15. The Seals and the Trumpets - Part 1.

P. Ben [2015]
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The first seal speaks of imperial conquests, the second refers to wars, the third to famines and the fourth brings in the ‘four sore judgments’ of Ezekiel*- sword, famine, pestilence and the beasts of the earth.

*Please refer Ezekiel 14:21

The fifth seal presents the martyrdom of the remnant, the sixth seal breaks down the structure of society resulting from subversion of governing powers.

The seventh seal opens up the seven trumpets.

The first trumpet speaks of the destruction of great men and loss of prosperity in Europe*.

*The ‘third part’ occurring frequently in the trumpets refers to Latin Europe. Refer Rev 12:4.

The second trumpet calls for the disruption of a great stabilizing power resulting in chaos and widespread unrest among the mass of peoples.

The third trumpet introduces a great luminary apostatizing and corrupting the sources of morality and civility in European society.

The fourth trumpet introduces the collapse of government in Europe- both central and subordinate powers are shown to be disrupted.

The fifth trumpet brings in the Antichrist (False Prophet) in relationship with the apostate Jewish people*.

*Comparing Rev 9:4 with Rev 7:3, it is known that those who had not the seal of God comprised the apostate mass of Jewry.

The sixth trumpet introduces the apostasy of Christendom and the special history of the last week of Daniel*.

*The sixth trumpet begins in Rev 9 but ends in Rev11:14. The sixth trumpet besides presenting the apostatizing of European Christianized gentiles from nominal faith (to slay the third part of men), also provides a special focus on the events of the last week of Daniel. The last week of Daniel presents the remnant exercising priestly and prophetic functions. The priestly aspect of the remnant is owned by God while that of the apostate Jewish mass (court which is without the temple-Rev 11:2) is not owned. The prophetic role assumed by the remnant is shown by the two witnesses combining the testimony of Elijah and Moses as against an apostate nation and a persecuting world. The witnessing remnant bear testimony of the perfect Melchisedec rule of Christ to be known in the millennium and the present disorder of the Jewish institution- there were two olives and one candlestick in Zechariah 4 (presenting the perfect millennial position of Israel in connection with Christ who has combined in Himself the offices of the Priest and King) but here in Rev 11 there were two candlesticks (not one) revealing the disturbed order of Jewish state at that time of conflict. The sixth trumpet also brings in the revived Roman empire (the beast ascends out of the bottomless pit-Rev11:7) and the martyrdom of the remnant*.

*The remnant martyred here are not the same as those under the fifth seal.

The seventh trumpet brings in the judgment preceding the millennium (the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come-Rev11:18), the millennium itself (The kingdom of the world of our Lord and of His Christ is come-Rev 11:15 [JND]) and the white throne of Revelation 20 (the time of the dead, that they should be judged-Rev11:18).

The book of Revelation ends with verse eighteen of Chapter eleven. The rest (till Ch 22) is specific to what has been generally provided in the preceding chapters.


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