Mar,14, 2026 Sabbath-School Review

Derek West

Source material, Seven Trumpet Luminescence, Book, 5.2, 2019

With this Sabbath School lesson we ventured from page 105 to 118.  It begins with Revelation eight.  Therein, the Seventh Seal is opened; the Half Hour Silence continued; Jesus offers up the prayers of the saints to God.  Then He casts the golden censer to the earth; after which the first of the seven angels begins to sound his trumpet.  The images thereby were graphic as hail and fire mingled with blood were depicted to be cast upon the earth.  It burned up one third of the trees and all the green grass. 

To present-truth Bible students, these themes are familiar due to the teaching of VT Houteff —expressed in his work leading up to his passing over 70 years ago.  Since then, as should be expected, the light has become brighter, allowing us to harmonize our understanding in the full light of the Seventh Seal. It is the Bible prespecified seal that brings the gift of everlasting life to humanity.  We stressed the significance of this distinction! The prespecified edict of John six promised as much:  It says, “²⁷ Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you…”   Thus, we now must add to the work of VTH for, due to his death, he could not have received this seal of Father’s recommendation; indeed, his work could not have even lapsed into the Seventh Seal; thus, he could not have revealed the entire truth on the trumpets.

True, he did prove that the fire of the first trumpet represents the Holy Spirit; the trees symbolize the leaders; the green grass represents the living saints, etc.  But more than those points of emphasis, the Holy Spirit now reveals a shift in the parlance of the application.  Though VTH’s preliminary findings are cooked in the backdrop of the earth’s destruction by the ancient flood of Noah, an event that occurred after the 120 years of his arduous work of preaching —ergo the fire and the blood— the symbolism has a more precise and dual application to today in the end-time judgment.    

We can honor this deepened and primary application of the symbolism by virtue of the Testimony of Jesus.  He depicted the greater depth of symbolic reiteration in Matt 24 when He, the Lord, defined the end-time coming of the son of man in judgment by his use of the flood as a primary illustration.  He did so to answer the questions of His disciples, “when shall the end come and what are the signs”: making the flood to be the complete type of the final judgment hour.  Under VTH’s administration and by the flicker of his candlelight, we did not know to differentiate between Jesus and Christ; neither did we understand that the son of man refers to David’s ministry in the time when he sits with Jesus on Jesus’ throne. 

Therefore, our grasp on the judgment has now been more fully expounded since the advent of the Mustard Seed.  He, as David, is deemed to be fairer (not in complexion but in equitable and prudent judgment of character) than any others of the sons of men per Psalms 45.  This was a special point of Sabbath School elaboration.  Thus, the first Trumpet explains David’s work to close human probation and to usher in the day when resurrection and eternal life is offered —the very bread after which Father command man to seek in John six.  This final work is called by Jesus to be the lightning flash.

This doctrinal application is made especially real since the cases of all of humanity, from creation forward, is to now be measured in the judgment: the exact meaning of Jesus casting the golden censer to earth with the prayers of all saints.  Therefore, it is fulfilled in the day of resurrection of the deceased of all ages including the antediluvians. 

The Second Trumpet next sounds.  It too has a deeper, end-of-time application.  It depicts a great mountain cast into the sea —which of course expresses to us more symbolism.  The mountain represents the OT Church under Moses.  Remember, that church literally began with the fiery mountain of Sinai in the day when Christ articulated His Law to Israel, the Hebrew Church.  In the Judgment, their posterity, as the 144,000, is to be restored and sent throughout the word to bring salvation.  Thus, they are the mountain and the gentiles of the world are the Sea who receive their work; ergo, the sea turns into blood.  Ps 89 gives clarity: David is told that the Lord will “… set (the hand of his son, David) in the sea and his right hand in the river.”  It manifests his world governance.

I anticipate that next week’s lesson will be equally profound.  You are invited to join.

Derek