OUR LESSON TODAY IS THE SEVEN TRUMPETS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION.

THERE ARE THREE GROUPS OF SEVEN FOUND IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION: SEVEN SEALS, SEVEN TRUMPETS AND SEVEN VIALS.

THESE MAKE UP THE SKELETAL STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION.

THE SEVEN SEALS ARE THE LONG STORY ENDING AT ARMAGEDDON.

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS ARE THE SHORTER STORY ALSO ENDING AT ARMAGEDDON.

AND THE SEVEN VIALS ARE THE REAL SHORT STORY ENDING AT ARMAGEDDON.

NOW, WE KNOW THE SEVEN VIALS DO NOT ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE UNTIL AFTER THE MARK OF THE BEAST IS ADMINISTERED.

WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE WHEN THE FIRST VIAL IS UNLEASHED, THE BIBLE TELLS US VERY CLEARLY THAT IT WILL BE UNLEASHED UPON THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE TAKEN THE MARK OF THE BEAST.

SO, FROM THAT WE KNOW THAT IT WILL ALL BE ENACTED AT THE TIME OF THE VERY END.

NOW, NOT ONLY ARE THERE SKELETAL STRUCTURES IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION OF THREE SEVENS: SEVEN SEALS, SEVEN TRUMPETS, SEVEN VIALS, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT THE BOOK OF REVELATION HAS WHAT WE CALL PARENTHETICAL CHAPTERS.

THIS IS SORT OF LIKE COLOR COMMENTARY.

IN ADDITION TO THE MAIN OVERVIEW OF REVELATION, SOMETIMES THERE'RE ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS INCLUDED. FOR EXAMPLE, CHAPTER 12 TELLS ABOUT A WAR IN HEAVEN WHEN SATAN IS CAST DOWN AND CONFINED TO THE EARTH FOR THE FINAL THREE AND A HALF YEARS.

REVELATION 13 GIVES US A VIEW OF THE: ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT AND THE ANTICHRIST, THE ONE-WORLD RELIGION AND THE FALSE PROPHET, WHO WILL BE THE LEADER OF THAT ONE-WORLD RELIGION, AND ALSO THE MARK OF THE BEAST, THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM OF THE ENDTIME ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM.

SO, THAT'S WHEN WE REALLY UNDERSTAND THE BOOK OF REVELATION, THAT REALLY HELPS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF REVELATION.

IF WE UNDERSTAND THE SKELETAL STRUCTURE OF REVELATION WITH THE SEVEN SEALS, SEVEN TRUMPETS AND SEVEN VIALS.

AND THEN WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT OTHER CHAPTERS ARE INCLUDED TO GIVE US A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ALL OF THIS REALLY IS ABOUT.

WE'RE FOCUSING TODAY ON THE SEVEN TRUMPETS.

IT BEGINS IN REVELATION CHAPTER 8, VERSE 6.

LISTEN TO IT.

"AND THE SEVEN ANGELS WHICH HAD THE SEVEN TRUMPETS PREPARED THEMSELVES TO SOUND."

NOW, WHEN WE DEAL WITH THESE SEVEN TRUMPETS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO START FROM ONE THROUGH SEVEN BECAUSE FIRST GOD HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND TRUMPET NUMBER THREE.

AND I FEEL LIKE THAT IF THAT'S THE WAY GOD HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND, THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO TRY TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND.

SO, LET'S LOOK AT THE THIRD TRUMPET FIRST.

IT'S REVELATION CHAPTER 8, VERSE 10 THROUGH 11.

"AND THE THIRD ANGEL SOUNDED, AND THERE FELL A GREAT STAR FROM HEAVEN, BURNING AS IT WERE A LAMP, AND IT FELL UPON THE THIRD PART OF THE RIVERS, AND UPON THE FOUNTAINS OF WATERS; AND THE NAME OF THE STAR IS CALLED WORMWOOD: AND THE THIRD PART OF THE WATERS BECAME WORMWOOD; AND MANY MEN DIED BECAUSE OF THE WATERS."

DON'T FORGET WORMWOOD AND DON'T FORGET THAT MANY MEN DIED BECAUSE OF THE WATERS.

I'LL NEVER FORGET HOW THIS ALL CAME TO ME.

WHAT HAPPENED WAS, IT WAS BACK IN 1995 AND I WAS WORKING ON THE MANUAL FOR OUR COURSE CALLED UNDERSTANDING THE ENDTIME.

IT WAS THE FIRST EDITION OF THAT COURSE AND I HAD HEARD A RUMOR THAT WORMWOOD MEANT CHERNOBYL.

THAT THE WORD CHERNOBYL WAS THE RUSSIAN WORD FOR WORMWOOD.

WHEN YOU DEAL WITH BIBLE PROPHECY, YOU HEAR ALL KINDS OF THEORIES.

AND I HAD LEARNED NOT JUST TO ACCEPT EVERYTHING THAT CAME MY WAY.

I MEAN, I'VE GOT 75 ANTICHRISTS IN MY FILING CABINET RIGHT NOW.

A LOT OF PEOPLE CONTACTED ME AND SAID, "OH, I KNOW RONALD REAGAN IS THE ANTICHRIST BECAUSE HIS NAME IS RONALD WILSON REAGAN.

RONALD HAS SIX LETTERS, WILSON HAS SIX LETTERS, REAGAN HAS SIX LETTERS, THEREFORE HIS NAME IS 666 AND THAT'S THE NAME OF THE - THE NUMBER OF THE NAME OF THE ANTICHRIST."

WELL, OBVIOUSLY HE WAS NOT THE ANTICHRIST, BUT I GET ALL KINDS OF THEORIES.

SO, WHEN I HEAR SOMETHING, A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION OF ONE OF THE PROPHECIES OF THE BIBLE, I LISTEN, BUT I DON'T SWALLOW IT HOOK, LINE AND SINKER BECAUSE I FOUND OUT OVER TIME THAT THAT'S NOT THE BEST THING TO DO.

SO, I WAS WORKING ON MY MANUAL FOR THE FIRST UNDERSTANDING THE ENDTIME PRODUCTION AND EVERYTHING WAS FLOWING THAT DAY.

I WAS TYPING AND EVERYTHING WAS REALLY GOING GREAT.

AND YOU KNOW, WHEN WRITERS ARE WRITING, SOMETIMES IT FLOWS AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T.

WELL, THIS PARTICULAR DAY, IT WAS FLOWING.

MY DOOR WAS SHUT TO MY OFFICE, I WAS ALL ALONE.

I WAS EXCITED.

I WAS BEHIND ON MY DEADLINES, BUT I WAS CATCHING UP, SO I WAS REALLY FEELING GOOD.

AND AS I WAS WRITING, NOTHING ABOUT WORMWOOD, NOTHING ABOUT CHERNOBYL, NOTHING ABOUT THE THIRD TRUMPET, IT WAS LIKE SOMETHING SPOKE TO ME.

I THOUGHT IT WAS GOD, ACTUALLY.

HE JUST SPOKE TO ME AND SAID, "YOU KNOW THAT RUMOR YOU HEARD ABOUT WORMWOOD BEING CHERNOBYL, I WANT YOU TO CHECK THAT OUT."

I REMEMBER THINKING IN MY MIND, NOW I'M ALL BY MYSELF IN MY OFFICE.

I REMEMBER THINKING IN MY MIND, "UH, WAIT A MINUTE, I'M BUSY, I'M DOING GOOD.

EVERYTHING IS FLOWING.

I DON'T WANT TO STOP AND DO THAT RIGHT NOW.

AND FURTHERMORE, YOU KNOW, THREE WEEKS AT THE LIBRARY TRYING TO DIG OUT THIS PIECE OF INFORMATION, I JUST DON'T HAVE TIME FOR IT RIGHT NOW, I HAVE TO GET THIS MANUAL FINISHED."

AND IT'S LIKE GOD SPOKE TO ME AND SAID, "IT WON'T TAKE YOU ANY TIME, JUST PICK UP THE PHONE, CALL THE LIBRARY, THEY'LL DO THE RESEARCH FOR YOU."

WELL, AS I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, I WAS REALLY A LITTLE BIT FRUSTRATED, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH.

BUT SINCE I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THE VOICE OF GOD, I THOUGHT, WELL, I PROBABLY SHOULD DO THIS.

SO, I OPENED THE DRAWER TO MY DESK, PULLED OUT THE PHONEBOOK AND LOOKED UP THE NUMBER, CALLED THE LIBRARY AND ASKED FOR THE REFERENCE LIBRARIAN AND I SAID, "MA'AM, THIS IS PASTOR IRVIN BAXTER AND I HEARD A RUMOR THAT THE RUSSIAN WORD FOR WORMWOOD IS CHERNOBYL.

IS THERE ANY WAY YOU COULD CHECK THAT OUT FOR ME AND LET ME KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE OR NOT?"

SHE SAID, "OH, IT IS TRUE BECAUSE, YOU SEE, THE RUSSIANS USED WORMWOOD FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES.

IT TURNED THEIR TONGUES BLACK AND THE RUSSIAN WORD FOR BLACK IS "CHERNI."

CONSEQUENTLY, THEY BEGAN TO CALL WORMWOOD CHERNOBYL.

AND SHE RATTLED OFF THE MOST AWFUL BUNCH OF INFORMATION YOU'VE EVER SEEN IN YOUR LIFE.

SO, I WAS TAKEN ABACK BY THIS.

I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR HER JUST TO ANSWER ME OFF THE CUFF LIKE THAT.

AND I SAID, "WELL, MA'AM, I'M GOING TO BE WRITING AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS.

COULD I GET SOME DOCUMENTATION AND SOME BOOKS AND PAGE NUMBERS?"

SHE SAID, "I'LL CALL YOU BACK."

SHE CALLED ME BACK 20 MINUTES LATER.

SHE HAD THE BOOKS, SHE HAD THE PAGE NUMBERS AND I WAS REALLY WOWED BY THIS TIME.

ONE REFERENCE SHE HAD WAS THE DICTIONARY OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE.

AND IT HAD, AS A DEFINITION, "CHERNOBYLNIK."

AND IT SAID, "A VARIETY OF ABSINTHE," WHICH WAS IN PARENTHESIS, "WORMWOOD, WITH A RED-BROWN OR DEEP PURPLE STEM."