HISTORICISM, THE SEALS, AND THE TRUMPETS:

PERSPECTIVES ON SOME CURRENT ISSUES

A Paper Presented to
the Daniel and Revelation Committee
March, 1990

by Jon Paulien

Berrien Springs, MI
March, 1990
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CURRENT ISSUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

THE "GRAND STRATEGY" OF REVELATION . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Revelation: A Giant Chiasm? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Function of the Sanctuary in Revelation . . . . . 7
The Introductory Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Implicit Sanctuary Patterns . . . . . . . . . . 9
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

HISTORICISM AND THE SEVEN SEALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

HISTORICISM AND THE SEVEN TRUMPETS . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

CONCLUDING IMPLICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
 CURRENT ISSUES

Toward the end of the last century leading SDA thinkers

came to a basic consensus on how to apply the various parts of the

book of Revelation to the history of the Christian era. They

understood the letters to the seven churches (Rev 1-3) to be

addressed initially to seven first-century churches over which John

had a supervisory interest. The meaning of these letters extended

as well to a preview of the seven major periods of Christian

history. SDA pioneers understood the seals, the trumpets, and

chapter twelve (Rev 4-12) to offer three parallel lines covering

the entire Christian era. (1) The seven seals paralleled the seven

churches as an outline of the major periods of Christian history.

(2) The seven trumpets contained primarily the judgments of God

upon the Western and Eastern portions of the Roman Empire. (3)

Chapter twelve depicted the Great Controversy in heaven and its

outworking in the experience of the church on earth. The pioneers

also agreed that the bulk of the events described in chapters 13-19

concerned the end-time, leading up to the Second Coming of Christ.

Rev 20-22, on the other hand, was seen to fall beyond the Second

Coming.

Historic Adventism, therefore, came to agree that the

1
 2

Book of Revelation falls into two parts. The first part covers the

major events of history between the two advents of

Christ. Though focusing on history, however, each series leads up

to the end in some fashion. This interpretive approach to Rev 1-

12, known as historicism, was grounded on the fact that Daniel,

Jesus, and the writers of Jewish Apocalyptic all portrayed the

future in terms of a series of historical events leading from the

time of the writer1 to the end.2 The second part of Revelation was

understood to cover primarily the events connected with the Second

Advent itself. Although followed in exact detail by few, if any,

today, Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith continues as an

expression of this basic consensus hammered out about a hundred

years ago by our spiritual parents.3

In recent years a number of SDA interpreters have

explored the possibility that the end-time perspective of

Revelation might be much broader than Adventists have thought. By

and large, these interpreters agree with the historic consensus

regarding the churches (Rev 1-3) and the latter half of the book

(Rev 13-22). The major point of disagreement lies in how the seals

and the trumpets (Rev 4-11) are to be understood. These "end-time

1
Or in many cases, the "implied" writer.
2
Daniel 2 is a good example of this technique.
3
Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation (Battle Creek, MI: Review and Herald Publishing
Company, 1897).
 3

interpreters"4 believe that the seals and trumpets (Rev 4-11)

portray events associated with the end-time rather than with the

overall sweep of the Christian era. The seals (Rev 4-6) are

usually understood to portray aspects of the investigative judgment

that began in 1844, and the trumpets (Rev 8-11) are understood to

follow the close of probation just before the return of Christ.

What has emerged from these discussions is the increasing

realization that SDAs have not invested the kind of creative energy

upon the seals and trumpets that would enable the historicist

position, or any other position, to be declared firmly established.

Adventists have tended to assume that the seals and trumpets are

historical series, extending from the prophet's day to the end, but

have not established that viewpoint on the basis of careful

exegesis of the text.5 Whether or not the emerging end-time

interpretations of the seals and the trumpets prove to be correct,

the authors of these interpretations have provided valuable service

to their church in exposing this gap in the understanding of

Scripture. Although an understanding of the seals and trumpets may

not be critical to salvation, current realities require that they

4
They are often labeled "futurists" but while this designation is descriptive up to a point, it
incorrectly associates many faithful SDAs with non-SDA versions of futurism which they consider
unacceptable.
5
In support of this assertion, please note Uriah Smith's commentary on Rev 8:7-9:21. Some
62% of the text of Smith's comments are directly quoted from non-SDA commentators. Most of
the rest is paraphrased. There is hardly a single instance where any reference is made to the text.
The historicist position is assumed as a given, it is never argued from the text of the trumpets.
 4

be given more careful attention than has been the case in the past.

This paper, therefore, attempts to describe a number of realities

in the book of Revelation that need to be taken into account when

addressing how the seals and the trumpets are to be interpreted.

 THE "GRAND STRATEGY" OF REVELATION

Revelation: A Giant Chiasm?

The major piece of evidence brought forth in recent years

in defense of a historicist reading of the seals and trumpets is

based on the observation by Kenneth Strand that the Book of

Revelation is structured as a "chiasm."6 A "chiastic structure"

occurs when words and ideas parallel each other in reverse order

from the beginning to the end of a book. In the case of

Revelation, the material before Rev 15 is, on the whole, paralleled

in reverse by the material coming after chapter fifteen. Strand

considers the first (and larger) half to be concerned with the

entire Christian age, while the content of Revelation after chapter

fifteen almost exclusively concerns the time after the close of

earth's probation, an event that still lies in the future. The

"chiasm" and its results are self-evident when one compares the

first three chapters of Revelation with the last two.7

6
Kenneth A. Strand, Interpreting the Book of Revelation, second edition (Naples, FL: Ann
Arbor Publishers, 1979), pp. 43-59.
7
Note the following parallels:
1:1 "things which must happen soon" 22:6
1:3 "blessed is the one who keeps . . ." 22:7
1:3 "the time is near" 22:10

5
 6

End-time interpreters, however, have resisted imposing this

conclusion on the seals and trumpets.

I have sought to clarify the applicability of Strand's

outline to the seals and the trumpets by carefully comparing

chapters 4-7 with chapter 19, as Strand suggests. I found, in the

original language, four clusters of parallel ideas between the

seals and chapter 19, two of which bear directly on the issue at

hand.8 In chapters 4 and 5, first of all, the worship scenes

praise God for creation and the cross, in chapters 7 and 19,

parallel scenes praise God for redeeming His people from end-time

Babylon. This observation best fits the placement of chapters four

and five at the beginning of the Christian era. Secondly, Rev 6:10

depicts a time when God is "not yet judging", Rev 19:2 comes after

the judgment is completed. The judgment does not take place in

chapters four and five, when the seals have yet to be opened, but

some time between the opening of the fifth seal and the

pronouncement of Rev 19:2.9 These two observations coincide with

what one would expect if the first part of Revelation concerns the

1:4 "the seven churches" 22:16

1:17 "first and last" 21:6
2:7 "tree of life" 22:2
2:11 "second death" 21:8
3:12 "New Jerusalem" 21:10
8
For a more complete discussion of these parallel clusters see my companion chapter "The
Seven Seals in Context."
9
In chapters four and five the Lamb has not yet opened any of the seals. Rev 6:10 occurs after
the fifth seal has been opened.
 7

whole Christian age and the latter part the end-time.

 8

The Function of the Sanctuary in Revelation

The Introductory Scenes

Further research has uncovered a whole series of

indications that John himself understood the seals and the trumpets

to cover the broad sweep of Christian history rather than the end-

time alone. For example, the sanctuary scenes that introduce

various parts of Revelation (Rev 1:12-20; 4:1-5:14; 8:3-5; 11:19;

15:5-8; 19:1-8; 21:1-22:5) show a significant progression.

The first scene (1:12-20) uses sanctuary imagery to

portray Christ's presence among the churches on earth, it is not a

glimpse into the heavenly sanctuary. The scene occurs on Patmos

itself, and the seven lampstands represent the seven churches. The

explicit invitation to "come up" into the heavenly realm comes

later in Rev 4:1.

The second scene (4:1-5:14) shifts the focus from the

churches on earth to the sanctuary in heaven. The largest

collection of sanctuary images in the book, the scene contains a

thorough mix of images from nearly every aspect of the Hebrew

cultus.10 Only two occasions touched base with nearly every aspect

of sanctuary worship, the inauguration service at the time when the

Sanctuary was dedicated (cf. Exod 40) and the Day of Atonement.

The scene is the first view of the heavenly sanctuary.

It is best identified with the inauguration or dedication service

10
See the extended description in the chapter on the seals.
 9

of the ancient sanctuary. The central focus of the scene is on the

consequences of the cross, one of which was the establishment of

Christ's reign in the heavenly sanctuary. The portrayal is

definitely not a scene of judgment as one might expect if the Day

of Atonement were in view. In fact, the explicit language of

judgment is totally absent from the scene.11 The only time a Greek

word for judging appears in the first half of the book is in Rev

6:10 and there the assertion is that God has not yet begun to

judge! Since the scene in Rev 5 precedes the opening of the seals,

the assertion that the fifth seal occurs in a time of "not judging"

is decisive.

Scenes three and four (8:2-6 and 11:19) continue in the

heavenly sanctuary, the former offering an explicit view of the

first apartment with its services of intercession, and the latter

an explicit view of the second apartment in the context of judgment

(cf. 11:18). The fifth scene (15:5-8) takes up the language of

inauguration again, but actually portrays a shutting down of the

sanctuary, its de-inauguration or cessation of its ministry

(abandonment). In the sixth scene (19:1-10), the language of

throne, worship, and Lamb is characteristic of the second scene but

all explicit sanctuary images are absent. The heavenly sanctuary

has faded from view. The last sanctuary scene (21:1-22:5) returns

11
The Greek words for judgment, krisis, krima, and krinô are quite common in the second half
of the book.
 10

to earth as the counterpart to chapter one, God is with His people

on earth (21:3).

These introductory sanctuary scenes, therefore, show two

definite lines of progression. First, the reader's attention is

drawn from earth to heaven and back to earth again. Secondly, the

reader is led from the inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary to

intercession, to judgment, to the sanctuary's cesssation, and

finally to its absence. This progression is illustrated below.

(1) Rev 1:12-20 EARTH

-------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Rev 4 and 5 (Inauguration) *
*
(3) Rev 8:3-5 (Intercession) *
*
(4) Rev 11:19 (Judgment) HEAVEN
*
(5) Rev 15:5-8 (Cessation) *
*
(6) Rev 19:1-10 (Absence) *
-------------------------------------------------------------
(7) Rev 21:1-22:5 EARTH

In this progression the first explicit day of atonement-judgment

scene takes place only in 11:18,19. The first half of the book

focuses on inauguration and intercession, the latter half moves to

judgment and rejection. This is supportive of the pioneer's

consensus and Kenneth Strand's basic insight that the book of

Revelation is divided into historical and an eschatological halves.

Implicit Sanctuary Patterns

The Daily/Yearly Pattern

 11

When the book of Revelation as a whole is examined in the

light of the sanctuary, discoveries of a more implicit nature are

made. From historical sources we have become familiar with the way

the daily and yearly services of the sanctuary were carried on in

the century when Revelation was written. A comparison of Rev 1-8

with these sources indicates that this section of Revelation is

modeled on the daily services of the sanctuary, which foreshadow

the cross.12

The first major act in the daily (Tamid) sacrificial

service of the temple was for a selected priest to enter the Holy

Place and trim the lampstand, making sure that each of the lamps

was burning brightly and had a fresh supply of oil (cf. Rev 1:12-

20). Following this act the great door of the Temple was left open

(cf. Rev 4:1). Then a lamb was slain (cf. Rev 5:6) and its blood

was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering in the

outer court of the Temple (Rev 6:9). After the pouring out of the

blood, incense was offered at the golden altar in the Holy Place

(cf. Rev 8:3,4, cf. also Luke 1:8-10). Then during a break in the

singing (cf. Rev 8:1) the trumpets were blown to indicate that the

sacrifice was complete (cf. Rev 8:2-6).

Not only does the first part of Revelation contain all

the major details of the daily sacrifice in the temple, it alludes

12
The source for the description of the daily sacrifice is the tractate Tamid in the Mishnah, a
second-century AD collection of earlier traditions pertaining to the laws, traditions and practices
of Early Judaism.
 12

to them in essentially the same order. Thus, the material making

up the churches, seals, and trumpets is subtly associated with the

activities in the temple related to the daily or Tamid service.

SDAs have traditionally understood these daily services to be

typical of the intercessory phase of Christ's ministry begun in the

heavenly sanctuary at the time of His ascension in AD 31. The fact

that the introductory scenes to the seals and the trumpets are

associated with inauguration and intercession is certainly

compatible with this finding.

It is interesting, therefore, that in chapter eleven the

book moves to the explicit language of the yearly services of the

Day of Atonement. Kenneth Strand has pointed out that Rev 11:1,2

contains a strong allusion to the Day of Atonement, which comes

immediately after a reference to the completion of the time

prophecies of Daniel (Rev 10:5,6).13 In Lev 16--the major Day of

Atonement chapter--atonement is made for the High Priest, the

Sanctuary, the altar, and the people. The only other place in

Scripture where the terms Sanctuary, altar, and people are combined

is in Rev 11:1,2. Since the NT High Priest (Jesus Christ) needs no

atonement, the common reference to sanctuary, altar, and people

being measured appears to be a deliberate recollection of the Day

of Atonement as a day when these are evaluated or "measured" (cf.

13
Kenneth A. Strand, "An Overlooked Old-Testament Background to Revelation 11:1,"
Andrews University Seminary Studies 22 (3, 1984):317-325.
 13

2 Sam 8:2 and Matt 7:2). This subtle Day of Atonement allusion

comes just prior to the more explicit one of Rev 11:18,19.

In conclusion, the daily/yearly pattern embedded in the

sanctuary imagery of the book of Revelation indicates that the

first portion of the book (Rev 1-10) was written with the

intercessory ministry of Christ in mind. In the eleventh chapter,

imagery related to the daily services is replaced by allusions to

the judgment-oriented ministry of the Day of Atonement. This is

what one would expect if the first half of the book focuses

primarily on the large events of the Christian age and the latter

half of the book focuses on the final events of that age, when

judgment will bring sin and sinners to an end.

The Annual Feasts in Revelation

Equally striking is the evidence that the book of

Revelation appears to be patterned also after the annual feasts of

the Jewish year.14 The letters to the seven churches are strongly

reminiscent of Passover, the primary feast of the spring season.

Nowhere else in Revelation are there such strong concentrations of

references to Christ's death and resurrection (cf. Rev 1:5,17,18).15

Christ's searching scrutiny of the churches reminds one of the

14
I am indebted to Richard Davidson of the OT Department of the Seminary for many of the
parallels described here.
15
Although the slain lamb is mentioned in the next part of Revelation (Rev 5:6), it has died
previous to the scene in Rev 5 (Rev 5:5,6 cf. 3:21).
 14

Jewish household's search for leaven just before Passover (cf. Exod

12:19; 13:7). Since Passover is the only festival fulfilled by the

earthly Christ (1 Cor 5:7), it is fitting that it would be

associated with that portion of the book where He is portrayed in

His ministry to the churches on earth.

As the inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary, the

throne-scene of Rev 4-5 is fittingly associated with Pentecost.

The first Pentecost took place during the time when the law was

given to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exod 19-20). As the New Moses,

Christ receives, as it were, the new Torah from God (Rev 5). Exod

19 also involved the inauguration of Israel as the people of God

(Exod 19:5,6 cf. Rev 5:9,10). The Jewish liturgy for the feast of

Pentecost included the reading of not only Exod 19 but also Ezek 1,

a major literary background to Rev 4-5.

The blowing of seven trumpets near the center of the book

(Rev 8-9, 11:15-18) reminds the reader of the seven monthly new

moon feasts that climaxed in the Feast of Trumpets, thus marking

the transition between the spring and fall feasts. The Feast of

Trumpets itself, falling on the first day of the seventh month

(corresponding to the seventh trumpet) ushered in the time of

judgment that led up to the Day of Atonement (cf. 11:18,19). There

is an increasing focus on the concept of judgment from that point

on in the book (14:7; 16:5,7; 17:1; 18:8,10,20; 19:2, etc.).

The last of the five basic feasts of the Levitical system

(cf. Lev 23) was the Feast of Tabernacles, which followed the Day
 15

of Atonement. Harvest was over (cf. Rev 14-20). God was now

"tabernacling" with His people (Rev 21:3). The end-time

celebrations of Revelation are filled with images of feasting, palm

branches, music, and rejoicing before the Lord.16 The primary

images of the Feast, water and light, find their ultimate

fulfillment in Rev 22:1,5.

Within Adventism, the spring feasts have been associated

with the cross of Christ and his inauguration of and ministry in

the heavenly sanctuary. The fall feasts find their fulfillment in

the time of the end and in the events surrounding the Second Coming

of Christ. What has been overlooked is the fact that the Feast of

Trumpets is the climax of seven new moon feasts (Num 10:10) and

forms the bridge between the spring and the fall feasts. It is,

therefore, in the seven trumpets of Revelation that one finds the

chronological bridge between the spring and fall feasts, between a

focus on the cross and the beginning of the Christian age, and a

focus on the end-time in Revelation.

Thus the first half of Revelation, based on the daily

sacrifices and the spring feasts, offers an emphasis on the cross

and its effects; while the latter half of the book, based on the

yearly sacrifices and the fall feasts, focuses on the end. The

Feast of Trumpets (the first day of the seventh month) introduced

the time of the year in which judgment took place and the sanctuary

16
Cf. Rev 7:9ff. and Rev 19:1-10 as well as Rev 21-22.
 16

was cleansed (Rev 11:18,19).

The transition to the end-time Day of Atonement focus in

Revelation coincides with the opening of the scroll in Rev 10.

That fateful scroll, containing God's plan for the redemption of

the universe, was sealed shut in chapter five. But on account of

the death of Christ (Rev 5:5,6 compare Rev 3:21) the book began to

be opened. That opening was not the final judgment (Rev 6:10), it

led up to it. In Rev 10, in the context of allusions to Dan 12,

the book is finally seen to be open. This is the point in

Revelation where Day of Atonement and judgment language begins to

appear.

Summary

The above material on the Sanctuary background of

Revelation indicates that Strand's chiasm is well supported by

broad trends which span the book of Revelation as a whole. These

trends suggest that John understood the seals and trumpets to cover

the entire span of Christian history from his day until the Second

Advent (however long John understood that to be). The main point

of difference with Strand concerns whether the centerpoint of the

book is Rev 11-12 or 14-15. This is not, however, a substantive

difference. The material in Rev 12-14 is transitional. Its goal

and focus is on the final wrath of the nations against the remnant

(12:17; 13). But it spends much time recapitulating the history

that would lead up to that climax, setting the stage for the final
 17

operations of characters that have been functioning for much of the

era. With chapter fifteen the nearly exclusive focus is on the

very end of the end-time.

 HISTORICISM AND THE SEVEN SEALS

Space does not permit a point-for-point response to the

arguments of those who feel that the seals were intended to portray

the events of the end-time.17 The most crucial Biblical arguments

for this position, however, grow out of two observations: (1) It is

clear that Rev 4 and 5 contain many parallels to Dan 7, Ezek 1-10,

and Rev 19. Since judgment is perhaps the primary theme of these

parallel passages, it may be inferred that the scene of Rev 4-5

must be that of the investigative judgment beginning in 1844. (2)

It is also clear that some of the imagery in Rev 4-5 recalls

aspects of the services on the Day of Atonement.18 Thus, it has

been assumed that the entire scene is a Day of Atonement portrayal.

These arguments certainly merit investigation, but they do not

overturn the larger picture outlined briefly above.

For one thing, the parallels to Ezekiel and Daniel are

17
Significant arguments based on the writings of Ellen White are dealt with in the companion
chapter "Ellen White and Exegesis."
18
The "door" of 4:1 can refer to the door between the apartments in the earthly tabernacle of
the OT (it can be used for other openings within the sanctuary as well). The throne may recall the
mercy seat upon the Ark of the Covenant. The three stones in the early part of Rev 4 can be
found on the breastplate of the High Priest, who ministered on the Day of Atonement. The four
living creatures remind one of the four cherubim in Solomon's Temple.

18
 19

informative but are not the entire story.19 The Revelator alludes

to other major passages in the OT as well (Isa 6, 1 Kgs 22:19-22;

Exod 19). The common denominator among all five OT passages is not

judgment but a description of God's throne. In fact, John selects

throne-room imagery from Dan 7 and Ezek 1-10 but avoids judgment

aspects that could have been selected.20

Especially striking are the strong differences between

Rev 4-5 and Dan 7. In Daniel thrones are set up (Dan 7:9), in

Revelation the thrones are already there (4:2-4). In Daniel many

books are open (Dan 7:10), in Revelation one book is sealed (Rev

5:1). In Daniel the central figure is "the son of man" (Dan 7:13;

a term the Revelator is certainly familiar with--cf. 1:13), in Rev

5 it is the Lamb (a term more appropriate to the daily service than

to the Day of Atonement in any case). As noted above, the language

of judgment21 is totally absent in Revelation until Rev 6:10 where

it is clear that judgment hasn't yet begun. It seems inconceivable

that Rev 4-5 could be the end-time judgment scene when that

judgment has not yet begun even at the opening of the fifth seal!

While there are a few allusions to the sanctuary in Rev

4-5 that can be related to the Day of Atonement, there are many

19
The significance of the parallels to Rev 19 were examined earlier in this chapter.
20
Biblical authors frequently used earlier inspired writings for a different purpose than the
major intent of the original author.
21
In Greek the words krima, krisis, and krinô.
 20

more that relate to other aspects of the sanctuary and its

services.22 The overall impression is not of any one apartment or

service but of a comprehensive listing of nearly every aspect of

the ancient ministry. The above series of observations regarding

the sanctuary structure of Revelation strongly indicate that Rev 4-

5 is a description of the inauguration service in the heavenly

sanctuary that took place in AD 31. What follows the inauguration

scene has to do with the entire Christian age, not just its end.

A more thorough consideration of arguments for an end-time

interpretation of the seals can be found in the chapter on that

portion of Revelation.

Recent attempts to locate Rev 4 in the first apartment of

the heavenly sanctuary and Rev 5 in the second apartment founder

upon the absolute lack of evidence in the text for any movement of

the throne between the two chapters. The two chapters depict a

single visionary location.

22
Please see the corresponding chapter on the seals for more detailed information.
 HISTORICISM AND THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

The arguments for an end-time interpretation of the

trumpet series are somewhat more impressive than those offered for

the seals series. It is argued that the throwing down of the

censer (Rev 8:5) depicts the close of probation. Thus, the trumpet

series that follows (Rev 8:7ff.) must find fulfillment after the

close of probation. Further evidence for a post-probation

fulfillment is seen in the fact that the objects destroyed in the

first two trumpets--the earth, sea, and trees--are not to be hurt

until the sealing of chapter seven is complete (Rev 7:1-3). The

third piece of evidence for a post-probation interpretation of the

trumpets is the fact that the locust/scorpion plague of the fifth

trumpet is not permitted to affect the sealed (Rev 9:4), thus

suggesting a setting after the close of probation.23

These arguments, of course, fly directly in the face of

the above evidence that the author had a concern for the Christian

age as a whole in the first half of Revelation and only focused

specifically on the end-time in the latter half of the book. Under

closer examination, however, it becomes evident that the arguments

23
Statements in the writings of Ellen White that are used to support this position are dealt with
in the accompanying chapter on Ellen White's role in Exegesis of Revelation.

21
for a post-probation setting for the trumpets are based more on

assumptions rather than on the actual evidence of the biblical

text.

The major assumption that lies behind the first argument

is that the introductory sanctuary scene of Rev 8:2-6--depicting

Christ's priestly ministry of intercession--not only precedes the

blowing of the seven trumpets but is concluded before those

trumpets begin. Thus, the throwing down of the censer precedes in

point of time the events that follow. As a result, all seven

trumpets are understood to come after the close of probation.

The assumption that the introductory scene is concluded

before the trumpets begin can be tested in two ways. First, we can

ask whether the other introductory visions (before the seven

churches, the seven seals, and the seven bowls) conclude before

each seven-fold series begins, or continue to remain in the

background of the entire visionary sequence. Second, if the

trumpets largely take place during probationary time, is there

evidence within the series that probation is still open to

humanity?

When we examine the introductory scenes to the seven-fold

visions of Revelation, we discover that they not only precede the

subsequent scenes but remain in view throughout. For example, in

the seven churches the introductory vision precedes the letters in

the literary strategy of the book, but each of the letters refers

22
 23

back to the characteristics of Christ listed in that introduction.24

Since the letters are largely written in ordinary prose, they

provide a clear indication of the author's literary strategy.

The seven seals are each opened during the Lamb's

continued activity in the heavenly throne-room (Rev 5-6). That

scene, beginning with the inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary,

continues through the breaking of the seals to the second coming

and on to the time when all creation praises God (Rev 5:13).

The introductory scene to the seven bowls (Rev 15:5-8)

portrays an empty tabernacle in heaven, which is certainly fitting

for the entire period after the close of probation. Each

introductory vision, therefore, provides the setting for the

subsequent activity and remains active in the background right up

to the conclusion of the vision. Since this is so clearly the case

for three of the four seven-fold visions, the burden of proof is on

anyone who wishes to argue that Rev 8:2-6 is an exception. It is

more likely that the author of Revelation intended the reader to

see the intercession at the golden altar being available right up

to the instant when the seventh trumpet blows, leading to the

finishing of the "mystery of God" (Rev 10:7), that is, the closing

up of the gospel (Rom 16:25-27; Eph 3:2-7).

The above is supported by abundant evidence that

probation remains open through the sixth trumpet. The sixth

24
This is brought out in greater detail in the accompanying chapter on the seven seals.
 24

trumpet is equated with the second woe and as such clearly runs

from Rev 9:12 to 11:14. In Rev 9:13 there is a voice "from the

four horns of the golden altar which is before God," a clear

reference to the golden altar of Rev 8:3,4. This suggests that

intercession is still in process at the time the sixth trumpet is

blown. In Rev 9:20,21 the people who experience the plague of the

sixth trumpet fail to repent, which may indicate that repentance is

still an option. In Rev 10:11 the prophet learns that he must

prophesy again, something that would make little sense after the

close of probation. But most important, a group of people

described in Rev 11:13 as the "remainder" (hoi loipoi-- the same

word applied to the remnant of Rev 12:1725) "take fear and give

glory to the God of heaven." Whatever point in history one takes

this to be, it is clearly an appropriate response to the gospel

proclaimed by the first angel of Rev 14:6,7, "Fear God and give Him

glory."26 Thus it is evident that probation remains open and the

intercession of Rev 8:3,4 continues until the end of the sixth

trumpet. The seven trumpets as a whole are clearly not understood

to be after the close of probation.

A further argument for an end-time interpretation of the

seven trumpets notes the similarity in language between Rev 7:1-3

25
Also in deliberate contrast to the unrepentant hoi loipoi of Rev 9:20.
26
In direct contrast are those in Rev 16:9 who prefer to reject repentance and blaspheme God
rather than give Him glory. Note that the unrepentance has advanced in 16:9,11 beyond the stage
of 9:20,21.
 25

and Rev 8:7-9. According to Rev 7 the earth, sea, and trees were

not to be hurt until the sealing of chapter seven was complete.

Since these are the very things affected by the first and second

trumpet, it is suggested that these trumpets follow the sealing

chronologically and thus occur in post-probationary times.

It should be noted, however, that Rev 8:2 introduces a

new series; consequently, it is necessary to demonstrate that the

trumpet series must follow chronologically the literary section

that precedes it. Chapters four and twelve certainly go back to an

earlier stage of history, why not chapter eight as well?

Although it is true that the objects for destruction in

the first two trumpets are protected in Rev 7:1-3, they are once

again protected in the fifth trumpet (Rev 9:4), thus raising

serious questions whether the trumpet series is to be related as an

immediate sequel to the vision of chapter seven. Even more

decisive, however, is the fact that the strongest parallel between

the first part of Rev 7 and the seven trumpets is in Rev 9:14,16.

In both sections binding and loosing are related to four angels.

In both sections a people are being numbered; in Rev 7 the people

of God, and in Rev 9, their demonic counterparts. And these are

the only two places in Revelation containing the cryptic words "I

heard the number" (êkousa ton arithmon). If probation remains open

through the sixth trumpet and then closes with the sounding of the

seventh, the sixth trumpet is the exact historical counterpart of

Rev 7:1-8. It is the last opportunity for salvation just before

 26

the end.

The seven trumpets, therefore, do not follow the events

of Rev 7 in chronological order. The trumpets take their cue,

instead, from the introductory vision of Rev 8:2-6. The main theme

of that vision is intercession at the altar of incense. This is an

appropriate follow-up to the inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary

as described in Rev 5. The book of Revelation flows naturally, as

shown above, from a view of the cross (Rev 1:5,17,18, cf. 5:6,9,12)

to a view of the inauguration of Christ's ministry in the light of

the cross (Rev 5), to a picture of the intercessory ministry that

results (Rev 8:3,4), and ultimately to the judgment that precedes

the end (Rev 11:18,19). This order of events is characteristic of

the entire NT.

The final major argument for an end-time interpretation

of the trumpets rests on the observation that the fifth trumpet

does not affect those who are sealed (Rev 9:4). It is argued that

if the sealing is the last event before the close of probation,

then the events of the fifth trumpet must occur after the close of

probation. This argument, however, assumes a number of points that

need to be demonstrated. It assumes that "sealing" means exactly

the same in both contexts. It assumes that "sealing" is limited to

the end-time. It assumes that Ellen White's views on the sealing

in Rev 7:1-3 apply also to Rev 9:4.

If one approaches Rev 9:4 within the larger NT context,

these assumptions are difficult to sustain. The words for sealing

 27

(sphragis, sphragizô), in fact, are multiple in meaning. For

example, when a seal is placed on a document, message, or tomb its

purpose is to conceal or to confine (Matt 27:66; Rev 5:1,2,5,9;

6:1,3,5,7,9,12; 8:1; 10:4; 20:3; 22:10). An alternative meaning is

to certify that something or someone is reliable (John 3:33; 6:27;

Rom 15:28; 1 Cor 9:2). But when related to God's people the

predominant meaning of sealing is ownership and acceptance by God

("The Lord knows them that are His" 2 Tim 2:19 cf. 2 Cor 1:22; Eph

1:13; 4:30). In this sense it was a present reality already in the

time of Abraham (Rom 4:11). If in a given passage the context

indicates that we are prior to the close of probation, the concept

of a sealed people must be understood in the general sense of those

who belong to God in any age. Thus it should not be assumed that

the sealing in Rev 7:2,3 is necessarily identical with that of Rev

9:4.

It should also not be assumed that the sealing of Rev

7:1-3 is limited to the end-time. Rev 7:1-3 does not explicitly

limit the sealing to the end-time, it merely focuses on the

significance of sealing work in an end-time setting. Related to

this is the observation that whatever Ellen White understood by Rev

7:1-3,27 she never quotes Rev 9:4 in an end-time context, thus it

is unwise to assume what she herself never stated.

27
See the accompanying chapter on Ellen White and Exegesis for a more detailed examination
of her view on the sealing.
 28

It is, therefore, clear that the arguments many have

utilized to place the trumpets in an end-time setting do not carry

the weight necessary to overturn the larger perspective outlined in

the first part of this chapter, a perspective best served if the

trumpet series is understood to cover the entire Christian age.

 CONCLUDING IMPLICATIONS

In this brief essay, which should be supplemented by a

careful reading of the accompanying chapters on the seals, the

trumpets, and the relation of Ellen White to exegesis of the text

of Revelation, a number of textual observations have been combined

to demonstrate that the author of Revelation had two great

perspectives in mind when he wrote out his visions. The first half

of the book he focused on the Christian era as a whole, moving from

his time to the end. In the second half of the book, he deliniated

primarily the events of the end.

This insight parallels the pattern of the other two great

"apocalyptic" passages of the NT, Matt 24 (and its parallels in

Luke 21 and Mark 13) and 2 Thess 2. Each of these passages

contains a section that focuses on the Christian age as a whole

(cf. Matt 24:3-14 and 2 Thess 2:3-7). These sections are followed

by special attention to the climax at the end (2 Thess 2:8-12; Matt

24:15-31, especially vss.27-31).28 Thus the book of Revelation,

rightly understood, is in perfect harmony with the theology and

28
It should be noted that this dual perspective is particularly clear in Luke where the "Times of
the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24) forms a bridge between the description of AD 70 and the general
realities of the Christian age (Luke 21:7-23) and the description of the end-time (Luke 21:25ff.)

29
 30

literary practices of the NT, even though its language is quite

unique.

The thrust of the evidence brought forth in this chapter

is the recognition that the basic consensus of the SDA pioneers on

the seals and trumpets, though marred by some historical

inaccuracies and limited exegetical insights, nevertheless was

accurate in its perception that the seals and the trumpets were

intended by their author to cover the entire Christian age and not

just the end of that age.