TRUMPETS:
DESOLATION AND REDEMPTION
At the Feast
of Trumpets in 1979, the late John Ogwyn gave a sermon that I read over and parts
of which I plan to give today. More scriptures were added and some technical
errors corrected. And some dated materials were removed, etc.
Now, when we
think of a trumpet, we normally think of the musical instrument, the brass
instrument that we call a trumpet in modern times, and the music that it plays.
But the trumpets that are spoken of in the book of Leviticus, when it talks
about the Feast of Trumpets, the day of the memorial of the blowing of
trumpets, as it is termed in Leviticus 23, the word that the Bible uses in the
original Hebrew is terűʿāh, which
means a loud blast.
In the Bible
there are two types of them mentioned. One is a chatsatsera.
The other is
the word shofar. The shofar, the ram's horn, is a loud, piercing blast of
warning and alarm—and Psalm 81:3 ties it in with this day.
Furthermore,
back in Isaiah 58, we find where God commands His ministry, He says, lift up
your voice like a trumpet, the word shofar is used there:
Isaiah 58:1
Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.
That is
something that we have emphasized and have brought out in our sermons and
sermonettes, as well as what I do regularly in posts at COGwriter.com. That is something to do now—that warning is
NOT only to the world but to the Church of God as Jesus also gave warnings in the
2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelation.
The Apostle
Paul, in II Thessalonians 2, was talking about events leading to the return of
Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-8
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not
come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the
son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God
or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told
you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be
revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work;
only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
John Ogywn
taught:
"...that day shall not come except the rebellion come
first." Now, what rebellion is he talking about? What falling away is he
talking about? A falling away from the pagans? A falling away from the Baptists
or the Catholics? Well, brethren, when you're already at the bottom, you can't
fall away from that. Where are you going to fall? You know, when you're at the
bottom of the well, are you going to fall? No, you can't fall unless you're up
and you fall down. You can only fall away from the truth.
Now, there were events that were happening
that prefigured, and we need to understand prophecy is dual, and the events
that went through, the events that transpired and that happened in the first
century, the time of the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, the time of the
Apostle John and Jude and James and all the rest, the events that they went
through, the events that they lived through, brethren, those things typified
and prefigured events that are happening in our time. …
Now, Paul talked about in verse 7 that the mystery of
iniquity is already working. Simon Magus had already started, he was the one
who headed up the mystery of iniquity, the mystery religion which works
lawlessness.
The mystery religion which works
lawlessness. Go back to Revelation 17 and you find mystery Babylon the
Great.
But there were events that Paul was
referring to. Now, the mystery of iniquity was already working, and it has
continued to work down through the years, but it finally culminates. … And what
he says is, "...that day shall not come except the rebellion comes
first." Brethren, the rebellion has come.
We have seen
a major falling away consistent with that as well Zechariah 13:7-9 and there
may be another.
John Ogwyn
noted:
Prophecy focuses in on the events
transpiring inside Europe and the revival of the Holy Roman Empire. Prophecy
focuses in on the United States and the British Commonwealth nations, the moral
and resultant economic decay and internal collapse that is coming on our
nation. Prophecy focuses in on the Middle East and the events that are going to
transpire there.
But brethren, prophecy also focuses in on
the Church of God and events that are transpiring inside the Church of God and
that are going to transpire. Now, there are a lot of people in the world who
look at the Middle East or Europe or even the internal problems of our nation,
the impending economic collapse, even in events transpiring in the Roman Catholic
Church. There are individuals looking at various of these things, but they
don't realize the significance of what they see and the significance of the
fact that the pieces are finally all about to come together.
The reason they don't, the reason that day
is going to overtake them as a thief in the night, because Paul said in I
Thessalonians 5 that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night,
not as a thief in the night on us if we're awake and alert and watching.
1
Thessalonians 5:1-6
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have
no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that
the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say,
"Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor
pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren,
are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are
all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
John Ogywn
taught:
It'll come as a thief in the night on the Laodicean church,
though. It'll come as a thief in the night on some of God's people who are
asleep and are going to have to go through the tribulation to get awake.
It's going to come as a thief in the night on the world. The
reason it's going to come as a thief in the night on them is because there's
one thing that sets the stage for everything else, and they don't see it,
because it takes spiritual fight in order to see it, and that is that day shall
not come unless the rebellion comes first.
After
referring to sorrows, the Great Tribulation, signs in the heavens and His
return, Jesus said:
Matthew 24:34
34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means
pass away till all these things take place.
From the
beginning of sorrows to Jesus’ return we are talking about events that are the
events of one generation.
Notice also
that Luke recorded Jesus said:
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up
your heads, because your redemption draws near."
32 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means
pass away till all things take place. (Luke 21:28,32)
Consider
that with the sorrows we are seeing should excite us as they mean that our
redemption will draw near.
And that
redemption happens with the last trumpet!
While it
seems like some things are being delayed, notice:
Revelation 10:5-7
5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land
raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who
created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are
in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no
longer, 7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is
about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His
servants the prophets.
What John
sees here is the angel saying, there will be no further delay.
The
time has come for the events to begin to culminate. We saw back in I
Thessalonians the sign of that, that day shall not come unless the rebellion
comes first. That's number one.
All
right, the time has come that there should be no further delay. Going on
speaking as a prophetic statement of the future, but in the days of the voice
of the seventh angel,
Revelation 10:8-11
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again
and said, "Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel
who stands on the sea and on the earth."
9 So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the
little book."
And he said to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make
your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."
10 Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and
ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my
stomach became bitter. 11 And he said to me, "You must prophesy again
about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
John Ogwyn
stated:
It's bitter when you really get the full impact
of it.
You know, it's nice. It's exciting. It's titillating
when you first taste of it.
You can go back to Zechariah, and you see
that the hand of, that the plummet was to be in the hand of the Zerubbabel once
again. Measure, you know, measure how straight it's going in the construction
of the temple. All right, what are we in? We're in that period of time right
now, brethren.
The rebellion has taken place.
In 1979,
John Ogywn thought that HWA was Zerubbabel and that earlier rebellions had
taken place. Yet, HWA has since died and then there was a major falling away
from the truth.
Related to
Zechariah and Zerubbabel we read:
9 “The hands of Zerubbabel
Have laid the foundation of this temple;
His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know
That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
10 For who has despised the day of small things?
For these seven rejoice to see
The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
They are the eyes of the Lord,
Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”
11 Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive
trees — at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” 12 And I further
answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the
receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”
13 Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these
are?”
And I said, “No, my lord.”
14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand
beside the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:1-14)
Notice also
that there will be a "plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the
eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth" A
plumb line is used to measure or separate.
John Ogwyn
noted:
The church is the temple of God, but it's being measured.
We're being measured right now. When I said
that the trumpet was being sounded, the trumpet of alarm and of warning to the
church, and what's the significance of that being sounded right now? Brethren,
this is the time setting that's to be sounded in. This is the time setting
right here. …
Now, in Revelation chapter 6:1, I saw when the Lamb opened
one of the seals, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder, and one of the
four living creatures said, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse,
and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went
forth conquering, and to conquer.
What's that talking about, that he saw a
white horse? …
Jesus Christ said, Take heed, let no man
deceive you. Many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ, and shall deceive
many. He goes on, and he talks about wars.
He talks about famines and pestilence. He
talks about tribulation. He talks about heavenly signs, and you can go through
them, and hopefully you've done that in times past, and you can parallel the
statements Jesus Christ made right here in Matthew 24 with the seals of
Revelation chapter 6. The first seal, the first thing Jesus Christ concentrated
on was the fact that there would arise those who would come in his name,
claiming to represent him, saying that Jesus is the Christ, and yet they would
deceive many.
Now,
when you go back further in the book of Revelation, you find that ultimately
Jesus Christ is the one that is pictured as coming on the white horse:
Revelation 19:11-16
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He
who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and
makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many
crowns … 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should
strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He
Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
So, we see
Jesus Christ pictured coming on a white horse, wearing many crowns, because he
is King of kings and Lord of lords.
The weapon
that it shows Jesus Christ having back in Revelation 19 is a sword
proceeding out of his mouth. Now, Revelation chapter 6 pictures a counterfeit,
someone also coming on a white horse, claiming to represent Christ, but he has
a different weapon. He doesn't have a sword, he has a bow.
John Ogwyn
commented:
Now, that symbolizes the fact that he is
the successor of Nimrod, the mighty hunter, because Nimrod was the original
Pontifex Maximus. He was the original Pontifex Maximus of the Babylonian
mystery religion. Of course, that is a title of the Pope today. …
Julius Caesar used the
title Pontifex Maximus. From 133 B.C., the title Pontifex Maximus became
attached to the ruler of Rome.
This was used all the way down until 378
A.D., and in 378 A.D., Gratian, who was the emperor of Rome, bestowed that
title of Pontifex Maximus on Pope Damascus in 378 A.D. You can actually trace
it in history. The popes have used that title since 378 A.D., when it was
bestowed by the emperor Gratian on Pope Damascus. Prior to that time, it was
used by the rulers of Rome back to 133 B.C…
So, here we have the successor of Nimrod, the mighty hunter,
only he's coming on a white horse, claiming to represent Christ, going forth
conquering and to conquer, false prophet, culminating in that final false
prophet, in that final pope who is going to... that's the first season. …
Now, the first seal leads to the second
seal. And going on in verse 3, and when he had opened the second seal, I heard
the second creature say, come and see, and there went out another horse that
was rammed. And power was given unto him that sat thereon to take peace from
the earth, that they should kill one another.
And there was given unto him a great sword.
So, here we see warfare. Warfare ultimately culminating in World War III.
Now, let's go back in the book of Daniel
and see when that's going to begin. Let's see the event that is going to
represent... See, wars and rumors of wars. Christ said in Matthew 24, there'll
be wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.
There will
be not only warfare on a national level, but on an international level there
will be civil strife of ethnic group against ethnic group. Now, do you have
that in the world today? Of course you do. There's always been those things to
a degree.
But it
finally culminates, and these events will culminate, in World War III. Now,
let's turn back to look at Daniel chapter 11, and while in his sermon John
Ogwyn began with verse 40, he and I spoke decades after this sermon and he
agreed with me that Daniel 11:39 was the conquering of the USA and the start of
WWIII:
Daniel 11:39-43
39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a
foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall
cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
40 "At the time of the end the king of the South shall
attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind,
with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries,
overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and
many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom,
Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand
against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
Now, there
are other scriptures you can go through that show the way in which the
German-led United States of Europe will make an entry into the Middle East in
an underhanded way, in a subtle way.
Now, Jesus,
of course, spoke, when you see Jerusalem encompassed with armies, then know
that the desolation thereof is near, back in Luke 21.
Luke 21:20-24
20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
then know that its desolation is near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who
are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter
her. 22 For these are the days of
vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to
those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in
the land and wrath upon this people. 24
And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all
nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the
Gentiles are fulfilled.
So, Jesus is
telling us when we are to flee.
John Ogwyn
noted:
Now, at the same time this event happened, notice what we
learn from Hosea
5:5.
So, let’s
look at that:
Hosea 5:5-7
5 The pride of Israel testifies to his face;
Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;
Judah also stumbles with them.
6 "With their flocks and herds
They shall go to seek the Lord,
But they will not find Him;
He has withdrawn Himself from them.
7 They have dealt treacherously with the Lord,
For they have begotten pagan children.
Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage.
John Ogwyn
noted:
So basically, the
takeover of this nation is going to occupy a 30-day period. In terms of the
crux of it. …
A warning has been being sounded and is being sounded, but
most are oblivious to that warning. …
One billion people are going to die in the aftermath, because
that's the population of the world today, right at four billion people, and
when the fourth part of the earth dies, that's one billion people that are
going to be killed in warfare, and are going to starve to death, that are going
to die in rampant disease epidemics that are going to sweep this nation. God
talks about, back in the book of Amos 4, Amos 4:6,
that I also will give you cleanness of teeth in all your cities. He's not
talking about some new kind of toothpaste, either.
I'll give you cleanness of teeth in all
your cities, and a lot of bread in all your places, yet you've not returned
unto me, says the Eternal. …
Now to
Revelation:
Revelation 6:9-10
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony
which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O
Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on
the earth?"
And John saw
figuratively under the altar the slain, those who were the markers of God down
through the centuries, and this would include Philadelphian ones. It talks
about how they cried out about how long—but remember Revelation 10:6 points to
“there should be delay no longer”—and that relates to the seventh trumpet.
John Ogwyn
commented:
You know, some like to say, Oh, this proves we're all going
to heaven. Well, if it proves we're all going to heaven, it proves that
everybody's going to be crammed down under the altar when they get there.
You go back and you look at the sacrificial altars, and what
was under there was the blood. The blood ran down. Now, if you go back to
Genesis, to the first martyr, which was righteous Abel, what did God tell Cain?
He said, Cain, your brother's blood cries out unto me from the ground.
They didn't mean Abel's voice. Abel's blood literally had a
voice and said, Hey, when are you going to do something? He meant that the very
presence of Abel's blood in a pool there on the ground, that its very presence
demanded that a righteous God take action, that it cried out by its presence
there. And if the blood of righteous Abel cried out for vengeance, how much
more does the blood of all the righteous men of God down through the centuries
and the millennia collectively cry out for a righteous God to take vengeance?
And God says, well, it's going to be a little while yet.
You'll have to rest. You'll have to remain
in your grave. You'll have to stay there asleep in death for a little while
longer until final tribulations come on until the final martyrdom has taken
place, and then God will intervene. God will, at the end of that fifth seal,
begin His intervention. Now, notice back in Matthew 24, the parallel to
this,
Jesus said:
Matthew 24:8-14
8 All these are the
beginning of sorrows.
9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill
you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will
betray one another, and will hate one another.
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the
love of many will grow cold. 13 But he
who endures to the end shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a
witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:15-22
15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of
desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place"
(whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is
on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go
back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to
those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in
winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then
there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of
the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no
flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
As you go
back to Daniel chapter 11, we find that it is a time of persecution on the
church.
John Ogwyn
stated:
And if you want to know which era of the church, you go back
to Revelation 12, and you find the last two eras are differentiated.
The Philadelphia church is taken to a place
in the wilderness, a place to be protected, and that then the serpent goes to
make war with the remnant, those that are left behind. You know, what's a
remnant? Fabric stores have remnant sales. What is a remnant? Well, it's that
which is left behind.
It's the last of it, it's that which is
left behind. Alright the remnant of her seed are those that are left behind. So
it's persecution on the Laodicean church, but Jeremiah 30:7 also
brings out someone else that persecuted.
Alas, for that day is great, so that none
is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's struggle, but he shall be saved out
of it. Now, in Jeremiah 30 verse 7, it says, the day is great, so that
none is like it.
Now, in Matthew 24, it says, verse 21 (Matthew 24:21),
there will be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the
world at this time, nor ever shall be. So we have obviously the same event,
because it's spoken of in both places as being an event without parallel in
terms of magnitude. So the time of persecution and martyrdom of the Laodicean
church is also called the time of Jacob's trouble, because it will be a
national holocaust, brethren, the holocaust of World War II, in which six
million of the nine million European Jews perished in Hitler's uprisings. …
Some of these things are not very
enjoyable. Frankly, when you really understand it, it's bitter as gall. It
really is.
We need to understand it. We need to
comprehend it, and our children do, because God doesn't want us to have to go
through these things. There's a voice of alarm.
There's a voice of, there's a trumpet
that's being sounded in the church of God … that's crying aloud, that's sparing
not, that's showing God's people their sin. …
It is a national lament. It's a prophecy of the Great
Tribulation. Lamentations 1:2, …
Among all her lovers she has none to
comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her. They have
become her enemies.
The nations we think are our allies. We're
going to find out they're our enemies. They're going to stab us in the back.
...
Going on down, on down to chapter 4. We'll
just kind of skip through here. Chapter 4, verse 9 (Lamentations 4:9).
They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with
hunger. For these pine away, stricken through the want of fruits of the field.
So God says, you know, the events that are
going to transpire in this nation are going to make those who were killed in
the original attack, they're going to make those seem like the lucky ones.
Because the ones that remain are going to starve to death. They're going to
pine away.
The hands of the pitiful women have
soddened their own children. They were their meat in the destruction of the
daughter of my people. That's a prophecy about cannibalism.
You go back and you read Josephus' account
and he brings out that it got that bad in Jerusalem. In 70 A.D. there were
people that were literally eating each other, including women, eating their own
children. And Lamentations talks about that in some very gruesome detail.
Oh, you know, that can't happen. That can't
happen today. … Just let people be isolated and be hungry for a little while.
And they turn to cannibals. And it's going
to happen in this nation. And some of the all so high and mighty … and all, you
know, big society, they're going to be some of the worst.
That's what God says right here. The hands
of the pitiful women. Oh, you know, just wouldn't touch anything.
They're going to eat their own children.
And when the Lord has accomplished His fury, He has poured out His fierce anger
and has kindled a fire in Zion. It is devoured the foundations thereof. …
We're going to be down to
literal starvation. We're going to be at a point where water will be worth
money. …
We labor and have no rest. We've given the
hand to the Assyrians to be satisfied with bread. Our fathers have sinned and
are not, and we have borne their iniquities.
So, it goes
on and it talks about the destruction that's going to come on this nation and
its British-descended allies, brethren, and it's real and it's literal and it's
going to happen. It's happened in foretaste before. Ezekiel tells us the
magnitude of it:
Ezekiel 5:11-17
11 'Therefore, as I live,' says the Lord God, 'surely,
because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with
all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not
spare, nor will I have any pity. 12 One-third of you shall die of the
pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall
by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds,
and I will draw out a sword after them.
13 'Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to
rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the Lord,
have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them. 14 Moreover I
will make you a waste and a reproach among the nations that are all around you,
in the sight of all who pass by.
15 'So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an
astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments
among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have
spoken. 16 When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall
be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the
famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread. 17 So I will send against you
famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall
pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have
spoken.'"
John Ogwyn
noted:
There's a parallel here.
The events back in World War II, the
Holocaust, I mentioned before, but the figures were six million out of nine
million Jews. Two-thirds died. That's what God says is going to happen to all
of Israel.
Two-thirds are going to die. A third is
going into captivity. Brethren, the future Holocaust is going to come. ...
It's going to happen. What seems far off
seems hard to imagine, seems hard to comprehend as we sit here in comfort,
nice, plush seats, beautiful day outside. Brethren, there are going to be some
very gruesome events that are going to transpire in this world before this day
is fulfilled.
You go back and you read about literal
human beings. And, you know, those were human beings that, for the most part,
never imagined that it could happen to them. The average Jew on the streets of
Warsaw back in the 1930s, back in the summer of 1939, had no comprehension, no.
There was the furthest thought from his
imagination the events that were literally going to transpire as Hitler's
troops began to move into Poland in September of 1939, and as that event
happened, the Polish Jews began gradually to be rounded up, and the final
solution began to be carried out. Seems far off, seems unreal, seems unreal to
us today.
Brethren, as these events of the Great
Tribulation began to take place, the time of Jacob's trouble, the time of
persecution, the time of persecution unparalleled that is going to wreak havoc
on this earth, the time of Satan's wrath, we find the beginning of God's
intervention. …
{In Isaiah 5, not Lamentations} He says that
Israel has been hedged in as a garden, and He's going to remove the hedge,
that's all. God is not the one that causes these events, Satan is. The
Tribulation is Satan's wrath.
God has hedged us in. The United States and
the British Commonwealth nations stand out as the only nations to have been
totally hedged in and protested to go down through. You know when the last time
foreign troops set foot on British soil in an invasion of Britain? It was in
1066 with William the Corporal, and he was bringing in the last contingent of
Israelites.
God has put a hedge about those people. You
point to me another nation in Europe that's not been invaded for a thousand
years, point to me one that hasn't been invaded in the last, you know, 40 years
virtually. There were some that did not have the ravages of the war.
Our nation has stood. British troops are
the only foreign troops that have ever invaded this nation in terms of
occupying the heartland or a portion of it. I realize we were involved in later
wars, but we were invading rather than being the ones invaded.
God has put a hedge about it. The Japanese
couldn't get into Australia or New Zealand. The Germans couldn't get into the
United States or Britain or Canada.
God hedged us about it. God is simply going
to take down the hedge. He says, OK, you don't want to trust in me, you want to
trust in others? Fine, I'll just take my hedge down, and I'll step back, and I
will let you see what you can do for yourself.
And what will
happen is prophesied. Notice Daniel 11:
23 And after the league is made with him he shall act
deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of
people. 24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the
province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers:
he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall
devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.
Consider
that the German-European alliance was defeated in WWI and WWII. So yes, the
fathers (WWII) and forefathers (WWI) of the final King of the North failed to
defeat the UK and USA those two times. But notice that he is prophesied to be
successful against the strongholds, in this case meaning the military alliance
of the USA and UK. The third time basically is WWIII and the Germanic-European
King of the North Beast power will succeed per Daniel 11:24 and Daniel 11:39.
John Ogwyn
noted:
And what I just have gotten through telling you about the
events of the Great Tribulation, brethren, those events are real. That's what
we're going to do when we lean on our own understanding, on our own might and
power, and depend on ourselves without God to bail us out.
The Bible
shows that the saints that are not protected during the great tribulation (cf.
Revelation 12:14-17), will be persecuted for 3 1/2 years:
4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the
beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who
is able to make war with him?"
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His
tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war
with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every
tribe, tongue, and nation. (Revelation 13:4-7)
25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25)
This 42
months of persecution includes time associated with the sixth seal:
12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, (Revelation 6:12)
So, the
opening of the sixth seal ushers in the time of the Day of the Lord.
John Ogwyn
noted:
Then the seventh seal, and we find in Revelation 7 the
completion of the sealing of the 144,000. We go on into chapter 8, 7 is an
inset.
God completes, or God finishes the sealing, the final sealing
to fill out that contingent of 144,000 until he finishes that event, and then
the events of the seventh seal begin to unfold.
Anyway, this
message about God's end-time use of trumpets begins with the opening, in
heaven, of Revelation's seventh seal. Seven angels are given seven trumpets to
blow. The blowing of these trumpets represents God's intervention in world
affairs just after the world has endured Satan's wrath and the heavenly signs.
Seven angels will sound seven trumpets, representing seven consecutive colossal
world events. These are to be physical punishments from God as warnings to the
nations not to go further into national and personal sins.
This feast
is, according to Leviticus:
Leviticus 23:
24… a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy
convocation.
Not just one
trumpet.
As far as
the specific trumpets of Revelation go, they do not all sound on the same day –this
may be part of why there are nine days between Trumpets on 1 Tishri and
Atonement on the 10th (italics shown below are not in
the Bible, but were added by commentators/editors):
8:1 When He 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. 3 Then another angel, having a
golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he
should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which
was before the throne. 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.
First
Trumpet: Vegetation Struck
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 green grass was burned up.
Second
Trumpet: The Seas Struck
8 Then 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.
Third
Trumpet: The Waters Struck
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. (Revelation
8:1-11)
So, a lot of
trumpets are blown in the Book of Revelation, and a lot were to be blown on the
Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24)--hopefully many can see the connection.
These
terrible plagues are released on the earth by a righteous God, who, essentially
will be forced to shake carnal, rebellious humanity to its senses!
We come now
to the final three trumpet plagues or "woes" (Revelation 8:13).
Fourth
Trumpet: The Heavens Struck
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. 13 And
I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with
a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of
the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to
sound!"
Fifth
Trumpet: The Locusts from the Bottomless Pit
9:1 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. 12 One woe is past. Behold,
still two more woes are coming after these things. (Revelation 9:1-12)
Sixth
Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates
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.
(Revelation 9:13-19)
And yet, as
unbelievable as it may seem, despite the trumpet plagues, humankind still will
not repent:
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. (Revelation
9:20-21)
The third
"woe" -- God's final trumpet plague -- is yet to occur.
While people
may wonder why most of the world will not repent, the reality is that most
Christians will not properly repent to be saved from the coming hour of trial.
Now, the
most important, in a sense, trumpet could be considered to be the last, the
seventh one. Here is what Revelation 11 teaches (again, italics not
in the Bible, but added by commentators/editors):
The
Witnesses Killed
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that
ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them,
and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city
which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead
bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into
graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry,
and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who
dwell on the earth.
The
Witnesses Resurrected
11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life
from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on
those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,
"Come up here." And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their
enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth
of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the
rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming
quickly. (Revelation 11:7-14)
Notice that
a third woe is coming. Revelation 11 continues with:
Seventh
Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices
in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" 16 And
the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces
and worshiped God, 17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your
great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should
reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name,
small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." 19 Then
the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in
His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings,
an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:15-19)
The
coming Kingdom of God is
some of what Jesus wants His servants to proclaim now and then the end will
come (Matthew 24:14). That is when we are redeemed:
52 … For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:52-54)
While this
is good news for true Christians, many in the world will not think so. That is
part of why this the seventh trumpet is the third woe!
Jesus Christ
will return in power and resplendent glory to seize control of this world
(Revelation 19:11-21) and the saints will be resurrected to eternal life to
rule with Christ (I Corinthians 15:51-52, Revelation 5:10).
These are
those whose name is written in the Book of Life. The Apostle Paul wrote:
3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who
labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow
workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. (Philippians 4:3)
According to
current Jewish tradition:
After Rosh Hashanah services, as the congregants leave the
synagogue they say to each other ... "May you be inscribed in the Book
of Life"" (The Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah. High Holy Days on
the Net. http://www.holidays.net/highholydays/rosh.htm
accessed 9/21/16).
on Rosh HaShana our forefathers’
slavery in Egypt ceased; in Nisan the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt; and in
Tishrei in the future the Jewish people will
be redeemed in the final redemption with the coming of the Messiah. (Rosh
Hashana 11a. Talmud, https://www.sefaria.org/Rosh_Hashanah.11a.1?lang=bi)
So, on the
Feast of Trumpets, Jews tie this in with the Book of Life and redemption, which
presumably they also tie in with a coming resurrection of God's people.
And that is
associated with the final trumpet in the New Testament when Christians rise as
the firstfruits, the firstborn of this age.
Notice also:
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to
the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven,
to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect (Hebrews
12:22-23).
John
recorded:
5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I
will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name
before My Father and before His angels (Revelation 3:5).
Thus, it is
the saints are the ones who are written in the Book of Life. And these saints
are those that are resurrected at the last trumpet.
But the last
trumpet is also a major warning.
Despite the
resurrection of God's people, it will take the seven last plagues, which are
part of the result of the seventh trumpet, to complete the job of bringing
mankind under the control of God.
These final
plagues are described in Revelation 16 and happen after the seventh trumpet
blast—and that is also part of why there is a 9 day gap between the Feast of
Trumpets and the Day of Atonement:
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the
seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the
earth."
2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and
loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who
worshiped his image.
3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as
of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.
4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water,
and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying:
"You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was
and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. 6 For they have shed
the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For
it is their just due."
7 And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so,
Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."
8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to
him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they
blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not
repent and give Him glory.
10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his
kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the
pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their
sores, and did not repent of their deeds.
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great
river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from
the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs
coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out
of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons,
performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole
world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who
watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his
shame."
16 And they gathered them together to the place called in
Hebrew, Armageddon.
Let it be
mentioned that most of the trumpet plagues had an ante-type (were proceeded by
something similar historically) with the plagues of Egypt (see Reasons, Proofs, and
Ramifications of the Ten Plagues of Exodus). Despite the plagues of Egypt,
relatively few Egyptians actually repented.
First,
painful sores will appear on those still subservient to the beast (Revelation
16:2). The second and third plagues turn the seas, rivers and springs of water
into blood (verses 3-7).
The fourth
plague turns the normally life-giving sun into a life-destroying power as the
sun heats the earth to incredible temperatures. This fourth plague will still
not bring mankind to repentance (verses 8-9). The fifth plague plunges the
beast's realm into darkness (verses 10-11).
With these
nightmarish plagues completed, mankind will be united to fight Christ at His
return. Satan the devil, working through the beast (the end-time military
leader) and the false prophet (religious leader) will gather the "kings of
the east" to join the armies that remain from the devastated beast power.
The gathering location will be Armageddon (verses 12-16), the site of ancient
Megiddo, in the valley of Jezreel about 20 miles south of the modern port of
Haifa. Many wars have been fought at this site. I once visited it (see the
video Armageddon).
The sixth
angel sounds and an army from east of the Euphrates River — an army of 200
million men! — emerges, wielding more frightening weapons.
But the
combined efforts of these Satan-inspired powers will be to no avail. The
seventh and last plague will seal their fate. The mightiest earthquake in
history will occur. Dormant volcanoes will erupt. Hailstones weighing 100
pounds (the modern equivalent of a "talent") will fall from the
skies:.
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,
and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying,
"It is done!" 18 And there were noises and thunderings
and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great
earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great
city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations
fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the
wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the
mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each
hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the
plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great. (Revelation
16:17-21)
Christ's
climactic battle with these armies will occur at Jerusalem:
1 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will
be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against
Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall
not be cut off from the city.
3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those
nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will
stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount
of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the
south. (Zechariah 14:1-4).
Notice
something in Isaiah that seems to be related:
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, Like that of
many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts musters the army for battle. 5 They come from a far country,
From the end of heaven — The Lord and His weapons of indignation, To destroy
the whole land.
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as
destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man's
heart will melt, 8 And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of
them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one
another; Their faces will be like flames.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, Cruel, with both wrath
and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners
from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give
their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not
cause its light to shine. (Isaiah 13:4-10)
The world's
armies that will dare to fight against the returning Jesus will be defeated.
God's government will be established. Those of us who qualify to be born into
the Family of God will start the process of reconstructing the world — the
right way, this time — through the remaining human beings.
Will those
who turn to God be protected from these trumpet plagues?
10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also
will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to
test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east,
having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four
angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do
not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of
our God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 7:2-3)
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has
a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two
hundred and sixty days. ...
14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle,
that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for
a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. (Revelation
12:6, 14)
Jesus
promised to send His angels to gather His elect at the blast of a great
trumpet:
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in
heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to
the other. (Matthew 24:30-31)
Notice that
the sounding of this trumpet is the time of the resurrection of the dead in
Christ:
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the
dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
The Apostle
Paul also wrote:
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For
the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall
be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption,
and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." (1
Corinthians 15:50-54)
The LAST
TRUMPET, the seventh one, is WHEN Jesus returns.
Brethren,
for us, if we are faithful, it will mean our final salvation. The final trumpet
is going to mean different things to different people.
Notice also
that Luke recorded Jesus said:
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up
your heads, because your redemption draws near." (Luke 21:28)
That
redemption happens with the last trumpet!
Brethren,
when that final trumpet blast is blown, what will it mean to you? Which
category will you fit into? God warns us back in Proverbs 24:10.
If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. If you faint now
in the time of adversity, the problems are coming on as persecution begins to
mount, as problems begin to come on, and enemies begin to attack God's church.
Laodiceans
are going to pull back when prophesied persecution is mainly targeted towards
the Philadelphian Christians (Daniel 11:30-35; Revelation 12:13).
John Ogwyn
stated:
If you kind of pull back, well, I better
sit on the sidelines for a while. I didn't know things were going to get rough.
If you faint when the day of adversity comes, your strength is small.
If you forbear to deliver them that are
drawn unto death, we have a job as a watchman. And God says, If you don't sound
the alarm, I will hold you responsible for the blood that is slain, the blood
that is shed. If we forbear to deliver them that are sold unto death, the whole
world is bound in death.
Brethren, we have the knowledge that the
world needs, the world is waiting on us if we pull back and get sidetracked and
get all bogged down and start looking at things that we shouldn't be looking at
because what we should be looking at is Christ. You know, when we take our eyes
off Christ, we get in trouble. That's what happened to Peter when he was
walking on the water.
He was doing okay as long as he looked at
Christ. When he got his eyes off Christ, he started to sink. You know, that
same thing holds true for us.
When we keep our eyes on Christ and support
what He's doing, we're fine. But when we start looking away from what Christ is
doing and get focused on people, we're in trouble. Peter focused on the around.
When he focused on the problems, he was in
trouble. He was about to sink. You can't forbear to deliver them that are drawn
unto death, brethren.
We say, Oh, but I didn't understand. I
didn't realize it was that serious. Brethren, God is going to judge us for the
way that we come through this crisis.
Brethren, we
need to be ready before the sound of those coming trumpet blasts.
We need to
support the warning message.
The time is
literally going to come when the blasts of shofars, sounded by angels of God
will happen, and with the 7th one, Jesus Christ himself will begin
to come down to this earth.
28 To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second
time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)
Jesus will
come for our redemption, brethren, He really will.
Will you
truly support getting these messages out?