We have completed 6 Seals and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, is still in heaven looking on as the Lamb of God now opens the 7th and final seal, which completes the unsealing of the scroll (remember 7 is the number of spiritual perfection or completeness) .

Now observe what happens!

Rev. 8:1
And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

The 7th Seal is a "silence" and a lapse of time for "half an hour". Why?

Something is about to happen. The 7 Trumpets are about to blow! But before they do, there is a period of quietness, of silence, that transpires. Let's call it silent meditation, or the calm before the storm.

Remember: The Seals are KNOWLEDGE that we must have in our foreheads in order to escape the "hour of temptation" that Christ spoke of to the church of Philadelphia in chapter 3 verse 10:

Rev. 3:10
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Notice what happens during that hour of temptation: there is a trying, a tribulation, to them that dwell on the earth.

The 7th Seal is to KNOW when that "hour" is upon us, or as Christ would say "when all these things are fulfilled". Let's read what He told us just following the 6th Seal in Mark 13:

Mark 13:28
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

He just completed the 6th Sign/Seal and has now instructed us to LEARN the 7th Sign/Seal, contained within the parable of the fig tree, which is to KNOW (7th seal of knowledge) when the period of time has lapsed and the season (summer) is near.

[29] So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

So observe the manner in which a fig shoot is planted and starts to put forth leaves. It is not done by planting a seed.

Let's ask some questions.

Q.) What are these things which come to pass?

A.) The other 6 Seals that He just gave us AND the planting of the fig tree!

[30] Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

Q.) What generation is He referring to?

A.) The subject is the fig tree, so the answer is "the generation of the fig tree"!

Q.) When did that begin?

A.) May 15, 1948.

Q.) How do you know?

A.) To understand the (live link to)-> Parable of the Fig Tree (a comprehensive study reserved for another time) you must begin at the beginning, in the fig grove of the garden in Eden, and understand who the "children of disobedience" are, that they are the "seed" of the serpent, the "tares" of the Parable of the Tares in Matthew 13, the sons of Cain (kenites). This you must do in order to understand who the "bad figs" of Judah are spoken of in Jeremiah 24, which describes the setting forth of both the good and bad figs in Judea, in Jerusalem. Then you will KNOW that the United Nation's sanction of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948, planted the fig tree.

(live link to)-> Parables of the Sower and Tares

People are often shocked when they hear that statement, and not so much by the fact of the event itself, but by the connection to the Bible, i.e. by the identifying of a "modern event" with scripture, with the fulfillment of prophecy. It's as if they didn't know the Bible had any relevance to today except for its moral teachings. They have the mentality of "back in Biblical times", and it is no wonder when they hear the archaic, oh so holy, monotone style of the "selection from the Bible", "our scripture reading for today" that they hear when they attend church. You see, there's deception even in the way they read the Bible. Who communicates, who talks like that in the "real world"? Not you, not me.

Well, guess what? The Bible is not only relevant to today, but the prophecies contained therein are coming to pass almost daily. And so it fits absolutely perfectly that the next words Christ would say are:

[31] Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Better listen to Him if you plan to escape the hour of temptation, that hour when Satan is here in person, standing where he ought not, performing miracles in the sight of men, and successfully tempting the whole world into believing that he is Jesus Christ. Don't be deceived, remember that is the 1st Seal, the 1st Sign.

The Seals have now been removed and each and every one of them was opened by the Lamb of God Himself. The detail which He gives us sometimes seems overwhelming, but it is greatly appreciated by those who seek to know all the things that He has foretold us, and He has foretold us all things.

I suppose we could "sum up" the Seals in just a few words: They are to understand the powers and dark forces of the Four Hidden Dynasties (the 1st 4 Seals), what happen(s)(ed) to those who teach the true Word of God and confront the rider of the horses and the worldwide testimony of God's elect soon to be delivered up (5), to understand the Two Tribulations and the work (sealing) that must take place before the four winds blow (6), and to understand the parable of the fig tree and the season when all these things come to pass (7).

If you understand those 7 Seals, revealed to you by Jesus Christ, then you have eyes to see and ears to hear, and the scroll, His Word, will unroll before your eyes and you can read with understanding the marvelous mysteries of our God. There is nothing like it in the entire universe! It will turn your heart to Him with such love that you cannot contain it.

All sealed? Good, we're ready for the 7 Trumpets.

[2] And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

These seven angels, standing before the throne of God, are issued seven trumpets and are standing there obediently waiting for their command, ready to sound.

[3] And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

But first, let's call forth another angel and have the offering of the prayers of all the saints who have patiently waited on the Lord to avenge their blood. We read of them in chapter 6, remember?

Rev. 6:10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Is this not how most events are started? Someone is called forth to give an opening prayer? Why does all this seem so strange to some?

[4] And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

One thing is for sure. All those prayers, including yours and mine, are there in heaven, and our Father has heard and continues to hear and always answers them, according to His will and our benefit.

[5] And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

Now that sounds frightening!

Note: Be prepared, for in the next few chapters we will encounter much symbology, but "not to worry" or "be frightened" as those are who would try to read a scroll that's still sealed. As we learned in the very first chapter of this great book, the symbolism is clearly defined and it produces vivid pictures in our minds which we will "see" clearly and understand that which is taking place.

And again, if we begin at the beginning, in the Book of Genesis, by the time we get to the Book of Revelation we will have learned much and seen most of the symbolism used in Revelation. For instance we would know that God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:29
For our God is a consuming fire.

We would have read of the 'burning bush' on the mountain. We would have read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and how the Fire who was in the midst of the furnace with them, that fourth one, the Consuming Fire we just read of in Hebrews, protected them from the fiery flames of combustion.

Will the fire that this angel takes from the altar of God, from Him, hurt you and me? Not on your life! We know that fire purifies Gold, but it consumes that which is stubble, like straw. So in like manner does He, the consuming fire, our Father.

[6] And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

OK, the angels are ready, everything is set to go with the famous 7 Trumpets of Revelation. If you are a student of God's Word, and if you understand the 7 Seals which we've just covered, then these trumpets will make a lot of sense. If not, I hope you like scary movies!

It is fascinating how eager people are to understand the Book of Revelation, which by the way is the last book in the Bible. Some want to know because they are curiosity seekers, some sense it could be true, and others want to know what is going to happen so they can "live it up" and then repent just in time to "make it" (as if they could 'pull one over' on God).

What are trumpets and how are they used anyway? Well, trumpets are loud horns and militarily speaking, when the trumpets blow, the troops begin to move into position to do battle, and then the final charge is sounded by the final Trump.

Again, and it bears repeating, if you are familiar with God's Word then you will have encountered trumpets many times before you get to Revelation, as well as most all of the symbolism in Revelation, which you will see.

For example, if you've read Exodus you will remember that it was Jo-shua (the same name as Ya-shua, i.e. same name as Jesus) who led our people into the promised land. Well guess what? We are about to enter into the promised land again, the Millennium. Do you recall what God instructed Joshua to do to take the city of Jericho? March around the city 6 days + the 7th. And on the last day, they compassed the city 7 times and blew the 7 Trumpets and at the "shout", the walls of the great city came tumbling down.

The same thing is about to happen to that great city, Babylon the Great, which we will soon read and learn about and how it falls. Have you read in 1 Thes. 4:16 how Christ returns?

1 Thes. 4:16
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God...

That Trump will be the last one, the 7th one, when the walls of this flesh age come tumbling down, and that angel in Rev. 14:8 says "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

So here's where we are in Revelation. We are all "sealed up" and we are about to go to war against the oppressor, you know who. And what did God command the PRIESTS to do when going to war? Blow the TRUMPETS, sound the ALARM!

Numbers 10:8
And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.

By the way, you can read in Leviticus 23:24 when the Memorial of Blowing the Trumpets is to be held: "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation."

The Seventh month! (That's not July either. Remember the 1st day of the first month always begins on the Spring Equinox.) So when will the final Trump blow? Who knows, but don't you think the 7th month would be a good season to watch?

Now here it is, God's command to blow the trumpets:

Numbers 10:9
And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

Got your Gospel Armor on and in place (Eph. 6)?  Then get ready for the Trumpets of God to sound. We're going to War! But NOT against flesh and blood! "But against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephes. 6:12", i.e. spiritually, with the sharp two-edged sword as our weapon!

Also, before we begin the trumps, be prepared to encounter much symbolism, the purpose of which is Paint a PICTURE in your mind. Remember back to our first few lessons in Revelation, and our discussion about pictures? First SEE the PICTURE. The meaning is contained in the picture not in the individual words themselves, which are used to paint the picture. Do you understand?

Finally, keep in mind the 4 Hidden Dynasties (the first 4 Seals), which are used to deceive the people and bring about the New World Order, the One World "Beast" System, as we read about the first 4 Trumpets. We have already read in verse 5, Rev. 8:5, that the angel took "fire" from the altar of God and cast it into the earth. Remember from Heb. 12:29 that our Father is a consuming fire. That "fire" from the altar is His truth, His Word, and it "burns" alright, and it causes shakings and quakings even among individual households.

When the first 4 Trumpets sound, the Word of God is going to be cast, mixed even more, with the 4 Hidden Dynasties and things will really begin to "heat up". The first 4 trumpets, as were the first 4 Seals, are also grouped apart from the last three which are Woe trumpets to the inhabiters of the earth. Yesireee! Woe, woe, woe!

Let the action begin!

[7] The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Now that ought to paint a pretty graphic picture in your mind! Am I right? Hope it's not scary to you.

A "third part" is an expression meaning "not all of", i.e. only of portion of. We'll document that when we get to the 12th verse, but it's kind of like we say "wait a minute", which doesn't mean wait exactly one minute (except to a friend of mine who is so compulsive he'd probably start his stop watch.)

Have we ever seen hail and fire before in the Bible? Of course! Remember the judgments poured out upon Egypt?

Exodus 9:24-26
So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

Our people were held captive in the land by Pharaoh. Our people today are held captive in their land by the 4 Hidden Dynasties controlled by the type of Pharaoh, Satan, the rider of the horses.

[25] And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.

There's your hail and fire and grass and trees. Amazing, isn't it. However, these things happened back then as ensamples whereby we would know what is to befall us, today, Spiritually! In other words, they were types. Here's your documentation where Paul is discussing Moses and the events which happened to the people:

1 Cor. 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Again, why did it happen that way? Why was it written in the Word of God? For us, upon whom the ends of the world are come, I'll go as far to say, so we could understand the Book of Revelation. Hello!

And now, here's the rest of the story.

Exodus 9:26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

And so it is that the judgments of God, His Word poured out like the hail and fire on Egypt, when the trumpets blow, will not harm one hair on the heads of His own elect, those who are "sealed", i.e. who know His Word. Here's proof positive:

Rev. 9:4
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

There is just plain nothing new under the sun, is there? Again, remember that this is spiritual warfare. The natural elements are not going to be "burned up" like a bon-fire, but many men (no gender intended) will be "burned" and become spiritually dead, branded, if you will, with the "mark of the beast".

And now the second Trump.

[8] 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;

Another astounding Picture in your mind! Can't you just see a great big mountain on fire as it zooms through the sky, like a fiery asteroid from outer space, with a long streaming tail of fire, and it crashes and splashes into the ocean causing it to turn blood red? Wow!

You have just seen the effect of God's Word as it is cast into the sea of people and encounters the opposing forces of the oppressor! Let us document.

First of all, and once again, this symbolism and terminology is not new, nor strange, to a student of His Word. Let's see, where have we seen a "burning mountain" before? ...... Aha! Yes, oh my goshen, do you realize that our people have "actually seen" a burning mountain? Go to Deuteronomy and read the whole story. Here's two clips:

Deut. 4:11
And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

Deut. 5:23
And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, for the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

And it would be this same Moses who would with a "staff taken from that burning mountain", like the angel with the golden censor taking "fire" from the altar, touch the waters of the Nile and it would turn to blood. Got the Picture?

Again, and I will keep repeating this for those whose eyes are just starting to open, these things were examples of the spiritual application for the end times! The waters and the seas and the rivers are PEOPLE. Here again is the documentation:

Rev. 17:15
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

"Waters" are "Peoples", of all nations and languages, even of the whole world!

Isn't the Book of Revelation fascinating? Its very title means to "uncover" and "make clear", and it sure is true that a Picture is worth a thousand words. Can He paint a picture, or what?

We are now studying the famous 7 Trumpets of Revelation. If you are a student of God's Word, and if you understand the 7 Seals which we've just covered, then these trumpets will make a lot of sense. If not, I hope you like scary movies!

The Trumps of God commence the action of the final events of this flesh age, culminating at the 7th and final Trump on the Day of the Lord, the return of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, when every knee shall bow. As the first four trumpets blow, adding "heat" to the 4 Hidden Dynasties, the world begins to become hotter and hotter, reaching the boiling point when Satan arrives in person on the first "white horse" and the battle for the souls of men rages full in the darkest hour EVER of human history.

We had come to the second trumpet which caused the "burning mountain" of God to be cast into the sea of people. That will heat things up for sure! The infusion of the true Word of God "polarizes" and causes those who love Him to love Him more, and those who oppose Him to actively oppose Him more! As an example, just mention "God" to the ACLU and they are "stirred" to remove Him from all aspects of society.

Let's continue with the 2nd Trumpet having sounded:

Rev. 8:9 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.

You must remember that the death that is brought upon men in the end times is "spiritual death" and not the death of the flesh body.  Do not worry about your flesh dying because that's "a given" sooner or later, isn't it? So if you're worried about dying in the great tribulation then you're way off track and have missed the boat entirely! In other words, if you're looking for a physical sword that might kill your flesh you'll never notice the one that just sliced your soul in half! Christ made this perfectly clear to us about the priority of the two deaths.

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

And what has the power to bring about the death of the soul? What is the most powerful weapon in the universe? Answer: His Two-edged Sword!

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

So revere Him (not fear as in afraid) and you have nothing to worry about. So let's raise our level of thinking and begin to understand which death is important and which one isn't and to think 2nd death in this Book of Revelation. Remember the Picture concept of symbols?  SEE the Sword to see it cut, but KNOW it is the Word and know that Satan and his boys have swords also. The battle of the end times is not to cut flesh but to cut souls.

Now, what are these "ships" which are destroyed? The Greek word for "ships" means "vessel" as in "shipping vessel". These ships symbolize commerce, as in the ships of Tarshish, and there is much commercialism in all four of the 4 Hidden Dynasties. So I use the saying that governments and big business operate on the principle of "The Golden Rule", meaning that "The Guys With the Gold Make the Rules."

Do you remember when the Word of God was "poured out" unto Pharaoh through Moses? Did it not stir Pharaoh to oppress God's people even more? Remember, there's nothing new under the sun! Pharaoh was a type of Satan. Let's read it.

Exodus 5:10-13
And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

Have you read the little booklet "The Hidden Dynasty of the Economy"? Do you know who the "taskmasters" of the people are today?

[11] Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

You're going to have to work twice as hard now to produce the same amount of goods!

[12] So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

[13] And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

And so it is that the "taskmasters" today say "Fulfill your works, your obligations, and pay all your bills as when there was straw, as when only one in the household had to gather to fulfill the American dream. Now, my friend, you and your spouse both work hard to make ends meet. You go and gather and work 5 months out of the year to pay your taxes and usury to the taskmasters. That's even more than one third of your commerce which has died. Did you hear a trumpet? Enough said!

[10] And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

In this 3rd Trump we get a different kind of "light" falling upon the peoples of the earth. And just so you know whose lamp it is, here's the name of this star:

[11] And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Wormwood means bitter (Chernobyl in Russian). What does it mean the third part of the waters became bitter? Remember waters = people. The people are become bitter and become spiritually dead, having been made bitter by Satan's system of oppression. Some star he is!

Christ told us of this same falling star in Luke:

Luke 10:18-19
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Compare the root Greek words used for "lamp" in Rev. 8:10 and "lightning" in Luke 10:18.

lampo :- give light, shine.

astrapto :- lighten, shine.

And so the lamp is Satan's light, his "truth", which most people of the world will accept as true.

So we see in this 3rd trump Satan, "the star", begin to fall from heaven.

[12] And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

At the sound of this trump the whole earth is in a "partial eclipse" of deception and spiritual death. The 4 Hidden Dynasties have woven their shrouded web upon the world and have snared as captives those who walk as they slumber. The majority of Christianity falls into this category, for they have not eyes to see nor ears to hear, and our Father has allowed them as they wish, i.e. to slumber on (See Rom. 11:8).

The word "darkened" is skotizo and it means to "obscure". And that about describes it! People today cannot see the light of truth, for it has been "obscured" by the traditions of men, nor can they reckon the signs of the times nor the seasons for which the sun and the moon and the stars were created (Gen. 1:14), nor can they see the invisible horses which have ridden hard through the night, to and fro upon the earth.

But you "ain't seen nothin'" yet!

There are three trumpets yet to blow and they are Woe Trumpets! Woe to whom? Woe to earthlings!

So while the sun and the moon and the stars are partially darkened now, the entire sun and entire moon will soon be darkened when  the false-christ, Satan himself, appears in person at the 6th Trump. We will soon learn that he deceives the "whole world" (Rev. 12:9), i.e. there will be "darkness" over all the earth. Do you understand?

This may help. You may recall from the history of not too long ago that the "light of truth" was almost "snuffed" out. During that period of time in order to read the scriptures you first had to obtain a license (which in my experiences always means pay a fee), and then you had to show yourself approved to your confessor (and you better not be trying to start a reformation). Note: If you haven't read "The Letter to the Reader" by the translators of the King James Bible, then by all means you must. Here's a link you can go to Live Link to- LetterToTheReader It will document that which was just stated.

Now, do you know what that period of history is called to this very day? The DARK AGES!

But again, you "ain't seen nothin'" yet!

Now to complete chapter 8:

[13] And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

"And I beheld" means good old John is still there in heaven observing these things for us. I almost forgot about him. It seems like he's been there a long time, doesn't it?

This word translated "angel" is aetos and should be translated "eagle" as Dr. Moffat has it in his translation. Have you ever heard the shrill of an eagle's cry? Imagine that shrieking caw as the "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth!"

Webster's dictionary says of the eagle: "eagles are known for their strength, size, keenness of vision, and powers of flight. Our Father likens His protection of His children in Deut. 32, the Song of Moses, to the outstretched wings of the great and powerful eagle.

Deut. 32:11
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:

We'll read more of the protection of wings of the Great Eagle when we get to chapter twelve.

Next we will read of the 5th Trump and learn of a great locust army to come against our people. Those without the gospel armour on (Eph. 6) are going to get devoured, those with it on and in place will squish locusts like little pesky bugs.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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