The Historical Seventh Seal

THE HISTORICAL SEVENTH SEAL
(THE SEVEN TRUMPETS)

Most modern-day Bible expositors, including those in the Churches of God, teach that the seven trumpets introduced in Revelation chapter 8 all refer to events yet in the future.

In times past, however, the seven trumpets were generally believed to picture a sequence of seven major events, beginning in the first century. To this day, Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) teaching on this subject reflects this Historicist method of interpretation. However, contrary to SDA teaching, I believe that the details of this prophecy give abundant indication that all seven of these events concern Jerusalem, the city of God.

This article will show that the seven trumpets picture respectively:

1) The Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD during the First Jewish Revolt

2) The rebuilding of Jerusalem as a Gentile Roman city in the second century, and the subsequent Second Jewish Revolt a.k.a. the Bar Kokhba War

3) The "Christianisation" of Jerusalem, begun by Constantine in the fourth century

4) The Islamisation of Jerusalem, following Omar's conquest in the seventh century

5) The Crusader conquests and battles over Jerusalem, from the late 11th century until the middle of the 13th century

6) The period of the two World Wars, the Holocaust, and the subsequent return of the Jews to Israel and Jerusalem in the 20th century

7) The return of Christ to Jerusalem with all its associated events

It has been debated whether the seven trumpets are part of the seventh seal on the prophetic scroll unsealed by Christ in Revelation 8, or instead are totally separate from it. The logical conclusion is that the trumpets together constitute the seventh seal, because the purpose of removing the seals is to shed light on the sealed prophecies of Scripture, which are those of the book of Daniel (Dan 12:4 and 12:9). This is explained on the page "THE REAL SEVEN SEALS".

The first six seals describe general conditions that would prevail. However, they do not of themselves unseal the full extent of the prophecies.

It is the passage of time, and with it the gradual fulfilment of the trumpet events, that fully reveals the meaning of Daniel's prophecies.

Therefore the seven trumpets must constitute the seventh seal.

The Scriptures are to a great extent a record of history. What is not yet covered by history is covered by prophecy. We see this principle in the narratives of the seven Church eras, the seven heads of the Beast, and also the seven trumpets of the seventh seal.

In Rev 5 it is stated that only Jesus Christ, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah", was able to "loose" the seals of a scroll that was "sealed with seven seals". It has been commonly taught in the Church of God that Christ did this loosening or removing of the seals in His Olivet Prophecy. In actual fact it is in the book of Revelation that the seals are removed, providing a lot more detailed information regarding Daniel's prophecies, and making it possible to understand them from that point as time progressed. This is underlined by what we find in Rev 22:10, where John is told "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand". In other words, the time to understand came when the New Testament Scriptures were completed.

However, in the Olivet Prophecy Christ speaks at length about the first and the last trumpet events, thereby shedding much light on Daniel as well.

Absolutely crucial to understanding these prophecies is knowing that God's focus in the Scriptures is on Israel. More specifically, His focus is on Jerusalem.

Not only does this apply to the seven seals of Rev 5-11, but we see it in the Olivet Prophecy as well, which Christ gives after His disciples make a comment about the buildings on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He responds by saying that not one stone of these will be left on top of another, and predicts that Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies and then be destroyed. He also speaks of "those in Judea" fleeing. This is the area surrounding Jerusalem. He says that there will be great distress upon "the land" and "this people" (Lk 21:23), meaning Judea and the Jews, not the world. Christ then adds the important statement: "Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled".

The "times of the Gentiles" were 2520 years during which Jerusalem was given over to Gentile control as punishment for the sins of the Jews, a period predicted in Lev 26 and Dan 4, where it is expressed as "seven times". Please see "DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS, YEARS AND TIMES" for further information.

These 2520 years began with the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and came to an end in the 20th century with the Holocaust, which was Satan's climactic last attempt to prevent God's prophecies being fulfilled regarding the Jews' return to their homeland and Jerusalem.

As the events of the Olivet Prophecy conclude with the return of Christ, which will be a return to Jerusalem (Zech 14:4-5), we see that from beginning to end Christ's main focus in that discourse is on the Holy City. The page "THE OLIVET PROPHECY" has a lot more information on this.

This Jerusalem focus is also clearly seen in the prophecies outlined by Daniel, and therefore it applies to the prophecies of the seven seals of Revelation as well, because the added information of the seals allows the prophecies of Daniel to be better understood as events unfold through history.

The first four seals on the scroll in Revelation 5 describe conditions that would afflict Jerusalem and the Holy Land in general. These are:

Seal 1) False religion

Seal 2) War and violence

Seal 3) Famine and hardship

Seal 4) Untimely death

Seals five and six would initially affect God's people in the land of Israel, but subsequently in all the lands where they were located. These seals are:

Seal 5) Persecution of the faithful people of God

Seal 6) Punishment of the Jews

This leads us to Seal 7: seven "trumpets" picturing seven successive major events in the history of Jerusalem.

In the Olivet Prophecy the first six trumpets of the seventh seal are summed up by Christ as "Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24).

As there is such an abundance of figurative language used in the trumpets narrative and elsewhere in Revelation, I feel that a legend of commonly used phrases will be helpful:

Seas - seas in prophecy usually denote the Gentile nations (Rev 17:15).

Earth - earth in prophecy usually signifies either Israel as a whole, or parts of Israel (see THE SEVEN DAY BLUEPRINT, specifically the third day of Creation, when the earth was separated from the seas, signifying Israel's creation and its separation from the nations in the third millennium).

Heaven - heaven in prophecy often denotes Jerusalem. The "third heaven" is where God resides in the heavens. Jerusalem is where He resides on Earth, making it heaven on earth.

Trees - trees usually signify the people of God. Throughout Scripture Israel is compared to a fig tree, a vine, an olive tree etc. The parables are full of this imagery. Trees were created on the earth on the third day, symbolising the nation of Israel being created in the third millennium.

Grass - grass and vegetation also often indicate the people of God, i.e. Israel (Isa 40:1-7).

Ships - ships usually denote religious leaders (Ps 107:23-30) who navigate the seas, i.e. give direction to the nations. All of God's people, both Jews and Christians, are meant to be such leaders.

Sun, Moon and Stars - the light of the heavenly bodies shining upon the nations pictures God's blessings, while the removal of their light denotes curses. In type, the sun pictures Christ, the moon pictures His wife (originally the nation of Israel, and subsequently the Church), and the stars picture their individual members. This was portrayed on the fourth day of Creation week, as explained on the page "THE SEVEN DAY BLUEPRINT". We see this typology confirmed in Joseph's dream in Gen 37 where we are told that the sun, moon and stars picture the nation of Israel, Jacob as father being a type of Christ. Eclipses of the sun and moon often represent the downfall of nations.

Rivers and Springs - frequently denote the pure teachings of God, which are meant to flow from the people of God.

Men - depends on the context of the prophecy. In Daniel's prophecies regarding "thy people and thy holy city" (Dan 9:24), it refers to the physical men God is working with; those who have retained the knowledge of their relationship with Him, i.e. the Jews. Here in the account of the seals it refers to both true Christians and Jews, i.e. all those who have not accepted the "mark of the Beast", which is Sabbath breaking. In the account of the seven plagues in Revelation 16 it refers specifically to Gentiles on the receiving end of God's plagues. When talking about all humanity, God uses phrases such as "every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Rev 5:9).

With this information, let's look at the seven trumpets. My comments on the Biblical text are in (brackets). References to the prophecies of Daniel that the trumpets elaborate on are directly under the text in gold.

Revelation 8:1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven (heaven on earth - Jerusalem) for about half an hour (an hour is a designated period of time. The designated period here is the 70th week (67-73AD) of the Daniel 9 “Seventy Week Prophecy”. The “about half an hour” refers to the first half of this designated period, i.e. 67-70AD, when war raged in the rest of Judea before the Roman soldiers reached Jerusalem).

2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints (persecuted Christians), ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth (of Israel). And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake (signifying war).

6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The First Trumpet

The destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, after a four month siege by the Romans, in response to the First Jewish Revolt.

Revelation 8:7 The first angel sounded: And hail (stones fired by catapults) and fire followed (burning of the city), mingled with blood (wholesale massacre upon the city's capture), and they (the hail and fire) were thrown to the earth (here meaning specifically Jerusalem and its inhabitants); and a third of the earth was burnt up (a third of the inhabitants were killed in the siege, through famine, pestilence and factional violence), and a third of the trees were burned up (another third was killed in the capture of the city), and all green grass was burned up (i.e. in this location: Jewish life in Jerusalem ceased after the city was largely destroyed. The historian Josephus estimated the total number of Jewish casualties as 1.1 million - The Jewish War 6.9.3).

This fulfils and thereby unseals the final week of the Seventy Week Prophecy of Dan 9:24-27, which began with the Roman assault on the Holy Land in 67AD, and ended with the fall of the last Jewish stronghold at Masada in 73AD, a period of seven inclusive years. Dan 9:26 states that "the people of the prince (Titus) who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood (a flood of troops), and till the end of the war desolations are determined". Verse 27 continues "in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and offering to cease", which refers to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70AD, which was the middle year of the seven year period.

Additionally, Christ here reveals the meaning of Dan 8:9-11: "And out of one of them came a little horn (the city-state of Rome, which grew out of the western division of the Greek Empire, as the fourth head of this third beast mentioned in Dan 7:6. It is the sixth head overall, as described in Rev 13 and 17) which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven (conquered Jerusalem); and it cast down some of the host (Jews) and some of the stars (Christians) to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host (put Christ to death); and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down (Jerusalem and God's Temple were destroyed)".

In Matt 24:15-16 and Luke 21:20-21, we read that Christ warned his followers to flee before the final "week", or seven year Roman campaign, that was to begin in 67AD. He did this based on the second half of Dan 9:27. Correctly translated this reads "And on the perimeter (of Jerusalem) abomination of desolation (Jerusalem surrounded by armies - Lk 21:20), before the end which is decreed is poured out on the desolate". This was fulfilled by the initial, unsuccessful, assault on Jerusalem in 66AD by Cestius Gallus and his forces.

Revelation 7 then shows us what happened next. It pictures the protection of God's Church at that time, and probably throughout all the trumpet events. Rev 9:4 also refers to this in the fifth trumpet. These are the same events Christ relates in the Olivet Prophecy. He says "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies .... ", it's time to flee. Josephus tells us that the warning was indeed heeded by many. This is then followed by the commencement of the events of the seventh seal in 67AD.

The Jews thought they would find refuge in Jerusalem. In the 70AD assault however, the Romans bombarded the city with stones propelled by catapults ("hail"), burned down the Temple ("fire"), thereby gaining access to the rest of the city, and slaughtered innumerable Jews with the sword ("blood"). "The Jewish War" by Josephus is a must-read to get a grasp of the magnitude of this catastrophe.

Ezekiel chapter 4 also predicts the 70AD Roman destruction, where the prophet is ordered by God to portray Jerusalem under siege. He is instructed to lie on one side for 390 days and on his other side for 40 days, and is informed that these days picture years of sin. Ezekiel is told that the 390 years pertain to the sins of the House of Israel and the 40 years to the sins of the House of Judah.

The 390 years ran from Solomon's descent into idolatry until the Babylonian siege and destruction of Jerusalem in the days of King Zedekiah, and so involved the entire House of Israel. The 40 years that specifically related to the sins of the House of Judah led to the second fall of Jerusalem. The evidence is striking:

Christ's death was instigated by the Jews in the year 31AD. Josephus records that the Roman siege of Jerusalem began in early 70AD, 40 inclusive years later. Therefore we see that the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem were prophesied not only by Daniel, but also by Ezekiel.

The first trumpet of the seventh seal clearly depicts the 70AD destruction of Jerusalem.

The Second Trumpet

Jerusalem's rebirth as a pagan city, leading to the Second Jewish Revolt (132-136AD).

Revelation 8:8 Then the second angel sounded: and something like a great mountain (Jerusalem; see for instance Dan 9:16) burning with fire (showing God's judgement) was thrown into the sea (was, in about 130AD, turned into a Roman, Gentile city), and a third of the sea became blood (in the resulting "Bar Kokhba" war, named after the Jewish revolutionary leader of that time, a third of all Rome's forces were involved and saw bloodshed; see below).

9 And a third of the living creatures (a third of the Jews) in the sea (under Gentile rule) died, and a third of the ships were destroyed (a third of the Jews, meaning two thirds of the Jews living in the land were killed. Roman historian Dio Cassius, an early third century writer, put the number of Jewish casualties at 580.000).

This second trumpet of the seventh seal reveals the continuation of Jerusalem's occupation by the Roman Empire, which is the fourth head of the third beast mentioned in Daniel 7:6 (the sixth head overall).

This prophecy also continues the fulfilment and unsealing of Dan 8:13-14 in that this event is part of the 2300 year long religious defilement of Jerusalem by its Gentile occupiers, from which it was ultimately "cleansed". This specific defilement is elaborated on in "TRUTHS LOST IN LAODICEA", point 6.

Christ here also unseals Dan 8:23-24: “And in the latter time of their kingdom (the four divisions of the Greek Empire after the time of Alexander), when the transgressors (the Jews) have reached their fullness, a king (a kingdom, i.e. Rome) shall arise, having fierce features (full of aggression), who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power (clearly Satan inspired); he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people (totally destroy the Jewish nation)".

The 70AD destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, during the 67-73AD Roman campaign, resulted in the deaths of 1.1 million Jews and the enslavement of 97,000 more (as recorded by Josephus). However, Judea still remained a Roman province where Jews continued to live.

Around the year 130AD, the Roman emperor Hadrian began to rebuild Jerusalem. He renamed it Aelia Capitolina, and constructed a pagan temple dedicated to the Roman god Jupiter on the Temple Mount, thus defiling the Holy City.

As a result, in 132AD, a Jewish leader named Simon Bar Kokhba led a rebellion against the Romans. Despite some initial success on the part of the Jews, by 136AD the rebellion had been crushed amid very heavy casualties on both sides, and consequently the Jews were completely destroyed as a nation.

At the conclusion of this war, Emperor Hadrian issued coins showing Jerusalem being ploughed like a field (Mic 3:12), which was Roman symbolism for the establishment of a new city. Judea was incorporated into a new Roman administrative region he called Syria Palaestina. As a result, the names Jerusalem and Judea had now been literally wiped off the map and the Jewish province of Christ's time had effectively ceased to exist. From this point on the Jews were banned from entering the Holy City, a situation that continued until the Roman Empire became "Christian" two centuries later.

Because so little is taught about this event in COG circles, I've quoted below some portions of the article "Bar Kokhba revolt" on Wikipedia:

"Following a series of setbacks, Hadrian called his general Sextus Julius Severus from Britain, and troops were brought from as far as the Danube. In 133/4, Severus landed in Judea with a massive army, bringing 3 Legions from Europe (including Legio X Gemina and possibly also Legio IX Hispana), cohorts of additional legions and between 30 and 50 auxiliary units. He took the title of provincial governor and initiated a massive campaign to systematically subdue Judean rebel forces. Severus' arrival almost doubled the number of Roman troops facing the rebels.

"The size of the Roman army amassed against the rebels was much larger than that commanded by Titus sixty years earlier - nearly one third of the Roman army took part in the campaign against Bar Kokhba. It is estimated that forces from at least 10 Legions participated in Severus' campaign in Judea, including Legio X Fretensis, Legio VI Ferrata, Legio III Gallica, Legio III Cyrenaica, Legio II Traiana Fortis, Legio X Gemina, cohorts of Legio V Macedonica, cohorts of Legio XI Claudia, cohorts of Legio XII Fulminata and cohorts of Legio IV Flavia Felix, along with 30-50 auxiliary units, for a total force of 60,000–120,000 Roman soldiers facing Bar Kokhba's rebels. As noted above, it is plausible that Legio IX Hispana was among the legions Severus brought with him, and that its demise occurred during Severus' campaign, as its disappearance during the second century is often attributed to this war.

"(Roman historian) Cassius Dio also wrote: "Many Romans, moreover, perished in this war. Therefore, Hadrian, in writing to the Senate, did not employ the opening phrase commonly affected by the emperors: 'If you and your children are in health, it is well; I and the army are in health.' Some argue that the exceptional number of preserved Roman veteran diplomas from the late 150s and 160s CE indicate an unprecedented conscription across the Roman Empire to replenish heavy losses within military legions and auxiliary units between 133 and 135, corresponding to the revolt." "

The Third Trumpet

"Christian" rule over Jerusalem (commencing 324AD).

Revelation 8:10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star (Satan coming as an "angel of light") fell from heaven (upon Jerusalem), burning like a torch (a false light, false Christianity), and it fell on a third (a third of all Jews and true Christians must have been living within the confines of the Roman Empire) of the rivers and on the springs of water (to violate the true teachings that emanate from Jerusalem and true worshippers).

11 The name of the star is Wormwood (meaning bitterness). A third of the waters became wormwood (false Christianity polluted, made bitter, the living waters of true religion), and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter (this applies both spiritually and physically. Many true Christians were led astray by false teachings, leading to their spiritual death, but many others who did not compromise their beliefs, and also many Jews, died physically through persecution by false Christianity).

This is the continuation of the fourth head of the third beast of Daniel 7:6, i.e. the Roman Empire, at this point in history developing into, and unsealed as, the Christian Roman Empire.

This prophecy specifically unseals Dan 8:25: "Through his cunning he shall cause deceit (a false version of the Christian religion) to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity ("their" is in italics. He destroys many by succeeding, prospering, in the practice of his false religion). He shall even rise against the Prince of princes" (against Christ, misrepresenting Him with false doctrines and abominable practices, and, over time, creating the Papacy). Note that the "Christianisation" of Jerusalem mentioned in Dan 8:25 comes after the destruction of the Jewish nation, mentioned in Dan 8:24.

Emperor Constantine gained full control of the Roman Empire after his final defeat of rival Licinius at the battle of Chrysopolis in 324AD. Constantine had converted to "Christianity" about a decade earlier. Upon taking control of the empire, He moved its capital to Byzantium in modern day Turkey, and later renamed it Constantinople. From 326 till 328, his mother Helena toured the Holy Land and other areas of Biblical significance, supposedly identifying sacred sites and relics. The pagan Roman temple constructed on the Temple Mount around the time of the Second Jewish Revolt was torn down, and instead the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was erected at the supposed site of Christ's crucifixion. This edifice defiles Jerusalem to this day.

The adoption of false Christianity by the Roman Empire was a master stroke by Satan. It polluted the living waters of God's true religion, thereby misrepresenting God to the vast majority of the world's population from that time on.

Emperor Constantine laid the foundation for this dramatic change; later in the fourth century Emperor Theodosius went on to make "Christianity" the official state religion.

The long history of the persecution of Jews and true Christians (Sabbath keepers) at the behest of both Catholic and Protestant false Christianity is well documented. It includes the notorious Inquisitions and the Holocaust.

The Fourth Trumpet

Islamic rule over Jerusalem (commencing 638AD).

Revelation 8:12 Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened (darkness fell over the "earth" (v13) of Jerusalem and Israel when it was conquered by Islam). A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night (approximately one third of the Jews, and also many true Christians, must have been located in the Holy Land and other countries that came to be under Islamic rule at, or soon after, the time of Jerusalem's conquest. Those who were meant to reflect God's light, and so be a light to the world, were now overshadowed by the dark, demonic religion of Islam).

This event fulfils and unseals the prophecy of the emergence of the fourth beast (Islam), as described in Dan 7:7 and 7:23-24 (the seventh head of the overall Beast power shown in Rev 13 and 17).

This also leads to the unsealing of the "ten horns" of Dan 7:7 and Dan 7:24, which history shows to have been ten Islamic dynasties which successively ruled over Jerusalem (for a list of these, see the page "THE TWO WITNESSES").

This event also unseals Dan 8:12: "And an host (another occupying power, i.e. the seventh head of the Beast, which was Islam) was given him (him is in italics, and so is not part of the text) against the daily sacrifice (against the people who had been given the true religion) by reason of transgression (because of the Jews' transgression against God), and it cast down the truth to the ground (it introduced its own false religion to Jerusalem, and built a counterfeit temple, i.e. the "Dome of the Rock", in the place where God's Temple had stood); and it practised, and prospered (it captured Jerusalem in 638, and ruled the city until 1917, only interrupted for a total of about 100 years by two Crusades).

In 637 or 638, depending on which sources are relied on, Jerusalem fell to the Islamic forces of Caliph Omar after a four month siege. The city was fortified, but not heavily protected, and was reportedly captured without bloodshed after Jerusalem's leader, Patriarch Sophronius, negotiated a surrender.

For all their shortcomings, both Judaism and traditional Christianity have in common that they rely on the Holy Scriptures and consider them to be the word of God. As such, both religions have an amount of light in them. Islam, on the other hand, has its own, non-inspired writings. These refer, ironically, to "the people of the book" - the "book" being the Bible and "the people" referring to both Jews and Christians. Islam, however, contains no light and therefore it brought only darkness to Jerusalem and the other territories it controlled.

Accounts of violence and oppression endured by the people of God in Islamic countries are many and varied. As the Islamic rule of Jerusalem and the entire Middle East lasted for such a long period of time, so did this oppression, and it continues to this day. The Jews were historically designated as a lower class of people under Muslim law, and thereby were subject to ongoing maltreatment. This included being made to live in confined neighbourhoods, being forced to wear distinctive clothing as a means of identification, and being limited in employment opportunities. Many other indignities were also imposed on them.

The Fifth Trumpet or First Woe

The medieval Crusader battles over Jerusalem (1095AD - 1244AD).

Revelation 8:13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star (Satan) fallen from heaven to the earth (of Israel). To him was given the key to the bottomless pit (to release demons).

2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.

3 Then out of the smoke locusts (armies of "Christian" Crusaders) came upon the earth (of Israel). And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree (the people of God), but only those men (among His people) who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (true Christians have the seal of God, which is the holy spirit (Eph 1:13); however, Jews who reject Christ don't have the seal of God).

5 And they (the Crusaders) were not given authority (by God) to kill them (completely - i.e. annihilate the Jews), but to torment them for five months (a day for a year, i.e. 150 inclusive years of battles over Jerusalem. Pope Urban called the First Crusade to liberate Jerusalem in 1095 and the final battle the Crusaders and the Muslims fought in Jerusalem ended in 1244). Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man (severe suffering in persecutions and war).

6 In those days men will seek death (a martyr's death) and will not find it (they did not find the kind of death they were seeking); they will desire to die (a martyr), and death (that death) will flee from them.

The Crusades were initiated in order to expel the Muslim occupiers of Jerusalem. Reports had flowed back to Europe about Christian pilgrims being harassed and hindered by Muslims in the Holy City. Some sources say this oppression came from Jews as well. One way or another, and for a variety of reasons, whenever a Crusade got underway in Europe, it also involved severe persecutions of Jews. This involved forced baptisms, extortion, displacement of people and widespread murder. Jewish historians record that those Jews who rejected "conversion" and baptism, and chose death instead, introduced a phenomenon that was new to Judaism: "the tradition of freely accepted martyrdom, Kiddush ha-Shem, martyrdom for the glory of God, thus became the exemplary answer of Jews threatened in their life and faith by the crusaders." (See: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-crusades).

The concept of martyrdom was part and parcel of the spirit of this period in history. The Popes had promised a full remission of sins and a glorious afterlife to the Christian crusaders if they died in their endeavours to liberate Jerusalem. Islam also promised those who died fighting its holy wars an afterlife in paradise. So we see that on all sides the martyr's death was sought, but not found, as none of these groups were being led by God.

9:7 The shape of the locusts was like horses (the Crusaders used horses extensively) prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold (horses' heads were protected by armour), and their faces were like the faces of men (like men, horses also had metal face plates).

8 They had hair like women’s hair (braided manes and tails), and their teeth were like lions’ teeth (components of a horse's bridle extending from the bit and protruding downward on either side of the mouth, creating a similar appearance to a lion's two large canine teeth at either side of its mouth.

Compare this image: https://www.britannica.com/science/canine-tooth

with this one: https://miniset.net/sets/ncm-mmf205358.

9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron (horses' body armour), and the sound of their wings (the clattering of all this armour) was like the sound of chariots, with many horses running into battle.

10 They had tails like scorpions (lances), and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months (150 years of suffering).

11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon (lit. "destroyer", i.e. Satan), but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

The fifth trumpet of the seventh seal unseals the prophecy of Dan 7:7-8 regarding the "little horn" (false Christianity led by the Papacy) gaining control of Jerusalem, as on three separate occasions it overthrew Islamic ruling dynasties, thereby interrupting, and finally ending, the long Muslim occupation of the Holy City. (Please see the page "THE TWO WITNESSES" for a full explanation of this).

This trumpet also unseals Dan 7:24-25, with Catholicism/Christianity now standing on its own feet, separate from the Roman Empire from which it had sprung. As per Rev 17:11, it is the eighth head of the Beast to rule over Jerusalem, but it is "of the seven" in that it is a continuation of the "Christianised" sixth head of the Beast.

This event continues the fulfilment and unsealing of the prophecy of Dan 7:25 concerning the little horn that shall "think to change times and laws", which it did by appropriating Christianity, but making foundational changes. This verse states that the Jews "shall be given into his hand" for 1260 years. The 150 year period of the Crusader battles over Jerusalem is part of that 1260 year period.

As stated previously, the 150 years pertain to campaigns fought over Jerusalem, the focus of prophecy. The Crusader wars did continue elsewhere for longer than 150 years, but the last battle fought in Jerusalem was in 1244, in the 150th year after Pope Urban initiated the first Crusade.

It says in Dan 7:24 that this horn (or eighth head) will "subdue three kings" (in Jerusalem). This refers to the following conquests: the first Crusade, which overcame the Fatimid Kingdom in 1099; the sixth Crusade, which replaced the Ayyubid Kingdom in 1229; and the so called "Last Crusade" of the largely "Christian" British Empire coalition, which defeated Ottoman Turkey in 1917 during WWI. This last Crusade is part of the sixth trumpet, as shown below. It is described in more detail on the page "THE TWO WITNESSES".

The Sixth Trumpet or Second Woe

The period of the two World Wars, the Holocaust and the Jews' return to Israel and Jerusalem (1914-1950).

Revelation 9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels (arch demons) which are bound in the great river Euphrates (the Euphrates emanates from the mountains of Turkey; up until 1917 Jerusalem had for centuries been controlled by Ottoman Turkey. The removal of the four arch demons from guiding Turkey, prior to WW1, would have been instrumental in Turkey's defeat, and allowed these demons to focus on Europe, with the design of destroying the Jews through Hitler's Germany. See Rev 7:1-3 where it also mentions four destroying "angels" about to unleash the carnage of the first trumpet on the Jews).

15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an (lit. the) hour (here a specific point in history), and (for) a day, and a month, and a year (a duration of 32 inclusive years, from the start of WW1 in 1914, until the end of WW2 in 1945. In a prophecy of duration, a "day" pictures a year, a "month" pictures 30 years, and a "year" remains a year. See "DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS, YEARS AND TIMES"), for to slay the third part of men (a third of all Jews in the world were killed in the latter stages of this period, i.e. in the Holocaust).

16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand (200 million): and I heard the number of them (the number of mobilised men during WWI was in excess of 70 million. The website www.military-history.org has a chart of Allied and Axis army numbers of WWII which lists the total number of mobilised personnel as just over 127 million. See:

https://www.military-history.org/articles/behind-the-image-number-of-people-mobilised-in-world-war-ii.htm).

17 And thus I saw the horses (weaponry, such as tanks) in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates (armour - referring back to the weaponry) of fire (red), and of jacinth (lit. hyacinth, i.e. blue), and brimstone (yellow-brown): and the heads of the horses (weapons) were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths (the openings of these devices) issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

(Did John see German weapons like these? : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturmgesch%C3%BCtz_IV

as well as https://www.alamy.com/tank-exposed-outside-the-military-museum-german-tank-belgrade-republic-of-serbia-image209575523.html)

18 By these three (these three substances, but using a variety of methods) was the third part of men (those who identified as God's chosen people) killed (there were approximately 17 million Jews in the world prior to this period; about 6 million died), by the fire (burning), and by the smoke (gas chambers and gas trucks), and by the brimstone ("sulfur" (NIV): gun fire of various types, sulfur being a component of gunpowder), which issued out of their mouths.

19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads (hoses entering gas trucks from their exhaust pipes), and with them they do hurt.

20 And the rest of the men (the Jews) which were not killed by these plagues (the killing only stopped because Germany was defeated) yet (still) repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk (this is figurative language, but by rejecting Christ, they are akin to the worst of the heathen):

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts (the Jews in general never saw the Holocaust as a punishment permitted by God, in the way Daniel saw the Babylonian captivity, and have never repented of rejecting and killing their Messiah. Thus, they have robbed their descendants of the truth and generally invalidated the essence of their religion).

This crucial period in history fulfils and unseals the prophecy of the statue of Dan 2 which at this time has run its course and been struck on the feet by the "stone" which becomes a "great mountain". If God's Kingdom was going to be set up immediately upon the Beast powers' demise, the text would say that the statue's feet were struck by the great mountain, but it doesn't say that. Rather, it says that the statue was struck by a stone which became a great mountain. We are in this "became" stage today. Please read the page "THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES" for more information.

The sixth trumpet therefore unseals the end of the "seven times" or 2520 years of Gentile occupation of Jerusalem, pictured by Nebuchadnezzar eating grass for 2520 days, as recorded in Dan 4. These same "seven times", or 2520 years, were earlier prophesied in Lev 26. In His Olivet Prophecy, Christ refers to this moment in history as "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24).

This trumpet also unseals Dan 7:11: "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn (which became the eighth head of the Beast, i.e. Catholicism/false Christianity) was speaking (its last pompous words came from Adolf Hitler. Satan, through Hitler, wanted to set up an alternative Millennium called the "Thousand Year Reich" with a new "chosen people", the Germans. How incredibly ironic!); I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame".

Additionally, this trumpet unseals Dan 7:25-26, by revealing the conclusion of the stated period of time: "Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time (this 1260 year period came to an end in 1945 - see the page "THE TWO WITNESSES"). But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion (over Jerusalem and the Jews), to consume and destroy it forever.

Lastly, the sixth trumpet events also fulfil and unseal Dan 12:7: "The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven; and I heard him swear by him who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time; and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be accomplished"(RSV). When viewed in conjunction with Dan 12:11, a 1260 year period can be seen to run from the setting up of an "abomination of desolation" until the restoration of Jewish sovereignty. In 1950, 1260 inclusive years since the construction of the Dome of the Rock in 691AD, the first stage of "the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end" was fulfilled when the Jewish authorities, having moved their seat of government, the "Knesset", to Jerusalem, and having declared Jerusalem their capital city, passed the Law of Return, allowing all Jews in the world to return to Israel. See "DANIEL 11 & 12 - KINGS OF NORTH AND SOUTH" for more on this.

Please see the chart, which can be viewed and downloaded on the "HOME" page, for a better understanding of the timelines given here.

Please also note that the unsealing of Daniel's prophecies in the account of the sixth trumpet continues in more detail on the page "THE TWO WITNESSES" where Rev 11 is shown to elaborate on the specific time periods prophesied by Daniel.

The Seventh Trumpet or Third Woe

Jesus Christ's return to Jerusalem

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven (heaven on Earth, i.e. Jerusalem), saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! (the announcement of Christ's return to Earth)”

16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God,

17 saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned.

18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great (the firstfruits of salvation), and should destroy those who destroy the earth (of Israel)”.

19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven (in Jerusalem), and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple (the presence of Christ and His resurrected firstfruits, who are with Him in Jerusalem). And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail (widespread destruction).

This is the climax of all prophecy, where Christ unseals Dan 7:12-14:

Daniel 7:12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away (their dominion over Jerusalem), yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time (some of them until Christ's return).

13 “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.

14 Then to Him was given dominion (to be administered from Jerusalem) and glory and a kingdom (the Kingdom of God), that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.

So we see that all of the seven trumpets symbolise major occurrences that take place in Jerusalem, the city of God, and all these major events were prophesied in the sealed writings of Daniel the prophet.

The seventh trumpet event is the only one yet to occur: the second coming of Jesus Christ and the third "woe" that will accompany His return.

Christ refers to this most major of happenings in Luke 21:27: "And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory".

To recapitulate, the seven trumpets of the seventh seal denote:

Trumpet 1) The destruction of Jerusalem

(during the First Jewish Revolt)

Trumpet 2) The rebuilding of Jerusalem as a pagan Gentile city

(leading to the Second Jewish Revolt)

Trumpet 3) The "Christianisation" of Jerusalem

Trumpet 4) The Islamisation of Jerusalem

Trumpet 5) The Crusader battles over Jerusalem

(fought between "Christians" and Muslims)

Trumpet 6) The period of the two World Wars, the Holocaust, and the return of the Jews to Israel and Jerusalem

Trumpet 7) The return of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem

(and accompanying events)

However, this logical explanation is not what the Churches of God are teaching, even though these are well known events, and milestones in Jerusalem's history.

Why the profound blindness?

Christ says to this Laodicean era "anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see" (Rev 3:18).

In conclusion, as stated at the outset of the article "THE REAL SEVEN SEALS", the prophecy of the Seven Seals provides the foundation of the book of Revelation. The seals give an overview of the fate of the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, as well as the conditions that would befall Jews and Christians, from the time that the prophecy was given until the second coming of Christ. It is hoped that this article about the seventh seal with its seven trumpet events, which span almost 2000 years of history, makes this abundantly clear.