SABBATH THOUGHT 2024-09-28—PURPOSE OF THE DAY OF THE LORD

May God bless you on His Sabbath day!

The holyday known as Trumpets is one that is filled with contradictions of dread and hope. Revelation provides the most detailed description of the End Time events, which consist of Seven Seals that can only be opened by the Lamb of God—Jesus Christ. These seals encompass the Tribulation and Day of the LORD but the vengeance of God is covered in the seven trumpets of the Seventh Seal:

JEREMIAH 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; it shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood; for the Lord GOD of hosts has a sacrifice in the north country by the River Euphrates.

DEUTERONOMY 32:35, 41 Vengeance is Mine [the LORD’s], and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.’ … 41 If I whet My glittering sword, and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, and repay those who hate Me.

Even though Trumpets is called a day, the Wrath of God will span an entire year:

ISAIAH 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

ISAIAH 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

ISAIAH 63:4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come.

The first six seals are destructions unleashed upon the descendants of Jacob by the Beast, who is the ruler of the last manifestation of the ancient Babylonian system. Once the first six seals are finished, things then change and the punisher (Babylon) of Israel becomes the target of God’s wrath. This is the purpose of the Day of Trumpets—the year of His vengeance upon Babylon:

JEREMIAH 51:6-8, 11 Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He shall recompense her. 7 Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, that made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged. 8 Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; perhaps she may be healed. … 11 Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance for His temple.

The sequence of the Seven Trumpets is contained within the Seventh Seal:

REVELATION 8:1-2, 4-6 When He [the Lamb] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. … 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The Seventh Seal is unique from the first six. When it is opened, it begins with a half-hour of silence in heaven (Rev. 8:1). Perhaps this is similar to a “selah” used in the Psalms where this pause emphasizes and distinguishes the works of God during the Seventh Seal from the works of the Beast during the first six seals. Just as the first six seals are unique from the seventh, the first six trumpets of the Seventh Seal are unique from the Seventh Trumpet:

·        Trumpet #1: Hail and fire mixed with blood cast to the earth—1/3 of trees and all grass burned up (Rev. 8:7).

·        Trumpet #2: Mountain of fire cast into the sea—1/3 of the sea becomes blood, 1/3 of sea life dies, and 1/3 of ships are destroyed (Rev. 8:8-9).

·        Trumpet #3: Burning star called Wormwood falls from heaven on 1/3 of rivers and springs—1/3 of rivers and springs are poisoned and “many” die (Rev. 8:10-11).

·        Trumpet #4: 1/3 of the sun, moon, and stars darkened for 1/3 of the day and 1/3 of the night (Rev. 8:12). Three angels proclaim the three Woes (Rev. 8:13).

·        Trumpet #5 (WOE #1): The "Destroyer" (Abaddon, Apollyon) king and his “locusts” released from the bottomless pit to torment those who are not sealed by God for 5 months (Rev. 9:1-12).

·        Trumpet #6 (WOE #2): Four angels (demons) with an army of 200 million released to kill 1/3 of mankind (Rev. 9:13-21). The following events are included with the sixth trumpet (Rev. 11:14):

Ø      The Seven Thunders are spoken but not recorded and the apostle John eats the Little Book and prophesies (Rev. 10:1-11).

Ø      The Jerusalem and the Temple outer court are trampled by Gentiles 42 months (Rev. 11:1-2).

Ø      Two Witnesses testify 1,260 days against the world, are killed by the "Destroyer" (Abaddon, Apollyon), and are resurrected after 3-1/2 days (Rev. 11:3-12).

Ø      A Great Earthquake destroys 1/10 of Jerusalem and kills 7,000 residents (Rev. 11:13).

Trumpet #1-6 are destructions directed mostly at the environment of the earth, which will make it extremely difficult for human life to exist under any economic system. Even though more than 1/3 of mankind dies during these six trumpets, the worst is yet to come.

·        Trumpet #7 (Prelude to the Vial Plagues):

Ø      God & Jesus Christ take over and reign over the kingdoms of this world. (Rev. 11:15.)

Ø      The 24 Elders praise God and declare the coming Wrath of God and the reward of the saints (Rev. 11:16-18).

Ø      Declarations of the three angels (Rev. 14:6-11).

Ø      Jesus Christ "reaps" the “harvest” of the earth—Presumably the saints (Rev. 14:12-16).

Ø      An angel "reaps" the earth into the Great Winepress of the Wrath of God—Blood reaches to the horse bridles for 1,600 furlongs (200 miles) (Rev. 14:17-20; Joel 3:9-15).

The Seventh Trumpet is then divided into seven Vial Plagues that target Babylon. Just as the first six trumpets differed from the seventh, the first six Vial Plagues also differ from the seventh. All seven Vial Plagues are directed against the Beast, the False Prophet, and Babylon. The first five cause great suffering for those who worship the Beast and the sixth is when the armies of the Beast and False Prophet prepare to battle against God Almighty. The seventh is the total destruction of Babylon. There are seven angels who bring the seven vials containing the vengeance of God (Rev. 15:1-8; 16:1).

·        Trumpet #7 (cont.)—Woe #3 = Vial Plagues:

Ø      Vial Plague #1: Poured upon the earth causing grievous sores upon those with the Mark of the Beast or who worship his image (Rev. 16:2).

Ø      Vial Plague #2: Poured upon the sea turning it to blood and killing all sea life (Rev. 16:3).

Ø      Vial Plague #3: Poured upon rivers and springs turning them to blood (Rev. 16:4).

Ø      Vial Plague #4: Poured upon the sun to scorch men with fire and heat (Rev. 16:8-9).

Ø      Vial Plague #5: Poured upon the kingdom of the Beast causing darkness (blindness), anguish, and ulcers (Rev. 16:10-11).

Ø      Vial Plague #6: Poured upon the Euphrates River to dry it up and allow the armies of the Kings of the East to cross and three demons come out of the dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet to gather the nations to the battle of Armageddon against Jesus Christ (Rev. 16:12-16).

Ø      Vial Plague #7: Poured into the air causing an earthquake that divides Babylon into three parts, destroys the cities of the nations, causes islands and mountains to disappear, and brings 14" hail weighing 50 pounds upon all mankind (Rev. 16:17-21). Jesus Christ returns, accompanied by the armies of heaven, and casts the Beast and False Prophet into the Lake of Fire and slays their armies (Rev. 19:11-21). After this Satan is imprisoned in the abyss (Rev. 20:1-3).

The seven Vial Plagues are so destructive that perhaps only a TENTH of the world’s population survives:

ISAIAH 6:11-13 Then I [Isaiah] said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered: “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, the houses are without a man, the land is utterly desolate [the result of the destruction throughout the seventh Trumpet], 12 The LORD has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 But yet a tenth will be in it, and will return and be for consuming, as a terebinth tree or as an oak, whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump.”

The Day of Trumpets is a time of unimaginable terrors and death against the wicked. But it is also the realization of the great hope of all the captives who will turn back to God. The world is scorched and dead but the remaining survivors will be liberated from captivity (pictured by Atonement). The vengeance of God is led by Jesus Christ, who is the King Immanuel prophesied to return restore the earth:

MALACHI 4:1-3 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness [Jesus Christ] shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” Says the LORD of hosts.

Our Saviors, God the Father[1] and Jesus Christ, will bring healing and peace to the world for the first time. Ultimately, that is the purpose of the Day of Trumpets—to prepare a world for 1,000 years of peace. It is much more than destruction and suffering—it brings about a New Beginning for US and the WORLD!

May God’s grace and peace be upon you!

Steven Greene

https://sabbathreflections.org

sabbathreflections@gmail.com