Chapter 17

Introduction to the Seven Trumpets part 1

Introduction

The Book of Revelation is intimately intertwined with the Book of Daniel. The Book of Revelation is a complex compilation of biblical imagery, history and last day events, but first and foremost it is a revelation of the prophetic foundation laid down in the Book of Daniel. This is why Uriah Smith when he wrote his exposition of Bible prophecy chose to entitle his exposition ‘Daniel and Revelation.’

The first vision in the Book of Daniel, is relatively easy to understand. It is an outline of the history of the world from the time of Daniel and the Babylonian Empire until the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. The historical outline only includes those political and religious powers that impact the people of God, as the countdown to the end of the world begins. This historical prophetic countdown begins in Daniel chapter 2. It is repeated and enlarged upon throughout the prophecies of Daniel and repeated and enlarged upon again, in the Book of Revelation.

The first prophetic vision in Daniel’s Book is the foundational prophecy. The structure of the prophecies can be likened to the structure of a house. When a house is built the foundation is first laid down – the walls are built on the foundation – and the roof is built on the walls. If the foundation is not strong and straight the walls will be crooked, and the roof will leak. In the same manner, if one’s interpretation of the foundational prophecy is incorrect, then one’s exposition of the next prophecies will be crooked and incorrect. This is the reason why the first vision in Daniel’s book is relatively easy to understand. It is made easy to understand, so that, the interpretation of the first vision will become the foundation or the roadmap for the correct interpretation of the all the subsequent visions and prophecies. The first vision acts like a ‘spell checker.’ When we ‘spell out’ the next vision (Dan. 7), we need to check that our ‘spelling out’ agrees with what we have already ‘spelt out’ in Dan. 2. This principle continues as we progress to the next vision (Dan. 8). Our ‘spelling out’ of Dan. 8, must agree with Dan. 2 & 7. The same principle applies to the end of the Bible as one ‘spells out’ the Book of Revelation. Therefore, it is essential that we interpret the foundational prophecy correctly and glean all the information we can from it – because all the exposition in the rest of the Bible depends upon it.

The Prophetic Timeline

Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, had a dream. But he could not remember it. Daniel prays about it and God shows Daniel the dream and the interpretation of it. Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, “You are this head of gold (Dan. 2:38). This gives us the starting point for the prophetic timeline. Daniel goes on to say that after the head of gold, there would come an empire of silver, followed by an empire of brass, followed by an empire of iron, finishing with an empire of iron mingled with miry clay. The timeline ends when the image is struck by a stone and the whole edifice crumbles into dust.

The stone does not strike the head or any other part of the image. It strikes the feet, indicating that the end while come during the reign of the empire of iron and clay.

The purpose of the following prophecies is to fill in the details of this timeline. The details do not include the whole history of mankind. The details remain within the framework given to us in the foundational first vision. This is because the details are focused on the interaction between the powers of the world and the kingdom of God. The ‘stone’ coming to destroy, is the second coming of Christ. This is obvious because after the image is destroyed the next thing that happens is that the temporary kingdoms of the world are replace by the permanent kingdom of God. The overarching principle is to demonstrate that these earthy kingdoms represented by the elements of the earth, will all be destroyed and be gone for ever, whereas God’s kingdom cannot be destroyed and will last forever.

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. Dan. 2:44, 45.

And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Dan. 7:14.

But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Dan. 7:18.

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Dan.7:27.

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. Rev. 11:15.

Daniel interpretation of the dream was not problematic for Daniel – the Lord also gave Daniel a dream and showed him the correct understanding of it.

The Empires in the Timeline

Because Daniel chapter 2 is relatively easy to understand, there is very little disagreement about its correct understanding. It is agreed that the head of gold represents Babylon, the chest of silver the empire of Medo-Persia, the waist of bronze the empire of Greece, and the legs of iron the empire of Rome. It is the last empire, the empire of iron and clay, that has caused some disagreement among expositors. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the iron and the clay correctly, otherwise the interpretation of the subsequent prophecies will also cause disagreement among expositors.

The first principle to understand about the iron and the clay is to fully accept the fact that the iron represents Rome and cannot be anything else. The second principle to accept is, that there was an historical period when the iron represented Rome standing alone not mingled with anything else. The third principle to accept is that there was/is an historical period when Rome was/is mingled with miry clay. The fourth principle to accept is that, even though mingling with clay, Rome has metamorphosed into something else, the iron still represents Rome. The fifth principle to accept is, that the empire representing by the iron and the clay, is the empire that exists at the present and will continue to exist until the end of time – it is this empire that the ‘stone’ strikes and destroys – this is the end of the world. In other words, it is vital to understand that Rome continues until the end of the world – it is Rome that is destroyed at the end of the world.

The Empire of Iron and Miry Clay

The prophecies are shaped like a musical concerto. A concerto starts off relatively quietly – it introduces several themes – it builds in intensity – becomes louder and stronger – and finishes with a crescendo. The prophecies are more complex but they follow the same outline. The first vision is quiet and slow – it covers the whole history from Daniel’s time to the end of the world. As more details are filled in from the following visions and prophecies, the intensity begins to build. The crescendo occurs in the last half of the Book of Revelation, which is all about the events that occur at the end of the world. In other words, the prophetic timeline covers several thousands of years, but the intention is to unveil and concentrate on the last few years of earth’s history. This intention is expressed in the visions and prophecies themselves. We are being alerted to the fact that the application of these prophecies will be especially applicable for the people living in the last days:

And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Dan. 8:16, 17.

And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. Dan. 12:8-10. [cf. 1 Cor. 10:11].

This is why the empire of the iron and the clay is the focus of the prophecies. The purpose of the prophecies is to carry us down the timeline to the climatic crescendo of the last day events. This is when the two kingdoms; the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God, fight the final battles for the supremacy of the world. It is at this time that Satan’s kingdom is represented by the kingdom of iron and clay. The prophecies are informing us about the development of this kingdom. The prophecies are giving us the genealogical lineage of the kingdom of iron and clay – the prophecies are telling us who it is that constitutes that kingdom of iron and clay – the prophecies are exposing how the kingdom of iron and clay deceives the world and the people of God – and the prophecies tell us how the kingdom of iron and clay plans to destroy God’s people.

What is the Kingdom of Iron and Clay?

The first principle towards understanding the kingdom of iron and clay is that the iron in the kingdom of iron and clay represents Rome. This means that even though the Empire of Rome fell, it still exists today, and it will continue until the end of time. However, it does not continue as it was in its original form. It changes its appearance. It goes through a process of metamorphosis. Just as the ugly caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly, so too, Rome changes from the original ugly beast that it was (see Dan. 7:7; Rev. 13:1, 2), to the beautiful woman riding the beast (see Rev. 17:1-6). This metamorphosis was accomplished when the iron mingled with the miry clay. What is the miry clay?

The prophet Jeremaih was told by God to go down to the potter’s workshop and observe the potter at work – God wanted to teach Jeremiah a lesson. The lesson involved the potter moulding and forming the clay and not being content with his first effort, so he destroys his first effort and begins again. After Jeremiah observes this God applies the lesson:

O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. Jer. 18:6.

In the time of the prophet Isaiah, the people had been taught the same lesson and they accepted that the clay was a symbol applicable to themselves:

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isa. 64:8; cf. 29:16.

Miry clay is a special kind of clay that potter’s use in the making of earthen vessels. Therefore, since mankind was constructed by combining the elements of the earth with the breath of God, miry clay becomes an apt symbol for the people of God.

It is an observable fact that when Satan constructs his kingdom, he tries to duplicate and counterfeit everything as close as possible to the things of God. Therefore, Satan’s masterpiece of for achieving his aims will be a kingdom that impersonates God’s kingdom as closely as possible. In order to achieve this false counterfeit kingdom of God, Satan merged the Empire of Rome with God’s people. Which means that God’s people united with Rome. Which means that Rome metastasises and metamorphosises into something that looks like God’s people, but it is a counterfeit of the real kingdom of God. [The purpose of the ‘Historical Prologue to the Book or Revelation’ is to explain how Satan merged Rome with God’s people].

We do not find iron and clay naturally occurring in a united form in nature. Therefore, what is being illustrated here is a union that is contrary to the natural order of things, which means that this is a union that is not according to the will of heaven. This is repeated and enlarged upon and elaborated on in the subsequent visions, such as the woman riding the beast is in unholy union with the kings of the earth (see Rev. 17:2, 12).

One Bible expositor has expressed the same opinion, that the iron and the clay represent the union of church and state:

The mingling of churchcraft and statecraft is represented by the iron and the clay. This union is weakening all the power of the churches. This investing the church with the power of the state will bring evil results. Men have almost passed the point of God’s forbearance. They have invested their strength in politics, and have united with the papacy. But the time will come when God will punish those who have made void His law, and their evil work will recoil upon themselves. Ellen G. White, SDABC, vol. 4, p. 1168.

This mingling of churchcraft and statecraft began, when the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, converted to Christianity and shortly thereafter Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire – thus this union of Rome with God’s people created the Roman Catholic Churc. [The purpose of the ‘Historical Prologue to the Book or Revelation’ is to explain how Satan merged Rome with God’s people].

The Two Arms

The figure in Dan. 2 is that of a man. There are two arms on the breast of silver. These arms represent the two parts that constituted the beginning of the Persian Empire – the Medes and the Persians. Initially the Medes and the Persians were separate kingdoms. However, they became one empire when Cyrus the Great (who was half Mede and half Persian), united the two kingdoms. Initially the kingdom of the Medes was considered the stronger kingdom. But the Persian elements in the united empire grew to be the dominant part of the empire – this is why the empire was initially called the empire of the Medes and the Persians – but later simply the Persian Empire. Apparently, this feature that the initial dominance of the Medes was supplanted at a later time by the Persians, was so important that it is repeated and enlarged in the second vision and the third vision that Daniel had. In the second vision the Medo-Persian Empire is represented by a bear with one shoulder higher than the other:

And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. Dan. 7:5.

In the third vision, the Median-Persian Empire is represented by a ram with two horns. This is telling the same story as the figure and the bear. The figure had two arms, the bear had two sides, one higher than the other, and the ram has two horns, one higher than the other. However, as is usual, the third vision adds more information about the Median-Persian Empire:

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. Dan. 8:3.

The prophecy given to Daniel, is historically accurate – it is telling Daniel that the two horns represent the two kingdoms. Initially the one horn (the Medes) was higher than the other (the Persians). However, the lower horn grew to be higher than the other horn – this is an accurate prophetic portrayal of what actually occurred – and the majority of expositors agree with this interpretation, such as one of the pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Stephen Haskell:

Daniel was transported to the river Ulai, by the side of which stood a ram having two horns, one higher than the other, and the higher came up last. In his previous vision the second kingdom had been represented by a bear which raised itself on one side and had three ribs in its mouth. Both symbols apply to the double nature of the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, but the uneven horns of the ram give a more specific description; for while the Median kingdom was the older of the two, the Persian excelled it in strength, and its position in history must be attributed to the line of Persian kings which began with Cyrus the Great. The definiteness with which this symbol is interpreted is an illustration of the fact that the Scriptures are their own best commentaries. Said the angel, “The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.” Stephen Haskell, The Story of Daniel the Prophet, p. 105.

The Two Legs

The prophetic interpretation of the two arms sets in place a precedent. The purpose of a precedent is to guide and inform the interpretation of similar events, phenomena, utterances or revelations that follow on from the original precedent. For example, the two arms on the silver breast acts as a precedent for the correct interpretation of the two sides of the bear and the two horns of the ram. The same applies to the two legs. If the two arms are representative of historical realities, then we have a precedent for understanding that the two legs also ought to be representative of historical realities.

We know that the legs of iron represent Rome. Therefore, we need to inquire as to, whether the Roman Empire had ‘two legs’ or not. In other words, did the Roman Empire divide into two parts? Yes, it did! When Constantine the Great, converted to Christianity. He moved the capital of the Empire to Byzantium, on the Bosporus Straits, in the east. It was there that he built the city of Constantinople, and this part of the Empire became more prosperous and more powerful than the Empire in the West. When the Empire in the west fell in 476AD, the Empire in the east continued to exist for another 1000 years. During that1000 year period, the Eastern Roman Empire (eventually known as the Byzantine Empire) played a crucial role in the history of the world. For example, because of its strategic position, controlling the Dardanelles Straits (the crossroads between Europe and Asia), it prevented the penetration of Islam into Europe for several centuries. Arab and Ottoman armies tried many times to capture the city of Constantinople, but they were thwarted every time until the year 1453. On one occasion the Moslems laid siege to the city for 5 years and yet failed to conquer it, with history changing consequences:

He [the Byzantine emperor] had inspired his subjects with the morale to withstand five years of siege by a power hitherto considered irresistible, and in so doing he had saved Western civilization. Had the Saracens [Arabs] captured Constantinople in the seventh century rather than the fifteenth, all Europe – and America – might be Muslim today. John Julius Norwich, A Short History of Byzantium, Penguin Books, England, p. 101.

The reason why it is important to recognise the geo-political history of the Byzantine Empire, is because Bible prophecy recognises the importance of the Byzantine Empire. And it recognises the Byzantine Empire because it was Roman – and the Roman Empire is the subject matter of the prophecies as revealed in the vision of the figure with the iron (Rome) continuing until the end of time.

Papal Rome and the Byzantine Empire

It is generally understood that the Roman Catholic Church came into existence with the conversion of Constantine the Great and the publication of the Edict of Milan in 313AD, which ended persecution of Christianity. From this point on the Roman Catholic Church centred in the city of Rome, where the office of the Bishop of Rome grew into the papal system. The western part of the Roman Empire fell in the year 476AD. From that time onwards the church in the west was dependent on the surviving empire in the east for protection. It was the empire in the east that destroyed two of the ‘horns’ (see Dan. 7:8) that needed to be torn up, in order for the rise of the Catholic Church to supremacy and hegemony over the Roman world.

Another major step toward the rise of the papacy was the decree issued by the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I in 533AD, declaring that the Bishop of Rome was the head of all the churches. Therefore, the empire in the east had a controlling interest over the church in the west. For example, during the years from 537AD to 752AD, popes newly in the west required the approval of the emperor in the east, before they could assume their office.

Because the papal power was restrained by political power (especially that of the Eastern Empire), it is described in the prophecies as a ‘little horn’ in its beginnings (see Dan. 7:8; 8:9, 10). But the same prophecies also say that this little horn grew ‘exceedingly great’ and speaking ‘great things’ (see Dan. 7:8, 20; 8:9, 10).

Because the papacy grew in power and arrogance it began to challenge the authority of all other powers (religious and political). This resulted in what is now known as ‘the Great Schism’ when the Eastern Empire and the Roman Catholic Church broke apart in the year 1054. This marked the beginnings of the Orthodox Church, made up of its component parts – Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox etc., with the Patriarch of Constantinople being the titular head, headquartered in Constantinople (now Istanbul).

Thus, it is an historical fact that the Byzantine Empire was very much a part of the Roman Catholic Church, and a powerful player in the formation and development of the papacy. The prophecies are concerned with the formation of and development of the papacy, and this is why the Byzantine Empire is included in the prophecies and it is the second leg on the figure of Dan. 2 – just as the Persians are the second arm on the breast of silver.

The Byzantine Empire and the Trumpets

Seventh-day Adventist expositors have consistently interpreted the Seven Trumpets as being judgments on the Roman Empire. Traditionally, they have all agreed that the first four trumpets are judgments on the Western Roman Empire and the fifth and sixth trumpets are judgments on the Eastern Roman Empire. Therefore, the Byzantine Empire is collectively seen, by SDA expositors, as being an integral part of the prophecies. But it is only ‘seen’ in the trumpets. However, it is also ‘seen’ in the figure of Daniel 2. The figure is the foundation of all the other prophecies. Therefore, if we have two divisions if the Roman Empire in the figure (the two legs), we should expect to find two divisions elsewhere in the prophecies – and we do – the two divisions are in the trumpets.

Because we see two divisions of the Roman Empire, perhaps there are more? And there are – the prophecies tell us that the Roman Empire receives a ‘deadly wound’ – this occurred in 1798, when the French revolutionary armies took the pope prisoner and abolished the papacy. But the prophecies also tell us that the deadly wound would be healed. Therefore, the office of the papacy would be resurrected back to life and a new line of popes would be installed.

What this means is that the first four trumpets are judgments on the Western Roman Empire, the fifth and the sixth judgments on the Eastern Roman Empire and the seventh and last trumpet is judgment on the Resurrected Roman Empire (see Rev. 17:1).

The Ten Toes and the Ten Horns

The chief reason as to why the second leg in the figure is not ‘seen’ to be the Eastern Roman Empire is because of the ten toes on the image and the ten horns on the beast in Daniel chapter seven.

Daniel chapter seven is the second repetition and enlargement of the series of visions given to Daniel. As such, it is repeating and enlarging on what has been given in vision before. It is reinforcing what has already been presenting, but at the same time it is adding new information and increasing the knowledge necessary to identify the symbols used to tell the story.

In chapter seven the same four empires are repeated using different symbols for Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. In this instance, Rome is symbolized as a great beast with ten horns. The purpose of introducing the horns, is to document the rise of a ‘little horn’ that rises up in the midst of them, rooting up three of the ten horns, in order to establish itself. Henceforth, the prophecy focuses on the exploits and development of this little horn.

All SDA expositors have equated these ten horns to the ten toes on the image. Therefore, in their interpretations of the horns and the toes. They have focused on which ten political powers were in existence when the papacy rooted up three of them and destroyed them. This has led these expositors to focus all their attention on the Western Roman Empire, because the papacy came to power in the Western Roman Empire. Therefore, the second leg on the image is included in the Western Roman Empire, because if it was excluded, there would be only five toes and thus the correspondence with the ten horns is destroyed. This is why the true significance of the second leg and the Eastern Roman Empire is not ‘seen.’ However, an argument can be made for the recognition of the Eastern Roman Empire, being the second leg of the figure for the following reasons:

Historically, there were many more so-called barbarian tribes than just ten. There were in fact multiple tribes.
In order to ‘fit’ the tribes into the prophecy about three being torn up to make the way for the papacy, it is necessary to ‘invent’ a tribe (the Heruli). There is very little historical evidence that the Heruli were a legitimate tribe or that they actually played the role that expositors ascribe to them.
Because of it has always been problematic to conclusively identify the ten tribes, SDA expositors have argued amongst themselves for decades as to the identity of the ten. [This controversy over the ten horns was still going on when the 1888 General Conference was held, and it was one of the contributing factors to the disunity and discord at that important conference].
It was the military might of the Eastern Roman Empire (the Byzantine Empire) that destroyed the Ostrogoths and the Vandals. This places the Byzantine Empire as the instrument fulfilling the prophecy about the uprooting of the horns.
It was the authority of the Eastern Roman Empire that authorised the official inauguration of the papacy. The Eastern Roman Emperor, Justinian issued a decree in 533AD declaring the Bishop of Rome to be the chief bishop of all the churches. After which the Byzantine General Belisarius, destroyed the Ostrogoths occupying Italy at the time (completed in 538AD).
All these events concerning the ten horns, took place before the mingling of the iron and clay. Admittedly, some mingling would have occurred already, but it was far from completed. For example, there was a huge movement of true Christianity that fought against the mingling called the Donatists. They continued to fight against the papacy until the Moslems conquered North Africa in the 8^th
Therefore, all the history involving the ten horns did not take place during the time of the ten toes. The ten toes represent the end of time. The events involving the ten horns took place in the past. If we want to point to a time spot on the figure, these ten horn events would have taken place somewhere near the ankles of the image. There is at least 1,600 years (and counting) between the ten horns and the ten toes.
If the ten horns in Daniel seven do not correspond with the ten toes in Daniel two, are there another ten horns that correspond at the end of time? Yes, there are. In Revelation 17, we are introduced to the judgment of the papacy. One of the things the papacy is being judged for, is because it was in league with ten kings (symbolized by ten horns). The purpose of this union with the ten horns/kings is to make war upon the people of Christ.
Numbers in the Bible can be used as symbols. The number 10 represents universalism. Ten is the perfect number to symbolise universalism because all the numbers that exist, exist within the number 10. Therefore, the true significance of the ten horns in Revelation represent the whole world (universal world) in union with the papacy to destroy God’s people.

Conclusion

The prophecies focus on the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan and the battles between them. As the timeline unfolds, the focus begins to shift towards the climactic events at the end of the world. At the end of the world, the Kingdom of Satan has metamorphosed into the kingdom of iron and clay (called Babylon in Revelation). It is this kingdom that the judgments of the Trumpets fall upon. The trumpets fall on the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and the Resurrected Roman Empire. The first two divisions of the Roman Empire are already portrayed in the first vision, represented by the two legs of iron. The third division is featured in Revelation by the deadly wound and the healing of the deadly wound.