THE FIFTH
TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Introduction
This book is
intended as a study of Holy Scripture in search of the correct method of
interpretation with regard not only to the Book of Revelation, but to the Bible
as a whole. It is also the purpose of
this study to search for those precious and priceless spiritual nuggets that
speak out from page to page of the great redemption, forgiveness of sins, and eternal
salvation that has been purchased for many through the shed blood of the Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. There are many
today, among the body of confessing believers, who dogmatically insist upon a literal
method of Biblical interpretation. To
spiritualize the Scriptures is highly criticized and oftentimes condemned by many
literalists. In responding to their
condemnation, one can only quote from Scripture itself, such as 1 Corinthians 2:13, which reads:
“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but
which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” One who does not subscribe wholly to the literal
method of interpretation is frequently looked upon as unlearned in the
Scriptures. On the other hand, there are
those today, although much fewer in number, who spiritualize Scripture to the
fullest extent without any or much Biblical foundation to support their
interpretation. There is no harmony of
Scriptural references with which to rest their case, resulting much of the time
with their imaginations running wild. In
both cases, these methods fall woefully short of interpreting accurately the
full message that God has revealed in His Word, the Bible.
Before we begin our
study, it is essential that we examine from Scripture just how Scripture is to be
interpreted. We begin by looking back
into the Old Testament to discover two prophecies of the coming of Christ the
Messiah and how He would speak to the world.
The first is found in Psalm
78:2 were we read: “I will
open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old.” The second prophecy is found in Psalm 49:4, which reads: “I
will incline mine ear to a parable; I will open my dark sayings upon the harp.”
We have almost identical language in both of these prophecies concerning the
coming of Christ. He would come and
reveal the mystery of God through dark sayings of old, in which He did. The phrase dark saying is not to be interpreted as something devious or
spiritually dark and Satanic, as one would assume from the English
language. No, the Hebrew definition of
this phrase carries the implication of being hidden, or something that
is a riddle or a proverb.
God’s dark sayings of old were indeed the Word of God being yet
unfulfilled. Christ would be the only
one to come and reveal the mystery of God, as we read in Matthew 5:14: “I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill.” Christ fulfilled the hidden or
dark sayings of old by being the personification and incarnation of the subject
of the Old Testament - the Messiah Himself!
Christ did in fact reveal the mystery or hidden sayings of God. To list
but only a few of the New Testament proofs, let us consider the
following references: “Even the mystery
which hath been hid from ages past and from generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints,” Colossians
1:26. “Having made known unto us
the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed
in himself,” Ephesians 1:9. “How that by revelation he made known unto me
the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words),” Ephesians 3:3. “Now
to him that is of power to stablish you according to my Gospel, and the
preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was
kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the
Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting
God, made known all nations of the obedience of faith.”; Romans 16:25-26. Messiah has come and revealed all things!
How did God choose
to reveal His Word to us? He did it by
sending His Only Begotten Son, God incarnate, to take on the sins of all who
would come into salvation. He did it by
revealing the everlasting Word of God in parables. “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will
utter dark sayings of old” to quote again from Psalm 78:2. Quoting
also again from Psalm 49:4 -
“I will incline mine ear to a parable; I will open dark sayings upon the
harp.” Christ indeed fulfilled these
prophecies at His first coming as is confirmed for us in Mark 4:33-34: “And
with many such parables spake the word unto them, as they were able to
hear it.” But “…without a parable
spake he not…” and so we clearly see from Scripture that Christ revealed
the Word of God through the use of many parables. Without the use of parables Christ did not
teach, for when Christ taught, He embraced the use of parables. This should give us some insight as to how we
are to look upon the Scriptures and understand them. As Christ taught in parabolic terms, we also can
now interpret in parabolic terms, since we now have the whole and completed
Word of God. A Biblical parable is an earthly story with a spiritual
meaning. An historic parable can
also be an earthly story with a heavenly or spiritual meaning, but in addition it
carries an historic event that actually occurred. We know from Scripture that Christ himself
was God in the flesh, therefore He is the Word of God, John 1:14. Since Christ is the Word of God, He is also
the Author of the Word of God, the Bible.
Not only did He teach in the four Gospels by means of parables, but He also
taught through historic parables from the Old Testament. These Old Testament stories are all parables,
however this is not to say that they were strictly parables without a literal
application or a literal fulfillment being applied to them. No, the Old Testament stories were indeed
historic occurrences; events that actually took place, but in addition to
their historical fulfillments they carried much spiritual significance as well,
in telling the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let us now look at
some New Testament terms that confirm this idea that much of the Old Testament
teachings were taught in parabolic form; meaning to have a literal fulfillment
as well as a spiritual fulfillment or application.
SHADOW
- The word shadow, as used in the New Testament, carries the meaning of a slight
sketch or overshadowing, and presents the idea of foreshadowing something
greater to come. In Colossians 2:16-17 we read: “Let no man therefore judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of
the Sabbath days: which are a shadow
of things to come…” We are told that the
Old Testament meat offerings, drink offerings, holydays and Sabbaths were all a
foreshadowing of the spiritual truth that was then yet to be revealed.
Hebrews 8:1-5 -
1 ¶Now of the
things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who
is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
2 A minister
of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and
not man.
3 For every
high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of
necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
4 For if he
were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that
offer gifts according to the law:
5 Who serve unto
the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses
was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith
he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the
mount.
Hebrew 8:1-5
teaches clearly that the Old Testament priests who offered up gifts and
sacrifices served as an “example,” (meaning foreshadowing) and as a “shadow” of
the heavenly things (verse five). These
were but a word picture of Christ, whom verse two speaks of as “a minister of
the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle that the Lord pitched, and not
man.” The true Tabernacle or
Once again we see
this same truth set forth in Hebrews10:1
where we read: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come,
and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which
they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” We read again that the Old Testament law was
merely a shadow or picture of Christ, who was to come. This Old Testament Law, with all of its
rituals and sacrifices, could never make man perfect. It is only by the grace of Christ that anyone
is made perfect through his blood - the blood of the New Covenant, which was
foreshadowed by the Old Testament Law and tabernacle.
ALLEGORY
- The meaning of the word allegory is as follows: The setting forth of a subject or the
telling of a story in figurative or symbolic language.
Galatians 4:22-26 -
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons,
the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who
was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman
was by promise.
24 Which
things are an allegory: for
these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth
to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this
Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to
26 But
Conclusion: Verse 31: So then, brethren, we are not
children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
In Galatians
chapter four we read of two kinds of Jerusalems: one, which is physical and still in bondage
to sin (the earthly Jerusalem; possibly all who claim Christ but are still in
spiritual bondage to Satan), while the other is Jerusalem, which is above
and is free, meaning the heavenly Jerusalem and eternal home of all
believers. Galatians 4:22 tells us that
Abraham had two sons, one by a bondmaid and the other by a freewoman. These ultimately represent the saved and the
unsaved of the world. Verse twenty-three
tells us that he who was born unto the freewoman was born unto the “promise.” Isaac was born of the freewoman (…in Isaac
shall thy seed be called…,” Hebrews 11:18), whose spiritual seed would inherit
eternal salvation. Notice carefully what
verse twenty-four is saying: “…which things are an allegory …” The
bondwoman represented the Old Testament Law, which was bondage, while the
freewoman represented or typified the New Testament or New Covenant,
which is eternal life through Christ Jesus. Within these two Old Testament people
(Abraham’s bondmaid and free woman) eternal salvation and damnation are
typified. This then is one great example
of how God teaches through the use of parables.
We should understand from these verses that we must search and interpret
the Scripture from Scripture itself. To
avoid this basic rule is to dreadfully and mistakenly miss much of the truth
that God had laid down for us in His Word.
FIGURE - The word figure translated in the New
Testament means a type or antitype.
An antitype is a symbol
or figure of something. The same Greek word translated figure in the
New Testament is also translated as parable, and as we mentioned earlier, Jesus
taught in parables. Christ used figures
and pictures to bring forth spiritual truth.
Romans 5:14: “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to
Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s
transgression, who is a figure
of him that was to come.” We are told
here in no uncertain terms that Adam was a picture or figure of
Christ who was to come. God has stupendously
put together His revelation to us in the form of types, figures, parables,
allegories and symbols, that we may be enriched and blessed with much understanding. A shallow understanding of Scripture can be
acquired by most people today, but ultimately it is the Holy Spirit, the third
Person of the Godhead, who brings this understanding to us, as we stand in amazement
at the endless wonders and treasures that are to be found in the Holy
Scriptures. Let us keep this in mind as
we begin to unravel the truths hidden within the seven trumpet judgments.
END OF INTRODUCTION