An challenging look at understanding Prophecy
INTRODUCTION
This prophecy has raised quite allot of attention. After the ottoman empires conquest of Europe appeared to fulfill the 6th trumpet, many have taken a historical symbolic approach to unlocking their meaning. Unfortunately, using this approach has yielded an array of comically erroneous interpretations of the other 6 trumpets.
Once again I have discovered that scripture supports itself perfectly when it is taken as a literal description of events during end times. The Bible tells how the wicked will not repent because of God's judgements, and Ellen White saw that they would be viewed as natural disasters, and not the judgements of God. This means that the trumpets must be fulfilled in such a way that is natural, but to those who know their Bibles, will be significant warning signs that God is withdrawing his protection from a world that is rejecting the creator as their God and protector.
1st TRUMPET
7. The first Angel sounded: And hail and fire followed,
mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth;
and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the
green grass was burned up.
• "Hail and Fire" a scientifically accurate description of an asteroid. Asteroids are composed of ice and as they enter our atmosphere, they burst into fire.
It is only in the last 15 years that scientists have known that asteroids were made of ice, which certainly supports that this prophecy is divinely inspired.
For my fellow Adventists who are certain that Ellen White states that the Trumpets were in the past, consider this vision of hers:
"I saw an immense ball of fire fall among some beautiful mansions, causing their instant destruction. I heard someone say: "We knew that the judgments of God were coming upon the earth, but we did not know that they would come so soon." Others, with agonized voices, said: "You knew! Why then did you not tell us? We did not know." –9T 28 (1909).
Here is an excellent test for understanding exactly how to discern "spirit of prophecy" written over 100 years ago. First thing is that Ellen White actually says "I have no light of the trumpets." She never actually supported Uriah`s interpretation of them, and in referring to Uriah, says he is no longer usefully in spreading the 3 angel`s message. Now consider that she has been shown a vision from God, but does not understand it. Here is a perfect example of her human side meeting her prophetic side. Just like Daniel received a vision, but had to wait on the explanation, Ellen White received this one, but was offered no explanation. She had no idea that asteroids were made of ice, and perhaps they were the farthest thing from her mind.
God would not give a vision unless it was of some importance. Is it possible that God is drawing our attention to the First trumpet.
There is one thing that is absolutely paramount in her vision. "We knew that the judgments of God were coming upon the earth, but we did not know that they would come so soon." was the reaction of those who knew prophecy. Do you realize that this vision actually pinpoints the first trumpet as being the very first event of end times! As only the first event of revelation will catch us off guard, just as Mrs. White describes it doing. Consider that if right now, you heard a rumble outside your house, and saw balls of fire destroying houses and buildings, you`d be saying the exact thing as the onlookers of her vision.
The fact is that as Adventists, if we are to go by the spirit of prophecy and the Bible, we have to consider that the trumpets are pointing towards literal cosmic disasters heralding the beginning of the last days. One of my concerns is that if this is the first major event of end times, and it is fulfilled quite differently than we are expecting it to be, how will this effect the confidence of our people in our other prophetic views, in a time of fear and chaos.
*Barringer Meteor Crater, Arizona
2nd TRUMPET
8. The second angel sounded: and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood;
9. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
1. an asteroid hits the pacific or atlantic ocean destroying everything in that ocean. If this is the case it may happen in close proximity to the 1st Trumpet. In other words, this large asteroid of the 2nd trumpet could pass through an asteroid field, redirecting several small asteroids on a collision course with earth. This is not likely, but still possible, in fact, it was the storyline in the movie Armageddon and Deep Impact.
2. there is a massive chunk of Hawaii that is slowly sliding into the ocean. Every year it gains momentum(10"/year, 14"/year, 20"/year). Eventually it will plunge into the pacific. Geologists have confirmed that the turbodites caused by previous mountain slides have created tidal waves that caused devastating damage on islands thousands of miles away. This particular chunk is sliding north, and is about 7 times larger than any previous mountain slide. When this one goes, it will literally be as though a mountain were thrown into the ocean.
3rd TRUMPET [Under Construction]
10. Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
11. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
4rth TRUMPET
12. Then the fourth angel sounded: 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 were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
Yellowstone National park is the result of a massive cavity of molten lava called a caldera beneath the surface of the park. Scientists speculate that 2.1 millions years ago the caldera built enough pressure and started sending spouts to the surface of the region. The result was a circular pattern of approximately 40 volcanoes. Eventually the crust cracked and the ground lowered leaving behind a pot hole 130 miles by 75 miles in diameter. Today scientists continue to monitor the park for various signs that will predict another such cataclysmic event. As Christians we know that the 2.1 million year estimation by the pagan scientists is probably off by 2.1 million years, which means the caldera's eruption cycle is very short.
One thing scientist do know is the likely result of such a disaster. 40- 50 simultaneous volcanoes releasing for a period of 15 days. The resulting ash would blot out the sun moon and stars out across half of North Amercan and reach all the way to significant regions of Europe.
The effects of the ashe are fatal to the lungs, and destructive to vehicles, and cause overwhelming wieght on structures.
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/monitoring.html
Movie / documentary about a Yellowstone disaster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supervolcano_%28docudrama%29
5th TRUMPET [under construction]
1. Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.
2. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.
3. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
6. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.
8. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.
9. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.
10. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months.
11. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
6th TRUMPET [under construction]
13. Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14. saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
15. So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
16. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
18. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.
19. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
20. But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.
21. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/perus-meteor-illness-explained-invitation-extended/
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/09/aurigid_meteor_shower.html
Revelation Main Page
The 7 Trumpets herald the beginning of the last days. Some claim they are simbolic while some argue a literal interpretation.
The 7 Seals of Revelation parrallel the gospel prophecies of Matthew Mark and Luke.
The 7 head 10 horned beast rises to power and rules the whole world militarily and spiritualy, and makes war with the saints.
The 2nd beast of Revelation exists at the same time as the 1st. some believe its the anticrist while other say it is America.
The 144,000 described in Revelation have a very inispiring message for those who live through the time of the end.
Jerusalem, the highly debated city. Some say it will be the center of end time events, while others claim its merely symbolic.
The Abomination of Desolation is meantioned as happening in the early days of the new testament. Some verses point to end times.
The 2 Witnesses of Revelation. Not everything about them is revealed, but many clues are evident.
The Close of Judgement which precedes the 7 last plagues is clearly described in 2 different chapters of revelation.
Special Resurrection. Jesus returns to resurrect the saved and some of the lost.
The spirit of prophesy.