This statement is used by many Adventists to prove beyond a doubt that the first six trumpets are in the past and can never be applied to the future. But this is not necessarily so.
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Many people are unaware that there were any actual prophets during the MIllerite movement before 1843. There were two: one was faithful an the other was not. Who were they?
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A book entitled “The Unknown Prophet“ by Delbert W. Backer, published in 1987 shows how little we knew about these two prophets until now and how incorrect the little information we had about them was! Through these two men God tried to warn the Millerites that world would not end in 1844.
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It was between 18 Jan. 1842 and summer 1844, which was two years before the Millerites expected Jesus to come, that God gave William Foy visions, on different occasions. These visions indicated that Jesus would not come on 22 Oct 1844 as the Millerites predicted. Foy was shown in vision the beauties of Heaven, but also the tragic fate of the ungodly.
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In this vision Foy saw himself, with a group of believers waking toward heaven. He reported it as following you can download the whole file from the Ellen White CD under william Foy in the pioneers section. or click on the following link The Christian Experience of William E. Foy.
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Two years later, through Foy’s vision, God intervened to give a clear sign that the Millerites’ interpretation of the 6th Trumpet was flawed. God wanted the Millerites to reconsider their interpretation and chronology of the 6th Trumpet. However, because the interpretation and chronology of the 6th Trumpet was directly connected to the historical interpretation of the other 5 Trumpets, it would have meant that the interpretation of the whole of the
Trumpets would have had to be re-examined due to Foy's vision. The 6th Trumpet would then have nothing to do with the Ottoman Empire and the 5th Trumpet could no longer be interpreted as they had thought. Consequently, they would have had to change their whole view of the trumpets. There is clearly seen here an error in the Millerites’ interpretation of the Trumpets which contributed to the Great Disappointment. |
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William Foy remained in a state of depression for three weeks. He found no relief as he was convicted that he should share his visions. Then God gave him another vision on 4 Feb. 1842. At the end of this vision his accompanying angel told him to make known the vision. Was he obedient to the command?
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This is a proof that Foy did in fact tell of his visions and that many people must have heard about them. Therefore, it is not true that Foy refused God’s commission from the very outset. Neither can we say that Foy refused to relate his visions. There is also no proof that God took away the visions because of his disobedience. It can be that God released him from this task because of later circumstances and gave this gift to E.G.White. If Foy had refuted God’s task in January and February 1842, God would not have given him another two visions between July and August 1844.
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Ellen White also gives clear witness to the fact that Foy was an active lecturer. She writes that as a girl of 15 or 16,she often heard him speak at assemblies in the Beethoven Hall in Portland, Maine.
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Foy did not understand this part of the dream because he was expecting the second coming like the Millerites did. God’s warnings were not comprehensible, even for Foy, because they did not correspond to the knowledge which he had concerning the circumstances and events before Jesus’ Second Coming. Above all, it did not fit with the Millerites’ expectation of the nearness of the second coming.
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God was trying to warn the Millerites that they were misinterpreting the prophecies. Josiah Litch said that the 6th trumpet finished on Aug 11th 1840 but the angel told Foy that the sixth angel had not finished sounding. This puts Litches prediction in disarray. If the 6th angel hadn’t done sounding in 1842 then Litches prediction of the fall of the ottoman empire is shaky which also makes the 5th trumpet interpretation shaky as it is the foundation for the 6th. Did God cause the millerites to be deceived? No! Did he overule it to a greater purpose? Yes. The world saw that there was vailidity to the year day principle which pointed out the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 was coming to an end.
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When we study prophecy we must consider every specification of the prophecy to be met in order to be able to be sure we have a correct interpretation. There can be as many applications of a prophecy as there are stars in the sky. But if every aspect of that prophecy is not met by the application that is made it is nothing more than just a private interpretation.
Uriah Smith is commenting on the sixth trumpet. The text in question relates to an army of horsemen that is 200 million in number. John says that he heard the number he didn't just pluck it off the top of his head he was told the number of the army. In Uriah Smiths day the population of the world probably was around 1 billion at a struggle. For him to conceive of a literal army of 200 million would be seriously unlikely. He simply writes it off saying he can't determine if it is a definite number or not. No one knows and its not really that important. Really! did he just say that it wasn't essential to understand. Nothing in God's word is unessential. He simply does not understand it so he side swipes it out of the way. All the points of the prophecy are important so that you can know for sure if you have a right interpretation. His ability to rightly interpret the prophecy just went out the window. The rest of his understanding has no credibility. I think he just could not understand it because the true fulfilment of the trumpets was simply not for their day |
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GC 599 "The truths most plainly revealed in the Bible have been involved in doubt and darkness by learned men, who, with a pretense of great wisdom, teach that the Scriptures have a mystical, a secret, spiritual meaning not apparent in the language employed. These men are false teachers. It was to such a class that Jesus declared: "Ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God." Mark 12:24. The language of the Bible should be explained according to its obvious meaning, unless a symbol or figure is employed. Christ has given the promise: "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine." John 7:17. If men would but take the Bible as it reads, if there were no false teachers to mislead and confuse their minds, a work would be accomplished that would make angels glad and that would bring into the fold of Christ thousands upon thousands who are now wandering in error."
If a passage can be read literally it should be understood as literal, unless a symbol is used and if that is the case then the Bible will clearly interpret what the symbol means. In Revelation 9:1 Is this a literal star that falls from heaven. No because the bible refers to this star as him. and to this star is given a key to the bottomless pit. Is the Bottomless pit mentioned literal? Not likely? So this fallen star is a person and to this person is given a key to open the bottomless pit. |
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Does revelation 9:1 give us any clues so that we can identify who this person is? This star or person falls from heaven unto the earth.
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Does the Bible identify who or what the fallen star is? Does it also identify what the bottomless pit is?
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Revelation 9:1 says that a star fell from heaven to the earth. Isaiah 14:12 says that Lucifer fell from heaven, and revelation 12:7-9 says that he was cast down from heaven to this earth.
Revelation 9:1 also tells us that this fallen star was given a key to open the bottomless pit. What is this bottomless pit. |
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What does the word abaddon mean?
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This king of the bottomless pit is called abaddon which means a destroying angel and he comes from Hades. This should give us a serious clue as to what is contained in this bottomless pit.
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What about his name apollyon what does that mean?
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Now if you need evidence that this pit is the prison house of demons notice verse 3. It says when this pit was opened locusts came out and they were given power like unto scorpions
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The 70 came back to Jesus and were rejoicing with joy saying even the devils are subject to us in thy name.
What did Jesus say. Don’t get all excited that all these demons are subject to you. Get excited about your name being written in heaven. By the way what did Jesus refer to the demonic spirits as? Ans : Serpents and scorpions. Three times in this trumpet these things that come out of the bottomless pit are mentioned as scorpions. |
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The locusts are given power over men like scorpions but there is a certain group of people that they can have no power over.
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These scorpions or locusts can only hurt people that do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. This means that there are a group of people that have the seal of God and these demons cannot hurt. This fact alone is evidence that this trumpet is still future as no one prior to 1844 has had the seal of God in their foreheads. According to Revelation 7 this privilege belongs to the 144,000.
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This is a direct reference to Revelation 9:4 in the 5th trumpet..
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Note: - When the disciples came back excited because they had power over devils through the name of Jesus. He said some interesting things. He said He beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. He would give them power to tread on serpents and scorpions. He would give them absolute power over the enemy (Satan/serpents and scorpions). He said that they could have no power over them to hurt them in any way. He said that the Spirits were subject to them. But he also said this was nothing to get excited about it was more important that your names are written in heaven, Now that is something to get excited about.
It is important to see the connection here. Jesus is giving us something important to understand. He is telling us that Satan and his host are represented as scorpions and spirits and if your name is written in heaven you will have absolute power over them. They will not be able to hurt you. His words are for us and they apply to Revelation 9 Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. Rev 9:4 And 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. If we receive the seal of God in our foreheads when these locust/scorpion/demons come out of the bottomless pit we will not be hurt by them. But we shall have power over them through the blood and the name of Jesus. |
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The book Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith is widely accepted by many adventists as authoritative regarding prophecy. We have seen clear evidence from the Bible that Satan is the King of the locusts/scorpions from the bottomless pit. But who does Uriah say this king is?
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According to Uriah Smith the king of the bottomless pit is Othman the king of the ottoman empire.
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According to the Bible why were the locusts were released from the bottomless pit?
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Question does the bible identify who has the seal of God thus being spared the torment of these locusts. And when is the seal given?
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This identifies the 144,000 as the ones who have the seal of God in their foreheads. This is a special group of people at the end of time having the Fathers name written in their foreheads. They sing a song of which no other group of people can sing because is a song of their experience which no other group has had. They have to live through a period of time when there is no mediator in heaven to forgive sin. And it says that they are without fault before the throne of God.
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That seal even though it is related to the Sabbath because no law breaker will ever receive it, contains so much more than that. It contains the name of God the Father, New Jerusalem and Jesus new name. If the character of JESUS is not fully reproduced in you, you will not receive the seal of God. This is a special group of people that have developed Christlike characters so that they can live in the sight of God without a mediator after the close of probation
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What did Uriah Smith say about the seal of God as it relates to the 5th trumpet?
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Notice Uriah Smith identifies the seal of God with the Sabbath. As there have been Sabbath keepers all through history then they all must have received the seal of God in their foreheads. According to Revelation 7:1-3 and Revelation 14:1-5 only the 144,000 have the seal of God in their foreheads they are a separate group of people that sing the song of Moses. No one else can sing that song. It is the exclusive right of those that have the seal of God in their foreheads.
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According to the Bible when is this seal of God put upon his people.
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According to Ezekiel the seal of God is placed just prior to the close of probation.
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| trumpets_5and_6.pptx |