7th Trumpet
Day 1,260: the 2nd Advent in the Sky
As stated before, Day 1,260 means the 3 ½ year Great Tribulation (the 70th week of Daniel) is fully accomplished (Dan. 9:24, 12:7; Rev. 12:6, 14) and, likewise, this means that the prophesying of the Two Anointed Ones has come to a finish by way of death (“We are immortal till their work is done.” – Whitefield; Rev. 11:3-10). As has been proven heretofore, this also means that the Spiritual Temple of the Gentile Church Age has been gloriously restored and built to completion (“the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” – Rom. 11:25) to wit God is ready to turn to the Jews. This marks an absolute end of “the tribulation of those days” and the beginning of the signs of the Son of Man in Heaven (Mat. 24:29); that is, had not 3 ½ more days been added. After the death of the Two Anointed Ones we read that the world is at rest insomuch that the formerly tormented sinners are rejoicing with one another in a flurry of seeming success (Rev. 11:7-11). This deluded merrymaking of Babylon’s citizenry will last 3 ½ days, and that’s all.
On Day 1,263 we read that the Two Anointed Ones will be resurrected from the dead (the unburied bodies standing on their feet!) and at the sound of a great voice from Heaven they’ll be raptured into Heaven in the sight of all (Rev. 11:11-12)! Then, to the dread of rebellious sinners and to the glory of the God-fearing remnant, a great earthquake will break-up and demolish a tenth of the City of Jerusalem (Rev. 11:13)! This, I am convinced, marks the absolute end of “the tribulation of those days” seeing that the totality of the 2nd woe is finished (Matt. 24:29, Mk. 13:24; “the second woe is past” – Rev. 11:14). Admittedly, one might be tempted to think that the resurrection and ascension of the Two Anointed Ones is the same moment at which all the saints are raptured into Heaven in like manner (Isaiah 27:13, 1 Cor. 15:52, Matthew 24:31), but take note that this interpretation proves impossible because the scripture statedly categorizes all the events heretofore as the 2nd woe while affirming that there is a separate and distinct woe yet to come.
“The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” – Rev. 11:14
The words “behold” and “cometh quickly” serve as a loud announcement that something woeful is immediately at hand (Rev. 11:14). This is further emphasized in the prophecies of Jesus, by the word: “immediately” (Matt. 24:29). In other words, a short amount of time will take place between the completion of the 2nd woe on Day 1,263 and the coming of the 3rd woe at the sounding of the 7th Trumpet (Rev. 11:15-19). This means that the totality of signs that accompany the 2nd Advent of Christ are immediately at hand, notwithstanding no man knows the day or the hour¸ hence there is an intentional shrouding of the specific day and time that this takes place (Matt. 24:36).
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a Trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” – Matt. 24:29-31
Yes, my reader! The 7th Trumpet of Revelation 11:15-19 is the same one that is referred to by Jesus in the above passage, by the saying, “a great sound of a Trumpet” (Matt. 24:31). It is likely that Jesus was quoting Isaiah’s wording when he prophesied of the rapture, saying, “the great Trumpet shall be blown” (Isa. 27:13). This is the last of 7 mighty trumpets and therefore accordingly, Paul called it, “the Last Trump” (1 Cor. 15:52) – the signaled event at which the saints of every age are instantaneously translated to meet the Lord in the air (1 Cor. 15:52, 1 Thess. 4:17)!
In Jesus’ words, this is “the sign of the Son of Man in heaven” (Matt. 24:30, Rev. 1:7, Zech. 12:10), and with this sign are other accompanying signs that demonstrate the “power and great glory” that the Messiah asserts to enforce His rule as KING over all the earth (Matt. 24:30). Such signs are foretold in Mark 13:26, 27 & Luke 21:27 like in Matthew 24:29-31, but in a general sense (Note: the words “and then” signify the accompaniment of signs in the same general time period; these words do not mean the chronological ordering of signs strung together into one cohesive and sequential event). For clarity, the Book of Revelation provides a detailed analysis of what was generally spoken of in the Gospels. The signs, according to the Gospels, are expounded in detail through the heavenly operation of the seven vials of the seven angels as they pour them out upon the earth in Revelation 16:1-21. My reader, consider the significance of this glorious display of power and glory, the appearance of the Son of Man with the accompaniment of earth-staggering, heaven-rending signs! At this heavenly operation, the Elders of Heaven fall down in worship, confessing, “We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, …because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned” (Rev. 11:17)! They are praising the Lord for a present-tense assertion of Kingly Power to reign over all the earth. Speaking of the same praiseworthy event, the glorious assemblage of Revelation 15:1-8 confesses, “Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy Name? …for Thy judgments are made manifest” (Rev. 15:4)!
Surely, such statements will go unappreciated unless one’s mind is opened to understand the scriptures as they refer to categorically different judgments in the Last Days. According to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th Trumpets, we have studied and duly noted God’s judgment of the Church through Babylon. At the sounding of the 7th Trumpet, however, there’s a clear shift of divine purpose in respect to Babylon. At this, the short space of God’s judgment through Babylon is passed and, necessarily so, Jesus returns to earth as a minister of God’s judgment upon Babylon! Strikingly, this shift of divine purpose is demonstrable in the saintly utterance before and after this 7th Trumpet. Before, we read of prayerful longings and unctionized entreaties that God would bring judgment upon Babylon and restore the Kingdom to Israel (Rev. 6:9-10, 8:3-4). After, we read of high praises and victorious singing in that God is judging Babylon through the 2nd Advent of Christ (Rev. 11:15-18, 15:1-4, 16:5-7, 17, 14:8, 18:2, 8, 10, 20, 19:2, 11)! My reader, observe the shifting viewpoint in that there’s no more praying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:10).
At the sounding of the 7th Trumpet, Babylon’s instrumentality expires. God, turning His gaze upon Babylon for judgment, invokes the causes of justice and vengeance for what Babylon did to the saints in the Great Tribulation (Rev. 18:20, Jer. 51:34-35, Ezek. 36:5-7)! Hence, the saints erupt into praise at God’s assertion of actual sovereignty in appearing on the skyline of earth’s horizon for war! Thus, observe in the following a continuous heralding of such like praises and declarations transpiring in the present tense and the past tense as the prophetic storyline progresses in its prophetic lookout point while describing the events of the next 72 days!
Rev. 11:15 (“are become”) Rev. 11:17 (“hast reigned”) Rev. 11:18 (“Thy wrath is come”) Rev. 14:7 (“is come”) Rev. 14:8 (“is fallen”) | Rev. 14:15 (“is ripe”) Rev. 15:4 (“are made manifest”) Rev. 16:5 (“Thou hast judged thus”) Rev. 16:17 (“it is done”) Rev. 18:2 (“is fallen”) | Rev. 18:8 (“judgeth”) Rev. 18:10 (“judgment is come”) Rev. 18:20 (“God hath avenged you on her”) Rev. 19:2 (“He hath judged”) Rev. 19:11 (“He doth judge and make war”) |
Such hallmarks go unnoticed by most readers because the progression of the prophecies from the sounding of the 7th Trumpet onward (Revelation Ch. 12 through Ch. 19) aren’t understood in the actual chronology of real time events taking place. For example, Chapters 12, 13, & 14 aim to prophesy about the Great Tribulation, while the latter half of Revelation 14 shifts to declare the victorious end of all suffering for the saints who endured the Tribulation and in so doing, necessarily, there is a declaration that Babylon is fallen and a demonstration of how she will fall being conveyed in a scripturally rich presentation that incorporates doctrines forged in the Tribulation Periods of old. Then, Chapters 15, 16, & 19 give a plain account of the 2nd Advent of Christ in earth’s sky, the rapture of the saints of every age, and the war that commences while Chapters 17 & 18 reveal the status of Babylon from a national and earthly perspective prior to and during her fall under the sudden descent of the Messiah riding forth to WAR!
This being the case, here’s the question: If the 2nd Advent of Christ is shortly after Day 1,263, why would it take approximately 27 days for the abomination of desolation to be removed from his place of rule and authority? Now, one would think that the armies of Babylon would immediately surrender upon hearing the great sound of the 7th Trumpet (Rev. 11:15-19), seeing Jesus Christ with an army of Holy Angels in flaming fire moving across the skyline (2 Thess. 1:7-10), and watching the saints of every age being resurrected and raptured in the sky to meet the Lord in the air (Rev. 15:2-4)! And, upon surrendering, one would think that the antichrist would be abandoned and therefore “the abomination of desolation” removed, but according to Daniel 12:11 this does not happen until Day 1,290. Instead of “wailing” in surrender, according to the prophecies (Rev. 1:7), the people of Babylon are rallying for war (Revelation 16:12-16)!