17.) You Have Heard the Sound of the Trumpet

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Throughout the Bible, trumpets were used to announce something of great importance. Sometimes the sound of the trumpet was used to call the people together to hear directions from God, or to come before the Lord for a holy convocation. At other times it was to warn the people of danger and prepare them for battle against the approach of an enemy. In every case when the trumpets were used, it was of utmost importance that the people hear and understand the trumpets, and obey.

"The Lord said to Moses: 'Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together. When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting....

"The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies." Num. 10:1-3, 8, 9.

"The Levites were designated by the Lord as the tribe in the midst of whom the sacred ark was to be borne, Moses and Aaron marching just in front of the ark, and the sons of Aaron following near them, each bearing trumpets. They were to receive directions from Moses, which they were to signify to the people by speaking through the trumpets. These trumpets gave special sounds which the people understood, and directed their movements accordingly… None who gave attention were left in ignorance of what they were to do. If any failed to comply with the requirements given by the Lord... they were punished with death.... for they would… prove themselves willingly ignorant… If they did not know the will of God concerning them, it was their own fault." 1T 651.

Obviously, trumpets were vitally important for the movement and direction of God's ancient people, and attention to them was a matter of life or death. Since trumpets are a part of the entire Bible, and the last trumpet is sounded at the coming of Jesus, it is equally vital for us to understand what the trumpets mean for our day, for we are standing on the verge of the consummation of history and the conclusion of the great controversy between good and evil.

The first mention of trumpets in the Bible is found in Exodus 19:16-19:

"On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him."

What an awesome scene! The God of heaven, the Creator, descended in majesty upon Mount Sinai and spoke audibly to His people! Unfortunately, the decision they made as a result of the terror they felt led them to do something which eventually led their descendants to reject and kill Jesus, the Son of God, who had spoken to them on the mountain that day.

"When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, 'Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.' Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep from sinning.' The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was." Ex. 20:18-21.

In Deuteronomy 5:23-29, Moses adds some further important details to the story:

"When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and your elders came to me. And you said, 'The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.'

"The Lord heard you when you spoke to me and the Lord said to me, 'I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!"

When Jesus heard the request of all the leaders of Israel that day, He was looking down in history and seeing the results of their decision. He saw Himself hanging on a cruel cross, listening to the descendants of these leaders of Israel crying out to Pilate, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! We have no king but Caesar! Let His blood be upon us and our children!" [Matt. 27:22-25; John 19:14-16.] He saw the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans in 70 AD, and the blood running down the steps of the temple from those who took refuge there. He looked further into the future and saw the persecution and death of Jewish men, women and children by the millions over the centuries that have followed. What a terrible decision was made that day by the leaders in Israel because of their fear of the visible manifestations of the glory of God, and of the sounds of the trumpet which invited them to an audience with the King of the universe.

In Hebrews 12:14-29, Paul takes up the theme of the holiness that is required of all God's people in order to see God, and connects this with the need for cleansing from the roots of sin. Then, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he compares God's judgment at the end of time with the experience of the Israelites on Mount Sinai:

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many… You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded… This sight was so terrifying that Moses said, 'I am trembling with fear.'

"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

"See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken -- that is, created things -- so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"

Ellen White also makes this comparison of the experience of the Israelites at Mount Sinai with the final judgment at the end of the world:

"The time is not far distant when God will arise to vindicate his insulted authority. 'The Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.' Isa. 26:21. 'But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?' Mal. 3:2… The terrors of Sinai were to represent to the people the scenes of the judgment. The sound of a trumpet summoned Israel to meet with God. The voice of the archangel and the trump of God shall summon from the whole earth, both the living and the dead to the presence of their Judge. The Father and the Son, attended by a multitude of angels, were present upon the mount. At the great Judgment day, Christ will come 'in the glory of his Father with his angels.' He shall then sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations." PP 339.

Throughout Bible history, God has used the symbol of the trumpets to bring warning messages to His people and to the world in general. The scope of the warning messages was to reach those who would be affected by what was about to transpire. Here are some examples of warning trumpet messages in the scriptures:

"All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it." Isa. 18:3.

"And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem." Isa. 27:13.

"Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: 'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!' Cry aloud and say: 'Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!' Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction." Jer. 4:5, 6.

"When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." Amos 3:6, 7.

"The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, and the Lord Almighty will shield them." Zech. 9:14, 15.

The texts above are a sampling of the purposes of trumpets as used in the Bible. There are many more which we will consider later in this article. The main concept which we need to understand is that God does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants. He wants us to know when He is about to do something in the earth which will affect us. He wants us to be alert and awake to not only understand what He is doing or about to do, but to give the warning message to others who do not understand, both in the church and in the world.

In the ancient world, watchmen were chosen to be on the alert for any danger that might be coming from enemies, and to give the people warning through the trumpets and through their voices. The faithfulness of the watchmen was vital to the safety of the people who depended upon them. So, God calls for watchmen now who will care for His flock and faithfully warn them when something is about to happen in the world which will affect His people. God's call to Ezekiel is an example of what God expects of His watchmen:

"At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, you will surely die, and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin and
I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will save yourself.'" Eze. 3:16-21.


It is not an easy thing to be a watchman, for people do not always want to hear the warnings that the watchman gives. Most people want to slumber on in complacency until it is too late to avoid disaster. But God expects the watchman to brave the consequences of speaking out for God, even when he is rejected or even persecuted by the people to whom he is sent.

"The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: "When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head… But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood."" Eze. 33:1-6.

When God first called Ezekiel as a prophet and watchman for the house of Israel, the Lord warned him that the people were rebellious and would not listen to him. Nevertheless, God told him that he must fulfill his duty and speak to the people whether they would listen or whether they would not.

"Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says.' And whether they listen or fail to listen -- for they are a rebellious house -- they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words… Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious." Eze. 2:3-7.

Notice that God says here that the nation of Israel had been in rebellion and revolt against Him for generations. We have already noted how they rebelled against Him in the desert when they heard God speaking to them from Mount Sinai. At that time the leaders of Israel came to Moses and said, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." Ex. 20:19. They chose to have a human leader so that they could choose to listen, or to rebel and disobey without paying the penalty of death. By the time of Ezekiel, the whole house of Israel was, according to God, in rebellion and revolt against Him.

But what does this have to do with those of us who are living in the last generation just before Jesus comes? Is there an application of the trumpets that are specifically for us? In answer to this question, Seventh-day Adventists have a very special calling to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus. We have been given the sanctuary message, and specifically the application and meaning of the work of Jesus in the most holy place in preparation for the close of probation and the pouring out of the seven last plagues upon the earth. We are called to prepare a people to go into the heavenly land of Canaan.


When the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, began their assault on the land of Canaan, their first conquest was the city of Jericho. Here are the instructions that the Lord gave to Joshua which would bring down the walls of Jericho:

"March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carrying trumpets of ram’s horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." Josh. 6:3-5.

I believe there is significance in this prototype for spiritual Israel as we approach the time when we will be delivered from this world and enter the heavenly Canaan. For ancient Israel there was a seven-day period when they marched around the walls of Jericho blowing trumpets once a day. On the last day they marched around the city seven times blowing their trumpets, and when the people gave a shout, the walls fell.

Notice how carefully God preserved the individual choices of the people within the walls of Jericho. Rahab and her family were saved, because they listened to the warning of the two spies previous to the capture of the city. So also, God wants to save every person who will listen to the warning given by God's people under the preaching of the latter rain before probation closes and there is no more chance of salvation for those who have refused to respond to the last call.

But are there also to be warnings sent by God for the people of the entire world to hear and be given a chance to search for truth and be prepared to stand with God's remnant through the time of trouble? I believe there are. God sees the honest-hearted people around the world who would respond if they had a chance to know the truth for our times. These He wants to bring out from the world to join with God's people and be safe when the cities of the nation’s fall. To better understand God's last call to the world, we need to understand the significance of the seven trumpets of Revelation.

Jesus said that the last trumpet would be sounded on the day of His coming:

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."

Paul also states that the last trumpet will sound at Jesus coming:

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will be changed -- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." 1Cor. 15:51, 2.

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." 1 Thes. 4:16, 17.

Now that we know what the last, or seventh trumpet is, we can go back to study the first six trumpets which will lead us up to the close of probationary time. There are definitely trumpets to be sounded in the last remnants of time for the church and for the world. The whole book of Joel should be studied for its application to those who live at the end of time. I will quote only a few passages, with appropriate Ellen White comments.

"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand -- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come." Joel 2:1, 2.

"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm in the holy mountain. Gather the host of the Lord, with sanctified hearts, to hear what the Lord will say unto His people; for He has increased light for all who will hear. Let them be armed and equipped and come up to the battle -- to the help of the Lord against the mighty." TM 410.

"Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack… Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe… Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Joel 3:9-14.

"The perils of the last days are upon us, and in our work we are to warn the people of the danger they are in. Let not the solemn scenes which prophecy has revealed be left untouched. If our people were half awake, if they realized the nearness of the events portrayed in the Revelation, a reformation would be wrought in our churches, and many more would believe the message." Ev. 195.

"Solemn events before us are yet to transpire. Trumpet after trumpet is yet to be sounded, vial after vial poured out one after another upon the inhabitants of the earth. Scenes of stupendous interest are right upon us." 7 BC 982.

Are the watchmen of the church awake to the events around the world that are trumpeting to us that Jesus is coming soon? Or are we in such a lukewarm condition that we hardly notice the stupendous changes that are taking place all around us? The seven trumpets of Revelation are written in the Bible to give the final generation a description of the events that will take us to the second coming of Jesus.

The revealing of the seven trumpets is found in Revelation chapters 9 through 11. But in order to understand the significance of the setting in which they are placed, we need to go back to the preceding chapters. All of Revelation is a love letter from Jesus to His people, showing what He would do from the time He ascended to heaven and began His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary until the completion of His work there. He then reveals the events at the end of the millennium, and the establishment of His kingdom with His purified saints who will live and reign with Him forever.

Many people consider the book of Revelation to be mysterious and difficult to understand. This is because it is only understood by those who are going through the experience that the book reveals, and are open to the Holy Spirit's guidance helping them to apply the words to their own experience. As an example, the instruction and counsel contained in the letters to the seven churches were understood by those who were open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they experienced what was written for their particular time in history. Thus, the book of Revelation is dynamic, ever increasing in light and instruction from Jesus as we proceed through the events that are predicted in the Bible, and especially in the book of Revelation. Accordingly, the greatest measure of light and understanding will be shown to the people of God who experience the final events of earth's history.

"In the annals of human history, the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will and prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, above, behind, and through all the play and counter play of human interest and power and passions, the agencies of the All-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will." PK 499, 500.

"We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession. Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God's people on every side. Intensity is taking hold of the human family. It is permeating everything upon the earth....

"Study Revelation in connection with Daniel, for history will be repeated....

"Angels desire to look into the truths that are revealed to the people who with contrite hearts are searching the word of God and praying for greater lengths and breadths and depths and heights of the knowledge which He alone can give." TM 116.

"All these records of the past are seen to have a new significance; and through them a light is cast upon the future, Illuminating the pathway of those who, like the reformers of past ages, will be called, even at the peril of all earthly good, to witness for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." GC 12.

"In the great final conflict, Satan will employ the same policy, manifest the same spirit and work for the same end, as in all preceding ages. That which has been will be, except that the coming struggle will be marked with a terrible intensity such as the world has never witnessed." GC 11.

"Each of the ancient prophets spoke less of their own time than for ours so that their prophesying is in force for us. The Bible has accumulated and bound up its treasures for the last generation. All the great events and solemn transactions of Old Testament history have been, and are, repeating themselves in these last days." 3 SM 338, 9.

This means that if we are not daily searching the word of God and asking for increased light from the scriptures concerning the things that are happening in the world today, we can miss the signposts that God is sending to tell us where we are in time and in the events that are prophesied to lead us to the culmination of history. It is imperative for our own sake, for the sake of the church, and for the world that the warnings that God is sending be interpreted correctly, for you can be sure that Satan will interpret these events to suit his own purposes. We must be awake and alert and not allow him to gain a march upon us as a result of our lethargy or hesitancy in sounding a clear trumpet call to all who will hear.

"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm in the holy mountain. Gather the host of the Lord, with sanctified hearts, to hear what the Lord will say unto His people; for He has increased light for all who will hear. Let them be armed and equipped, and come up to the battle -- to the help of the Lord against the mighty." TM 410.

"While all the world is plunged in darkness, there will be light in every dwelling of the saints. They will catch the first light of His second appearing." COL 420.

"Every shining star which God has placed in the heavens obeys His mandate, and gives its distinctive measure of light to make beautiful the heavens at night; so, let every converted soul show the measure of light committed to him; and as it shines forth the light will increase and grow brighter. Give out your light… pour forth your beams mirrored from heaven. O daughter of Zion, 'Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.'" 4 BC 1153.

What good would it be for God to sound His trumpet call to the world to warn them to prepare for His coming if His people did not interpret the meaning of these things for those who do not understand the messages that God is sending? Surely the devil will take advantage of the silence and use the time to advantage himself and advance his own goals to capture the world in deception.

"The Lord gives a special truth for His people in an emergency. Who dare refuse to publish it? He commands His servants to present the last invitation of mercy to the world. They cannot remain silent, except at the peril of their souls. Christ's ambassadors have nothing to do with consequences. They must perform their duty, and leave results with God." GC 609, 10.

"When the watchman, seeing the sword coming, gives the trumpet a certain sound...all will have opportunity to make ready for the conflict. But too often the leader has stood hesitating, seeming to say: 'Let us not be in too great haste. There may be a mistake. We must be careful not to raise a false alarm.' The very hesitancy and uncertainty on his part is crying: 'Peace and safety. Do not get excited. Do not be alarmed.'... Thus, he virtually denies the message sent from God, and the warning which was designed to stir the church fails to do its work. The trumpet of the watchman gives no certain sound, and the people do not prepare for the battle. Let the watchman beware lest, through his hesitancy and delay, souls shall be left to perish, and their blood shall be required at his hand." 5T 715, 16.

Although Ellen White penned these words four generations ago, they are just as applicable, and even more so, to our church today, and to each one of us individually, as we see the momentous things that are happening in the world and in the Christian community. No one can logically deny that we have come to a crisis of stupendous proportions. The question we must ask is: What do all these things mean, and is there any way for us to understand from a prophetic standpoint what God is saying to the church and to the people of the world by the things that He is permitting to happen?

Since the turn of the century, we have been experiencing a series of events that has aroused the world to a new sense of crisis and alarm. For the sake of brevity, I will now quote from the Hope Channel Bulletin, August 2009:

"The past decade has been traumatic. One crisis after another has assaulted our peace and security. First, it was the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Then in 2005, the most devastating hurricane season in recorded history wiped out New Orleans and numerous other cities. Next, the housing bubble erupted sending a shock wave through the economy.

"Most recently, financial institutions have collapsed, the stock market has crashed, and businesses are struggling to survive. The cumulative fallout has been devastating. Millions are out of work, out of their homes, and out of hope.

"Our world is going through change of prophetic proportions. World leaders recognize something unusual is happening. Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, recently said, "'Historians will look back and say this was no ordinary time but a defining moment: an unprecedented period of global change, and a time when one chapter ended and another began.' Gordon Brown, prime minister

"What Mr. Gordon probably can't appreciate is that this new chapter that has begun is found in Revelation 13. This predicts a time when global crises prompt church and state to unite in a tragic Union.

"Today, we will share with you how the pope, the United States, and other global leaders are lining up to fulfill these age-old prophecies in our day."

Ten years have come and gone since this bulletin was written. The signs of the times are all around us now, and we must not continue to slumber on the verge of the coming of Jesus. Our entrance into the heavenly kingdom has long been delayed, and we cannot afford to linger any longer while the trumpet warnings from God are sounding throughout the world.

Perhaps the most significant world event that has happened since the tragedies that are listed above in the Hope Channel Bulletin is the visit of the Pope to the United States in September, 2015, when he spoke to our Congress, and also the UN, and introduced his encyclical, Laudato si, which was accepted by both institutions. Inserted within that encyclical is the devil's program to bring about the Sunday law under the guise of climate change issues and saving the planet.

"On Sunday, our participation in the Eucharist has special importance. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, and others and with the world… In this way, Christian spirituality incorporates the value of relaxation and festivity. We tend to demean contemplative rest as something unproductive and unnecessary, but this is to do away with the very thing which is most important about work: its meaning… The law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day, 'so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your maidservant, and the stranger, may be refreshed' (Ex. 23:12). Rest opens our eyes to the larger picture and gives us renewed sensitivity to the rights of others. And so, the day of rest, centered on the Eucharist, sheds its light on the whole week, and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor." Laudato si, Section 237.

How carefully woven are the words and concepts of the papal encyclical in transferring the instructions of God concerning the Sabbath over to Sunday, and giving it glowing words of approval on the basis of drawing humanity together in love for each other and concern for nature. The whole encyclical emphasizes this as being both God's will and essential for the saving of the planet. But God's true people will not be deceived. We have already been prewarned that such a condition in society would be precipitated by the working of Satan through the Catholic church, followed by her Protestant daughters.

"While the Protestant world is by her attitude making concessions to Rome, let us arouse to comprehend the situation and view the contest before us in its true bearings. Let the watchmen now lift up their voice and give the message which is present truth for this time. Let us show the people where we are in prophetic history and seek to arouse the spirit of true Protestantism, awakening the world to a sense of the value of the privileges of religious liberty so long enjoyed.

"God calls upon us to awake, for the end is near. Every passing hour is one of activity in the heavenly courts to make ready a people upon the earth to act a part in the great scenes that are soon to open upon us." 5T 716.

These instructions from the writings of Ellen White were clearly written for our time in history!

I well remember that balmy September day in 2001, when I watched the shocking scenes of the attack upon the towers in New York City. President Bush made a statement that was truly prophetic. He said, 'We are now at war. Things will never be the same again.' The announcer called it a 'holy war' between the three great religions of the world -- Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

I pulled volume 9 of the Testimonies from the bookcase, opened up to the first chapter, under the heading, "The Last Crisis", and began to read:

"We are living in the time of the end. The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming of Christ is near at hand. The days in which we live are solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude.

"The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones." 9T 11.

Turning the page, I found what I was searching for:

"On one occasion, when in New York City, I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven. These buildings were warranted to be fireproof, and they were erected to glorify their owners and builders. Higher and still higher these buildings rose, and in them the most costly material was used....

"The scene that next passed before me was an alarm of fire. Men looked at the lofty and supposedly fireproof buildings and said: 'They are perfectly safe.' But these buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction....

"I am instructed that when the Lord's time comes, should no change have taken place in the hearts of proud, ambitious human beings, men will find that the hand that had been strong to save will be strong to destroy. No earthly power can stay the hand of God. No material can be used in the erection of buildings that will preserve them from destruction when God's appointed time comes to send retribution on men for their disregard of His law and for their selfish ambition." 9T 12, 13.


After reading the numerous quotations from scripture describing the condition of the world and its people at the end of time, I was struck by this quotation from Jeremiah 4:19:

"I am pained at my very heart;...I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war."

Taking down my Bible, I opened to Jeremiah 4:5-13:

"Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: 'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!... For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction. A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land… A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; a wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments against them.

"Look! He advances like the clouds, his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! We are ruined!"

While I do not believe that Jeremiah saw airplanes running into our New York towers, I do believe that God has the wisdom and foresight to look far into the future and inspire His prophets to put into the scriptures those things that will speak to His people at any given time in history. In fact, Ellen White states that the whole Bible was specifically written for the final generation.

"All these records of the past are seen to have a new significance; and through them a light is cast upon the future, illuminating the pathway of those who, like the reformers of past ages, will be called, even at the peril of all earthly good, to witness for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." GC 12.

"Each of the ancient prophets spoke less of their own time than for ours so that their prophesying is in force for us. The Bible has accumulated and bound up its treasures for the last generation. All the great events and solemn transactions of Old Testament history have been, and are, repeating themselves in this last generation." 3 SM 338, 9.

Therefore, the closer we come to the end of earth's history, the more we can expect to see light shining from the scriptures to guide us on our way to the kingdom. The same is true of the writings of Ellen White. She and her generation believed and hoped that Jesus would come in their day. But even though that did not take place, God inspired her to write the very things that apply to us now. There is light shining from heaven on every page of her inspired writings. May we take them to heart and let them be a sure guide through the difficult days that we will experience, both now and in the future.

I believe it is significant that the fall of the New York towers, as described in volume nine of the Testimonies, is under the inscription, The Final Crisis. It is, in fact, the first event mentioned, which would seem to indicate that it is of primary importance in the countdown of final events that will bring us to the close of earth's history and the second coming of Jesus.

"God cannot forbear much longer. Already His judgments are beginning to fall on some places, and soon His signal displeasure will be felt in other places.

"There will be a series of events revealing that God is master of the situation. The truth will be proclaimed in clear, unmistakable language… Through most wonderful workings of divine providence, mountains of difficulty will be removed and cast into the sea. The message that means so much to the dwellers upon the earth will be heard and understood… Onward and still onward the work will advance until the whole earth shall have been warned, and then shall the end come." 9T 96.

"More and more, as the days go by, it is becoming apparent that God's judgments are in the world. In fire and flood and earthquake He is warning the inhabitants of this earth of His near approach.... In quick succession the judgments of God will follow one another -- fire and flood and earthquake, with war and bloodshed.

"Oh, that the people might know the time of their visitation!… The time of God's destructive judgments is the time of mercy for those who have had no opportunity to learn what is truth. Tenderly will the Lord look upon them. His heart of mercy is touched; His hand is still stretched out to save, while the door is closed to those who would not enter.

"The mercy of God is shown in His long forbearance. He is holding back His judgments, waiting for the message of warning to be sounded to all." 9T 97.

"Solemn events before us are yet to transpire. Trumpet after trumpet is to be sounded, vile after vial poured out one after another upon the inhabitants of the earth. Scenes of stupendous interest are right upon us." 7 BC 982.

It would be well, then, to examine the significant events that have happened since the fall of the New York towers which have brought us up to the present time.

#1. The fall of the towers in New York City, September 11, 2001.This is significant because it was the first hit on the mainland of America by a foreign country.
#2. Natural disasters such as the great tsunami of December 25, 2004; hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the spring of 2005.
#3. Fall of the economy on September 14-15, 2008.
#4. Three and one-half years of papal rise to power and emphasis on the importance of Sunday, beginning with Pope Benedict's Family Day in May/June of 2012, and culminating with the visit of Pope Francis to America on September 22-26, 2015.

#5. Sixty million Muslim migrants, mostly Syrian, on the move worldwide. Time Magazine: Special Report, October 19, 2015.
#6. Escalating unusual weather patterns worldwide; climate change movement to influence governments to do something to stop the threat to the environment supposedly caused by modern technology, in agreement with Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato si.
Note: These events have come at approximately three and one-half year intervals, in the spring, or in the fall of the year.

And now:

"The Vatican has just made an unprecedented audacious overture for 'universal solidarity' and religious unity. Pope Francis announced an invitation to global religious, academic, and political leaders to head to Rome [on May 14, 2020] and sign a 'global pact' seeking to educate the world in new humanism -- based on Vatican encyclicals and traditions designed to promote Sunday holiness through environmentalism." Amazing facts, October, 2019.

Isn't it time that we as a church arouse to the sound of the trumpets that are blowing around the world? God wants His watchmen to be awake and correctly interpreting the events to everyone who will listen, and guiding them to the hiding place of His sanctuary. In order to do this, we need to go back to the original interpretation of the seven trumpets of Revelation 9-11 that was held by our pioneers. Below is a brief overview:

The first four trumpets recorded the fall of Rome in four stages by marauding tribes who made successive attacks upon the land and the sea. With the extinction of Western Rome, the last of its emperors ceased to reign. In prophetic history, the downfall of pagan Rome gave place for the rise of the papacy and papal Rome.

The last three trumpets are called woes. The fifth trumpet describes additional power being given to the devil to harass the people of earth, with the exception of the people of God who are sealed. Most Protestant expositors have seen the locusts of the fifth and sixth trumpets as representing the Moslem hordes who overran Europe during the Dark Ages.

The seventh angel (Revelation 11:15) marks the beginning of the third woe. Seventh-day Adventists date its beginning as 1844, when Jesus moved into the second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary and began the work of judgment. This is where He takes back the kingdoms of earth and prepares to reign forever and ever.

Four generations have now passed since our forefathers bravely preached the message of the soon coming of Jesus around the world. They are now sleeping, waiting for us to carry the torch of truth to the end. Unfortunately, many have grown weary of their watch and have turned to the attractions of the world. Some have lost their fervor for the Advent message and are seeking easier pathways in which to walk. But there is a solid core of believers who see the signs of Jesus' soon return, and are willing to take up the cross and carry it bravely until the work on earth is finished. These are the faithful watchmen whom God can use to sound the trumpet call for the final generation.

Some people are asking the question, Why do we need a repeat of the seven trumpets of Revelation? Is not the original interpretation of the trumpets enough to see us through the end of time? To this I would answer, No! The majority of people either know nothing about the seven trumpets of the past, or they see them as irrelevant for us today. But in fact, there is a very important correlation between the trumpets of the past and the trumpets that are sounding throughout the world at the present time. Here is a list of reasons why the seven trumpets are sounding again today.

Trumpets are warnings that announce the fall of a nation when it has passed the time of its probation. Every nation is given by God a time to prove whether they will follow His principles or not. The nation of Rome fell in four stages from the first attack on its mainland until its government collapsed. As a result of the demise of pagan Rome, Papal Rome arose to power. Satan is an opportunist. He waits until the strength of a nation has been demoralized and weakened by the rejection of God's principles, and then he moves in to establish his own.

"God gives nations a certain time of probation. He sends light and evidence, that, if received, will save them, but if refused, as the Jews refused light, indignation and punishment will fall upon them." 4 BC 1143.

"With unerring accuracy, the Infinite One still keeps account with the nations. While His mercy is tendered with calls to repentance, the account remains open; but when the figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath begins. The account is closed.
Divine patience ceases. Mercy no longer pleads in their behalf." PK 364.

In the historic trumpets, Rome fell, and the papacy arose to power and persecuted God's church and His people for 1260 years until the pope was taken captive in 1798, and his power was taken away. Freedom of religion was then established, which paved the way for the discovery and preaching of the message of the judgment which was revealed to our forefathers in 1844. [Dan. 7:7-27.] But prophecy tells us that there will be a repeat, and that the papacy will rise again at the very end of time. This time the nation that Satan will use is America as the lamb-like beast of Revelation 13, who will give power to the beast and to his image and they will persecute God's people again until the last trumpet sounds at the coming of Christ.

"And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name… One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.... All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast -- all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world....

"Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed… He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name." Rev. 13:1-3; 8, 11-17.

Historically, when Rome fell, the papacy arose and exercised power over the earth. In Revelation 13, we see the same pattern, but this time it is the moral fall of America that gives rise to the power of the beast. God raised up America to swallow up the flood of persecution from the papacy in Europe. But this prophecy predicts that America will fall from her God-given destiny as a protector of freedom, and become the nation that gives the papacy power to persecute God's people once again. This is why God is sounding the trumpets for our generation. Each trumpet is a warning judgment against this nation that was once the haven for Christianity to flourish. Now it is bowing publicly to the tantalizing serpent of papal world influence and leadership.

Now let's take a closer look at the seven trumpets of Revelation 9-11. The seven trumpets are in the setting of the seventh seal. The first six seals are recorded in chapter 6, and take us through the experience of the Christian church from the time Jesus went back to heaven until He comes again. Chapter 7, combined with chapter 14, reveals the identity of the cleansed remnant of God's people in the final generation -- the 144,000 -- who are sealed, and ready to be translated when He comes.

"Those who come up to every point, and stand the test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation." 1T 187.

The great multitude of the saved of all ages is also introduced in chapter 7.

"The happiness of heaven will consist in the pure communion of holy beings, the harmonious social life with the blessed angels and with the redeemed who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 4T 71, 2.

Chapter 8 begins with the opening of the seventh seal:

"When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets."
Rev. 8:1, 2.

There are only two references in the Spirit of Prophecy that refer to silence in heaven. One was at the scene of the cross [DA 683], and the other will be when Jesus comes again [EW 15,

16]. Some expositors believe that this silence is a reverential sense of awe at what will take place on the earth as a result of the blowing of the seven trumpets. This is the position that I will take in this article.

There is yet one more scene in heaven before the seven angels begin to blow their trumpets that is vital to the understanding of the purpose of the messages which they will bring from heaven to the people of earth.

"Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the sensor, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth: and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them." Rev. 8:3-6.

Some people believe that this angel represents Jesus when He throws down the sensor at the close of probationary time. I would like to present scriptural evidence for another way of seeing these texts. In Revelation 14:14-19, there is a passage of scripture describing the reaping of the harvest of the earth just before probation closes and the seven last plagues are poured out.

"I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like [the] son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, 'Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. So, he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

"Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe. The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath."
[Notice that the angel who had charge of the fire from the altar was not Jesus.]

This heavenly scene shows that just before probation closes and the seven last plagues begin, there is activity in the throne room of heaven that will result in the reaping of the harvest of the earth, including both the righteous and the wicked. I believe that the function of the seven trumpets is to bring everyone upon earth to a final decision concerning their eternal destiny.
Their purpose is to ripen the people of the world for the harvest, in answer to the prayers of the righteous throughout the centuries to bring justice for their sufferings and retribution upon their enemies. [See Rev. 6:9-11.]

The fire from the altar that was thrown down upon the earth in Revelation 8:5 is also an act which signifies coming judgments. Its counterpart is found in Ezekiel 10:1, 2 as a sign that the Holy Spirit was about to leave the temple.

"I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne of sapphire above the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim. The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, 'Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city… Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple." Eze. 10: 1, 2, 4.

"This act symbolized the impending destruction of the city." 4 BC 609 (not EGW).

It is important to remember in the study of Revelation that the keys to understanding are found in the Old Testament scriptures. Here is a brief synopsis of the repeat of the seven trumpets of Revelation as I believe they pertain to the fall of America and the harvest of the earth.

#1. "The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth." Rev. 8:7.

"In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill." Isa. 30:25.

"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke." Joel 2:28-30.

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke." Acts 2:15-19.

Note: In all three of these texts, the tragedies that are mentioned are indications of the time appointed for God to pour out His Spirit upon His people. Peter saw this passage in Joel as applying to the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, for he did not know that approximately 2000 years would elapse before the complete fulfillment of this prophecy. But Jesus had said to them just before He ascended to heaven,

"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:7, 8.

But does this mean that God's people will never know the time when the coming of Jesus is imminent? No, God has always given His own people ample evidence of their place in history and what is expected of them. How much more will He do to alert His final people that the time has come for them to prepare for the close of probation, and for His coming.


#2. "The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea." Rev. 8:8.

"Already the judgments of God are abroad in the land, as seen in storms, in floods, in tempests, and earthquakes, in peril by land and by sea. The great I Am is speaking to those who make void His law. When God's wrath is poured out upon the earth, who will then be able to stand?" 5T 136.

"'Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,' declares the Lord. 'I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,' declares the Lord. 'I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliff, and make you a burned-out mountain. No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate forever,' declares the Lord. 'Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her.... Send up horses like a swarm of locusts.'" Jer. 51:24-27.

In the second trumpet, the doom of America is prophesied. Throughout the Bible, a mountain is symbolic of leadership. God lives and reigns in the holy mountain in heaven [Isa.14:13; Ps. 87:1- 3]. His people are symbolized as the holy mountain of Israel [Dan. 9:16, 20; Isa.2:1-3]. Other nations that have positions of leadership, power, or authority are also seen as "mountains" [Amos 6:1; Revelation 17:1-9.]

How does America destroy the whole earth In the last days? This will take place when she uses her position of world leadership to give power to the papacy to persecute God's faithful people in the last remnant of time [Rev. 13:15-17].

#3. "The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water -- the name of the star is Wormwood [bitterness]." Rev. 8:10. 11.

"Among the prophets of Jerusalem, I have seen something horrible: they commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness.... Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets: I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land." Jer. 23:14, 15.

Note: On February 11, 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed "by which the Vatican City was recognized as a sovereign state. It ended the estrangement between the papacy and the kingdom of Italy which had lasted since the Italian occupation of Rome (1870)." Webster's Dictionary. On October 24-25, 1929, the stock market fell, resulting in the Great Depression that lasted approximately ten years and affected both industrialized and non-industrialized countries in many parts of the world.

On April 14, 15, 2008, the pope visited America and was highly acclaimed by President Bush. On September 14, 15, 2008, the stock market crashed and the economy took many months to begin recovery.

In the Bible, a star represents a leader [Rev. 1:20]. As the primary leader of the nations of the world, more judgments will fall upon America as she goes deeper into apostasy.

#4. "The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night." Rev. 8:12.

"'The prophets, follow and evil course and use their power unjustly. Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I find their wickedness,' declares the Lord. 'Therefore, their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished,' declares the Lord." Jer. 23:10-12.

"This is what the Lord says: 'As for the prophets who lead my people astray, if one feeds them, they proclaim peace; if he does not, they prepare to wage war against him. Therefore, night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them. The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God." Mic. 3:5-7.

Note: When the pope spoke to our Congress and to the UN in September 24-26, 2015, a major step in the downfall of the United States took place. In the years immediately preceding and following that event, many Protestant leaders have agreed that the protest is over, and have clasped hands with the papacy. Ellen White tells us where this places us in the stream of history:

"As America, the land of religious liberty, shall unite with the papacy enforcing the conscience and compelling men to honor the false Sabbath, the people of every country on the globe will be led to follow her example. Our people are not half awake to do all in their power, with the facilities within their reach, to extend the message of warning." 6T 18.

"The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience." GC 588.

Note: The last three trumpets are placed under the category of "woes." [Rev. 8:13.] In the scriptures, woes are only pronounced upon the generation or people that will receive the results of the woes; therefore, the last three trumpets are specifically for the final generation, for trumpet number seven is the second coming of Christ.

#5. "The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.* The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree; but only those people who did not have the seal of God in their foreheads." Rev. 9:1-4.

* This star is Abaddon, or Apollyon, meaning "Destroyer," which is Satan, the angel of the Abyss. Rev. 9:11.

Note: In Revelation 7:1-4, God commands the angels to hold the four winds of strife until the 144,000 are sealed and ready to stand through the final events of history. In Revelation 9 we see tragedies of momentous proportions upon the people of the earth, but the sealing of God's people is now in effect, and they are protected from the disasters that fall upon the wicked.

#6. The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.' And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number… The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood… Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts." Rev. 9:13-21.

Note: During the 6th trumpet, probationary time for the world closes. The righteous are sealed and safe in the hiding place of God [Isa. 26:20, 21], and the wicked continue to be wicked regardless of the dangerous world in which they now live. At this point it is time for Jesus to end the great controversy.

#7. "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. and the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying: 'We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints, and those who reverence your name, both small and great -- and for destroying those who destroy the earth. Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumbles, peals of thunder, and an earthquake and a great hailstorm." Rev. 11:15-19.

Note: This is a description of the seventh plague, which takes place immediately before the second coming of Jesus:

"The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'It is done!' Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake… The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible." Rev. 16:17-21.

There is one more important factor to take note of in the importance of understanding the seven trumpets of Revelation. Before the 7th trumpet can sound, Jesus must finish the work of reproducing His character perfectly in the lives of His bride. This profound truth is found in Revelation 10, where Jesus, appearing as a mighty angel [7 BC 971], makes this pronouncement:

"There will be no more delay! * But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." Rev. 10:6, 7.

* An alternate translation of "there shall be time no longer," used by some of our early pioneers after the passing of the great disappointment in 1844. See 7 BC commentary on this verse; also acceptable as a possible translation of the word, "chronos" (time), from Strong's Concordance. This would actually be a more accurate translation, or meaning, for those who will live to see Jesus come.

Note: What is the mystery of God that must be accomplished before Jesus closes probationary time and comes to take His waiting people back to heaven with Him? This mystery is explained in Colossians 1:25-28:

"I have become its [the church] servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness -- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Thus, the work of salvation and redeeming man back from the tyranny of sin must be finished before the seventh trumpet sounds. Most Christians today believe that we will retain the seeds of sin until Jesus comes and removes the carnal nature from us. Unfortunately, this is a fatal deception! Whatever cleansing work is done upon the character, must be done before Jesus' work in the heavenly sanctuary is finished and probation closes.

"It is possible to be a partial, formal believer, and yet be found wanting and lose eternal life. It is possible to practice some of the Bible injunctions and be regarded as a Christian, and yet perish because you lack qualifications essential to Christian character. If you neglect or treat with indifference the warnings that God has given, if you cherish or excuse sin, you are sealing your soul’s destiny. You will be weighed in the balance and found wanting. Grace, peace, and pardon will be forever withdrawn; Jesus will have passed by, never again to come within reach of your prayers and entreaties. While mercy lingers, while the Saviour is making intercession, let us make thorough work for eternity." 6T 405.

For nearly 20 years now, God's warning trumpets have been sounding to a nation and to a world whose eternal destiny is soon to be decided in the courts of heaven. The angel of protection over America is about to fold its wings and leave us to the god of Mammon that we have chosen. And where are the watchmen who are awake and alert to fearlessly perform their duty to save those who otherwise would be lost?

"The day of the Lord is approaching with stealthy tread; but the supposed great and wise men know not the signs of Christ coming or the end of the world. iniquity abounds, and the love of many has waxed cold… The watchman is to know the time of night. Everything is now clothed with a solemnity that all who believe the truth for this time should realize. They should act in reference to the day of God. The judgments of God are about to fall upon the world, and we need to be preparing for that great day." 6T 406, 407.

In conclusion, what are we supposed to be learning from the trumpet messages and warnings that we are receiving from the steady tread of events that are happening around the world? One important topic that needs clarification and emphasis is that the trumpets are not only a countdown of events preceding the close of probation and the coming of Jesus, but it is also a signal to the true children of God that the time has come for the final cleansing from all sin and the sealing of those who participate in this cleansing. Therefore, it is also time for the latter rain to fall. The following quotations will help to clarify that the time when God's warning trumpets are blowing upon the earth is also the time for the completed work of grace in the lives of God's people.

"The tops have been cut down, but the roots have never been eradicated, and they still bear their unholy fruit to poison the judgment, pervert the perceptions, and blind the understanding… When, by thorough confession, you destroy the root of bitterness, you will see light in God's light....

"Then will Zion's watchmen unitedly sound the trumpet in clearer, louder notes; for they will see the sword coming, and realize the danger in which the people of God are placed....

"I know that a work must be done for the people, or many will not be prepared to receive the light of the angel sent down from heaven to lighten the whole earth with his glory. Do not think That you will be found as vessels unto honor in the time of the latter rain if you are lifting up your souls unto vanity, speaking perverse things, and cherishing roots of bitterness." LS 326-8.

"Those who place themselves under God's control, to be led and guided by Him, will catch the steady tread of events ordained by Him to take place." 7T 14.

"If ever God's watchmen needed to be on their guard, it is now… The trumpet must give a certain sound. There will be a general proclamation of truth, the whole earth will be lightened with the glory of God, but those only will recognize the light who have sought to know the difference between holiness and sin." UL 365.

Unfortunately, not all of those who profess to be God's people will participate in the cleansing that is necessary to prepare their own hearts to be faithful watchmen sounding the warning that will alert others to prepare for Jesus coming. Those who are fearful or reticent to speak out will be left behind, and accounted as unfaithful stewards of God's truth.

"The perils of the last days are upon us, and we are to warn the people of the danger they are in… If our people realized the nearness of the events portrayed in the Revelation, a reformation would be wrought in our churches, and many more would believe the message. We have no time to lose. God calls upon us to watch for souls as they that must give an account." TM 118.

"The message we have to bear is not a message that men need to cringe to declare. They are not to seek to cover it, to conceal its origin and purpose. Its advocates must be men who will not hold their peace day nor night... As stewards of the mysteries of the grace of God, we are under obligation to declare faithfully the whole counsel of God." LS 329.

"When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared — who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken — who can but prophesy?" Amos 3:6-8.

"The Lord gives a special truth for the people in an emergency. Who dare refuse to publish it? He commands His servants to present the last invitation of mercy to the world. They cannot remain silent, except at the peril of their souls. Christ's ambassadors have nothing to do with consequences. They must perform their duty and leave the results with God." GC 609.

"If our ministers realized how soon the inhabitants of the world are to be arraigned before the judgment seat of God, to answer for the deeds done in the body, how earnestly they would work together with God to present the truth! How untiringly they would labor to advance God's cause in the world, proclaiming in word and deed: 'The end of all things is at hand.' 1 Peter 4:7.

"'Prepare to meet thy God' is the message everywhere we are to proclaim. The trumpet is to give a certain sound. Clearly and distinctly the warning is to ring out: 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen… Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.' The words of this scripture are to be fulfilled. Soon the test is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth." 9T 149.

"The mark of deliverance has been set upon those that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done. Now the angel of death goes forth, represented in Ezekiel's vision by the men with a slaughtering weapon, to whom the command is given: 'Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.' Says the prophet, 'They began at the ancient men which were before the house.' Eze. 9:1-6. The work of destruction begins among those who have professed to be the spiritual guardians of the people. The false watchmen are the first to fall." GC 656.

The trumpets of God are sounding throughout our land, and also in the whole world. This is no time to be hesitating and afraid to speak the whole truth. God is counting on us to interpret the events that are happening so that every soul might be warned and have an opportunity to be prepared for what is coming upon the earth. Will you stand up and be counted as one of God's faithful watchmen?

"Watchman, blow the gospel trumpet, Every soul a warning give;
Whosoever hears the message May repent and turn and live.
Blow the trumpet, trusty watchman, Blow it loud o'er land and sea;
God commissions, sound the message! Every captive may be free."

SDA Hymnal, p. 368.

By Carol Zarska