verses that describe sanctification include Romans 6:8, Titus 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 12:14.
So, the mystery of God has to do with the completion of the work of salvation for God’s children on Earth. The gospel work will be finished during this time, as Jesus finishes his intercession in the Most Holy Place and the work of sanctifying and purifying his people, restoring them to the image of God.
The “Mystery of God” probably also refers to fact that the mystery of what God is literally like will be revealed around the time of the seventh trumpet, the mystery of God’s nature as the 4-person Godhead. Romans 16:25 explains that things about Jesus were “kept secret since the world began,” which helps us understand that the reason this hasn’t been previously understood is because God sometimes keeps things secret to be revealed at a special time of his choosing, probably to maximize impact in reaching his children.
God knows how people tend to stagnate in religion and how the words that people have been repeating all their lives start to become so familiar that they sometimes hardly register in people’s minds anymore – they are just repeated like a ritual. This is why truth is progressive, why God has a special message for every living generation to find through studying and understanding the Bible.
There is more about the Mystery of God that is opening up, which we will talk about in upcoming books. The two witnesses are also the Old and New Testaments, and the mystery of God is also about Jesus’ soon coming, as the seventh trumpet is pointing forward to. As we see in 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 the translation of God’s people to Heaven will occur as part of the “last trump”;
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This passage is also important in helping us understand that Paul was not expecting to go straight to heaven when he died. He repeatedly focused on the resurrection as his hope, and here he clearly states that we will not become immortal or incorruptible until that resurrection at the last trumpet. Currently, Paul is sleeping in the grave just like all the others who are awaiting the resurrection.
An earthquake and “great hail” are mentioned in the last verse of the seventh trumpet. This may represent bombs, nuclear warfare, or a meteor shower before Jesus’ coming. The final Woe involves the closing of the judgment prior to the coming of Jesus in the clouds.
I haven’t studied into the 7 seals or bowl judgments as much, but some probably occur like the plagues of Egypt prior to the exodus of God’s people from this Earth. And it seems we are seeing echoes of this kind of thing as well. The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 began with an unmistakable match to the first Passover that took place in Egypt. The stay-at-home orders closely paralleled how God’s people had to go inside their homes while the plague was passing over.
The dates that the problem peaked also had Passover implications. For example, the first wave in China occurred around the time of Chinese New Year, which is a time when the Chinese mark their doorposts with red banners. Again, as Samuel Wong and Ethel R. Nelson describes in their book “God and the Ancient Chinese,” cultural items such as this likely reflect a history of God’s leading in Chinese history. By the time the COVID wave reached the US, the time the strictest stay at home orders were enforced fell on biblical Passover weak.
After the bowl judgments Jesus will come in the clouds of glory to meet His people in the air and take them home to heaven to live with Him for 1,000 years. Then, after the 1,000 years Jesus will return with them to resurrect the wicked for one last struggle before their final destruction by fire in which all wickedness is utterly burned up (as depicted in the opening of the ark scenes of that Indiana Jones clip). Then all evil will be “ashes under our feet” (Malachi) and the Earth will be made new again- all the universe will be clean with no more curse.
This may not be the sequence of events that you have been used to hearing for end time events or the interpretation of Revelation, but this view is biblically solid, and I encourage you to seek carefully through the scriptures to prove what you believe by comparing scripture with scripture, considering every given text the whole Bible has to say on the subject. This is the only way to get accurate answers and avoid dangerous false doctrines.
There will be no more evil in eternity, a merciful God will not keep people writhing in pain forever to make everyone else sad and horrified with such disgusting horrors. How could anyone ever be happy in eternity if such a horror scene were to continue? There could be no happiness, not even for righteous people, because good people have tender sympathy in their hearts for those who suffer.
When you look at the evidence of all the Bible verses on this topic, it becomes very clear. The concept of eternally burning hellfire is a monstrously sadistic dark ages myth that Satan loves to torture people with. But I guess that kind of gives us an idea of how things might be if Lucifer had actually been able to usurp God’s throne like he wanted to. He would burn people in hell for all eternity.
We are in Earth’s final hours, we must be careful to avoid deception and prepare to meet Jesus soon. We must not allow any pastor or teacher to compel us to believe doctrines that do not match with all that Scriptures show. God will bless you as you study and pray for light from Heaven to understand, and wisdom to rightly defend the truths of the Bible at the appropriate time.
The seven trumpets are truly like a “final countdown” to Jesus’ return and the rapture when we will be taken to heaven. There is evidence everywhere we look that the cup of iniquity is almost full on Earth. Evil, in all its forms, is reaching fullness of fruition. Now is the time for us to sit up and take notice of the signs of the times so that we may have a chance to grasp the life preserver, to take the hand of hope that Jesus is holding out to us.
Judging from how the seven trumpets have occurred so far, as well as how the language used in them hints of events that are of an epic scale, we can conclude that the 7 trumpets will probably reecho in their final and loudest blast after the close of probation. When considering the final global impact of each trumpet, we can see how it might describe what happens when Satan finally gets to work the devastating destruction that he has been wanting to for so long.
For example, consider how this could happen (I might not understand it fully, it’s worth further study, as with all things);
1st Trumpet - Areal attacks and devastating environmental degradation
2nd Trumpet - Naval attacks and sea pollution
3rd Trumpet - Global Nuclear war
4th Trumpet - Volcanic activity, explosion of the Yellowstone Calderon
5th Trumpet - World-wide terrorism
6th Trumpet - One world government, 1/3 of mankind literally killed
7th trumpet - A massive worldwide earthquake and great hail
The 7 seals, which in repeating take place after the close of probation, seem to describe some of the same events, but from a different perspective and with different details. We can see this in how they finish at the same time as the seven trumpets with the Coming of Jesus.
This is also true of the seven “bowls of wrath” in Revelation 16. We can see that it too is describing events that will probably take place after the close of probation, as more detail of the same period. We see this in how it also concludes with similar descriptions of what we see with the trumpets and seals. For example, consider how the description of the final bowls of wrath in Rev 16:17-21 seems to match the seventh trumpet almost exactly, and as we just mentioned above, even having to do with the temple in heaven and the exact same language of “voices, thunders, lightnings, earthquake and great hail.” It seems to be a different view of the same event described in the seventh trumpet and the seventh seal, as what happens immediately prior to Jesus’ coming in the clouds.
But one important thing we should understand when considering some of the language of revelation and the Bible, which talks about God’s wrath. We should know that God’s wrath is not like human anger because God is not impatient or self-protective. It’s a different kind of thing. God is patient, calm and objective- filled with love. But love must be tough and strong in order to be effective sometimes, and to stop sin from ever coming into the world again, it has to be dealt with strongly.
The description of God’s “wrath” is also simply justice, the same as any court system. But it is a true judgment and fair punishment on the criminal offenses of those who are destroying the earth and each other. And another thing about his judgment or “wrath” is that these terms are sometimes used in the Bible to describe events which God didn’t really cause but just allowed to happen as the natural result of sin.
In all this turmoil, we will see the final conclusive results of what sin causes and why it cannot ever be allowed in God’s universe again. Isn’t it easy to imagine how people might complain against God’s requirement that sin cannot be allowed if the natural results of sin were not demonstrated? That’s why all of this must be allowed, because this is something that is so hard for people to understand if they don’t see it.
People have a hard time believing things they have not actually seen and would serve God out of fear if he prematurely destroyed evildoers. So, since sin entered the world, God is allowing it to develop to its final fruition to show its true nature. Just as Jesus described with the wheat and tares, you can’t easily see that one type of grass produces stickers or thorns while and another produces wheat. It’s also difficult to see a difference between evil and good when things start out, before they come to fruition.
It must be shown what a horrible condition the world will finally be in when evil is allowed to fully develop. That is what this time on Earth is all about. That is why God is allowing it to go on for now, with its natural results of pain and death, because there is no other way to convince people of how bad it really is.
But through all this pain and difficulty, God holds out his hands to his children with the promise of eternal life.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, neither will the flame kindle upon you. Isaiah 43:2, (ASV with revisions)
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