The Bible is almost always written from the perspective of Israel’s Mt. Zion, or The Heavenlies—not from the United States, Greece, Rome, or the Vatican. With that in mind, let the trumpet sounds begin.
The book of Revelation depicts Yeshua opening the seals of Daniel’s vision. He is worthy and has all authority to begin the end-time events that must happen before His triumphant return. These global occurrences foretold and declared by His prophets will only come to pass in God’s perfect time. Nothing will happen unless God first reveals it to His prophets. (See Amos 3:7) That being said, we should never be surprised when these End-time wonders begin to manifest.
The Seventh Seal (which has yet to be unsealed) involves a massive earthquake and starts the sounds of the Seven Trumpets of Judgement.
The blowing of the first four trumpets by the angelic hosts in Heaven causes natural disasters to occur throughout the Earth. These trials are necessary as they cause many people to seek God and come to faith in Messiah. To read more about the first four trumpets, click here.
The last three of the seven trumpets are called “woes,” as these judgments are severe and even supernatural, causing even greater distress in the Earth.
To read more about the first two woes (i.e., the fifth and sixth trumpets), click here.
Before we venture into the last or final trumpet, also known as the third and final woe, we need to look at the events that must happen before that final blast.
Pre-Event – An Angel’s Declaration Over the Sea and Land
Let’s look at the fact that the angel is standing on both the sea and the land.
Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven and swore by the One who lives forever and ever, who created Heaven and what is in it, the Earth and what is in it, the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel—when he is about to trumpet—the mystery of God is completed, just as He declared to His servants the prophets (Revelation 10:5-7 TLV).
These words are idiomatic in the Hebrew language and imply that God will finish His work in the nations and His promises to Israel.
The Sea
“Sea” is a Hebraic idiom meaning foreign nations in relation to Israel.
In Daniel 7, four beasts are said to arise out of the sea. These four beasts symbolize Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome—all Gentile empires.
Then he said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples, crowds, nations, and languages (Revelation 17:15 CEB).
Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will throb and swell with joy. For the abundance of the sea will be turned over to you. The wealth of nations will come to you (Isaiah 60:5 TLV).
The Lord and King says, “But I am against you, Tyre. I will bring many nations against you. They will come in like the waves of the sea (Ezekiel 26:3 NIRV).
The Land
“Land” is translated from the Hebrew word Eretz. Biblically speaking, the word Eretz typically refers to Israel. To this day, Israel is often called The Holy Land, The Land of Covenant, The Land of Promise, or simply “The Land.”
Understand that the angel is making an official declaration to Israel (the Covenant nation God established) and all the other nations that the time is now. Those who have an ear, may they hear.
Pre-Event – The Martyrdom of the Witnesses
In Revelation, we learn of another event that must happen before the seventh trumpet sounds. In Revelation 9:18-21 (TLV), God’s Word tells of a time when no one left on Earth will repent.
By these three plagues, a third of humankind was killed: by the fire, smoke, and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 The horses’ power is in their mouths and their tails, for their tails are like snakes with heads that inflict injuries. 20 The rest of humankind, who weren’t killed by these plagues, didn’t change their hearts and lives and turn from their handiwork. They didn’t stop worshipping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can’t see or hear or walk. 21 They didn’t turn away from their murders, their spells, and drugs, their sexual immorality, or their stealing.
God in His mercy allows as many people as possible to repent before His wrath manifests. It is clear from this Scripture that the count is over—that their time is up. Because no more persons will receive Messiah, there is no need to have the sealed witnesses on the Earth. God now allows their martyrdom to take place.
When they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the abyss will make war on them, and overcome them and kill them. And their corpses will lie in the open street of the great city that figuratively is called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. Some from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their corpses for three and a half days, not allowing them to be placed into a grave. Those who dwell on the Earth will rejoice over them. They will celebrate and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the Earth. But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet; and great fear fell on those who were watching them. Then they heard a loud voice from Heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to Heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. At that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of Heaven. The second woe is past. The third woe is coming soon (Revelation 11:7-14 TLV).
Remember, this event is happening from the perspective of Jerusalem as armies are encamped around the city. I also think it is interesting that the resurrection of the witnesses causes the last of the harvest of Israel to come to faith. They acknowledge God and His Messiah and give Him glory. The number is now complete.
And the time has come when the seventh trumpet brings on the third—and final—woe.
Finally, the Seventh Trumpet Sounds
God begins the separation process.
Then the seventh angel trumpeted, and there were loud voices in Heaven saying,
“The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Anointed One. And He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15 TLV).
Then the Temple of God in Heaven was opened, and the Ark of His Covenant appeared in His Temple. And there were flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder and an earthquake and heavy hail (Revelation 11:19 TLV).
And now, God calls the saints of Heaven together, preparing their return to the Earth. The Holy Mountain of God begins to descend with the Holy Jerusalem surrounded by clouds of glory. The saints’ bodies are resurrected and are joined back to those who have been in Heaven waiting for this Awesome Day of the Lord.
The Lord shouts, and as the shofar continues to sound, those who are alive in Christ are changed (including the final harvest of those in Israel). They rise into the clouds of glory protected from the wrath that is about to be unleashed on the Anti-Christ who proclaims to be the one-world messiah, his unholy prophet, and all of those in the armies that are surrounding Jerusalem for the great battle called Armageddon.
Still another angel, who has power over fire, came out from the altar. He said in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle to cut the clusters in the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle into the Earth, and cut the vineyard of the Earth, and he put what he reaped into the great winepress of God’s passionate anger. Then the winepress was trampled outside the city, and the blood came out of the winepress as high as the horses’ bridles for almost two hundred miles. (Revelation 14:18-20 CEB).
The rest of the story unfolds as God pours out His righteous anger:
Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in Heaven. There were seven angels with seven plagues—and these are the last, for with them God’s anger is brought to an end (Revelation 15:1 CEB).
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple speaking to the seven angels. “Go,” it said. “Pour out the seven bowls of God’s great anger on the earth” (Revelation16:1 NIRV).
After this, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in Heaven, crying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the Earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants” (Revelation 19:1-2 RSV).
Satan is Bound
The deceitful and evil angel that led one third of the heavenly hosts into rebellion against the Holy God of all Creation is finally over-taken. All prophecy concerning God’s plan of redemption and empowerment of born-again man, the catching up of souls recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and the restoration of all creation has been fulfilled. God has finished pouring out His wrath upon those who refused to repent and now He has one more order of business. Binding and locking away the vile abomination – Ha Satan.
Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. He seized the dragon, the old snake, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the abyss, then locked and sealed it over him. This was to keep him from continuing to deceive the nations until the thousand years were over. After this, he must be released for a little while (Revelation 20:1-3 CEB).
Are you wondering what happens next? Be sure to read The Glorious Reign of Our King in the February 2021 issue of Kaleidoscope. Until then, I remain your sister in Yeshua,
Dr. Victoria
