Friday Morning Manna February 22, 2019
Nathaniel Fajardo email:[email protected]
From the Seventh Trumpet to the Last Trumpet
“The second woe is past. Behold the third woe cometh quickly.” Revelation 11: 14.
“Behold, I come quickly.” Revelation 22: 12.
Clarifications need to be made quickly regarding quickly as used in the above verses. Some make the same application of the first with Christ’s last recorded promise, “Behold, I come quickly,” suggesting that the former means a longer lapse of time rather than commencing immediately. John penned these words, they say, in A.D. 70, and today, two thousand years after, Christ has not yet come. That is not quite quick, or so it seems.
This has led to truth being forced out of form, as always happens when the rules of prophetic interpretation, as part of the whole discipline on how to study the Bible, are bypassed for whatever reason (which never fits the bill as an excuse), including religious zeal.
Zeal that is not based on knowledge (Rom. 10: 1,2) is illusionary. Left unchecked, quickly brings self-deception, fanaticism, irrational and then destructive behavior. It’s an extremely slippery slope. Ask Martin Luther what happened when the Munzer movement mysteriously appeared during his watch. He could not make out what it was initially, and even thought it might be an ally to his work. But rather quickly, this movement revealed its true corrupting and corrosive nature, turning out to be the foe of the Protestant Reformation on one flank, and within it. The more obvious one, of course, was the Papacy on the other flank. That’s plain church history.
Munzer and his followers discarded the Bible, saying they were “led of the Spirit.” When the tree of this fanatical movement bore its toxic fruits, the papal church then found occasion to ascribe the extremism and violence of this false movement to Dr. Luther and the Protestant Reformation. Sadly, like today, people believed the lie. By misapplication a new narrative was created, enabling the recasting of the noble Protestant Reformation into an ignoble Revolutionary movement allegedly against “duly constituted church authority.” The rest is history. Today, there is ten times greater urgency in discerning which “church” does what, according to prophecy, lest we become victimized by any such distortions of facts and untruths.
Another downstream product of misapplying “quickly,” is this: Christ must have already come but the reason why He is coming “quickly” clearly stipulated in the same verses of Revelation 2: 12, 14, is strangely, not invoked, which says: “For My reward is with Me, to give every one according to his work . . . Blessed are those who do (keep) His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and who ever loves and practices a lie.” (So descriptive of our days but ten times greater!)
Because of momentum, such incomplete and broken narratives quickly lead to slipping out of protective hedges of the defining context. Thus, it is concluded, Christ should have already come somehow.But How? “in the spirit form” or “invisibly” and in whatever time that seemingly fits into this new jigsaw puzzle narrative—or even what frames it. Falling domino-like, one error leads to another. God may no longer “wink at” such errors of ignorance now. See on Acts 17: 30, 31. Note the following:
“Those who are striving to be overcomers will be pursued by the temptations of the enemy [of all truth]. Satan will tempt them to corrupt the principles which all must maintain who would reach the high standard that God has set before them. Satan rejoices when he can lead souls to follow mistaken ideas, until their names are blotted out from the book life and recorded among the names of the unjust. We can overcome only in the way that Christ overcame—by wholehearted obedience to every commandment of God. True religion is obedience to all the commandments of God.” E. G. White,Letter 92, Nov. 9, 1911.
That being addressed, we now turn to what the Bible scholar Uriah Smith points out, which was already a matter of history at his time, regarding how quickly the seventh and third woe trumpet followedthe sixth and second woe trumpet. The third woe did not immediately follow the second, but came quickly—that is, about four years after. Once again, Rev. 10: 7; 11: 15 tell us that the finishing of the work, or the third angel’s message, would be finished under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, beginning in 1844.
“The series of seven trumpets is here again resumed. The second woe ended with the sixth trumpet, Aug. 11, 1840 [collapse of the Ottoman empire], and the third woe occurs under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which began in 1844. Then, where are we? ‘Behold!’ that is to say, mark it well, ‘the third woe cometh quickly.’ The fearful scenes of the second woe [including the French Revolution, 1793-1797, and on to the collapse of the Ottoman empire] are past, and we are now under the sounding of the trumpet that brings the third and last woe.”
“Shall we now look for peace and safety, a temporal millennium, a thousand years of righteousness and prosperity on earth [taught by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other churches who have embraced the “Rapture” doctrine in lieu of the Biblical Advent doctrine]? Rather, let us earnestly pray the Lord to awaken a slumbering world!”- Daniel and the Revelation, p. 542.
“And the seventh angel sounded: and there were great (loud) voices (heard) in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.” Rev.11: 15. (be sure to read verses 16, 17).
“From the fifteenth verse to the end of the chapter, we seem to be carried over the ground three distinct times from the sounding of the seventh angel to the end. In the verses here quoted, the prophet glances forward to the full establishment of the kingdom of God [Daniel was shown a majestic metallic image of a man representing the only four kingdom-empires of man that God would allow to rule the earth, shattered into pieces by ‘a stone not cut by man’s hands” and ‘covered the whole earth ’—Christ’s eternal kingdom. Dan. 2). Although the seventh trumpet has begun to sound [since October 1844], it may not yet be a fact that the great voices in heaven have proclaimed that the kingdoms of this world.”-Ibid, p. 543.
While still living and dwelling on this dark side of the bright resurrection morning, certain Bible verses never become completely forgotten, even if they may be temporarily crowded out by the business of living—an activity and condition described by one as “busybodies doing busy nothings,” especially by those pre-occupied only with temporal things, not eternal values.
Such verses resurrect to life when death strikes. The following Scriptures are perfect examples of these that deal with the “finishing of God’s mystery” in the seventh trumpet and, the “last trumpet.” One of these profound mysteries was revealed to: Paul, most likely when he was “taken up in vision to the third heavens, Paradise itself, and heard words that were unlawful to utter.” (2 Cor. 12: 1-5); and then to John, as the third angel’s message of Revelation. The remnant people of this final generation are the ones privileged to receive the greatest enlightenment of this mystery—in contrast to the widely-accepted doctrines of soul immortality, the state of the dead, and the manner of resurrection. Observe:
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Cor. 15: 51, 52, N.K.J.V.
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4: 16-18, N.K.J.V.
As seven angels are given charge of the seven last plagues in the “great day of His wrath and that of the Lamb” (Rev. 6: 16; Rev. 14: 9-11) to pour out unmingled with mercy” upon the wicked ones aliveat that time–the seven trumpets are assigned to seven angels as well. The trumpets occur before the plagues.
But by the very nature of things divine, the “last trump” is the Archangel’s trumpet of Him who is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. This is the same trumpet of trumpets heralding His glorious descent from heaven with a shout. Jesus himself said: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with the sound of a loud trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt. 30, 31.
Gabriel is the angel of prophecy but not and never can be the Archangel, or Michael. Jesus bears these descriptive titles and positions, first in consistently keeping with the prophetic narrative of the blowing of the trumpets, and as the Head and Chief of the angels He Himself created to be “ministering spirits”- not flesh and blood. (Heb. 1: 14). As Michael, meaning “who is like God,” He is the Chief Prince (as in Prince of peace, Prince Immanuel, etc.) who stands against the forces (Dan. 10: 21), disputed with Satan over the body of Moses (Jude 9); fought against the dragon, Satan, the serpent and Devil with his angels, in heaven (Rev. 12: 7-9). As Lord of hosts, His title is Lord of the Sabaoth (not Sabbath) Rom. 9: 29; cf. Isa. 1: 9; James 5: 4.
As regards the everlasting covenant, Jesus is the Angel (or Messenger) of the covenant who appeared to Moses in the burning bush; was in the pillar of cloud covering Israel throughout their 40-year pilgrimage; the One who talked to Gideon and wrestled with Jacob at Jabbok.
God’s Everlasting Love Will Never Clear the Guilty: Its Against His Character
Satan hasso successfullymaligned and mischaracterized God for at least six thousand years now so that man either worship Him in fear and trepidation, rather than willingly and in love and adoration because He has been made to appear dictatorial, vindictive, whimsical and judgmental on one extreme. On the other extreme He is made out to be so unconditionallyall-loving and forgiving that no one will be lost; all will eventually be saved regardless of whether they obey or disobey. The standard by which God is measured in these two extremes are by fallen man’s “wisdom which is foolishness to God”—and is really Satan’s brainchild.
Moses declared this crystal-clear truth to Israel, and so did the prophet Nahum to the Ninevites, saying of Him: “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.” Exo. 34: 7, K.J.V. Nahum 1: 3 is cited in the following quote from Ellen G. White:
“There will soon be a sudden change in God’s dealings. The world in its perversity is being visited by casualties,– by floods, storms, fires, earthquakes, famines, wars, and bloodshed. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked. ‘The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.’ [Nahum 1: 3]. O that men mightunderstand the patience and long-suffering of God! He is putting under restraint His own attributes. His omnipotent power is under the control of Omnipotence.
O that men would understand that God refuses to be wearied out with the world’s perversity, and still holds out the hope of forgiveness even to the most undeserving! But His forbearance will not always continue. [see on Gen. 6: 3-7]. Who is prepared for the sudden change that will take place with God’s dealing with [obstinately unrepentant] sinful men? Who will be prepared to escape the punishment that will certainly fall upon transgressors?
We have not a temporal millennium in which to do the work of warning the world. There is need of transformation of soul. The most effective intelligence that can be obtained will be obtained in the school of Christ [still open for enrollment but will soon close!].”
God has given to men a declaration of His character, and of His method of dealing with sin. . . . The power and authority of the divine government will be employed to put down rebellion; yet all the manifestations of retributive justice will be perfectly consistent with the character of God as a merciful, long-suffering, benevolent Being.” – With God at Dawn, p. 44.
(To be continued next week)