There was a shut door in Noah's day and another in 1844. Probation ended early in both cases for some. The hymn "Once to Every Man and Nation" says it in poetry well.

The purpose of Jesus has entered the Most Holy Place in 1844 is to finish the sin problem; not to close probation for some people. "Shut door" (Rev. 3:7) does not denote a close probation but change of the location of Jesus' ministry in the heavenly sanctuary into the final phase. The seven trumpets message is announcing this imminent event of the close of probation.

Of course, a close of probation comes to each individual during their life times because not everybody can be alive until the end of ages when Jesus actually cast the ashes down to end the real close of probation. I do not think that we should be judgmental about who's or 'some nominal SDA' people have earlier close probation. Rather, we should be encouraging God's people to repent and preparing for His coming.

Mark, I think we both have a basic concept of the close of probation anyway in that Jesus will pronounce "It is done" to finish the work of redemption of mankind. He surely will come to take us to His kingdom. Let us make a certain sound of the trumpets so people can be prepared.

When God sends message with a loud voice, we must pay attention to it because we are so much surrounded with dangers. Consider the three angels' message how it presented to us: "angel fly in the midst of heaven ... with a loud voice", "the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice ... " do not receive the mark of the beast.

The message of the close of probation is also presented to us: "an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice" (Rev. 8:13).

In the interlude of the Seven Trumpets, Jesus appears with a little book open and cries with "a loud voice". We have to realize that the interlude is an additional information of the theme: close of probation.

The 'loud voice' appears 12 times in the Book of Revelation, which all associated with the inheritance of Jesus' life except twelfth one in 19:17. We see that the loud voice is telling us to escape the bird feast, which depicts the second death.

The seven trumpets message is given to us with a loud voice (Rev. 8:13, 10:3) indicating that the close of probation is so near. Jesus cried with a loud voice: "Eli, Eli, lama sabach thani". The anguish cry was to save mankind. He not only cried on the cross but He cries with the loud voice from the heavenly sanctuary that we may hear Him and be ready for the final judgment.

The fourth trumpet's warning indicates that the heavenly bodies are smitten, another words, dysfunction of the light source is mentioned. We can see the connection to the fourth plague that the sun became so hot that men scorched with great heat. The year 2016 was the highest temperature ever recorded in history. And it is going to get hotter.

The trumpet call is for us to discern the falling plague. There are signs of the fourth plague every where: drought, floods, earthquake, unprecedented storms, increased precipitation, tsunami and fire. The heavenly bodies are showing signs of the time. All the four gospel writers mentioned about the cosmic disturbances at the coming of the Lord and we see the prophecy is fast fulfilling.

The sun scorching heat is originated from sun worship. The woman Jezebel brought Baal (sun) worship to Israelite as the fourth church indicated. God created the sun on the fourth day for signs and seasons; sun does not deserves worship.

God gave the fourth commandment for us to remember the Sabbath day to commemorate God's creation and redemption in which we are warned not to blaspheme the name of God in the Sabbath commandment.

The beast of the Revelation blasphemes the name of God (Rev. 13:5,6). This beast is empowered by the dragon, Satan, and ready to enforce the mark of the beast, which is the counterfeit of the true Sabbath. This beast is the same beast who ruled the world during the Dark Ages (1,260 years) as the fourth seal denotes.

The heavenly bodies are not completely exhibited the signs of the time yet. It will occur at the time of the close of probation, which ushers in the second coming of Jesus. So basically the fourth trumpet is announcing the imminent close of probation.

Really, we can't avoid noticing the fourth series of connection.

Let's look at the fifth plague: "the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain" (Rev. 16:10). Who is the beast? The seven headed beast who carries the harlot woman?

There is inquiries: "Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?" (Rev. 13:4). To this beast, power was given to him to speak great things and blasphemies for 42 months (Rev. 13:5 and 11:2). We are told that he blasphemed God's name (Sabbath), the tabernacle (Intercessor-Christ), and the true worshippers (God's true Church). (See Rev. 13:6 and 11:1).

The fifth plague poured upon the seat of the beast and his kingdom. We can see why they deserve the wrath of God without mixture into the cup of his indignation (Rev. 14:10).

"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20).

So the seat of the beast and his kingdom are "full of darkness" (Rev. 16:10), but they do not repent even in their suffering (Rev. 16:11). They are already receiving this plague: "Babylon is fallen, is fallen" (Rev. 14;8). We must realize that the Seven Last Plagues have begun to fall. Please study each of the seven plagues. Only the climax of the seven plague have not reached its peak.

The fifth trumpet clearly announces the rapid approaching of the first woe plague. There is torment as of a scorpion bite by locusts. When men are bitten by them, they will seek death and "shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them" (Rev. 9:5,6). This description signifies a spiritual torment by destroyer "whose name in Hebrew tongue is Abandon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon" (Rev. 9:11). Who could this identity might be at the end time causing darkness "by reason of the smoke of the pit" (Rev. 9:2)? However, they are not allow to hurt people who have "the seal of God in their foreheads" (Rev. 9:4).

We are told that the beast will "make war with the saints" (Rev. 13:7) against the saints who have "Father's name written in their foreheads" (Rev. 14:1).

So the destroyer described in the fifth trumpet is the beast who received "the key of the bottomless pit" (Rev. 9:1) from dragon (Rev. 13:2). Ten characteristics of the destroyers are further described in Rev. 9:7-10.

Who ascended from the bottomless pit? Revelation indicates twice that it is the beast: "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them" (Rev. 11:7) and "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition" (Rev. 17:8).

In the fifth trumpet, we are plainly told by above study that the "angel of the bottomless pit" is the beast. He is obscuring the sun and the air (Rev. 9:2): Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness and He comes back in the air. "By the reason of the smoke" denotes that prayers of saints are meddled by the beast power through false teaching and system to pray to priests and dead spirits.

The prophetic five months is 150 years. SDA preached the Sabbath truth more than 150 years now. But the beast and his kingdom do not repent even though they gnawed their tongues for pain (Rev. 16:10,11). Hence the close of probation will come very soon.

The sins of the spiritual Babylon and his kingdom "have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities" (Rev. 18:5): "great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath" (Rev. 16:19).

Therefore, she shall receive plagues before the Second Coming of Jesus. This is what the Scripture says; "Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double" (Rev. 18:6). So the spiritual Babylon is full of darkness, which is the plague that they are receiving now.

The plague is poured upon the seat of the beast and his kingdom as the fifth plague is made known to us. However, God is still calling people out of the spiritual Babylon: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4).

In the fifth plague, it is mentioned that the beast and his kingdom do not repent even with their pains and sores, which means if they repent, God will forgive and accept them. God's mercy is still exist while the plague begins to fall. But at the close of probation, those who remained in the Babylonian kingdom will be tormented to the point of seeking death and "death shall flee from them" (Rev. 9:6). This is what the fifth trumpet is warning about.

The Seven Trumpets message is sevenfold warning of the close of probation. We have to realize that the trumpet message transpired when the seventh seal broke open. We know that the seventh seal has not broken yet, which means the event of the Seven Trumpet warning has not occurred neither. The warning of the close of probation must go out before the event but the reality has not arrived yet.

The introduction of the Seven Trumpets message is clear about this that Jesus is going to cast the fires of the altar to finish His mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary, which is the close of probation. God's people learned this truth after the Great Disappointment through sweet and bitter experience. Whatever the popular interpretation of the Seven Trumpets existed prior to 1844 is very likely faulty because God's people had no idea what it means for Jesus to minister in the inner veil: the investigative judgment. Then how is it that some still stubbornly hold the same popular interpretation and make blind to see Jesus our Mediator?

The seven trumpets' announcement has begun the blasting in sevenfold warning of imminent close of probation. The urgency is added: "woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth". Let's look at the sixth trumpet now, which is the second woe.

Those four angels who were holding the four winds of the earth until the 144,000 are sealed in their foreheads (Rev. 7:1-3), are told to "loose the four angels" (Rev. 9:14). Now the close of probation occurs at this point in time. It will not take 391 years to loose the winds of the earth. The angels will obey instantly when God commands them, and the voice came from the temple.

Jesus' incense with the all the prayers of saints is accepted by the Father God. In response to the incense, the voice of God said, loose the four angels. And 200 million horsemen are in operation to slay the third part of men. These horsemen is the heavenly armies who follow the white horse rider, Jesus (Rev. 19:11, 14).

This second woe, sixth trumpet, clearly portrays the event of the close of probation, and announces the event which will happen suddenly at once.

The four angels of Revelation is intricately related with close of probation. When 144,000 are completely sealed, the four angels do not need to hold the winds of the four corners of the earth. We find that one of the four beasts gives the seven last vials of plague to the seven angels (Rev. 15:7) at the time of the close of probation. Therefore, we can safely conclude that the four angels and the four beasts are the same beings who are involved with the close of probation.

The first trumpet's announcement mentions of the third part of trees and all green grass burnt up, which means people on earth are harmfully impacted. (tree=leader or king; Dan. 4:20,22 and grass=common people; Isa. 40:7). While the four angels are holding the winds of the earth, there was a command not to hurt the earth, the sea, nor the trees. If they let go of their hold, the immediate event to follow is the close of probation because the restrained harm is occurring.

In the fifth trumpet announcement, similar command is also made: "It was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads" (Rev. 9:4).
The holding winds of the earth was for the sealing purpose: "hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads" (Rev. 7:3). Thus let go of the wind means the close of probation.

The sixth trumpet speaks about letting go of the four angels' hold which depicts the close of probation. This simple search already provides the evidence that the seven trumpets message is the sevenfold warning of the imminent close of probation.

In the sixth trumpet, a voice comes out from the temple, which indicates that God accepts the mediatorial ministry of Jesus. Knowing that the backdrop of the seven trumpet is Christ's final work in the heavenly sanctuary, it is God's response to the final prayer that offers up by Jesus.

The command to release the four angels portrays the meaning of close of probation, which parallels with the cast of fire in the backdrop scene.

The great river Euphrates is mentioned to indicate that this happens at the borderline of the end-time boundary before entering into the heavenly kingdom. God promised to give a land for Abram "from the river of Egypt unto the great rive, the river Euphrates" (Gen. 15:18). In the Scripture, the river Euphrates depicts the end of its boundary.

We can also see that the sixth plague mentions of the river Euphrates that the way of the kings of the east prepared to come, indicating Jesus' second coming.

When the 200 million angelic horsemen release to slay wicked men on earth at the close of probation, evil will destroy evil. God will withdraw His protection and blessings
by ministering angels. Ezek. 38:21 "I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother".

John recorded that he "heard the number of them" of 200 million horsemen as the trumpet sound, distinct and clear, just as he heard of 144k. This tell us that the close of probation is surely coming imminently.

The horsemen have weapons of punishment that is breastplates of fire, jacinth and brimstone, which parallels with the three unclean spirits in the sixth plague: the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The sixth trumpet clearly says that the breastplates are the plague (Rev. 9:18, 20), so we can pair them up with the sixth plague(Rev. 16:13, 14).

Oh, my friends, the close of probation is at the door. "Be ready, be ready, be ready!"
May God bless you all!