| (Copyright 09-21-2024) by Dwight Fleming (Oroville, California) |
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| With the approach of the autumn Holy Days, it is good to review the prophetic events which they picture and the Timelines found in the Book of Revelation. In the short video by the Living Church of God linked below, their teaching on the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah which means “head of the year”) is presented. This teaching comes from the late Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the Worldwide Church of God. Mr. Armstrong’s booklet, “The Book of Revelation Unveiled at Last!”, is still the basis of prophetic teaching on the Book of Revelation which nearly all WCG spin-offs follow today. I first read it back in the early 1970s and was fascinated by it. Mr. Armstrong correlated the events given by Christ in Matthew 24 with the symbolic events that Christ later gave in Revelation six. It made perfect sense to me. Here is a link to his booklet: The book of Revelation unveiled at last! : Armstrong, Herbert W : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive However, there were some things in Mr. Armstrong’s prophetic Timeline which began to nag at me over time. In Matthew 24, Christ’s discourse ends with His return and the gathering of His Elect immediately after the tribulation (verse 29). The tribulation at that time will be so great that all life will be destroyed if not cut short (verses 21-22). And what will cut short the tribulation? The heavenly signs described in Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-13. Matthew 24 then describes the coming of Christ who sends His angels to gather His Elect from the four winds. If Matthew 24 correlates with the opening of the first six Seals, then Revelation should also describe Christ’s return to gather His elect immediately following the heavenly signs. It does. Revelation seven depicts Christ’s return and the gathering of His Elect from the four winds. But Mr. Armstrong and many others have failed to see what Revelation seven is depicting because of the symbolic language used. Without recognizing that Revelation seven is depicting the return of Christ and the resurrection of His Elect, any timelines presented by any minister of God will contain a major error which could lead God’s people astray. Jesus WARNED: “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4). The apostle Paul also gave the same warning: “Let no one deceive you by any means” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Deceive us about what? About the events leading to Christ’s return. Jesus wants us to understand the correct Timeline of prophetic events so that we will be prepared for His return and not caught off guard. Why? So that we don’t miss out on the first resurrection. This is what the Thessalonians were concerned about, which Paul addressed. Jesus said that His return would be from the East (Matthew 24:27). What do we see in Revelation seven? An angel coming from the East (verse 2). This angel from the East cries with a loud voice to the four angels holding back the four winds (verses 1-2). This angel from the East must be an Archangel since he is shouting a command to the four angels. This fits perfectly with what Paul said in I Thessalonians 4:16: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout [loud command], with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” Revelation seven is describing the First Resurrection as verified by Matthew 24 and I Thessalonians four. Since Revelation seven depicts the First Resurrection, this means that the Seventh and Last Trumpet has also sounded. This is where many have fumbled the “prophetic football” for failing to recognize the significance of Revelation seven by assuming that the seven trumpets sound after the sealing of the 144,000. This 144,000 are later mentioned in Revelation 14:1-4. It says that they have been redeemed from the earth and that they are the firstfruits of God. Ephesians 4:30 says that the Holy Spirit seals us unto the Day of Redemption which is the Day of the Resurrection when our bodies are changed from flesh to spirit making our sealing complete. It also reveals that the Day of our Redemption will be on the Feast of Firstfruits, Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit first came to God’s church. Thus, the last Trumpet will sound on a future Pentecost heralding Christ’s return to resurrect and gather together His saints from the four winds of heaven. Christ will then take His Elect to heaven to present them before the throne of His Father for the marriage of the Lamb. See Revelation 7:9-17 and Revelation 19:1-9. When did God enter into a covenant with ancient Israel? It is believed at the time of Pentecost or Firstfruits. And what happened at that time? Did a trumpet sound on that Pentecost? “Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled” (Exodus 19:16). Many have assumed that the last or seventh trumpet will sound on the Feast of Trumpets falsely concluding that the Resurrection will take place on a future Feast of Trumpets. That Day is a “memorial of blowing of trumpets (Leviticus 23:24). It is not called the “Feast of the Last Trumpet.” There are seven trumpets depicted in the Book of Revelation. When will each one sound? Will all seven sound on a future Feast of Trumpets? Not likely by the description given in Revelation. Why then is the first day of the seventh Hebrew month called a “memorial of blowing of trumpets” aka the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah? Not only does the Feast of Trumpets mark the beginning of the Jewish Civil New Year, but it also marks the beginning of the sounding of the seven trumpets of Revelation. Thus, the first trumpet will sound on a future Feast of Trumpets. The second trumpet will sound on the Day of Atonement. The third trumpet will sound on the first day of Tabernacles. The fourth trumpet will sound on the Last Great Day. The last three trumpets will sound in the Spring with the seventh and last trumpet sounding on Pentecost. Pentecost is also known as the Feast of Weeks. Seven weeks or Sabbaths are counted to determine the one day that is celebrated as an annual Sabbath. As the day of Pentecost marks the end of the 50-day count, so will the Feast of Trumpets mark the beginning of the sounding of the seven trumpets in Revelation which will conclude on Pentecost with the Resurrection. The Feast of Trumpets that follows the Resurrection on Pentecost will mark Christ’s return to earth with His saints to do battle against the armies of the Beast. As Zechariah 14 reveals, Jesus with His saints will stand on the Mount of Olives on that Feast of Trumpets. They will retake Jerusalem as described in Joel 2:1-11. The seven vials or bowls of God’s wrath will have been poured out between Resurrection Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets when Christ comes to do battle. With Christ and the 144,000 then dwelling on earth at Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1), the armies of the world will gather near Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley. They will march toward Jerusalem where they will be crushed like grapes in the Kidron Valley on the Day of Atonement (Revelation 14:19-20, Joel 3:1-16). It will be a literal bloodbath. The Seals Timeline: The opening of the first six seals describes the same prophetic events that Jesus listed in Matthew 24. This Timeline concludes in Revelation seven with Christ’s return and the Resurrection of the Elect which includes the 144,000 and an innumerable multitude which come out of great tribulation. This Timeline spans a period of about two thousand years from the days of the early church in the first century to the end-time church existing at Christ’s return. See Matthew 24 and Revelation six and seven. The Trumpets Timeline: This Timeline is only a year long. It will begin on a future Feast of Trumpets and end a year later on the Feast of Trumpets when Jesus comes to make war with all nations that come against Jerusalem. This Trumpets Timeline begins with the opening of the Seventh Seal. Because the description of the Seventh Seal (the Seven Trumpets) follows the description of the Sixth Seal, it is mistakenly assumed that the Seven Trumpets sound after the Sealing of the 144,000 as previously noted. To indicate that the seven trumpets are not a continuation of the Seals Timeline, Revelation 8:1 says, “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” This was a heavenly break in the story flow to signal a new timeline of events had started at a different point in time than the opening of the first six seals. Yet both Timelines lead to the Resurrection which is critical for those of us living at the end-time to properly understand and thus be among the wise virgins. After the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet and the Resurrection on a future Pentecost, the pouring out of the seven bowls of God’s wrath upon the earth takes place which is a continuation of the Trumpets Timeline and even the Seals Timeline. Notice how Revelation 6:15-17 describes the earth’s reaction to God’s intervention to cut short the tribulation: “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?” Likewise, Revelation 11:17-18 quotes this exclamation at the seventh trumpet: “You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come. The time has come to judge the dead.” The 1,260 Days Timeline: Revelation 12 is considered an inset chapter between the sounding of the seven trumpets and the pouring out of the bowls of God’s wrath. It depicts a woman (Jerusalem) which must flee into the wilderness for 1,260 Days (verse six). These are days not years. It is the same time period that the Two Witnesses will prophesy (Revelation 11:3). This future fleeing into the wilderness by the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea will be the KEY event that will allow us to know how close is Christ’s return. As we now see happening in the world, many nations are turning against the State of Israel since the vicious attack on October 7, 2023. We are headed for a time of latter-day persecution as revealed by the Fifth Seal. A future nuclear attack will likely occur near Jerusalem causing a mass fleeing to avoid radiation poisoning. The Two Witnesses will arise on the scene by divine power. I see this future attack happening in the autumn as did the October attack and the Yom Kippur attack in 1973. This means the 1,260 Days will conclude about three and a half years later just before Passover in the Spring. The Seven Trumpets will have begun sounding the previous autumn. The first four trumpets describe a major attack against America. The Fifth Trumpet will then sound about six months later on the first day of Unleavened Bread. Jerusalem will have been re-inhabited by then. The Fifth Trumpet pictures the armies of the Beast (King of the North) invading the Middle East and capturing Jerusalem causing a second fleeing of the woman for a “time, times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:13-14). This phrase does not mean three and a half years as nearly everyone believes. It is the time between Passover and Pentecost or about seven weeks. This is where Daniel’s Seventy Weeks prophecy also comes into play (Daniel 9:24-27). Sixty-two weeks before the Fifth Trumpet sounds, the rebuilding of Jerusalem will commence. With the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet at Passover and the Beast’s capture of Jerusalem, the Abomination of Desolation will be set up. This will precipitate a counter-offensive by China, Japan, and perhaps India who are heavily dependent on Mideast oil. This is depicted by the Sixth Trumpet. With a massive army of 200 million threatening the Beast, atomic weapons will be his only option. This is the time of Great Tribulation which could destroy all life if not cut short by God’s intervention which happens with the Seventh Trumpet on Pentecost seven weeks after Passover. Christ will then come for His Bride, the church. He confirms the covenant with many for one week in heaven. Recall that when Jacob married Leah, her father asked Jacob to fulfill her week (Genesis 29:27). I have written similar details in previous articles. I do consider the prophetic views of others. I learned something new from a protestant minister’s video just yesterday. He explained something in Zechariah that had puzzled me for a long time. I am thankful for the input and inspiration of others. You may not agree with all that I have said in this article. Nonetheless, I do hope that you will keep it on the “back burner” of your mind. When you see future events not falling into line as portrayed by your favorite prophecy teacher, you may then become confused and disenchanted to the point of losing faith in God’s Word. “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). There are a few who are seeing some of the prophetic things that I have described. Perhaps more will come to a better understanding of prophecy as we get closer to the end. Certainly, the coming time of trouble will help many to see more clearly and let go of entrenched prophecy error and misunderstanding. It may mean the difference between sitting at the marriage table of the King of the Universe or sitting at a table at Burger King. Here is the video link to a teaching on the Feast of Trumpets held by many. If this video is what you currently believe, it is vital that you carefully consider the alternate explanation given by this article. Trumpets teaching of WCG spin-offs: https://youtu.be/ksIbN2GyoAA?si=ksA9bIJJ4S2HDseD ———————————————————————————————————- See Dwight Fleming’s other articles at: Fleming, Dwight – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) ———————————————————————————————————- |
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