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If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 46

Inauguration of the Kingdom of God
 

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Let’s pray together:

Father,

As we start on the seventh and last trumpet, we want to thank You for helping us discover the meaning of the messages contained in this prophetic set.

Please give us the enthusiasm we need to share this precious knowledge with the people around us.

In Jesus we pray.

Amen.




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Revelation 9:13,14

And the sixth angel sounded.

And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet,

«Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.»

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In the sixth trumpet, four angels of destruction launch a terrible army of horsemen on the earth, a short time before the return of Jesus.

This assault has the effect of releasing a dreadful power of delusion on the apostate Church and the unrepentant men, leading them to perdition.




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Revelation 9:20

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils.

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1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

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The strength of this power of delusion lies in men’s stubbornness in rejecting God’s call to repentance, preferring to remain tied to attractive teachings which will lead them to death and loss.




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Revelation 10:1,2; 11:3

And I saw another mighty Angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was on His head, and His face was as it were the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire.

And He had in His hand a little book open. (...)

«And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth.»

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Before going on with the seventh trumpet, the book of Revelation presents two subjects:

- The first subject is the little open book. As we discovered in the lesson «The Little Open Book», this is the book of the prophet Daniel, to which the seventh trumpet will often refer.

- The second subject is the two witnesses, which we will study in a future lesson.




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Revelation 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!»

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Luke 1:32,33

[Jesus] shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give to Him the throne of His father David.

And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

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The seventh trumpet opens with the inauguration of God’s kingdom.

At long last, the kingdoms of this world go from the dominion of Satan to the dominion of Jesus.




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Matthew 4:8,9

The devil took [Jesus] up into an exceeding high mountain, and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and said to Him,

«All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.»

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John 18:36

My kingdom is not of this world.

If My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence.

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Indeed, Jesus confirms that, at the present time, the kingdoms of the earth belong to Satan.




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Revelation 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!»

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Revelation 19:6

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunder, saying,

«Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!»

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But, at His second coming, Jesus will take back the kingdoms of this world.

The institution of God’s eternal kingdom is also reported in the book of Daniel, to which the seventh trumpet often refers.




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The book of Daniel often announces the coming of God’s eternal kingdom:

«In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.» (Daniel 2:44)

«One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.» (Daniel 7:13,14)

«And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.» (Daniel 7:27)




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Revelation 11:16,17 [NRSV]

Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, singing,

«We give You thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, for You have taken Your great power and begun to reign.»

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The seventh trumpet goes on with the worship of God by the twenty-four elders.

Let’s notice the words they use, «Lord God Almighty, who are and who were», and let’s compare them with the next verses...




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Revelation 4:8

[The four beasts] rest not day and night, saying,

«Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come!»

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Revelation 1:8

«I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending,» said the Lord, «which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.»

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Before the seventh trumpet, the description of God also contained the words «and which is to come».

But these words have disappeared from the seventh trumpet.

Why? Simply because this trumpet coincides with the coming of the Lord.




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Revelation 10:6,7

[The Angel] swore (...) that there should be time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He has declared to His servants the prophets.

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1 Corinthians 15:51,52

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.

For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.

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At the seventh trumpet, «the mystery of God» will be fulfilled.

What is «the mystery of God»? The apostle Paul indicates here that this mystery is the gift of eternal life to all those who have faithfully followed Jesus.




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Colossians 2:2 [NRSV]

I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself.

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1 Thessalonians 4:16,17

The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

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The mystery of God is well and truly the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ.




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Matthew 24:30,31

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

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Isaiah 27:13

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

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At the sound of the seventh trumpet, Jesus will come and gather His people, granting them the gift of eternal life.




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Revelation 11:18

The nations were angry, and Your wrath is come.

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Revelation 17:12,14

The ten horns which you saw are ten kings. (...)

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings.

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On the other hand, what will happen to those having rejected God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ?

In our preceding lesson, we have seen that in the sixth trumpet, the ten kings put to death the harlot, that is, the apostate Church.

Now, they want to attack Jesus and His people, but the seventh trumpet immediately announces their punishment.




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Psalm 2:1-5

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed, saying,

«Let us break Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us.»

He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak to them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure.

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Psalm 2 is a very good paraphrase of the seventh trumpet: the nations want to attack God, but His wrath will reduce all their efforts to nothing.




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Psalm 2:7,8,10-12

The Lord has said to Me, «You are My Son; this day have I begotten You. Ask of Me, and I shall give You the heathen for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession.» (...)

Be wise now therefore, O you kings: be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.

Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.

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The content of Psalm 2 really inspired the message of the seventh trumpet.

It even gives a serious warning to the nations, calling them to follow Jesus, before His wrath bursts out, at the time of His return.




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Revelation 6:15-17

The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every slave, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks,

«Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?»

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Unfortunately, the nations stubbornly reject the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ, and will have to face His wrath at the day of His imminent return.




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Revelation 11:18

The nations were angry, and Your wrath is come.

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Isaiah 34:1,2

Come near, you nations, to hear; and listen, you people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.

For the indignation of the Lord is on all nations, and His fury on all their armies: He has utterly destroyed them, He has delivered them to the slaughter.

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When the wrath of God falls on the rebellious nations, there will be no doubt about their fate: they will be completely annihilated.




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Revelation 15:1

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

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Isaiah 26:20,21

Come, My people, enter you into your chambers, and shut your doors about you: hide yourself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over.

For, behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

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God’s wrath will consist of seven plagues, which we will study soon.




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Revelation 16:4-6 [NRSV]

The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.

And I heard the angel of the waters say,

«You are just, O Holy One, who are and were, for You have judged these things; because they shed the blood of saints and prophets, You have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve.»

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The seven plagues, described with the very same words as those of the seventh trumpet, fall on the oppressor of God’s people, just like the punishments of the first six trumpets did.




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Revelation 20:4,12,15

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them.

And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark on their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (...)

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. (...) And whoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

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Then the Millennium begins, as we will see in a future lesson. During this period, the case of each unrepentant sinner will be examined and judged.

At the end of these thousand years, the verdict will be given, and the wicked will be destroyed forever.




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The seventh trumpet summarizes the sequence of the last events




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Revelation 11:18

Your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Your name, small and great.

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Ecclesiastes 8:11,12

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him.

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The seventh trumpet will therefore spare only those who fear God and follow Him.




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Malachi 3:16-18

Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another: and the Lord listened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought on His name.

«And they shall be Mine,» said the Lord of hosts, «in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.

Then shall you return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves Him not.»

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Confirming the message of the seventh trumpet, this passage shows that God sets apart all those who commit themselves to Him, giving Him honor and respect.




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Revelation 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 lightning, and voices, and thunder, and an earthquake, and great hail.

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The seventh trumpet ends with this impressive scene: the temple of God is opened in heaven, and the ark of the covenant is unveiled.

The heavenly sanctuary and its content, which are essential to a proper understanding of prophecy, were the subject of three lessons: «The Sanctuary», «The Sanctuary’s Furnishings», and «The Sanctuary’s Services».




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Revelation presents many times the final scene of the seventh trumpet:

«And the Angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunder, and lightning, and an earthquake.» (Revelation 8:5)

«And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were on the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.» (Revelation 16:17,18)

«And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunder, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”» (Revelation 19:6)




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Many passages also describe the great hail of the seventh trumpet:

«And there fell on men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.» (Revelation 16:21)

«Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? Or have you seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?» (Job 38:22,23)

«The Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of His arm, with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.» (Isaiah 30:30)




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Revelation 15:5,6

And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven was opened.

And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen.

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Revelation 19:11

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse.

And He that sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war.

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The opening of heaven and God’s temple, at the sound of the seventh trumpet, corresponds with the pouring-out of the seven plagues, and the return of Jesus.




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Exodus 25:21

You shall put the mercy seat above on the ark; and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I shall give you.

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Hebrews 9:3,4

After the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had (...) the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.

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Let’s remember that the ark of the covenant contains the tablets of the law, that is, the Ten Commandments, expressing God’s will and character.




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Revelation 11:18,19

«Your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Your name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.»

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His Testament.

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Ecclesiastes 12:13

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

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By unveiling the ark of the covenant in the heavenly sanctuary, the seventh trumpet reminds us that true fear of God expresses itself through faithfulness to God and obedience to His commandments.




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Revelation 11:18

Your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Your name, small and great.

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Matthew 5:11,12

Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

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Finally, the seventh trumpet is an invitation to persevere, in spite of the difficult times awaiting us, just as the prophets of God did.




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Let’s pray:

Father,

It is written, «At that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which stands for the children of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the Book.» (Daniel 12:1).

May our names remain written in Your Book of Life, until the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.


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