Final Trumpets

Revelation tells us that before the coming of the Lord from heaven in power and great glory that the earth will be ruled by the “beast” along with ten horns that is ridden by Babylon the great:

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. (Rev 17:12-13)

This represents the world order that arises to fill the power vacuum created by the collapse of the American Empire. As the Holy Roman Empire rose among the ten kings from the ruins of Imperial Rome, so will the beast rise again from the ruins of the American Empire. The apostle Paul wrote about this when he wrote:

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2Th 2:6-8)

The various nations of the earth will cooperate to empower a multinational government organisation described as “the beast.” This  organisation will be subject to the control of the religious organisations known in the Scriptures as Babylon and her daughters. Under this new world order the mark of the beast will be enforced worldwide and those that will not submit to the religious demands of the beast will be put to death. The final trumpets will sound when the mark of the beast is fully enforced worldwide, announcing the coming destruction of the kingdom of the beast and its ten kings. Unlike the previous fulfilments of the seven trumpets, the final ones cannot sound for long since the kingdom of the beast itself is said symbolically to only rule for one hour. This new world order will not continue for very long since the Lord will intervene and judge her for “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Mat 24:21-22) .

Another difference with the previous trumpets is that the trumpets this time will not be fulfilled symbolically as in the past through military conflicts but the incredulous masses of the earth will see them literally fulfilled as natural disasters before their very eyes. They will know that the Lord “has a controversy with the nations” (Jer 25:31). This time the Lord will not use nations to execute judgement on His behalf through war but God Himself will be the protagonist and His weapons the elements of nature. This is not to say that wars will not rage during this time, there may well simultaneously be both a literal and symbolic fulfilment.

It is extremely interesting to note that Revelation ch.17 begins with the angel saying “Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” (Rev 17:1) Yet ch. 17-18 say little about the actual judgements poured out on Babylon, rather commenting on the reasons for and the results of the judgements and other events that take place during the judgements. The reason is that judgements themselves are described by the seven trumpets. It is during the sounding the seven final trumpets, that she is drunken with the blood of the martyrs (Rev 17:6); that she ascends out of the bottomless pit (Rev 17:8); that she reigns with the ten kings (Rev 17:12); that the loud cry to “come out of her” takes place (Rev 18:1). Immediately after the seven trumpets sound, the kings will burn her with fire and the merchants of the earth will wail because she is no more. We believe that the trumpets may sound for a little less than 1260 literal days and that the period of time following the fourth trumpet will only be at most one year.

Let’s consider what these trumpets entail. The first trumpet of the hail mixed with fire and blood that burns up the grass appears to be a direct fulfilment of the words of Scripture:

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? (Job 38:22- 23)

Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: (Psa 148:8)

The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. (Psa 18:13)

This will be the eleventh hour in the history of the world when the warning to come out of Babylon will be given when many will come from the gross darkness and accept the truth of God’s word, a time when the wheat of the earth will be harvested, when a nation shall be born in one day as is indicated by Isaiah (notice the reference to fire and also in Isa 66:14-16).

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil… For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. (Isa 9:2 – 5)

In the second trumpet, a burning mountain is cast into the sea. This is literally a volcanic explosion like that of Krakatoa in the last centry. A super volcano explosion would devastate a large part of the world and have after effects lasting for years. This may also entail a huge naval battle as we note that Babylon is called a destroying mountain.

And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD. Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD. Jer 51:24 – 25

The third trumpet is the great burning star that falls onto the rivers. This may well be a meteor that falls causing much devastation and pointing people to the truth of the Word of God. The only major asteroid impact on the Earth recorded in modern history occurred on the morning of 30 June 1908, when witnesses observed a huge fireball almost as bright as the Sun plunging across the Siberian sky, terminating in a huge explosion that registered on seismic stations all across Eurasia… Locals reported the blast, of huge stretches of forest being flattened, of people being blown over by the shock.

The fourth trumpet is the darkening of the sun, moon and stars. We note that Jesus mentioned that the darkening of the sun and the moon was a sign of His soon return, and would occur immediately after a great persecution, and presumably at the time of the Loud Cry of the angel in Rev 18.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Mat 24:29)

We believe these signs in the heavens and many other signs will be repeated just before the general close of probation. We find a very interesting warning from Solomon clearly stating that probation will be closed for God’s people when the sun, moon and stars are darkened.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: (Ecc 12:1 – 2)

The prophet Joel confirms that the seven trumpets is the time of the earth’s final harvest. This is the time in the seven voices when the angels are gathering the grapes for destruction.

Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. (Joe 3:13 – 15)

Next the fifth trumpet will sound and another star falls from heaven that has the key to the bottomless pit. We wonder if this is a reference to the coming of Lucifer as a false Christ as the name Lucifer means “morning star.” His coming claiming to be Christ at this time to deceive the nations would be opportunistic as the people of the world would have taken note of the fulfilment of God’s word in the signs in the sun and moon and stars.

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. 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. (Rev 12:12)

We can not say what the smoke from the bottomless pit may represent in this case, but considering the enormous amount of genetic engineering of crops and animals that has taken place in the last decade it is not unreasonable to believe that this may lead through some accident to a plague of genetically altered locust like organisms.

We noticed previously that when the sixth trumpet sounds the saints are sealed and the angels holding back the four winds are loosed. This sealing is that of “the people” in the world that accept the truth at the eleventh hour, the sealing of the “house of God” previously having been completed at the time of the setting up of the image of the beast. After the sealing is over the nations will fight the literal battle of Armageddon. As the hordes from the Euphrates were let loose to scourge and punish apostate Christendom now these horsemen attack Europe, the seat of the beast.

Finally amidst war and bloodshed the seventh trumpet will sound, declaring the close of probation for the entire world. God will now come forth to punish the inhabitants of the earth that have persecuted and slain his saints with the seven last plagues. The Lord will be the refuge of His people in that day of trouble:

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. (Isa 26:20 – 21)

Click here to read how the seven trumpets are also being fulfilled during 20th Century.

Click here to read how the seven trumpets were fulfilled during the Chrisitan era.

Click here to read how the seven trumpets were fulfilled during the Jewish  era.