Participants:
Series Code: RST
Program Code: RST000001S
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00:02 [intense music]
00:14 - Well, good morning, students! So happy to 00:17 see you here at Anchor 2020. During this class, we are 00:23 going to study one of the most difficult sections 00:26 of the book of Revelation. We're gonna take a look 00:29 at the seven trumpets. Now, the class, of course, 00:33 begins on Monday, and it ends next Sabbath. We 00:38 study four hours a day, and on Friday we have 00:42 five hours. So, it's gonna be very intensive, 00:45 but we're gonna have a wonderful time together. 00:48 I'd like to mention that we have 40 students in 00:50 our class, and they come from 10 different states 00:54 and three different countries. We're so glad that you've 00:58 come to Anchor this year. Now, before we get into 01:01 our study, we want to take a look at the table 01:04 of contents. You have in your hands the study 01:09 notes for this class. There's close to 400 01:11 pages of material that we're gonna take a look 01:14 at in the course of this class. There's also an 01:18 additional material: it's an article that 01:20 appeared in Ministry Magazine for January 2012, 01:24 an article written by Angel Manuel RodrÃguez. 01:27 The title is, "Issues in the Interpretation of 01:30 the Seven Trumpets of Revelation". Basically, 01:34 in this article, Angel Manuel presents nine views of the 01:39 seven trumpets within the Seventh-day Adventist 01:42 Church. We did not receive permission to include it 01:45 in the manual, in the study notes, but you 01:50 can read it. We copied it off so that you would 01:52 have a copy and would be able to read it. So, 01:54 let's take a look at where we're going in this particular 01:57 class. The table of contents is on page 2- actually, 02:03 page 1 of your study notes. So, let's take a 02:07 look at where we're going to go in this class. You'll 02:11 notice, first of all, that we're gonna deal 02:13 with some introductory matters-different views 02:16 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and in the Christian 02:20 world on the seven trumpets. What principles do they use 02:25 for interpreting the trumpets? Then you'll 02:27 notice that we're gonna take a look at the first 02:29 trumpet, and then the second trumpet, the 02:32 third trumpet, the fourth trumpet, the fifth trumpet, 02:36 and then you'll notice that under chapter #6, 02:40 the fifth trumpet, you have a chart that explains 02:44 Revelation 12 through 22. I'm not sure that we're 02:47 going to be able to cover the chart, but it's there 02:50 on page 146. You'll be able to take a look at 02:54 it, study it; it's gonna take you a while to 02:56 negotiate the chart. And then you'll notice 03:00 in chapter 7, we have an interlude in Revelation 03:04 chapter 11. That interlude covers two particular 03:09 periods of history. The first period in the interlude 03:13 of Revelation 11 deals with the 1,260 years 03:17 of papal dominance-the 1,260 years in which the papacy, 03:24 the little horn, the beast of Revelation chapter 13, 03:26 ruled primarily over Europe. And then the 03:30 second event that we find in this interlude 03:33 is a depiction or description of the French Revolution. 03:37 So, Revelation chapter 11 is actually an interlude 03:42 that actually amplifies the fourth trumpet and 03:46 the fifth trumpet. So, remember that. The interlude 03:49 in Revelation 11 is an amplification of the 03:53 fourth trumpet, which would be the 1,260 years, 03:56 and the fifth trumpet, which is a description 03:59 of the French Revolution. Then you'll notice another 04:03 chapter-this is chapter 8- Matthew, Luke, and the 04:08 times of the Gentiles. This is a chapter that 04:11 deals with the times of the Gentiles spoken 04:14 of in Revelation 11 and also in Matthew chapter 24 04:18 and Luke chapter 21. So, we're gonna take 04:22 a look at that. And then you'll notice from chapter 04:25 9 through chapter 12, we're going to deal with 04:30 the little book of Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4, 04:36 which is amplified in Revelation chapter 10. You'll notice 04:40 that chapter 9 is titled, "The Little Sealed Book". 04:44 We're gonna see what the contents of The Little 04:47 Sealed Book of Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4 04:50 include. Then, we're gonna take a look at 04:52 the mighty angel from heaven. This is a study 04:55 of the second interlude that we find after the 04:59 fifth trumpet, and this interlude deals with the 05:02 little book that was opened in Revelation 05:05 chapter 10. Then, we're gonna take a look at 05:08 what it means to measure the temple of God. That is 05:11 in Revelation chapter 11 and verse 1, which 05:14 really belongs with chapter 10-and we'll be studying 05:18 that particular point. Then, we have Daniel 05:21 10 and the little book. We probably are not 05:24 going to be able to study this chapter 05:26 because we don't have enough time to cover 05:29 everything in the study notes, but in Daniel chapter 05:33 10 and the little book, I hope that you'll read 05:35 that chapter. It's about 20 pages long; it has a 05:38 lot of very important material. Then you'll 05:41 notice the next chapter that we're gonna study 05:44 is chapter 13. We're gonna deal with the sixth 05:46 trumpet. It's gonna take us quite a while to study 05:49 the sixth trumpet; there's a lot of material there. 05:52 And then, we will study the seventh trumpet. 05:55 You'll notice also from chapters 15 to 18 that 05:59 there are some additional points. You'll notice in 06:01 chapter 15, the title is, "The Marriage Supper and 06:06 Possessing the Kingdom. We're gonna take a look 06:09 at wedding customs in Scripture and in antiquity, 06:13 and we're gonna see that the marriage of Jesus is 06:16 the same as Jesus taking over the kingdom. And then, 06:21 you'll notice the next chapter deals with examining 06:24 the subjects of the kingdom. It has to do with the 06:27 investigative judgment. Then, you have matters 06:29 relating to literary structure. This is a 06:33 detailed look at how Revelation chapter 8, 06:37 9, 10, and 11 and 12 are organized. Then, 06:42 you have chapter 18, views and issues in the 06:46 study of the trumpets, and you have there included 06:49 the prophecy of Josiah Litch, and also the seven 06:54 trumpets in Adventism. And then you have, after 06:58 that, the contact information. So, let's go, now, to page 07:03 3 and take a look at the schools of study 07:07 on the trumpets. There are four of them: the preterist, 07:09 the futurist, the dual fulfillment view, and 07:13 the historicist view. This is not only views 07:16 of Adventists, but also views of non-Adventists. 07:20 The first view that you'll notice here is the preterist 07:25 view. I'm just gonna read from the manual: 07:28 "The trumpets depict events relating to the 07:32 Roman empire and the Jewish nation in the first 07:35 centuries of the Christian era. Thus, the trumpets are 07:39 simple history. And therefore, they are of historical 07:43 interest, but they have no relevance for the 07:46 church today." So basically, the preterist view is that 07:49 the trumpets were fulfilled in the ancient Roman empire 07:53 and they were fulfilled with the literal Jewish 07:55 nation in the first years of the history of the 07:59 Christian church. So, if that's the case, then 08:03 they're of interest for historical study, but they 08:06 have absolutely no relevance for the church today because 08:10 they're already passed; they don't depict events 08:13 that are gonna take place in the future. So, let's 08:17 take a look, now, at another view that is 08:21 presented in the world today-that is the futurist 08:25 view which basically... This is a view that teaches 08:30 that the seven trumpets describe events that will 08:34 afflict humanity after the rapture of the church. 08:39 Now, this is primarily a view outside the Seventh-day 08:42 Adventist Church. I don't know anyone in the 08:43 Adventist Church that teaches that the trumpets 08:46 fall after the rapture of the church; I don't 08:50 know of any Adventist who believes in the secret 08:52 rapture. So basically, these trumpets are describing 08:56 events that are gonna take place after the church 08:58 is raptured to heaven- terrible judgments that 09:01 God is going to afflict humanity with. Which 09:04 means that the seven trumpets have no relevance 09:06 for the church, because the church is gonna be 09:09 gone! So, if the church is gonna be gone in the 09:11 rapture, why should we even study the trumpets? 09:14 They don't have any relevance for us. Then, 09:17 we have another view, which is the dual fulfillment 09:20 view, and you have some Adventists in this camp. 09:23 Basically, this is the idea that the trumpets 09:26 have a dual fulfillment. Yes, you can apply 09:30 historicism and say that they had a fulfillment 09:33 in the past, but they will have another literal 09:38 fulfillment in the future. Some Adventists say that 09:43 the future fulfillment of the trumpets is gonna 09:47 take place before the close of probation. 09:49 Other Adventists say that the seven trumpets 09:51 take place after the close of probation in the 09:55 future. And then you have, finally, on page 09:59 4 the view that I believe is the correct one: the 10:03 historicist interpretation of the trumpets. Basically, 10:07 what this view teaches is that the introductory 10:12 vision to the trumpets describes the starting 10:15 and ending points of the entire series. The 10:20 starting point, we're going to notice, is the 10:23 Day of Pentecost-when Jesus began His intercessory 10:27 ministry at the golden altar in the holy place 10:31 of the heavenly sanctuary upon His ascension. 10:34 Then, the series will end when Jesus throws 10:38 down the censer and He ceases to intercede for 10:43 humanity, and He takes over the kingdoms of the 10:46 world. So, another is the introductory vision 10:49 has the starting point and the ending point of 10:52 the seven trumpets. It summarizes the two points, 10:56 and the trumpets are the events in between the 10:59 introductory part, which is the intercession of Jesus, 11:04 and when Jesus takes over the kingdoms of the world. 11:08 So, for historicists, strict historicists, the 11:13 trumpets do not have two applications. The trumpets 11:17 have one application beginning in apostolic 11:20 times and ending when Jesus takes over the kingdoms 11:24 of the world. Now, let's go to the subtitle, 11:29 "Historicist Principles". Of all of the passages 11:33 in the book of Revelation, the seven trumpet series 11:36 is the most difficult to understand. I must 11:41 make an admission that for years, I shied away 11:44 from teaching about the seven trumpets, because 11:48 I looked at the seven trumpets through the 11:50 prism of Uriah Smith's interpretation of the 11:54 trumpets. And to be honest with you, it made little 11:57 sense to me. In fact, I well remember that 12:00 many times, I taught Revelation seminars, 12:03 the seminars Unlimited Revelation Seminar. 12:07 It's lesson 23, and the title of lesson 23 is, 12:10 "Trumpet's Herald; Rome's Collapse". I always skipped 12:14 that lesson. I went from lesson 22 to lesson 24, 12:18 because it was so long, and it just... All of the 12:23 interpretation of the symbolism just made 12:25 absolutely no sense. Then, a few years ago... 12:29 Actually, many years ago, while I was serving as 12:33 pastor of Fresno Central Church, I decided that we 12:36 would study the book of Revelation in chronological 12:38 order. Of course, that obligated me to sit down 12:42 and study the trumpets. Because if you're gonna 12:44 study Revelation, you can't say, "Okay, we're 12:46 gonna skip the trumpets, folks." So, I was forced 12:48 to sit down and study for myself the seven 12:52 trumpets, applying the same principles that we 12:56 apply to every other section of the book of 12:58 Revelation. The study notes that you have are the result 13:02 of my personal study of the text of Scripture - not going 13:06 to Uriah Smith or going to futurist authors or 13:10 going to other individuals who have written about 13:12 the trumpets, but actually going to the book of Revelation 13:15 itself with a lexicon, with a concordance, 13:18 and studying the trumpets for myself. I think that 13:21 everything is gonna make sense as we move along. 13:25 Now, we need to have certain interpretative 13:28 principles in order to understand the trumpets, 13:31 as well as other sections of the book of Revelation. 13:34 First of all, when the book of Revelation does 13:37 not interpret a symbol, we must go to other 13:41 places in Scripture to discover the correct 13:44 interpretation of that symbol. Is that point 13:47 clear? Secondly-and this is probably the most 13:51 important principle of all-we must carefully 13:54 consider the order of events or the literary 13:58 structure of the book of Revelation. The book 14:02 of Revelation is an intricately- woven document, with flashbacks, 14:08 foretastes, repetition, and expansion. We must 14:14 remember that God did not reveal the book of 14:16 Revelation in strict chronological order. 14:20 The visions of Revelation run in cycles, just like 14:23 the book of Daniel has four cycles: Daniel 2, 14:27 Daniel 7, Daniel 8 and 9, and Daniel 10 through 11. 14:33 In other words, the book of Revelation, you can't 14:35 say, "Well, I wanna know what's gonna happen in 14:36 the future!" so you start in Revelation 1 verse 1, 14:39 and you go to Revelation chapter 22, the last verse, 14:42 and you say, "Okay, now I know the chronological 14:44 sequence of events." No. The book of Revelation 14:46 has a very tricky structure. You know, I can give you 14:51 an example at the top of page 5 in your study 14:54 notes. There are three passages on the 144,000 14:58 in the book of Revelation. You have, first of all, 15:01 in Revelation 7:1-8, the sealing of the 144,000. 15:06 Each section has a different emphasis. So, in Revelation 15:10 7:1-8, you have the sealing of the 144,000. Then, you 15:14 go to chapter 14, many chapters in between, 15:17 and you have the character of the 144,000. And then, 15:22 in chapter 15 verses 2 through 4, you have 15:26 the victory of the 144,000 over the beast, his image, 15:29 his mark, and the number of his name. Now, obviously, 15:33 this is not in chronological order. You simply have 15:37 three different passages that emphasis different 15:41 aspects about the 144,000. The third principle that we 15:46 need to take a look at is the introductory scenes 15:50 of each series contain the beginning and ending 15:54 points of the entire series. This is what I 15:58 mentioned at the very beginning. So, in other 16:00 words, the introductory verses to the series of 16:03 the churches, to the series of the seals, 16:05 to the series of the trumpets, contains the 16:08 starting point of the entire series and the 16:11 ending point of the entire series. Are you understanding 16:14 the point that I'm making? You know, I have here 16:18 several points that illustrate this principle. In Revelation 16:23 chapter 1 verses 1-7, you have the two points 16:26 of time to the churches. Let's go there for a 16:29 moment-Revelation chapter 1 and verses 1-7, and 16:35 you'll see that you have the beginning point, and you 16:37 also have the ending point. Revelation chapter 16:39 1 and verse 1. Actually, let's go to verse 4, 16:45 because of the brevity of the time. It says 16:48 in verse 4... "John, to the seven churches which are 16:51 in Asia"... So, would that be the beginning point? 16:55 He's writing to the seven churches in Asia. But 16:58 now notice verse 7-and we can't look at all of 17:00 the details in between. Verse 7 says... 17:14 Let me ask you: is verse 7 in chronological order 17:16 to what we find before and after? No, because 17:20 afterwards, it goes back to speak about the churches! 17:24 So, you have in this introductory part of the 17:27 seven churches, you have the beginning point, which 17:30 is John writing to the seven churches, and the 17:33 ending point, Jesus coming in the clouds. That point clear? 17:37 Now, let's notice, also, Revelation 3 verse 21. 17:40 This is the conclusion of the churches' series 17:43 and the introduction to the seals: Revelation chapter 17:46 3 and verse 21. "To him who overcomes, I will grant to 17:52 sit with Me on My throne"- that's future, right? 17:57 Jesus says, "...I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, 18:00 as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne." 18:06 And then you have, after this, the seven seals. 18:09 So, what is the starting point for the seven 18:11 seals? When Jesus sits with His Father, what? 18:15 On His throne! At His ascension. Where do 18:17 the seals end? When we sit with Jesus on the throne! 18:21 Are you with me or not? So, the introductory verse 18:24 gives you the beginning and the ending point. 18:28 The same is true with Revelation chapter 8, 18:32 the series on the trumpets. You have-let's go there 18:35 to Revelation chapter 8- the introduction to the 18:38 series of the trumpets- Revelation chapter 8- 18:41 and let's notice beginning with verse 2, because 18:45 verse 1 is the conclusion to the series of the seals. 18:49 It says that... 19:12 When did that work of mingling the incense 19:16 with the prayers of God's people begin? When did 19:18 that process begin? On the Day of Pentecost! 19:22 When Jesus began His work of intercession in 19:25 the holy place, right? But now notice there's 19:28 a change in scene. Verse 5. In verse 5, it says, 19:33 "Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the 19:38 altar"-we're gonna come back to this in Revelation 19:42 chapter 14-"...from the altar"-and what does 19:45 he do with the censer, now? No longer is he 19:49 interceding with the censer; what is he doing? 19:51 He throws it to the earth. "And there were noises, 19:55 thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake." That 19:59 represents the end of intercession. We will 20:02 study that a little bit later on in the series 20:04 when we deal with Ezekiel chapter 10 where it speaks 20:07 about taking the censer and throwing it in Jerusalem! 20:10 That means Jerusalem is now gonna be punished. 20:14 Are you understanding this point? Critically 20:17 important to understand that the introductory 20:19 vision gives you the beginning and ending 20:22 point of the series. And then, if you continue 20:26 here on page 5, Revelation 11 verses 15-19 contains 20:33 the conclusion to the trumpets, a summary 20:36 of the rest of the book, and the introduction to 20:40 the next section. [chuckles] You see, now, how is that? 20:44 Well, let's go to Revelation chapter 11, Revelation 20:48 chapter 11, and let's read verses 15 through 20:52 17. This is the seventh angel who blows the 20:55 seventh trumpet. 21:27 That's where the seventh trumpet ends! Note that there's 21:31 a series of the trumpets- ends there at verse 17. 21:37 Now, you say, "What about verse 18?" Some people 21:39 make the mistake of thinking that Revelation chapter 11 21:44 verse 18 follows what is in the previous verse. 21:50 That's not the case. What happens is, 21:53 Revelation 18, now, is gonna give you the 21:55 summary of the rest of the book. You say, "How 21:58 do you know that?" Well, let's read this interesting 22:00 statement from Ellen White. See, the little 22:03 lady understood this. How did she understand 22:06 all of these little intricate details? 22:08 Lucky guess, right? No! She was inspired, folks! 22:13 That's how she knows! We're gonna see detail 22:14 after detail in the trumpets where Ellen White is 22:17 right on target in her interpretation. Let's 22:22 read this statement that we find in the book, 22:24 Early Writings, pg. 36. You're gonna see that 22:27 this takes you back. "Then I saw that Jesus 22:30 would not lead the most holy place until every 22:33 case was decided, either for salvation or destruction, 22:37 and that the wrath of God would not come"... What 22:41 is the wrath of God coming? It's the seven plagues, 22:43 right? "...that the wrath of God would not come 22:46 until Jesus had"-what?- "finished His work in the 22:49 most holy place, laid off His priestly attire and 22:53 clothed Himself with the garments of vengeance." 22:56 That's the close of probation, isn't it? 22:58 "Then," it says, "Then, Jesus will step out from 23:02 between the Father and man, and God will keep 23:06 silence no longer but pour out His wrath on 23:10 those who have rejected His truth." That is after 23:14 the close of probation- the pouring out of the 23:16 seven last plagues. But then, notice what 23:18 Ellen White says. "I saw that the anger of 23:22 the nations, the wrath of God, and the time to 23:28 judge the dead were"- what?-"separate and 23:32 distinct, one following the other." Are you 23:37 catching the picture? "Also that Michael had 23:40 not stood up and that the time of trouble such 23:42 as never was had not yet commenced." The 23:45 nations are NOW getting angry! Let me ask you: 23:49 is that taking place before or after the 23:53 close of probation? Before! Isn't it? Now, where do 23:58 you find that expression, "Nations getting angry"? 24:01 In verse 18, right? So, she says, "The nations 24:05 are now getting angry"... And by the way, when it 24:09 the nations are getting angry, she's not describing 24:11 just the nations are angry at each other. 24:14 The nations are getting angry - ultimately, they'll 24:16 be angry against God's people. And, by the way, 24:20 this phrase, "The nations are getting angry," is 24:23 described in Revelation chapter 12 through chapter 24:27 14. That's where that anger of the nations is 24:31 described. Then, she continues, "The nations 24:34 are now getting angry, but when our High Priest 24:36 has finished His work in the sanctuary, He will 24:38 stand up, put on the garments of vengeance, 24:41 and then the seven last plagues will be poured out." 24:46 So, notice the summary of the five chronological states, 24:52 five chronological sections, of Revelation 24:56 11 verse 18. The nations are getting angry. That 25:00 is described in Revelation 12 through 14. There, you'll 25:05 find a description of the powers of the earth 25:07 angry at God's people, wanting to destroy God's 25:09 people. Revelation 15 through 19 describes the 25:13 close of probation and the seven last plagues. 25:16 That summarizes what phrase? "Your wrath has 25:20 come." Then, it says, "The next event is the 25:24 time to judge the dead." Which dead? The righteous? 25:29 No! Who is judged after the plagues are poured out? 25:35 When Jesus comes. This is describing the millennium! 25:38 Chapter 20. And then, it says, "Time to reward 25:42 your saints." So, when Jesus comes, is He gonna 25:45 reward His saints? Yes. Is He gonna begin to 25:47 judge the wicked? Yes. And then, you have the 25:51 final, which is to destroy those who destroy the 25:53 earth. When are those going to be destroyed 25:55 to destroy the earth? After the millennium. 25:59 Are you with me? So, verse 18 gives you 26:02 the introduction to the rest of the book. And 26:05 then, Revelation 11 verse 19-we're on page 6- 26:10 Revelation 11:19 is the introduction to the next 26:14 section of Revelation, to Revelation 12 through 26:17 14! Are you following me or not? So, Revelation 26:22 11:19 - Ellen White always applies that 26:25 verse to the beginning of the work of Jesus in 26:29 the most holy place in 1844. Now, wait a minute, 26:32 if you take Revelation in chronological order, 26:35 then you would have to say that the opening of 26:40 the temple in heaven and the Ark of His Testament (Testimony?) 26:44 is seen, you would have to say, "That's after the 26:45 second coming of Jesus!" But what is Revelation 11:19 26:50 doing? God is taking you back to the section that 26:55 deals with the anger of the nations! Are 26:57 you with me or not? I wish we had more time 27:01 to fine-tune all of this. But that's why you have 27:05 the study time in the afternoon! Go back; 27:07 reflect on it, think on the basis of what 27:10 we are talking about. Now, let's go to our 27:13 next section: "Serious Questions on Hermeneutical 27:16 Consistency." 'Hermeneutical' means "principles of 27:19 interpretation". Interpreters of the book of Revelation, 27:23 I found in my studies, are frequently inconsistent 27:27 in the way in which they interpret the book. For 27:30 example, the historicist's method teaches that the 27:34 churches and the seals begin when? In apostolic 27:39 times! Emphasis is the Apostolic Church, right? 27:43 And in the seals, we teach the white horse 27:45 is the church that goes out, conquering at the 27:47 conquer of the Apostolic Church. So, the series 27:50 begins in apostolic times, and ends when? When 27:54 Christ sets up His everlasting kingdom! 27:57 This being the case, why does Uriah Smith 28:01 and other interpreters say that the trumpets 28:04 begin in the fourth century with the 28:06 barbarian invasions? Are you catching my point? 28:10 Secondly, some Adventist interpreters believe that 28:14 there is a dual fulfillment of the trumpets. One, 28:17 past, and the other, future. However, is 28:21 there such a thing as dual fulfillments in chain 28:24 prophecies? Are there two fulfillments to the 28:28 churches? No. Are there two fulfillments to the 28:31 seals? No. Are there two fulfillments in 28:34 Daniel 2, and Daniel 7, and Daniel 8 and 9, 28:38 and Daniel 11? No! In chain prophecies, 28:42 you have how many fulfillments? You have 28:44 one fulfillment in chain prophecies. Another 28:49 question: were the barbarian invasions of such historical 28:54 importance that you needed four trumpets to describe 28:58 the barbarian invasions? That's what Uriah Smith 29:01 says! Furthermore, those who interpret the trumpets 29:06 as a depiction of the barbarian invasions 29:09 and the growth of Islam and Turkey are, many times, 29:13 inconsistent in the manner in which they interpret the 29:16 symbols. Sometimes, they take the language literally, 29:20 and other times, they apply the language symbolically. 29:25 There is an inconsistency in the method of interpreting 29:29 the symbols. Finally, at the top of page 7, 29:34 for those who see the rise and fall of Islam 29:37 and the role of Turkey in the trumpets, one 29:41 must ask, "Where in other prophetic lines of prophecy 29:45 do you find a mention of Turkey or the Muslims?" 29:51 Are they in Daniel 2? Are the Muslims and 29:54 Turkey in Daniel 2? No. Are they in Daniel 7? 29:59 No. Are they in Daniel 8 and 9? No. Are they in 30:03 the series on the churches? No. Are they in the series 30:06 on the seals? No. Are they in Daniel 11 and 12? 30:11 No. Are they in Revelation 12? No. Are they in Revelation 30:15 13? No! So, to insert the Muslims and Turkey 30:21 into the trumpets simply is a reflection of a view 30:26 that was held by Uriah Smith who introduced 30:29 this view into the Adventist Church. And by the way, 30:31 I'm not demeaning the work of Uriah Smith. 30:36 You can read his commentary. His commentary is on Daniel 30:39 and Revelation are very good! But he did not have 30:43 all the light on the trumpets; he did not have all the light 30:45 particularly on the Battle of Armageddon. He believed 30:48 that the King of the North is Turkey and the drying 30:51 up of Euphrates was literal! I think he was wrong 30:56 in his interpretation of Daniel 11 and Revelation 30:59 chapter 16! That doesn't mean that everything 31:02 that he wrote is not trustworthy. Ellen White 31:06 recommended that his books be read. So, I'm 31:09 just mentioning that the difficulties that we 31:12 have with his particular interpretation of the 31:15 trumpets. Now, we're on page 7: "Introduction 31:19 to the Trumpets." We begin by asking the very 31:23 important question: are we to understand 31:26 the trumpets from a futurist or from a 31:29 historicist perspective? Seventh-day Adventist 31:33 theology has traditionally interpreted the churches, 31:37 the seals, and the trumpets from a historicist perspective. 31:44 However, in recent times, there has been a tendency 31:47 among some Seventh-day Adventist interpreters 31:50 to interpret the trumpets from a futurist perspective. 31:54 And probably, the person who has popularized this 31:58 the most is Marvin Moore who, for many years- 32:01 I don't know if he still presently is, but- 32:03 was editor of Signs of the Times. As we regard the 32:07 trumpets, as I was mentioning at the beginning-this morning- 32:10 there are two futurist schools of thought in 32:14 the Seventh-day Adventist Church today. One school 32:17 sees the fulfillment of the trumpets in 32:19 post-probationary time- that is after the close 32:23 of probation. The other school sees their fulfillment 32:26 as future, from our time, but occurring during probationary 32:30 time-before the close of probation. Marvin 32:34 Moore belongs to this second group that believes 32:37 that the trumpets will be fulfilled shortly before 32:40 the close of probation. I believe that the futurist 32:43 school commits two mistakes in their interpretation 32:47 of the trumpets. First, they often literalize 32:52 the symbolic language. They speak about 32:54 meteorites falling from heaven literally, and 32:59 asteroids falling upon the earth. But when 33:03 the Bible speaks about the falling star, you need 33:06 to see what the Bible interprets the falling 33:08 star as-not just think that it's a meteorite 33:11 or an asteroid! We have to let the Bible interpret 33:14 its own symbols. So at first, they often literalize 33:17 the symbolic language; and second, they fail to 33:21 do a serious study of the literary arrangement 33:24 of the book of Revelation. You see, the literary 33:28 structure of the book of Revelation is the 33:30 skeleton that holds the whole book together. 33:33 And if you don't have a skeleton, you have 33:36 a jellyfish that moves here, there, and everywhere. 33:41 Many scholars-now, here's an important point- 33:44 many scholars have concluded that the book 33:48 of Revelation follows the sequential order 33:51 of the Hebrew sanctuary. In other words, that's 33:54 structured around the Hebrew sanctuary. 33:57 In the series of the seven churches, Jesus 33:59 is walking, where? Among the candlesticks. In the 34:03 series on the seals, Jesus has moved to, 34:06 where? To the Table of the Showbread. Now, 34:09 if you want more on that, you would have to study 34:11 the series that I did on the seals. There's 34:14 a two-volume set of study notes on the seals. 34:17 In the series on the trumpets, where is Jesus 34:19 ministering? We just read it a few moments 34:22 ago. At the Altar of Incense! And in Revelation 34:26 11:19, Jesus moves, where? He moves to where the 34:31 Ark of the Covenant is! So, you have this sequence 34:35 from... Actually, the book of Revelation begins 34:40 in chapter 1 with the sacrifice of Christ- 34:43 with the death of Christ. He redeemed us through 34:45 His blood, He was dead and yet He's alive, 34:48 so it begins, actually, with His work on earth! 34:50 Then you have the candlesticks, then you have the Table 34:52 of Showbread, then you have the Altar of Incense, 34:55 then you have the opening of the most holy place, 34:58 and then you'll notice in the next paragraph, 35:00 then in chapter 15 verses 5-8, the sanctuary 35:03 administration closes! The temple's filled with 35:05 smoke. Nobody can enter, because the intercession 35:08 of Christ has ended. And then, in Revelation 35:11 16 through 19, you have a description of the seven 35:14 last plagues! Chapter 20, you have the scapegoat 35:17 ceremony! And chapter 21 and 22, you have the 35:22 new heavens and the new earth! Does Revelation 35:24 have a sanctuary structure? It most certainly does! 35:28 It follows the order of the sanctuary. So, 35:30 if you extract the trumpets and you put them in the 35:33 future, what happens? The sanctuary structure 35:37 of the book is interrupted. So, you have to realize 35:41 that the trumpets fit within a certain time period, 35:45 which is the period of the intercession of Christ 35:48 in the sanctuary. Is this point clear? So, 35:52 extracting the trumpets from the legitimate context 35:55 and inserting them into the future destroys the 35:58 beautiful sanctuary symmetry of the book. And if you want 36:02 more on the sanctuary symmetry of the book, 36:04 if you have the book God Cares by C. Mervyn Maxwell, 36:08 my teacher in the seminary, you'll find a beautiful 36:11 description of the sanctuary symmetry 36:14 of the book of Revelation. Now, let's take a look 36:17 at the normative Seventh-day Adventist 36:19 position on the trumpets. There are certain non-negotiables 36:24 when it comes to the Seventh-day Adventist 36:27 concept of the seven trumpets. After Desmond 36:31 Ford... Have you ever heard of him? He died 36:34 just a short while ago. After Desmond Ford 36:37 came up with his novel ideas on Bible prophecy, 36:41 the General Conference established a Daniel & 36:43 Revelation study committee. It's known as DARCOM. 36:47 To look into his arguments, the result was the publication 36:51 of seven volumes on various issues relating 36:55 to the sanctuary and Bible prophecy. By the 36:58 way, I would recommend that you acquire this 37:00 seven-set series. They're available from a biblical 37:03 research institute of the General Conference. 37:06 They are a powerful, powerful support for the 37:10 Seventh-day Adventist view of the sanctuary 37:12 and Bible prophecy. I mean, they answer every 37:16 single objection that was raised by Desmond 37:19 Ford and is raised generally by evangelicals. 37:23 Regarding the seven trumpets-continuing here 37:25 on page 8-regarding the seven trumpets, 37:29 DARCOM gave the following explanation; this is the 37:33 official explanation that is given on the trumpets 37:38 by this committee: "Today, Seventh-day Adventists 37:42 virtually stand alone as exponents of the 37:47 historicist method, since non-Catholic groups 37:50 in general, have abandoned this approach in favor 37:53 of one of the two methods mentioned above," which 37:57 is Preterism and futurism. "The Daniel & Revelation 38:00 Committee wishes to reaffirm to the world 38:03 church the validity of the historicist approach 38:07 to these two apocalyptic books. The committee 38:10 sees it as the only sound method to use." So, 38:15 the Adventist Church is solidly expounding the 38:18 view of historicism." It continues. "The 38:23 committee sees it as the only sound method 38:26 to use. Our pioneers did not follow cunningly- 38:29 devised fables when they searched and preached 38:33 the truths of these prophecies. They have 38:36 passed onto us a rich heritage." Now, while 38:40 not providing a definitive interpretation of the 38:43 trumpets, the committee did establish parameters 38:46 that must be followed in the study of the 38:48 trumpets in the Seventh-day Adventist Church." They 38:51 reached three conclusions, and here they are: "The 38:54 literary structure divides the book of 38:59 Revelation into two major sections: a historical 39:03 section that emphasizes the experience of the 39:06 church and related events during the Christian era"- 39:09 that would be, the churches, the seals, and the trumpets- 39:13 "...and an eschatological"- that means, "end-time"- 39:16 "section that focuses particularly on end-time 39:20 events and the end of the world." That would 39:22 be the series beginning with Revelation chapter 12, 39:26 where you have the introduction of the 39:30 persecution of the 1,260 years, the dragon being 39:33 enraged with the woman; chapter 13, the beast, 39:37 his image, and his mark; Revelation 14, the three 39:39 angels' messages...etc. Secondly, the series 39:44 of the seals and the trumpets occur in the historical 39:48 section of Revelation. Consequently, we should 39:51 seek for the fulfillment, where? In historical 39:56 time! Not in the end time, except for the 39:59 very last two or three trumpets. And finally, 40:02 the prophecies of the seals and of the trumpets 40:06 have only, what? One symbolic fulfillment 40:11 in the course of history. Now, Ellen White warned 40:16 about the dangers of extracting passages 40:21 of Revelation from their legitimate historical 40:24 context. She wrote once to a school teacher by the 40:29 name of John Bale. And actually, she wrote two 40:33 long testimonies to him, and I've only included 40:36 just a small portion of what she wrote to him, 40:40 'cause he was taking prophecies that applied 40:42 to the past, and he was applying them to the 40:44 future. He was taking them out of their legitimate 40:46 historical context. Ellen White warned that we 40:49 need to study each section of Revelation within 40:51 the time period when it was fulfilled. I read from 40:55 Selected Messages, vol. 2, pg. 102. "There have 41:00 been one and another who, in studying their 41:03 Bibles, thought they discovered great light 41:08 and new theories, but these have not been 41:11 correct. The Scripture is all true. However, 41:16 by misapplying the Scripture, men arrive 41:19 at wrong conclusions. We are engaged in a mighty 41:23 conflict, and it will become more close and 41:26 determined as we near the final struggle. We 41:29 have a sleepless adversary." In other words, he suffers 41:33 from insomnia. "And he is constantly at work 41:37 upon human minds that have not had a personal 41:40 experience in the teachings of the people of God 41:44 for the past 50 years." Is it important to go back 41:47 to what was believed originally in the Adventist 41:50 Church? Absolutely. She continues. "Some 41:57 will take the truth applicable to their 41:59 time and place it"-where?- "in the future. Events 42:04 in the train of prophecy that had their fulfillment 42:07 away in the past are made"-what?-"future. 42:10 And thus, by these theories, the faith of some is undermined." 42:16 In another part of this testimony that Ellen 42:19 White wrote to John Bale on pages 102 and 103, 42:24 Ellen White wrote, "From the light that the Lord 42:27 has been pleased to give me, you are in danger of 42:30 doing the same work: presenting before others 42:34 truths which have had their place and done their 42:39 specific work for the time in the history of 42:42 the faith of the people of God. You recognize 42:45 these facts in Bible history as truth, but 42:48 apply them to"-when?- "apply them to the future. 42:52 They have their force still" -where?-"in their proper 42:57 place-in the chain of events that have made 43:01 us, as a people, what we are today. And as 43:05 such, they are to be presented to those who 43:08 are in the darkness of error." Very wise counsel 43:13 from the Spirit of Prophecy. I'm not extracting things 43:16 that apply to the future and making them past, 43:19 not taking things that happened in the past 43:22 and applying them to the future, like some are 43:24 doing with the trumpets. The trumpets had their 43:27 past fulfillment. At least we're now in the 43:30 period of the sixth trumpet. All of this has been fulfilled! 43:34 Only the seventh trumpet is future, now. We should 43:37 not take all of the trumpets and say, "Well, this is 43:40 gonna take place at the very end before the close 43:43 of probation," because it's dislocating what we 43:46 find in the train of prophecy that God has 43:51 given. Now, where does Ellen White place the 43:55 trumpets in the flow of time? Does she make 44:00 them future? Did she believe they were past? 44:03 We have clear evidence that Ellen White believed 44:06 that the sixth trumpet was fulfilled beginning 44:11 in 1844, which means that the first five trumpets 44:14 must have been fulfilled, when? Well, duh! They 44:19 must have been fulfilled before 1844, right? 44:22 You don't have to have the wisdom of King Solomon 44:24 to understand that, or of Albert Einstein. 44:29 Now, what indications do we have in the writings 44:32 of Ellen White that the trumpets have been 44:34 fulfilled to a great? in the past, with the 44:39 exception of the fact that we are now in the 44:41 period of the sixth trumpet, and the seventh 44:44 trumpet is totally future. Well, the expression, "Time 44:49 will be no longer," is in Revelation 10 in the 44:54 context of the sixth trumpet. Now, where 44:57 does Ellen White place that expression, "Time 44:59 will be no longer?" Does she present that as being 45:03 past, or future? Past from our time! Notice 45:07 this statement that we find in Selected Messages, 45:10 vol. 2, pg. 105. "The book that was sealed 45:15 was not the book of Revelation, but that 45:18 portion of the prophecy of Daniel which related 45:22 to the last days." This is talking about Daniel 45:25 12 verse 4- close and seal the book until 45:28 the time of the end. She continues. "The 45:30 Scripture says, 'But thou, O Daniel, shut up 45:33 the words and seal the book, even to the time 45:35 of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and 45:37 knowledge shall be increased.' When the 45:39 book was opened, the proclamation was made, 45:44 'Time shall be no longer.'" That comes from Revelation 45:47 10, which is in the context of the sixth trumpet. 45:52 "The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the 45:56 Revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all 45:59 the inhabitants of the earth by the increase 46:02 of knowledge of people is to be prepared to 46:04 stand in the latter days." Now, notice the next 46:08 statement. This is on pages 107 and 108 of 46:11 Selected Messages, vol. 2. "The message of Revelation 46:15 14, proclaiming that the hour of God's judgment 46:18 is come, is given in the time of the end, and the 46:22 angel of Revelation 10 is represented as having 46:26 one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, 46:28 showing that the message will be carried to distant 46:31 lands, the ocean will be crossed, and the islands 46:33 of the sea will hear the proclamation of the last 46:36 message of warning to our world, and the angel 46:40 which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the 46:43 earth, lifted up the"- she's quoting Revelation 46:45 10, which is in the context of the sixth 46:47 trumpet, by the way- "'...and the angel which 46:50 I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth 46:52 lifted up his hand to heaven and swore by 46:54 him that liveth forever and ever, who created 46:57 heaven and the things that are therein, and 46:59 the earth and the things that therein are, and the 47:02 sea and the things which are therein that there 47:06 should be time no longer.'" Once again, she's quoting 47:09 Revelation 10, which is in the context of the sixth 47:12 trumpet. And then, she tells us when this was 47:15 fulfilled. "This message announces"-what?-"the 47:19 end of the prophetic periods. The disappointment 47:24 of those who expected to see our Lord in 1844 47:28 was indeed bitter. To those who had so ardently 47:30 looked for His appearing, it was in the Lord's 47:33 order that this disappointment should come and that hearts 47:35 should be"-what?-"should be revealed." So, when 47:40 does Ellen White place the expression, "Time 47:42 will be no longer"? What date? 1844. 47:46 So, do we project the sixth trumpet to the 47:49 future? No! The sixth trumpet, Ellen White 47:54 explains, is in the context of Revelation 47:57 10, in the past, in 1844. Notice that the seven 48:02 thunders that are mentioned in Revelation 10- the seven 48:05 thunders... We don't have time to talk about 48:09 the seven thunders now; we will talk about them 48:11 a little bit later in this class. Ellen White speaks 48:14 about the seven thunders, which are also in Revelation 48:17 10 in the context of the sixth trumpet. The special 48:21 light given to John, which was expressed in the 48:23 seven thunders, was a delineation of events 48:27 which would transpire under the first and second 48:29 angels' messages. It was not best for the 48:32 people to know these things, for their faith must necessarily 48:35 be tested. In the order of God, most wonderful 48:39 and advanced truths would be proclaimed. The first 48:42 and second angels' messages were to be proclaimed 48:45 but no further light was to be revealed before 48:48 these messages had done their specific work. 48:51 This is represented by the angel's standing 48:53 with one foot on the sea, proclaiming with the most 48:55 solemn oath that time should be no longer. 48:58 She's referring to Revelation- many different phrases 49:01 that are in Revelation 10- sixth trumpet. She ends 49:04 the statement by saying this: "This time, which 49:08 the angel declares with a solemn oath"-that is, 49:11 time will be no longer- "is not the end of this 49:14 world's history. Neither of probationary time, 49:18 but of prophetic time, which should precede 49:21 the Advent of our Lord." That is, the people will 49:25 not have another message upon definite time. After 49:29 this period of time, reaching from 1842 to 1844, 49:34 there can be no definite tracing of the prophetic 49:38 time. Is that clear? So, Revelation 10 is in 49:44 the context of the sixth trumpet. So, when is the 49:46 sixth trumpet beginning its fulfillment? It's beginning 49:49 its fulfillment in 1844. When do you hear the 49:54 seven thunders? We'll find that the seven thunders 49:56 are events that took place between 1842 and 1844! 50:01 So, clearly, the sixth trumpet began in the 50:05 past, and it continues as we will see in the present. 50:08 You can't extract this and say, "No, it's right 50:11 before the close of probation at the end of time." Or, "It's 50:13 after the close of probation!" It would make absolutely 50:16 no sense. Also, you remember the bittersweet book in 50:21 Revelation 10, which is in the context of the sixth trumpet? 50:24 It was sweet in the mouth and bitter in the stomach? 50:27 To when does Ellen White apply that, which is found 50:29 in Revelation 10, in the context of the sixth trumpet? 50:32 Notice the next statement that we find at the bottom 50:36 of page 11. This is Life Sketches pg. 189. 50:41 "The waiting people of God approach the hour when 50:46 they fondly hoped their joys would be complete 50:49 in the coming of the Saviour." That's 1844. 50:53 "However, the time again passed unmarked by the 50:56 Advent of Jesus. Mortality still clung to us. The effects 51:00 of the curse were all around us. It was hard 51:03 to take up the vexing cares of life that we 51:06 thought had been laid down forever." A bitter what? 51:11 "A bitter disappointment fell upon the little flock whose 51:15 faith had been so strong and whose hope had been 51:18 so high, but we were surprised that we felt 51:20 so free in the Lord and were so strongly sustained 51:24 by His strength and grace." When was the bitter disappointment? 51:27 When did that take place? Is that some event that's 51:29 gonna take place right before the close of probation 51:32 or after the close of probation? Absolutely 51:35 not! It occurs when the sixth trumpet is beginning, 51:39 'cause chapter 10 is in the context of the sixth trumpet! 51:43 Are you following me? Now, Ellen White also 51:46 plays- says the 1,260 days and 42 months of 51:50 Revelation 11, which is also in the context 51:54 of the sixth trumpet, she places those events 51:58 in the context of the sixth trumpet. Ellen White 52:03 understood that the papacy fulfilled the 1,260 days 52:06 and the 42 months of Revelation 11, which is an interlude in 52:10 the sixth trumpet. She believed that these events, 52:15 the 1,260 days and the 42 months, occurred from 52:19 538 to 1798, and that the second part of Revelation 52:26 11 was fulfilled in the French Revolution, and 52:30 Revelation 11 is in the context of the sixth trumpet! 52:35 Marvin Moore and others believed that we must 52:37 reapply the symbolic 42 months and 1,260 days 52:40 and reinterpret them as literal future time. Ellen 52:45 White, however, explicitly wrote that the 42 months 52:49 covered the same period as the 1,260 days, and 52:53 that both periods apply to the period of papal 52:56 supremacy during the Dark Ages. She also did 53:00 a verse-by-verse analysis of Revelation 11 and interpreted 53:04 it from a historicist perspective as applying 53:07 to the French Revolution. Are you with me or not? 53:10 Past events. Let's read this particular statement 53:15 here. This is found in the book Great Controversy, 53:18 pg. 439. The periods here mentioned 42 months 53:23 and a 1,203 score? days are the same, 53:27 "...alike representing the time in which the 53:30 church of Christ was to suffer oppression 53:32 from Rome. The 1,260 years of papal supremacy 53:36 began in 538 and would therefore terminate in 1798." 53:41 So, Revelation chapter 11, when it mentions the 1,260 53:44 days and 42 months, is that describing past events? 53:49 Yes! She continues. At that time, a French army 53:53 entered Rome and made the pope a prisoner, and 53:55 he died in exile. Though a new pope was soon after 53:58 already elected, the papal hierarchy has never since 54:01 been able to wield the power which it before 54:05 possessed. Then she continues even more 54:08 explicitly. "Power was given unto him to continue 42 months," 54:11 and says the prophet, "'I saw one of his heads 54:14 as it were wounded to death.'" Again, she's quoting 54:18 Scripture. "'And he that leadeth into captivity 54:20 shall go into captivity. He that killeth with the 54:22 sword must be killed with the sword.' The 42 54:25 months are the same as the time times and dividing 54:29 of time three years and a half, or 1,260 days 54:33 in Daniel 7"-clear?- "the time during which 54:38 the papal power was to oppress God's people. 54:40 This period has stated in preceding chapters 54:42 began with the supremacy of the papacy A.D. 538 54:46 and terminated in 1798. At that time, the pope 54:51 was made captive by the French army, the papal 54:54 power received its deadly wound, and the prediction 54:57 was fulfilled. 'He that leadeth into captivity 54:59 shall go into captivity.'" So, Ellen White places 55:03 Revelation 10 and 11, which is in the context 55:06 of the sixth trumpet, as beginning in the past! 55:10 Events in 1844. And, also, events that occurred during 55:14 the 1,260 years of papal supremacy, as well as 55:18 the French Revolution. Now, finally, Ellen White 55:22 applies the measuring of the temple, which is 55:23 also Revelation chapter- really, it should be part 55:27 of Revelation chapter 10, but it's in Revelation 55:30 chapter 11 verse 1. The measuring of the temple 55:33 of Revelation 11 verse 1, which is in the context 55:36 of the sixth trumpet, Ellen White applies that 55:38 to what began in 1844. Once again, she's applying 55:42 the sixth trumpet to the past. I read this very 55:45 quickly. "The grand judgment is taking place 55:47 and has been going on for some time. Now, the 55:51 Lord says measure the temple and the worshipers 55:53 thereof. Remember when you are walking the streets 55:57 about your business, God is measuring you. 55:59 When you are attending your household duties, 56:01 when you engage in conversation, God is 56:04 measuring you." In other words, He's judging you. 56:06 "Remember that your words and actions are being 56:09 daguerreotyped"-that's an old English word for 56:12 "photographed"-"in the books of heaven as the 56:15 artist on the polished plate reproduces the 56:19 face. Here is the work going on, measuring the 56:24 temple and its worshipers to see who will stand in 56:27 the last day. Those who stand fast shall have an 56:31 abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord 56:33 and Savior Jesus Christ. When we are doing our 56:36 work, remember. There is one that is watching 56:39 the spirit in which we are doing it. Shall we 56:42 not bring the Saviour into our everyday lives, 56:45 into our secular work and domestic duties? 56:47 Then, in the name of God, we want to leave behind 56:51 everything that is not necessary, all gossiping 56:53 or unprofitable visiting, and present ourselves 56:57 as servants of the living God." So, when it says, 57:02 "measure the temple", is that something that's 57:04 gonna happen in the future, or is that something that 57:06 began in 1844 and continues to this day? We are still 57:11 in the period of the sixth trumpet, in other 57:13 words. Well, we are going to stop our first session 57:18 here. And when we get together for our second 57:23 session, we are going to finish this chapter on 57:26 introductory matters relating to the trumpets. 57:29 We'll begin at the bottom of page 13, "The Relationship 57:33 Between the Seals and the Trumpets". So, we're 57:39 gonna go back and take a look at the seals, and 57:41 we're going to see how important that is as it 57:45 relates to the seven trumpets. So, don't miss 57:48 the next exciting episode. 57:50 [intense orchestral music] |
Revised 2020-07-09