I've been thinking about this, but it says a star from heaven. Not sure how a leader of a church can be from heaven placing it in such context.

Right. History bears that out from the shut door of the Ark, to the doom of the Canaanites, to the Jews at the close of the 70 weeks etc. Those in the Ark weren't sealed, (Ham was later cursed) but those outside were doomed.

Yes, the sanctuary is the KEY to understanding the book of Revelation!

When you consider the Feast of Trumpets in Leviticus chap. 23, the Seven Trumpet of Revelation has to be the announcement of the Anti-typical Day of Atonement, which should have been sounded ever since the 1844 and that the end of the world is near.

The sound of the Seven Trumpets describes detailed events of the Seven Plagues, in that God may prevent men to receive less plagues.

The four angels are holding the winds of the earth until the complete sealing of the 144,000 (Rev. 7:1-4). At a point of time, God will command the four angels to loose their hold (Rev. 9:13-14), which is the end of probation. I don't think that God's command to loose that hold of angels will take 391 years like some interpreters of the sixth trumpet but it would be immediately obeyed by the four angels.

I've been pondering this observation by Dedication for a couple days:



Let's assume for the moment that the seven trumpets of Revelation have a future application. According to Numbers 10 the silver trumpets were to be blown over the burnt offerings of all the sacred feasts. While it's true that they were also blown at every month of the ancient sacred calendar, at the Feast of Trumpets at the start of the seventh month there were four distinct burnt offerings made on that day (see Numbers 10, 28 and 29) so the trumpets were blown at least four times that day. Now if you look at the trumpets of Revelation 8-11, it's interesting that the first four are grouped separately from the last three. The last three are woes and there is an interlude between them that announces the terrible effects of the final three before they occur.

The same grouping pattern appears in the seal. The first four seals are summoned by each of the four living creatures (covering cherubs) that surround the throne. The last three are not. Why? One thing it suggests to me is that the first four seals and trumpets may happen at about the same time. What do you all think?

When we consider the framework of the Book of Revelation, the sequential pattern to the flow of events indicate that the sealed of God will blow the Seven Trumpets prior to the end of the probation.

1. people enter into the church (Seven Churches)
2. evaluated in the throne room(qualified by the blood of Lamb)
3. saints are sealed (Seven Seals)
4. blow the Seven Trumpets
5. Exposing the ID of Satan (Chap. 12-14)
6. Seven Plagues fall (Chap. 15-16)
7. Collapse of the Babylon (Chap. 17-18)
8. Second Coming of Jesus (Chap. 19)
9. Reviewing the Judgment during the millennium
10. New heaven and new earth

We are not to disconnect the series of visions, jumping around in time. There are sequential pattern to the flow of events as a continuous vision, which has a logical relatedness.
The scenes of Revelation alternate between heaven and earth until the final destination in the new Jerusalem .

I've contemplated on those four horses in Rev. 6 and come to the conclusion that even though they were released in sequence, all of them continue to ride right to the end of earth's history.


The white horse-- Depicting the Gospel going out to the world under the power of the "early rain". The Holy Spirit is still at work to give us the power and love of the pure gospel.


The red horse -- The spirit of persecution from pagan sources is still trying to obliterate the pure gospel .

The black horse -- And when Christians slide into complacency, and lose the Spirit of God, they still become self-appointed judges of other people.

The pale horse -- the apostate doctrines and spiritual abuse is still raging and will accelerate in the last days.

The other three seals show --
1) God will vindicate his persecuted saints
2) Christ will come again to execute judgment upon unbelievers
3) God will seal His faith people and they will stand before His throne in praise and adoration.

As to the seven trumpets --
They do show the key controversy of the last days.

1) The first trumpet shows the fall of Jerusalem after they, as a nation rejected Christ.(though many individual Jews accepted Christ and carried the gospel to the world)

In the last days Jerusalem will play a significant role in the deceptive counterfeits of satan. Heed the voice of the trumpet that this is NOT the place to seek safety and salvation. Be like the individual Jews at that time and go out into the world bearing the true gospel message.

2) Depicts the fall of Christian Imperial Rome --
The linking up of Christianity with the emperors was deadly to truth.
Heed the trumpet call to keep church and state separate -- churches are not to ally themselves with powerful political identies.

3-4) Depicts the papal darkness -- and the water of life being turned to "wormwood".

In the last days the papacy will rise to incredible power and influence -- but they still have the same "wormwood" to offer.

5-6 Depict the two powerful Islamic periods and the warfare between Christians and Islam over Jerusalem as well as for control over the conscience of the people.

This will again be a major thing in the last days. The battle will be fierce, terrible things will take place, the "king of the north" will appear to win, he will establish himself in the "glorious mountain" and seek to enforce his brand of worship upon the world. It will be accompanied by "signs and wonders" to deceive the whole world.

7) The nations are angry, but God is judge, the ark of the covenant is the where the standard and mercy reside and the faithful will understand this.
The time of judgment has come. Christ comes and the reward is with Him. He reigns!

Seeing the cyclic nature of prophecy is not "jumping around" at all -- in fact it runs much more smoothly then trying to make all of Revelation one continuous sequence.

Like -- the sixth seal depicts Christ's coming and its effect on the unsaved. While the next chapter depicts those who will be able to stand at that coming and enjoy heaven and being in the presence of God's throne.

The trumpets then take us back to events that take place prior to these seals.
The seventh trumpet takes us right up to Christ reigning for ever.
But the following chapters take us back to events prior to this.

The sequences are:


--------------churches--------------------------------------
--------------seals-------------------------------------------
--------------trumpets--------------------------------------

....................--------------Rev. 13 ---------------------
..............................................---Rev. 14-------
.....................................................Rev.15-18
............................................................Rev.19-22

Another good observation. Thanks for sharing that.