Revelation Chapter 8

The First Trumpet

“In most churches (who follow the futurist viewpoint) they view the trumpets as something that is still future. The reason for this is because they are looking at the symbols in too literal a manner thus they can’t imagine how they could have been fulfilled yet.

This same problem (a too literal interpretation) is true of most of the book of Revelation in that they are still waiting for a future fulfillment of most of its prophecies. If any do try to fulfill the book historically, they usually apply it all at the time of the early church and to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army in 70 A.D. (the Preterist viewpoint).

There are very few commentators that try to find a historical solution to the trumpets or to the book itself, and some even claim that an historical interpretation is impossible. Contrary to that we think that the historical solution is the correct one and that far from it being impossible it is an accomplished and fulfilled fact for much of Revelation.

Bible students generally try to find a historical solution, since we understand and have a Bible chronology (The True Bible Chronology) which spans the entire age, which helps us to see these events as occurring over a long period of time. We see that the false church state system existed during the dark ages of the 1260 years, and that it most likely fulfilled a lot of the book.

There are generally two different ways in which the trumpets are viewed by Bible Students.

In the first interpretive method we look at them as being a message of truth against the false church system, and the results that comes from the message that was given (as was suggested in our previous post). Some apply this only to the civil part, and others apply it just to the church.

That approach has some problems with it. Several symbols used in the second and third trumpet are ones that are elsewhere described as bad or at least turned bad, which makes it difficult to interpret the trumpets as messages of truth. For example, we see in the second trumpet the great destroying mountain which we know is Satan’s system, especially the Roman Empire that he controlled at the time. In the third trumpet we see the star or Papacy which fell from heaven and poisoned the rivers and springs of water, which represent sources of truth. In the fourth trumpet we see the darkening of the sun, moon, and the stars. Symbolically that darkening is descriptive of the gospel, God’s word or law, and its teachers being plunged into darkness and error, which is definitely bad. Some try to reverse the obvious meaning to these passages, but as we will see it’s actually much easier to fulfill it historically if we read it for what it says.

In the second interpretive method, when it says the heavens go into darkness that is exactly what it means in a prophetic sense. We don’t see this as the Papal heavens being punished, but we see it as the truth being darkened or lost. That way we do not have to twist the scriptures at all, but only read them exactly for what they say. So we would say that the first four trumpets are messages of warning about what the false church was doing wrong and a warning about how they were corrupting the truth that had once been delivered unto the saints. That is the correct way to view the trumpets as we will see.

As we go through the trumpets we will look at the time-frame that they correspond to, and then look to see if there was anything that happened in that time that could have fulfilled the passage. As we will see there will be no doubt in most places that the system did historically as was predicted.

We think what’s being shown in the trumpets is a description of how the great falling away came about, especially in regard to the establishment of the civil power of church and state. In the last trumpet we see God and Christ taking the power back away from the false church system and preparing to reign over the nations.

As we looked at other Bible Student commentaries we saw that most chose the first method of interpretation, but we think the second method of interpretation is better for several different reasons. Assuming the second method is correct we will start the explanation with that method of interpretation, and we will show that it fits history so well that there is no doubt that is the correct method. The first four trumpets are truth, but they are truth about what is being done wrong, and not a message of doctrinal truth from the reformers. The reformers did not come into play until about the time of the fifth trumpet onward. When we get to the fifth trumpet, the message of the trumpets change and they give us a view of God beginning to afflict the false church with direct attacks from the reformers. That is why they are woes on the false church state system.” (Revelation Notes Southern Wisconsin)

As the brethren tend to differ on this issue we will be presenting both view points and allow each to decide for him or her which seems more reasonable.

Continued with next post.