07_06 Plagues…or Trumpets?

Plagues…or Trumpets?

One prophecy understood always leads to understanding of another. That’s how we arrive at the subject of document #07_05, Plagues or Trumpets? When the Papacy goes to Jerusalem in fulfillment of Daniel 11, verse 45, the JEWS will have allowed the final indignation against their God, the God of Israel. They will officially recognize the pope as the leader of religion in the world, as he arrogantly claims he is, in order to make an alliance with him, because they don’t KNOW that he is the arch-enemy of their true God!

TAKE NOTICE: despite thousands of years of study, even meticulous study, of the Scriptures, they have failed to understand the prophecies therein! Why? Read the context of Isaiah 28, verses 9 and 10 (KJV only). The following verses of that text reveal that they, as well as so many (fallen) Christian denominations, have rejected knowledge from Holy Spirit that they might have had, if they had used His PRESCRIPTION for Bible study! If they had used Holy Spirit’s prescription, even a child could have led them to true knowledge that you are learning here from use of that very resource!

There is not a chapter break between Daniel 11, verse 45, and Daniel 12, verses 1 to 3, in the original writing. It wasn’t in chapters at all! These were added many centuries later. The event in the former verse leads to the events in the latter verses! You can see that when you read them!

The indignation leads to the consequences!

Scripture Text: Mt. 24:14-22

Title: Plagues…or Trumpets?

This is the third study of a series on “the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet.” See Daniel 11:45, which will fulfill this prophecy of Jesus (Matthew 24: 15). A supplement study cleared up the stumblingblock text of Dan.11:40 – “At the time of the end…” revealing 3 powers in conflict, not just the king of the north vs. the king of the south and vice-versa. In this study, we will consider what will happen when Jesus “stands up” (Dan. 12:1) in Judgment (see Isaiah chapter 3, verse 13) to destroy because of the abomination of desolation, by “a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time.” (Dan. 12:1.) We have always thought that the plagues, the Seven Last Plagues, would immediately follow and destroy Rome (Rev. 18:10) when Jesus “stands up,” and then the rest of Dan. 12:1 “…and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book,” shall be fulfilled.

Guess again!! Mt. 24:15, all the way at least to v. 22, our Scripture text for today, is about the THIRD destruction of Jerusalem, making Judea desolate (note especially v.16) not Rome! A.D. 70 was not “the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet,” which would be “set up” at the beginning of the 1290 days, well over 4 centuries later, in 508 A.D.!! So this desolation is still to come!

Again I say, NOTE – “the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet” was regarding Judea and Jerusalem, God’s glorious holy mountain, not Rome and its destruction in the Seven Last Plagues!

Therefore: what is it that fulfills the desolation of Jerusalem and Judea? – the Seven Last Plagues, or the Trumpets (Trumpets of warning that the day of Christ is at hand!) of Rev. 8 and 9?

Please turn to Rev. 8. Note that it is a known fact that the book of Revelation points back to every book of the Bible to stories or prophecies that illustrate the symbolism of Revelation’s prophecies.

As I studied Revelation 8, Holy Spirit revealed that the Sanctuary service that precedes the Trumpets in Revelation chapter 8 has a parallel Sanctuary service in Ezekiel, which refers to the first desolation of Jerusalem and Judea.

This, as we will see, ties the first Trumpet to the THIRD desolation of Jerusalem! It opens up new information when viewed as the “standing up” of Jesus foretold in Dan. 12, verse 1. (Read vs. 2 through 7 of Revelation 8). You may wonder why I included v. 7, but you will see as we unfold this prophecy. Remember that the trumpets have been fulfilled, very symbolically, once, already, beginning at the break-up of the Roman Empire into the 10 horns. But we will see another more literal fulfillment in the desolation of Judea and Jerusalem at the end of the world!

Follow along carefully in your Bible.

Rev. 8, v. 3: the angel who comes to the altar, having a golden censer, is Jesus, our High Priest. The time, we will see by His casting the censer, or at least the fire from it, into the earth, is an indication that Judgments from the Sanctuary are to begin. Not yet the close of probation; for the “loud cry” of the three angels of Rev. 14 must help bring people to decision as the time of trouble progresses. To clarify this, I read to you from Early Writings, pages 85 and 86.

“…The commencement of that time of trouble here mentioned, does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is [still] in the Sanctuary. At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel. At that time, the “latter rain,” or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.”

Carefully note the main points: At the commencement of the time of trouble [“such as never was since there was a nation”], during a short period before the 7 Last Plagues, the “loud voice” [the loud cry!] of the third angel will bring all to decision, before the close of probation and the pouring out of the 7 Last Plagues! Also at that time, the “latter rain” will come! This is really important information! Re-read the above!

From “Last Day Events,” page 238, I add this: “Solemn events before us are yet to transpire. Trumpet after Trumpet is to be sounded; vial after vial poured out one after another upon the inhabitants of the earth.” [3SM 426 – 1890.]

NOTE: Both are future!!

So: let’s look carefully at the Sanctuary service outlined in Revelation 8. Jesus comes and stands at the altar with His censer. This is the altar of burnt sacrifice, outside the Sanctuary, because only the High Priest can enter the Sanctuary during the Judgment day.

Someone there at the altar of burnt sacrifice, gives Him much incense, “that He should offer it with the prayers of all saints.” (Who? Not penitent sinners with offerings for sacrifice: no, all saints). Praying for deliverance? No, the 7 Last Plagues result in deliverance; so this must be for something else, just before the Trumpets sound! This must be prayers for power to endure through the time of trouble! And, prayer for Holy Spirit to be poured out in the Latter Rain! And, prayer for boldness to carry our message to our neighbors as we wake up to our responsibilities as light bearers! See Acts 4:13 compared with Acts 4:24-31 for a Biblical example of such prayer of all saints! We shall do the same!

The incense is offered inside the sanctuary, by our High Priest, Jesus, upon the golden altar which is before the throne of the Father. Remember that the vail has been drawn aside since the Judgement Hour began. Rev. 8 verse 4; “And the smoke of the incense, which came with (carries) the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God” out of the hand of Jesus (as He puts the incense upon the coals of fire in the golden altar.)

Symbolized here is a mingling of the prayer of Jesus for the saints to the Father, Who is the source of the Latter Rain. The bloody fingerprint of the High Priest is on the horns of the altar of incense. (See Lev.4:18). I believe that the horns of the altar of
incense (that I envision look like the horns of a cow today) faced inward, not outward. The blood signature of the High Priest, Jesus, is thus mingled with the smoke of the incense, as it rises, and because of the great amount of incense, the smoke fills the entire Sanctuary for the Most Holy Place ministration.

What then happens might best be described by pages 54 and 55 of Early Writings. In part it says there, “Those who were bowed before the throne would offer up their prayers and look to Jesus; then He would look to His Father, and appear to be pleading with Him. A light would come from the Father to the Son, and from the Son to the praying company. Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from the Father to the Son, and from the Son it waved over the people before the throne.” Early Writings, 54 and 55.

Now: Rev. 8: v.5: Jesus took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar (the altar of burnt sacrifice again, outside in the Courtyard, where His blood as the Lamb of God was shed and symbolically offered) and Jesus casts the fire of the altar (using the censer to throw it) into the earth.

Now, listen carefully to v.7. “The first angel sounded his Trumpet, and there followed hail, and fire mingled with blood and they were cast upon the earth.” What kind of coals of fire (from the altar of burnt sacrifice) did Jesus cast into the earth – v.5? Fire mingled with His blood!! This is the first Trumpet, and, as we will see, will destroy Jerusalem!

In that destruction, Rev.8:7, “The third part of trees was burnt up: and all green grass was burnt up.” Elijah, in the person of John the Baptist (line upon line) was to “lay the axe to the root of the trees… (Mt.3:10) …therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Is it possible that trees symbolize churches or sects  in Rev.8: 7, and green grass symbolizes all the people associated with those churches … that are burned up as Jesus arises to destroy because of “the abomination that makes desolate,” Jerusalem, God’s glorious Holy Mountain? (Go to back page for more information).

A principle for interpreting Revelation is that Revelation is always pointing back to some other part of Scripture, which will help clarify what is foretold in Revelation. It has been found that every single book of the Bible is referred to by Revelation! To be
certain that this is a section of prophecy referring to the destruction of Judea and Jerusalem, we will therefore compare this Sanctuary scene to its predecessor, in Ezekiel. He is referring to the 1st desolation of Judea and Jerusalem by Babylon, in 607 B.C.

Fire, of the altar, is our key word.

“Line upon line” takes us to a parallel Sanctuary service in Ezekiel, chapter 10, v.2: but we will look at the whole context, all of which is very revealing. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 9:1 and following, which is a scene at the Temple on earth, in actual Jerusalem. We will look at Ezekiel 9:1 to 7 and v.11; then chapter 10, vs. 1, 2, 6, and 7, and again 2b. (Read these verses). As in Rev. 8, here too a man clothed in linen (priestly garb?) is commanded (after he has finished putting the seal of God on the forehead of those who are deemed worthy) to take coals of fire, holy fire, and scatter them over the city of Jerusalem to begin its destruction!

We are in the sealing time!! (See Rev. 7:1-4)! Note the “trees.” Just before us is “the time of trouble,” beginning with the desolation of Jerusalem and all of Judea, and the total annihilation of the people there, in a Judgment by Jesus from the Sanctuary in heaven!

Ezekiel 12 v.20 tells us that all of the cities of Judea shall also be laid waste with Jerusalem. All was fulfilled upon Judea and Jerusalem in 607 B.C. You can also be certain that prophets who studied Luke’s account of the prophecy of Jesus regarding the desolation of Jerusalem, also applied Ezekiel’s information as 70 A.D. approached! We too must apply the information about the sealing, in Ezekiel 9, to our sealing time world- wide (again, Rev.7:1-4).

Now we must apply Ezekiel 10 to the desolation, the 3rd time, of Jerusalem, which was almost fulfilled in the year 2000!!

See Ezekiel chapter 8 for the abominations for which God desolated Jerusalem and Judea the first time. Idol worship, and especially sun-worship brought into God’s glorious Holy Mountain, is the indignation which causes Jesus to act and destroy, because of the abominations invited into Jerusalem by the Jewish nation. This 3rd desolation will mark the beginning of “the time of trouble such as never was, since there was a nation.”

In the first Trumpet, I see a firestorm like unto that which destroyed the abomination of Sodom and Gomorrah (See Genesis 19:24,25) – a firestorm likely made up of millions of small meteorites of sulphur (“brimstone” is sulphur) that impact the earth at Judea!

Could it be? Let’s look at the second Trumpet. It supports that conclusion, as you will see. “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, and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died…” “And the third part of the ships were destroyed.”

“…A great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea…” could easily be the description of an asteroid impact in one of the 3 main oceans on our planet – the Atlantic, the Pacific, or the southern oceans. Guess, which one?

Recent films have been produced, maybe preparing all the world for it to happen, depicting the result of just such an asteroid impact in an ocean! Scientists warn of super destruction; a tidal wave of truly immense proportion crashing into all of the coastal cities either side of that ocean, causing complete destruction of hundreds of coastal cities! Thus also, a third part of the ships in the world’s oceans would be destroyed. [An indication that this is literal, not symbolic.]

The secondary result of such an asteroid impact in the sea would be, according to the scientists, a significant rise in temperature in the waters of that ocean. We now know that can cause an algae bloom, called red tide, which makes the waters like blood in colour and gives off toxic chemicals that would finish off any creatures that had life in
that ocean. These Trumpets may this time be “natural disasters” that are literally “acts of God!”

How about the 3rd Trumpet? Rev.8:10 and 11. (Read) Why is this one not said to be “cast” upon the earth or into the sea? It says instead, “…and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp…” A comet would seem most like a lamp
traversing the sky as it almost impacts the earth. The scientists tell us that its train or tail is made up of mainly ice meteorites that would rain upon the earth’s atmosphere, worldwide, for a time; drawn away from the comet by Earth’s gravity. The comet would take a number of days to pass by, spreading a rain of giant ice meteorites exploding and burning up in our atmosphere. They say it would cause a combining of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere, which would become a terrible nitric-acid rain that would pollute all water sources. Further, the acid would leach toxic levels of metals from rocks and soils into the water table.

“…and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”

People will fear that if these things keep happening, the whole human race will be wiped out! Upon the earth, Jesus said, (according to Luke 21 vs. 25 and 26) ” there shall be distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” This is reference to the Trumpets, isn’t it?

In the 4th Trumpet, the sun, the moon, and the stars are smitten – “the powers of heaven.” Isaiah wrote of this time, “Howl ye: for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty… behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity.” Isaiah 13:6, 9-11.

But take heart, Adventist believers: Jesus says to us, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh!” Luke 21:28.

I highly recommend that you read, The Coming Great Calamity, a book by Marvin Moore, editor of Signs of the Times magazine. His insights are very illuminating about this our time, just before the Trumpets.

The “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation” is almost upon us!! It will be fulfilled by the Trumpets and the Seven Last Plagues. Prepare yourself! Learn and share our Message of warning from God to the world now, (Rev. 14’s Three Angel Messages) so that God can make you ready for the time of trouble, which almost began in the year 2000!

NOW is the time to let our light shine, and light the way to heaven!

Supplementary Note:

Of the three great religions represented in Jerusalem – Christianity in all its forms (Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant), Muslim, and Jewish, which “third part” will be entirely burned up?

Not Christian, because we know that survives till Jesus comes, even despite the Seven Last Plagues. Not Muslim, because they are centered further East at Mecca. No, it will indeed again be the Jews! The keepers of the Oracles of God will have welcomed idol-worship and Christianized sun-worship into God’s glorious Holy Mountain, for the last time!! For the sake of peace, they will make an alliance with the Papacy to protect them, instead of with God!

You must here read the 8th chapter of Ezekiel! Note: sun-worship was their worst abomination! Back then, they had made an alliance with Egypt to protect them from Babylon’s invasion, instead of with their God! So, they brought the symbols of Egypt’s gods into the very Temple grounds! – an obelisk – the sun-worship “image of Jealousy” in the entry. The Papacy has done the same to the Temple of God in Rome, which replaced the Jerusalem Temple! – an obelisk in the entry!

Further: what implications does the end of Jewish Israel have for setting up a universal Sunday law? Can you imagine what use the Papacy will make of this obvious Judgment against keepers of the true Sabbath?

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