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The Trumpets Rest

The remaining text of the 11th chapter is as follows, where we see the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

-- Click To Expand/Collapse Bible Verses -- Rev ch11:v15-19
Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Rev 11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Rev 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (KJV)

It appears from the revelation text that the seals are opened on the book of life and the consequences of the opened seals follow in the trumpet sequence. There is an equivalence between the seals and trumpets - the seals shift the unity element amongst a fixed octal whereas the trumpets shift the underlying octal beneath a fixed unity.

Then since we know that the heavenly scene of the throne of God represents the fixed octal whereas the wider set of octals in the "sea" or the heavens (as in stars) and the earth are represented by the trumpets. The seals open the book of life, so that the number of redeemed souls progress patiently through a stepped sequence of increasing iniquity over time. The trumpets show how those in the earth pick up on these iniquitous devices and turn aside from the calling of God. The seals permit the "mystery of iniquity" whereas the trumpets describe its earthly state over time since the cross of Christ.

We know that the trumpets herald the readiness of God to counter any move of iniquity, this final trumpet shows God is "at rest" once more before the vials of wrath are poured out on the earth and in the heavens. The mystery of iniquity is come to the full with this trump and the wrath is prepared. The time of judgement is then upon the Earth and the kingdoms of this world are subject to God and His power.

The third woe which follows from the first two (quickly) is not in view in the text yet, but the preparedness of God is absolute. The world is His - He has not lost at each stage but has kept His promises of salvation intact despite the seemingly unhindered encroach of iniquity in His creation. All the number of saved souls are listed in Heaven and the power of God in choosing His elect is satisfied.

The time has come for the wrath, and the judgement and for the promises of God to be fulfilled. The rest of the trumpets coincides with that "rest" of the seals - the wrath as it follows after these two sets arrives not over the whole period of the church age: it is only merited to punish the iniquity of those that can and do practise it, which gives some sequence to the seals and trumpets becoming completed over time unlike the wrath which elsewhere is described as the "great and terrible day of the lord". If the vials can be shown to be corresponding to the seals (and trumpets) we could expect them to occur over the whole age since the cross, yet they are poured out only when merited - when every seal is open and every trumpet is in effect: (and the transgression is come to the full) seen here as "the rest" that the judgement is set to start with at the cross, but also to be poured out at the last day of the age.

We see the ark of His testimony on display in His temple - He has kept His word for all time, as He "which art, was and art to come" - unchanging majesty showing that His unfailing promises of grace and mercy as well as His promises of just judgement and to take to Himself a people, are kept according to His given word of scripture.


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