Seals and Trumpets

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Short Summary
The discourse titled “Seals and Trumpets” explores the connections between the seven seals and trumpets in the Book of Revelation, examining their significance within the historical context of the Church. The speaker presents a traditional view of the Church’s progression through various stages, highlighting how each seal and trumpet represents shifts in doctrine and societal changes, particularly the influence of paganism and the resulting corruption within Christianity. Furthermore, the discourse emphasizes the importance of understanding these symbols from God’s perspective to reveal the truth about the Church’s journey and its eventual restoration through Jesus Christ.

**Keywords:** Seals, Trumpets, Revelation, Church history, Paganism, Doctrine, Jesus Christ, Salvation, Historical events.

Long Summary
### Summary of “Seals and Trumpets”

Theme and Opening Scripture:
– The discourse focuses on the relationship between the seven seals and trumpets in the Book of Revelation, emphasizing Revelation 11:15, which proclaims the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of God.

Historical Perspective:
– The speaker holds a traditional view regarding the seven stages of the Church, linking the seals and trumpets to significant historical events.
– The seals represent God’s perspective on history, often unflattering, while the trumpets reflect the Church’s internal viewpoint.

Messages to the Seven Churches:
– Revelations 2 and 3 contain messages for the true Church, outlining both commendations and criticisms.
– The seals (Revelation 6) are read from an external perspective (outside Babylon), while the trumpets are understood from within (inside Babylon).

The Nature of the Scroll:
– A sealed scroll represents concealed knowledge which can only be fully understood once all seals are broken.
– Reference to Zechariah 5:1-4 highlights the judgments contained in the scroll.

First Seal and First Trumpet:
First Seal (Revelation 6:1-2): A white horse signifies pure doctrine during the early Church (Ephesus, 33 AD – 73 AD).
– 2 Thessalonians 2:7 illustrates early corruption in Christianity.
First Trumpet (Revelation 8:7): Hail and fire lead to destruction, symbolizing the decline of Judaism and the beginning of the Church’s challenges.

Second Seal and Second Trumpet:
Second Seal (Revelation 6:3-4): A red horse signifies war and the contamination of pure doctrine through pagan influences.
Second Trumpet (Revelation 8:8-9): The destruction of pagan Rome illustrates the mixture of pagan beliefs within Christianity.

Third Seal and Third Trumpet:
Third Seal (Revelation 6:5-6): A black horse represents the Dark Ages, where the Church became corrupted through theological debates.
Third Trumpet (Revelation 8:10-11): A star named Wormwood symbolizes the bitterness and corruption in the Church.

Fourth Seal and Fourth Trumpet:
Fourth Seal (Revelation 6:7-8): A pale horse signifies death and widespread suffering during the Dark Ages, including the Black Death.
Fourth Trumpet (Revelation 8:12-13): Darkness falls on the earth, indicating the Church’s continued decline and the need for renewed understanding.

Fifth Seal and Fifth Trumpet:
Fifth Seal (Revelation 6:9-11): Martyrs cry out for justice, symbolizing the perseverance of faith amid persecution.
Fifth Trumpet: The reference to “five months” ties to prophetic timelines, hinting at significant historical events leading to the Reformation.

Sixth Seal and Sixth Trumpet:
Sixth Seal (Revelation 6:12-17): The great earthquake symbolizes the upheaval during the French Revolution, marking a turning point in Church history.
Sixth Trumpet: The period of the Albury Conference (1827-1829) sought to understand prophetic events post-French Revolution.

Seventh Seal and Seventh Trumpet:
Seventh Seal: Represents the culmination of Church history, where truths about Jesus and His ransom become clear.
– The speaker concludes that the Church’s journey has led to a focus on Jesus, as seen in Revelation 19:11-16, contrasting with the earlier focus on institutional Christianity.

Final Reflection:
– The discourse emphasizes the importance of recognizing Jesus as the focal point of faith, especially as the Church faces modern challenges.
– Ends with a call to look up as signs of fulfillment approach, referencing Luke 21:28, which calls for hope and vigilance as redemption draws near.

### Key Bible Verses Mentioned:
Revelation 11:15: “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah.”
Zechariah 5:1-4: Describes judgments contained in the flying scroll.
2 Thessalonians 2:7: “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work.”
Revelation 6:1-2: First seal (white horse).
Revelation 8:7: First trumpet (destruction).
Revelation 6:3-4: Second seal (red horse).
Revelation 8:8-9: Second trumpet (pagan Rome).
Revelation 6:5-6: Third seal (black horse).
Revelation 8:10-11: Third trumpet (Wormwood).
Revelation 6:7-8: Fourth seal (pale horse).
Revelation 8:12-13: Fourth trumpet (darkness).
Revelation 6:9-11: Fifth seal (martyrs).
Revelation 6:12-17: Sixth seal (earthquake).
Luke 21:28: “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up.”

Transcript

So the title of our thoughts today is Seals and Trumpets. Our theme text comes from Revelation 11:15. Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever. I want to start out by saying I have a more of a traditional view concerning the seven stages of the Church. We will be discussing historic events as they relate to the seals and trumpets.

We believe the church’s seals and trumpets align with each other each stage of the church. These histories are written in symbol so we can obtain a correct understanding of the important events that take place during each stage. This is what God wants us to know from his perspective on what is important and truthful. Do you remember what Winston Churchill’s reply was when he was asked how history was going to remember him? He said it was going to be very kind because he was going to write it.

This history is from God’s point of view and most of it is not very flattering. So we have a couple rules. The first one is the message to the seven churches, and Revelation versus chapters two and three is to the true church. The message has good points and failings.

The seals are found in Revelation 6 and are viewed from outside Babylon. The affected views from outside Babylon. If you have a scroll rolled up and sealed with seven seals, you can only read the outside of the scroll until the last seal is broken. When all the seals are broken, then you can read the contents. By unfolding the scroll, you can view what has been concealed and read its entirety.

The trumpets are blown by the seven messengers to the church. The seven messengers to the church are special itinerant preachers, messengers sent to each of the church to make known dispensational truth to the Lord’s called out ones. The point of view is from inside Babylon how Babylon views what is happening historically. Our example of only reading what is on the outside of the scroll comes From Zechariah, the fifth chapter, verses 1 through 4, until all the seals are broken, and Zechariah 5:1:4 is the sixth.

Vision. Vision. The flying scroll, and what is written on the outside of the scroll are judgments. So let’s read Zechariah 5:1:4 again.

I looked up and saw a flying scroll, and he said to me, what do you see? I answered, I see a flying scroll. Its length is 20 cubits and its width 10 cubits. Then he said to me, this is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land.

For Everyone who steals shall be cut off according to the writing on the one side and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off according to the writing on the other side. I have sent it out, says the Lord of Hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name, and it shall abide in that house and consume it, both timber and stone. Once again, what is written on the outside are judgments. Chapter one Keep in mind what we’re going to be discussing are seals and trumpets under each stage of the church.

So seal 1 Revelation 6:1 and 2 then I saw the lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, come. I looked and there was a white horse, its rider had a bow, a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering to conquer, and then let’s read what the trumpet is. Revelation 8. 7 the first trumpet the first angel blew his trumpet and there came hail and fire mingled with blood.

And there were and they were hurled to the earth, and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The first church is ephesus. That’s Revelation 2:1:7, and that’s from 33 AD to 73, the 40 years of the Jewish harvest. That’s mentioned in Matthew 3:11 and 12.

And we have two messengers, possible messengers, Peter and Matthew 16:19. He has the keys. Or Paul, who wrote approximately 28% of the new Testament. Both died prior to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and that’s Masada 70 A.D.

so the first seal in Revelation 6:1 and 2, there’s a white horse representing pure doctrine. In the first church you had the apostles who kept things pure while they were alive. You also have the scripture in 2nd Thessalonians 2:7 that says, for the mystery of iniquity doth already work. In other words, corruption was already in the hearts of the opportunists. The first trumpet Revelation 8, verse 7 There are three groups, not equal groups, but three distinct groups that are mentioned when you talk about a third.

So let’s read John 19, verses 19 and 20 to see who these three groups are. Verse John 19 starting in verse 19, Pilate also had an inscription written put on the cross. It read, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek. So then the three languages would represent the three parts of society in Jesus’s day.

Hebrew for the Jews. Hebrew represents Israel, whose sacred writings were in Hebrew only. All the green grass is burned up and not any of the brown grass. Latin would be the Romans. Latin represents the Roman Empire, and then Greek, the new Christianity.

Greek represents the new Christianity whose sacred writings were to be in Greek and a large part of whom were to be Greek Gentiles in this period.

This first period represents the death of Judaism. Revelation 8:7. A third of the earth was burned up and a third of the trees were burned up and all the green grass was burned up. What was one of Paul’s biggest challenges, written throughout his Epistles and especially outlined for us in the book of Galatians, Judaizing Christians, those Jewish converts to Christianity that still followed the law and wanted the Gentile converts to do the same. So let’s read Galatians 2:14 out of Young’s Literal Translation.

This is the only translation I know that uses Judaize at the very last word of the verse. So Galatians 2:14. But when I saw that they are not walking uprightly to the truth of the good news, I said to Peter before all, if thou being a Jewish, in the manner of the nations dost live, and not in the manner of the Jews, how the nations dost thou compel to Judaize? So then the first trumpet. The first trumpet destroyed Israel’s polity, social structure, homeland and religious practices.

We know some brethren today follow some of the practices of Judaism. My point would be I’m a Christian and not a Jew. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, that’s Luke 16, 1931, you have a great gulf divide between the Jews and the Christians that will not be bridged until the kingdom. As Romans 11, verse 25 and 26 state that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles come in, and that blindness would be Israel recognizing who Jesus was.

Church number two seal number two, Revelation 6:3:4. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, come, and he came out and came out another bright red horse. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that people would slaughter one another, and he was given a great sword. In the Bible, horses are mostly used for war.

We as Christians do not participate in physical war. Where is the Christians war? Our war is rightly dividing the word of truth. When challenged in our mind or when discussing with others, we are all familiar with the Whole armor of God outlined for us in Ephesians 6, 10, 17. We see the second period of the church.

The third that dies is paganism, and many of old pagan beliefs are adopted into the Christian faith by to unite the empire. Thus the pure white horse turns red, becomes contaminated with pagan beliefs. You know, once you add color pigment to white, it changes the color. You can never get pure white back again.

If you need pure white again, then you need to start all over with pure white. Is this not the same that God does with each period of the Church? The reformer start out with the message they are to present. Then over time the corruption creeps in and God does not reform the old, but starts over with new. Then the process repeats itself.

Trump number two, trumpet number two, Revelation 8, 8, 8 and 9. The second angel blew his trumpet and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea was became blood, and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The 1/3 here is that that dies is pagan Rome. When pagan Rome dies, the new Christian converts bring their suitcases full of pagan beliefs with them. This is how you unite your empire. You don’t start new like God does. Being a wise and savvy ruler like Constantine, you want a quick result.

So you combine the old with the new and voila, you have contamination and a big brewing mess. When we were in Rome this past summer, that’s this 2024, we took a tour of the Vatican. Our guide mentioned that the Vatican has the world’s largest collection of pagan gods, pagan objects and pagan artifacts. Isn’t this fitting? We wouldn’t expect anything less.

The second church, Smyrna, is Revelation 2:8, 11 from 73 to 3:13 under Heathen Pagan Rome. John is the only apostle we know that lived long and died of old age, and he most likely lived into his 90s. 92 to 93, 96. Somewhere in there.

The second seal is Revelation 6:3 and 4. The red horse. Pagan doctrine mixed with Christianity. The book titled the Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop explains how false Christianity was adopted or was adopted. Adopted Paganism.

This is not an easy read. In this case we see how paganism perverted Christian doctrine. The second trumpet, Revelation 8, 8 and 9. The end of paganism. Pagan Rome dies.

Church number three. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out come. I looked and there was a black horse. Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, and I heard what Seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, a quart of wheat for a day’s pay and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay.

But do not damage the olive oil and the wine. In the third stage of the church you have the third seal, the black horse. Note the third seal, the black horse. Notice the interesting analogy concerning barley and wheat. What might this represent?

And we’ll investigate this shortly. Let’s go to the third trumpet. That’s Revelation 8, 10, 11. The third angel blew his trumpet and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and and on the springs of waters.

The name of the star was wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water because it was made bitter. The third church is Pergamos. That’s Revelation 2:12, 17.

From 313 to 538. Arius lived from 5:2, from 256 to 336. He was about 80 years old. The third seal is Revelation 5, Revelation 6:5 and 6. Which is the black horse Being the opposite of white would represent darkness or absence of light.

The Dark age theology or paganism beliefs adopted by the Church they started to set in the scales could possibly represent the ransom lost with the councils that took place. The beginning of the councils is the council of Nicaea 325. Then the first Council of Constantinople 381 and finally the Council of Ephesus and 431. You can look these up on Wikipedia. They’ll give you an explanation.

But you can see how the Church really degraded in their concepts with these councils. The third trumpet is Revelation 8:10 through 11. A great star fell from heaven being Arius. Modern scholars consider that the subsequent death of Arius may have been the result of poisoning by his opponents. Arius the nominal viewpoint Viewed from inside the church, the star cast down the point of view is from inside Babylon.

From Babylon’s point of view called wormwood poisonous plant. The Trinity is the Christian’s touchstone. Even today when you discuss the beauties of the plan of God with other Christians, you might make some headway until they come up with the question do you believe in the Trinity? It is like a rite of passage. As long as you believe in the Trinity, you are on safe ground for salvation and nothing else matters.

This is why when talking to others, you need to look for those as our theme text for this convention. Those that are not satisfied and are hungering and thirsting after righteousness. After the conversion of the Roman Empire, Constantine, the Church and state were wed, an unholy union of political power that diverted the Church even further from its original purpose, and throughout the Middle Ages, very few people read the Bible, and the Church drifted far, so far from biblical truth that it would have been completely unrecognizable to Jesus’s apostles.

Now let’s get back to barley and wheat. Remember in Judges 7, verse chapter 7, verses 13 and 14, when Gideon arrived and a man was telling another comrade a dream about a barley loaf tumbling into the Midian camp and knocking down its tent, this was confirmation to the comrade that the battle of Gideon was to be victorious. The barley loaf represents Jesus and wheat represents the Church. The barley harvest preceded the wheat harvest. Thus the same picture.

Jesus was first and the Church is second. So let’s read Judges 7:13 and 14. Judges 7:13. When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream. His comrade, he said, I had a dream.

And in it a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell. It turned upside down and the tent collapsed, and his comrade answered, this is no other than the sword of Gideon’s son, Joash, a man of Israel. Into his hand God has given Midian and all the army. If you were a working man and wanted to purchase food for the day, what would you buy?

Being the savvy shopper that we all are, we would purchase what we could get the most of. In other words, the most bang for a buck, the cheapest for the most. In this instance, wheat or the church is made more expensive than barley. Barley has been cheapened. The focus was away from Jesus and turned toward the church.

Jesus is less expensive than wheat or the church. This is counterintuitive. The answer to this question is in the stage of the church. That focus, the focus left Jesus and focus more on the Christian. The Christian being more expensive or more prominent because it is more expensive.

Jesus was cheapened compared to what? The wheat represents the church. Church number four, the fourth seal, Revelation 6, 7 and 8. Let’s read that. Revelation 6:7.

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard a voice of the fourth living creature call out, come. I looked, and there was a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him, and they were given authority over the fourth of the earth to kill with a sword, famine and pestilence, and buy the wild animals of the earth.

And then we have trumpet number four, Revelation 8, 12, 13, the fourth angel blew his trumpet and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light was darkened. A third of the day was kept from shining, and likewise the night. Then I looked and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew in the middle in the mid heaven. Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth at its blast of the other trumpet that the three angels are about to blow. The three woes represent hope around the corner.

The fourth church is Thyatira. Revelation 2, 1829. From 539 to 1367. Peter Waldo. Born about 1140 and died 1217 approximately.

He lived 77 years. The fourth seal, Revelation 6:7 and 8. The gangrene horse. It talks about one quarter continuation of no light. The Dark Ages application or result of false teachings.

Severe persecution under papal Rome. We believe the 1/4 mentioned in Revelation 6, 8 was the black Death. The Black Death. Pandemic. The blue.

The bubonic plague, the pneumonic plague and the Septemic plague. There’s three of them. Really? When you talk about the Black Death that devastated medieval Europe from 1347 to 1352, the Black Death killed an estimated 25 to 30 million people, with up to 2/3 suffering suffered dying from the disease. It is estimated that between 30% and 50% of the population of those places affected died from the Black Death.

Why do we mention this as an important event? You know, it’s not until World War I and World War II that you have such devastation of life again. It took 200 years for the population of Europe to recover from the levels prior to the Black plague. The fourth trumpet. Revelation 8, 12:13.

One third. Three woes followed, showing the situation for the last three stages of the Church will start to turn around. Increased light will have an effect. The four horses, the white, the red, the black and the gangrene. Is the decline of the Church, the decline of understanding the Word, the work Jesus did and the ransom for all lost sight of the next three woes is the regaining of what was lost.

The four horses. Followed by the three woes is the seven stages of the the Church. How many brethren here have been to Siena, Italy?

Siena. I know, I know. At least one has. Well, okay. Nobody else has, so I can speak freely, I guess, on this.

We talk about the Black Death. The death toll was so high that it had a significant consequence on European medieval society and as a whole. With a shortage of farmers, resulting in demands for the end of serfdom, a general questioning of authority, and we’re going to talk about with that, with John Wycliffe and rebellions and the entire abandonment of many towns and villages. So if you go to Siena, Italy, this is the church in the square there.

And the point here is we want to look at these portions over here. So this is one arch, and here’s an arch that’s the same arch here, and it’s followed by really 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 arches. But here’s the point. So you see part of a church here, then you see part of a building being built here, and you see another part here.

This was never completed because back in 1347-1352, the Black Death had killed so many people, they stopped construction on the rest of the church. So the main part of the church is built, but it looks like they were going to construct a whole nother part that looked like this on this side. But the Black Death stopped that church. Number five. When he opened.

That’s Revelation 6, 9, 11. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony he had given. They cried out with a loud voice, sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth? They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number would be completed. Both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.

Why do these saints cry out from under the altar? God is telling us that the light was almost extinguished, but now it was con. It will continue to become brighter and brighter. Although persecution has certainly not ended at this point, the darkest doctrinal days are coming to an end. When I talk with Christians today, they still believe in the Trinity, hellfire, immortality of the soul, the Dark Age theology.

Trumpet number five. We’re not going to read this, but what we want to notice here is that there’s a star that has fallen from heaven and there’s two mentioning two times of five months. Let us look at a possible connection between the fourth, fifth and sixth messengers. We notice the five months is mentioned twice in Revelation 9, verses 5 and 10. This is the five months times 30 days a month, which is 150 days.

Or we know that is 150 prophetic years. Peter Waldo died 1217, and not all websites have this date. In fact, Wikipedia does not have this date. But you can look at other Websites that do have the date of 1217.

If you add 150 years to 1217, you come up with 1367. This is when John Wycliffe appear appealed to Rome. So 1367 +150 brings us to 1517. This is when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church castle at Wittenberg. Most historians use this date as the beginning of the Reformation.

So if then you add 1517 plus 150, you get 1667. That’s when William Penn was expelled from Oxford for his Puritan beliefs. He was sent to manage the family estate and Ireland where he joined the Society of Friends, and we know that today as Quakers 1667. There is another place where we have 150 year prophetic years mentioned.

And this is in Genesis 7:24, where it rains for 40 days and the water prevailed upon the earth for five months or one hundred and fifty days, or one hundred and fifty prophetic years. This would represent the effect of each one of these messengers messages saturating the earth with the effect of what they taught until the next dispensational truth was revealed. There’s an additional five months we would like to mention, and that’s in Luke 1, verse 24. We also have five months or 150 days. So let’s read Luke 1:24 and 25 starting in Luke 1, verse 24.

After those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, this is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably upon me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people. In this case, Elizabeth hid herself for five months until she had the fullest proof of God’s promising her a son before she appeared in public and announced the Good news. After 150 days, Elizabeth announced her for pregnancy.

Actually, not so much is needed to be said. It is evident that Elizabeth was pregnant at this time. In the case of the 150 years between events, a proclamation is made. This proclamation is a glimmer of hope of what is to come.

The sixth church, the great earthquake that’s talked about in the sixth church. Revelation 6:12 through chapter seven, verse three and the verse 12 there talks about the great earthquake. That’s the French Revolution and that’s a picture of the great earthquake that’s mentioned in the seventh plague in Revelation. Remember the 1290 days mentioned in Daniel the 12th chapter. You have the 1260, the 1290 and the 1335.

The 1290 brings us to 1829 and how you come by, that is, you take 539, you add 1290 and that gets you to 1829. What happened in 1829? You had a group of Christians in England that met from 1827 to 1829 and looked into the scriptures concerning the events that took place prophetically. Because society had changed from what it was before the French Revolution to what it was after the French Revolution, they came up with many of the same beliefs we have today, and this was the Albury Conference with Henry Drummond from 1827 to 1829, when Time prophetic prophecy would start to be understood.

The sixth church, Philadelphia, is Revelation 3. 7 to verse 13. It’s Martin Luther. Martin Luther, a man both solemn and passionate, is an Augustine friar teaching theology at the university recently founded in Wittenberg by Frederick the Wise, the Elector of Saxony, and of course, if you want to see his church there, it’s in Dresden.

The English pretty much leveled that city during World War II, but it’s rebuilt today, and if you go about a mile, maybe a mile and a half north of that, they have a really nice museum, a military museum there, which is nice to spend the day there. Gives you a lot of a nice history, good history. But anyway, Martin Luther observed by his own unworthiness, he comes to the conclusion that no amount of virtue or good behavior can be the basis of salvation, as proposed in the doctrine known as justification by works. If the Christian life is not to be meaningless, he argues, a sinner’s faith must be the only merit for which God, God’s grace, might be granted.

Luther therefore became a passionate believer and an alternate doctrine, justification by faith, for which he finds evidence and the writings of the apostle Paul in Romans 1, verse 17. Nothing could be further from the concept of justification by faith than Tetzel’s impudent selling of God’s grace. Luther had often argued against the sale of indulgences in his sermons. Now he takes a more public stand. He writes out in 95 positions about the nature of faith and contemporary church practices.

Church number seven. When a scroll is sealed with seven seals, at what point can you read the context? Prior to breaking this last seal, you can only read what is on the outside. In other words, prior to opening the scroll, your knowledge is limited. Once the scroll is open, then you can read all for the complete understanding.

We believe the seventh church is Charles Taze Russell, and really Brother Russell, he brought forth and combined all these important truths. At the end, the ransom, a doctrine must all our doctrines will square with the ransom. The Focus is squarely back on Jesus as it should have been from the beginning. In conclusion, we discussed some of the highlights of the seven seals and trumpets. We saw how the four horses are followed by the three woes for a total of seven.

The four horses show how the Church started out pure with a white horse and and then degraded to a red pagan Rome black. The councils that took place and focus and focus off of the focus was off of Jesus and concentrated more on the earthly Church. The church continued to degrade to a stage of gangrene. John Wycliffe lived through and saw the effects of the Black Plague in his hand, and he had a profound effect on his thinking.

He started questioning the clergy and the whole system. John Wycliffe observed the church had no answers for the devastating cause of the Black Death. The clergy did not take care of the dying and the clergy was only concerned with themselves. Let the actions of our lives be ourselves. Sermon the three woes started opening the door to light of the true gospel.

The lightablishes Jesus as the focal point. Starting with what we just mentioned concerning John Wycliffe. Then we have justification by faith compared to the doctrine of justification by works. The pivotal piece that Jesus was God’s son and perfect man on earth. All the pieces are finally assembled during the seventh stage of the Church when the mystery is clearly made known.

With all the pieces harmoniously assembled, you know the reason we are all here today is the masterpiece written in the fifth volume, the atonement between God and man. In Seal number one you had a white horse and its rider had a bow. A bow is a long range weapon used used when your opponent is at a distance. In order to be effective, you also need skill to shoot this bow accurately. The apostles would travel long distances preaching the word of God to establish new converts.

Those that traveled long distances to preach the good news also needed to be well versed in what they taught. Thus their knowledge needed to be well honed in the word of God. They communicated by letters sent long distances. The epistles. This is in comparison to Revelation the 19th chapter, verses 11 through 16.

Revelation 19:11 16 where you have Jesus on a white horse with not one but many crowns and his vesture was dipped in blood showing close combat. Archers were used to soften up the enemy but never used to destroy an entire army. The total destruction of an entire army. To become totally victorious, you need close combat, sword to sword or as they say, hand to hand combat. This is the picture in Revelation 19:13 where Jesus’s vesture is dipped in blood.

This close combat is depicted by Jesus being present. You only have blood on your clothes if you are in the thick of the battle. By Jesus being present he is totally victorious over his enemies. This is not like the Church throughout the ages where we have limited victories over some battles but are defeated in the flesh. Jesus is a divine being and second in command, the General of Jehovah.

Jesus has all the crowns and he strategically knows how to dismantle Satan’s empire and to gain the total victory. Jesus is present at this time and he makes quick work during the harvest and the last plague. As we see the number of the church diminish on this side of the veil, we can take solace in God’s promises that our redemption draweth nigh, and we’ll close with the reading of Luke 21:28. Luke 21:28 and when these things began to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh.

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