WHEN THE STONES CRY OUT:
ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE GOD WHO ACTS IN HISTORY
Dr. Xavier Cravenwolfe, ThD
Luke 19:40; Psalm 85:11
INTRODUCTION: THE GOD WHO LEAVES EVIDENCE
Saints, today we stand on holy ground not because of the carpet beneath our feet, but because of the truth beneath our faith. We live in a world that questions everything sacred, doubts everything divine, and dismisses everything biblical. But Jesus said something that echoes across time:
“If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
He was not speaking metaphorically. He was speaking prophetically, and in our generations, the stones are crying out. Archaeology, the science of digging into the earth has become a witness to the truth of Scripture.
Psalm 85:11 declared it long ago:
“Truth shall spring out of the earth.”
Truth is rising from the soil. Truth is emerging from the dust. Truth is being uncovered from the ruins. And every discovery whispers the same message: The Bible is true. The God of the Bible is real. And the God who acted in history is still acting today.
Today, I want to take you on a journey not just through Scripture, but through the stones, the ruins, the inscriptions, the tombs, the cities, and the artifacts that confirm the Word of God. This is not a lecture. This is not a seminar. This is not an academic presentation. This is a sermon, a proclamation of truth, a declaration of faith, and a celebration of a God who leaves evidence.
I. THE TEL DAN STELE WHEN A PAGAN KING CONFIRMS GOD’S PROMISE
For decades, the "minimalist" school of biblical criticism argued that King David was nothing more than a pious fiction, a mythological figure akin to King Arthur, designed to give a fledgling post-exilic community a sense of grand heritage. They claimed there was no extra-biblical evidence for his existence. But in 1993, at the foot of Mount Hermon in northern Israel, archaeologist Gila Cook noticed a stone used in a secondary wall that looked different. It was a fragment of a victory monument, the Tel Dan Stele, commissioned by Hazael of Aram-Damascus. As the dust was brushed away from the basalt surface, three words in Paleo-Hebrew script silenced the skeptics and shook the foundations of academia.
"Beit David" – "The House of David."
This wasn't a biblical scribe writing with a theological agenda; this was a pagan king, a bitter enemy of Israel, boasting of his military triumph over a dynasty he recognized as the legitimate lineage of David. He didn't just carve a name; he carved a historical reality. The stones cried out across 2,800 years of silence.
This discovery confirmed:
David was real.
His dynasty was real.
His impact was real.
God’s promise to him was real.
Preaching Lift:
If God kept His promise to David, a promise carved into history He will keep His promise to you. Your faith is not built on fairy tales. Your faith is built on a God who leaves evidence. And sometimes, God will let your enemies confirm your calling.
II. THE HOLY SEPULCHRE GARDEN THE RESURRECTION IN REAL SPACE
For nearly two millennia, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has stood as the epicenter of Christian pilgrimage, marking the traditional site of Golgotha and the Empty Tomb. While some sought more "scenic" locations like the Garden Tomb, recent scientific excavations and restorations within the Aedicule and the surrounding complex have unveiled a subterranean history that aligns perfectly with the Passion narratives.
But recent excavations beneath that church revealed:
A first‑century garden
Soil containing grains, grapes, and figs
A quarried limestone tomb matching Gospel descriptions
A landscape consistent with John’s words: “In the place where He was crucified there was a garden.”
Critically, archaeologists found that the site was originally an ancient limestone quarry that had been transformed into a garden in the first century. By analyzing the archaeological strata, they confirmed that the tomb was indeed carved into a rock face outside the city walls of that era, exactly as the New Testament records. Archaeology cannot peer into the supernatural moment of the resurrection, but it can and has verified the geographical theater of our salvation. The Gospel is not a "once upon a time" story; it is a "there in that garden" reality.
The discovery of the limestone quarry-turned-garden is not merely a geological curiosity; it is a profound chronological marker. For years, critics argued that the traditional site of the Holy Sepulchre was located inside the city walls of Jerusalem during the time of Christ, which would have invalidated it as a burial site according to Jewish law. However, archaeological probes have definitively shown that these walls were expanded by Herod Agrippa I only years after the crucifixion. The stones reveal that at the moment of our Lord’s sacrifice, this ground was indeed "outside the gate," preserving the legal and historical integrity of the Passion narrative.
Furthermore, the presence of agriculture remains, the soil containing grains, grapes, and figs paints a vivid picture of the "garden" mentioned in the Gospel of John. This was not a manicured park of leisure, but a working, living piece of Judean land. It underscores the profound humility of the Incarnation: that the King of Glory was laid to rest in the working soil of His own creation. The archaeology invites us to see the Resurrection not as a ghost story occurring in a vacuum, but as a cosmic event anchored in the very dirt and vegetation of the first century.
Finally, the specific architectural features of the tomb itself, uncovered during recent restorations of the Aedicule, provide a direct link to the burial customs of the wealthy in the Second Temple period. The presence of a "kokh" or burial niche and the rolling stone track found in similar tombs of that era validate the specific details provided by the Evangelists regarding Joseph of Arimathea’s "new tomb." Every measurement of the rock and every analysis of the mortar serves as a silent, physical witness that the story of the Empty Tomb is rooted in a specific, identifiable location that still speaks to us today.
Preaching Lift:
If the resurrection happened in real space, then redemption happens in real lives. Your salvation is not symbolic, it is historical. Your deliverance is not theoretical, it is factual. Your hope is not imaginary, it is anchored in reality.


III. CAPERNAUM AND MAGDALA JESUS WALKED WHERE WE WALK
The shores of the Sea of Galilee aren't just beautiful landscapes; they are the floorboards of the Master's classroom. At Capernaum, known as Jesus' "own city," excavators found in 1968 the black basalt foundations of the very synagogue where He taught, and just steps away, an octagonal church built over a humble first-century home identified by early Christian graffiti as the House of Peter. This is where the healing of the paralytic and the centurion's servant weren't just stories, they were events. The theology of the Incarnation is etched into this basalt and limestone. When we touch these stones, we are touching the reality that the Word did not just become "idea" or "philosophy" He became flesh. He dwelt in a specific house, walked on specific floors, and breathed the air of a fishing village. The House of Peter serves as a monument to a God who is comfortable in the messy, ordinary spaces of our lives.
A first‑century synagogue beneath a later structure
Homes arranged exactly as described in the Gospels
Fishing tools consistent with Peter’s profession
Even more striking is the recent discovery at Magdala. While building a retreat center, workers struck stone and found a perfectly preserved first-century synagogue, one of only seven in the world. They found the "Magdala Stone," a miniature representation of the Second Temple, likely seen and touched by Jesus Himself. These aren't just ruins; they are witnesses to the fact that Jesus occupied the same physical world we do. The Magdala Stone represents the bridge between the holiness of the Temple and the dust of the village. It tells us that Jesus brought the presence of God out of the distant sanctuary and into the marketplace. The Incarnation means that the "Holy of Holies" has entered the human experience, validating every square inch of our physical existence as a potential meeting place with the Divine.
A first‑century synagogue
A carved stone depicting the Menorah
A thriving Jewish fishing village Mary Magdalene’s hometown
These discoveries confirm that Jesus’ ministry unfolded in real towns with real people not imaginary settings.
Preaching Lift:
If Jesus walked into real towns, He can walk into your real situation. The archaeological record at Capernaum and Magdala proves that our Savior is not a distant, sanitized deity, but an Incarnate Lord who got His feet dusty in the same world where you struggle. He is not a mythical Redeemer or a symbolic figure; He is a present help in the real world for real people with real problems. Because He truly entered our history, He can truly transform your story.

IV. THE EXODUS AND THE FORTRESS OF TELL EL‑KHAROUBA: GOD GUIDES WITH STRATEGIC PURPOSE

In the blistering, arid expanse of the northern Sinai, at a strategic site known as Tell el-Kharouba, archaeologists have unearthed a massive Egyptian military installation that provides a startlingly clear window into the geopolitical landscape of the New Kingdom. This fortress was a critical link in the defensive chain guarding "The Way of Horus," the primary coastal international highway connecting Egypt to Canaan. The archaeological significance of this infrastructure cannot be overstated; excavations revealed thick mud-brick ramparts, sophisticated granaries, and residential quarters for a permanent garrison of elite Egyptian troops.
The presence of such advanced military infrastructure confirms that this "Way of the Philistines" was not merely a road, but a militarized zone. Tell el-Kharouba served as a logistics hub and early-warning system for Pharaoh’s chariot corps. For Israel, a newly liberated but militarily unproven assembly of former slaves, artisans, and families, to have attempted this route would have been a suicide mission. They were a non-combatant group laden with the elderly, children, and livestock totally unequipped to breach a fortified frontier guarded by the world's most advanced superpower.
This fortress confirms:
Egypt heavily fortified the northern coastal route
Israel could not have taken the “short way”
Exodus 13:17–18 is historically accurate: “God led them not by the way of the Philistines… but by the wilderness.”
The theology of the "detour" in Exodus 13:17–18 is revealed here as an act of divine tactical genius and fatherly preservation. God did not lead them into the wilderness because He was lost; He led them there because He knew the vulnerability of their hearts and the reality of the Egyptian swords at Kharouba. The text says, "Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war." God understood that while the spirit might be willing, the trauma of slavery had not yet been replaced by the courage of the covenant. By diverting them from the coastal route, God was not delaying their destiny; He was protecting their fragile, burgeoning freedom from the crushing military reality of the "Way of Horus."
Preaching Lift:
When God reroutes your life and sends you the "long way," it is not a sign of His absence, but of His strategic protection. The archaeology of the Sinai proves that His detours are often the only reason we survive the hidden fortresses of our enemies. The same God who saw the garrison at Tell el-Kharouba sees the obstacles in your future and is guiding you with a purpose that prioritizes your preservation over your speed.
V. NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S CYLINDERS THE KING WHO FULFILLED PROPHECY
For generations, the Book of Daniel was dismissed by critics as a late-date pious fiction, written long after the events it purports to describe. Skeptics argued that its intimate details of the Babylonian court were too accurate to be prophetic and too specific to be historical. However, the shovel of the archaeologist has once again silenced the seat of the scornful. The discovery of numerous primary sources including the clay cylinders found near Kish and the monumental East India House Inscription has provided an archival, first-person look into the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II. These are not biblical commentaries; they are the official state records of a superpower, preserving the voice of the king himself across the chasm of two and a half millennia.
The physical evidence etched into these cylinders is staggering. They describe a monarch of unparalleled ambition whose construction projects transformed Babylon into the envy of the ancient world. The inscriptions detail the building of the Etemenanki ziggurat, the massive Ishtar Gate, and the formidable defensive walls that made the city seemingly impregnable. These artifacts confirm that the biblical portrait of Nebuchadnezzar is not a caricature, but a precise historical reflection of the man who stood at the center of the world's stage.
His absolute military and political dominance across the Ancient Near East
His historical role in the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple
His exhaustive architectural campaigns that mirrored the "Great Babylon" of Scripture
The theology of the Babylonian exile is anchored in the reality of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride. In Daniel 4:30, the king walks upon his palace roof and boasts, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?” The East India House Inscription contains words that are eerily similar, recording his obsession with his own legacy and his "mighty work" for the glory of his name. This is more than a linguistic parallel; it is a spiritual revelation. It shows that God does not merely observe history; He manages it. He took a king who sought to immortalize himself in clay and stone and used him to fulfill the prophetic purposes of the Almighty, proving that the heart of the king is but a stream in the hand of the Lord.
Preaching Lift:
If God can take the most powerful monarch of the ancient world, a man who thought he was a god, a king who commanded empires with a whisper and turn him into a servant of His divine decree, then there is no authority on this earth that can overrule God’s plan for you. The archaeological record of Nebuchadnezzar proves that the "Great Babylon" of man’s ambition is merely a footstool for the King of Kings. You need not fear the "kings" and "cylinders" of this world; for the same God who held the heart of Babylon holds your future in His hands. His sovereignty is the final word, and His providence is the ultimate architecture of your life.
Part 2
WHEN THE STONES CRY OUT:
ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE GOD WHO ACTS IN HISTORY
Luke 19:40; Psalm 85:11
VI. THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS GOD PRESERVES HIS WORD IN THE WILDERNESS
In 1947, a young Bedouin shepherd threw a stone into a cave near Qumran and heard pottery shatter. That unexpected sound led to a monumental discovery that changed biblical scholarship forever: the Dead Sea Scrolls. Hidden away in those desert caves lay ancient jars holding priceless manuscripts that had remained preserved across two millennia.
Inside those caves were:
Over 900 manuscripts, representing a vast library of theological and community documents.
Copies of every Old Testament book except Esther, confirming the textual canon used in the Second Temple period.
A complete scroll of Isaiah dated to around 125 BCE, which is virtually identical to the texts used today.
Texts that match the Masoretic Hebrew Bible with astonishing accuracy, silencing those who claimed the Bible had evolved over time.
The Dead Sea Scrolls provide undeniable historical confirmation that the Scriptures we read today are not corrupted, altered, or distorted. Across centuries of copying and historical upheaval, the Word has been supernaturally preserved. This discovery serves as a bridge across time, linking our modern Bibles directly to the hands of ancient scribes who treated every letter as sacred.
Preaching Lift:
If God can preserve His Word in a cave for 2,000 years, He can preserve you in the wilderness of your life. No matter how isolated, dry, or challenging your surroundings may feel, your calling and destiny remain secure in His hands. Just as the scrolls were kept safe from the elements, God is keeping you safe from the fires of your trials. The scrolls cried out from the desert: “The Word of God endures forever.”
VII. HEZEKIAH’S TUNNEL WHEN FAITH BUILDS WHAT FEAR CANNOT STOP
In 701 BCE, King Hezekiah faced the threat of Assyrian invasion. Scripture says he built a tunnel to secure Jerusalem’s water supply (2 Chronicles 32:30) Archaeologists found that tunnel 1,750 feet long, carved through solid rock, meeting perfectly in the middle.
Inside the tunnel, they found an inscription describing:
The workers
The engineering
The breakthrough moment when the two teams met
The exact biblical event
The stones cried out.
The architectural feat of Hezekiah’s Tunnel is more than an engineering marvel; it is a physical manifestation of the synergy between human responsibility and divine sovereignty. When the Assyrian king Sennacherib boasted of shutting up Hezekiah "like a bird in a cage," he underestimated a king who had already secured his city's lifeblood. The Siloam Inscription, discovered on the tunnel wall, records that the two teams of stonecutters guided by the sound of their axes meeting in the middle, bridged a gap that should have been impossible to navigate with such precision. This "breakthrough" was not merely a victory of craftsmanship, but a victory of a people who refused to let the drought of fear dictate their destiny.
Archaeologically, the tunnel validates the specific strategic measures detailed in the biblical text, proving that Hezekiah did not simply pray and wait, he prayed and prepared. The Gihon Spring, Jerusalem’s only permanent water source, was redirected into the city to ensure that "the kings of Assyria should not come and find much water." The stones tell us that the "God who acts in history" often acts through the calloused hands of those who are willing to dig in the dark. The theology of the tunnel teaches us that when we move in obedience to secure the "living water" of God's presence, the obstacles of solid rock must eventually yield to the progress of the promise.

Preaching Lift:
Faith does not wait for crisis faith prepares for victory. Hezekiah dug a tunnel before the enemy arrived. Some of you need to start digging before the battle begins.
VIII. THE PONTIUS PILATE INSCRIPTION THE GOVERNOR WHO COULD NOT STOP GOD’S PLAN
For centuries, skeptical scholars and critics claimed that Pontius Pilate was nothing more than a fictional character or a literary invention. But in 1961, in the ancient seaside city of Caesarea Maritima, archaeologists turned over a limestone block and uncovered a monumental discovery. Carved directly into the stone was an authentic first-century inscription reading: “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.” The very Roman governor who presided over the trial of Christ and condemned Jesus to be crucified had his name and official title indelibly etched into physical history.
This limestone inscription confirms:
The historical existence and official role of Pontius Pilate as Prefect of Judea.
The historical reliability of the Gospel accounts detailing the trial and condemnation of Jesus.
That human rulers and political authorities cannot stop or erase God’s sovereign plan.
Pilate famously sought to wash his hands of Jesus and distance himself from the judgment, yet he could not wash his name out of human history. Though he held earthly power and sentenced the Savior, the physical stone at Caesarea Maritima remained hidden for generation

Pakistan Part 2

This country lies right at the heart of the unreached world, over 300 people groups and castes have never heard the name of Jesus. Please become an intercessor for these peoples outlined below.

The teeming millions of the Punjabi majority on the Indus plains, there are a few fellowships amongst them, but there is so much to be done. Please pray for the establishment of fellowships.

The Pashtuns situated by the North west Frontier with Afghanistan are virtually unreached. Pray for the calling of committed and fervent intercessors and missionaries, this is a demonic stronghold, which can only be broken by constant fervent prayer.

The Seraiki speaking peoples number 14 million, these peoples are largely ignored, but they need the gospel.
Please pray for them, that missionaries and intercessors would be raised up.

Karachi is a strategic hub for the gospel, millions come to the city for work. There are opportunities to share the gospel as people need love and care. Please pray for the other main cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Multan.

Let us focus on a people group in Pakistan

Baloch People

Pray that the Lord would raise up intercessors and evangelists to go to this people.

Pray that these people would be touched by dreams and visions of Jesus.

Pray that a Baloch church would become a reality.

Pray that they would have the bible in their own language.



Please take time to read the first months posts on my new website, you will see the first part of my life story, prayer requests for China and Uk and much more

https://totallylovedbygod67.cw.center/2026/05/

Please take time to browse and read the articles and please make a comment if you have been blessed

Thanks

Keith

The African continent is fighting for economic liberation beyond political freedom. As the next frontier for global impact, Africa has all it takes to consolidate the gains made after political independence by redesigning socio-economic systems to the advantage of her people. Africa should not beg for what she already hers in possession from natural and human resources. Africa must build local capacity for essential goods and services. Lives and livelihoods matter.

Esattamente come è stato a suo tempo per la televisione, i computer, ed i telefoni portatili, oggi la nuova frontiera tecnologica che si approssima ad entrare a far parte della nostra quotidianità è quella dei “robot umanoidi”; quali risvolti etici pone questa novità? Un accenno a tale questione viene presentata in questo articolo.

Just as it was with television, computers, and cell phones in its time, today the new technological frontier approaching our daily lives is that of "humanoid robots." What ethical implications does this innovation pose? This article explores this question.

Will be at the Hudson River Frontier Missionary Baptist Association 7 Last Words service at the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Albany, NY at 7pm on Good Friday.

What are UUPGs? Why do they matter?

Many people have heard about unreached people groups, but Unengaged Unreached People Groups (UUPGs) are even more urgent.
UUPGs are ethnic or cultural groups who have no local church, no Bible in their heart language, and no missionaries or church-planting teams working among them. In simple words, no one is currently going to them with the gospel.

Today, there are 3,106 UUPGs around the world, representing nearly 288 million people. They are born, live, and die without ever hearing about Jesus—not because they rejected Him, but because they were never given a chance.

Most UUPGs are concentrated in a few countries: India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. Many live in remote villages, mountains, deserts, or tightly closed communities where the Church has not yet reached.

This is where the Church must respond.
Jesus’ command was not just to make disciples where it is easy, but of all nations (people groups).

Pray that God would call and send workers
Mobilize churches to adopt UUPGs
Give strategically to frontier missions
Go—if God is stirring your heart

They have no active gospel witness or church-planting effort.
But together, through prayer, obedience, and sacrifice, that can change.
The harvest is ready—who will go?
.
.
.#UUPGs #UnengagedUnreached #UnreachedPeopleGroups #frontier
#finishthetask

Thriving in a Small Town: The New Frontier of Home-Based Social Media Management

In today’s digital landscape, the evolution of work has led to an exciting paradigm shift, especially for those in the field of social media management.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxBptZ4cTMhJaRTEsKyfMSWiVhD3v9RnWS?si=An84n_ilbUIN4FIH

BIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS # 64
Section 6- Sure Word of Prophecy.

CHAPTER 64, The Seven Trumpets.

1. Following the seven seals, under what symbols was the next series of thrilling events shown the Apostle John?

"And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets." Rev. 8:2.

2. With what do these trumpets deal?

With the wars, commotion, and political upheavals which result in the breaking up and downfall of the Roman Empire the first four with the downfall of Western Rome, the fifth and sixth with the downfall of Eastern Rome, and the seventh with the final downfall of Rome in its broadest sense, or all the kingdoms of the world. See Revelation 8 and 9 and 11:14-19. A trumpet is a symbol of war. Jer. 4:19,20; Joel 2:1-11.

3. Under what figures is the first trumpet described?

"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up." Rev. 8:7.

NOTES: "Twice, at least, before the Roman Empire became divided permanently into the two parts, the Eastern and the Western, there was a tripartite division of the empire. The first occurred 311 A.D., when it was divided between Constantine, Licinius, and Maximin; the other, 337 A.D., on the death of Constantine, when it was divided between his three sons, Constantine, Constans, and Constantius."-Albert Barnes, on Rev. 12:4. To Constantius was given Constantinople and the East; to Constans, Italy, Illyricum, and northern Africa; and to Constantine 11, Britain, Gaul, and Spain. This trumpet describes the first great invasion upon Western or ancient Rome, by the Goths, under Alaric, from 395 A.D. to 410 A.D. In 408 he descended upon Italy, the middle "third part," pillaging and burning cities, and slaughtering their inhabitants. Says Gibbon in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," chapter 33, closing sentence: "The union of the Roman Empire was dissolved; its genius was humbled in the dust; and armies of unknown barbarians, issuing from the frozen regions of the North, had established their victorious reign over the fairest provinces of Europe and Africa."

4. What striking figure is used to describe the destruction wrought under the second trumpet?

"And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed." Verses 8, 9.

NOTE: This describes the invasions and conquests of the Vandals under the terrible Genseric-first of Africa and later of Italy-from 428 to 476 A.D. His conquests were largely by sea. In a single night, near Carthage, he destroyed, by fire and sword, more than half of the Roman fleet, consisting of 1,113 ships and over 100,000 men. See Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," chapter 36.

5. What was to take place under the third trumpet?

"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 of the waters, because they were made bitter." Verses 10,11.

NOTES: The harassing invasions and conquests of Attila, the Hun, are foretold here. His conquests were characterized by fire, sword, and pillage along the Rhine, in Gaul, and northern Italy. He claimed descent from Nimrod, styled himself the "Scourge of God" and the "Dread of the World," and boasted that grass would never grow again where his horse had trod. His greatest battle was at Chalons, in Gaul, 451 A.D., where of his 700,000 men from 100,000 to 300,000 are said to have been left dead on the field. See Gibbon's Rome, Chapter 35, and "Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World," by Sir Edward Creasy, chapter 6. Says Gibbon (chapter 34), "In the reign of Attila, the Huns again became the terror of the world"; and he proceeds to describe "the character and actions of that formidable barbarian, who," he says, "alternately insulted and invaded the East and the West, and urged the rapid downfall of the Roman Empire."

6. What was to occur under the fourth trumpet?

"And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and a third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not f or a third part of it, and the night likewise." Verse 12.

NOTE: This trumpet brings us to the fall of Western Rome, in 476 A.D., when the Herulian barbarians, under the leadership of Odoacer, took possession of the city and scepter of Rome; and the great empire which had hitherto been the empress of the world was reduced to a poor dukedom, tributary to the exarch of Ravenna. Its luminaries, or civil rulers, were smitten, and ceased to shine. "Italy now became in effect a province of the empire of the East. The Roman Empire in the West had come to an end, after an existence from the founding of Rome of 1,229 years."- Myer's "General History," page 348.

7. What was to be the character of the last three trumpets?

"And I beheld, and heard . an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!" Verse 13.

8. After the fall of Western Rome, what power in the East arose to harass and overrun the Roman world, East and West?

Mohammedanism, commonly known as the Turkish or Ottoman power, which arose in Arabia, with Mohammed, in 622 A.D.

9. How is the fifth trumpet, or first woe, introduced?

"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and, the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power." Rev. 9:1-3.

NOTES: Attila is symbolized by the star of the third trumpet (Rev. 8:10,11); Mohammed, by the star of this trumpet. The bottomless pit doubtless refers to the wastes of the Arabian desert, from which came forth the Mohammedans, or Saracens of Arabia, like swarms of locusts. The darkening caused by the smoke from this pit fitly represents the spread of Mohammedanism and its doctrines over Asia, Africa, and portions of Europe. Their power as scorpions is strikingly seen in their vigorous and speedy attacks upon, and overthrow of, their enemies. "Over a large part of Spain, over north Africa, Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, Persia, north India, and portions of Central Asia were spread-to the more or less perfect exclusion of native customs, speech, and worship-the manners, the language, and the religion of the Arabian conquerors."- Myers's "General History," page 401.

10. What command was given these locusts?

"And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." Verse 4.

NOTES: When the Arabian tribes were gathered for the conquest of Syria, 633 A.D., the caliph Abu-Bekr, the successor of Mohammed, instructed the chiefs of his army not to allow their victory to be "stained with the blood of women and children;" to "destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of corn;" to "cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle;" and to spare those religious persons "who live retired in monasteries, and propose to themselves to serve God in that way;" but, he said, "you will find another sort of people that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns: be sure you cleave their skulls and give them no quarter till they either turn Mohammedan or pay tribute." In this, Mohammedanism, itself a false religion, is revealed as a scourge to apostate Christianity. "In a short time they [the Mohammedan Saracens] had taken from the Aryans all the principal old Semitic lands-Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Babylonia. To these was soon added Egypt." -Encyclopedia Britannica, article "Mohammedanism."

11. What were these locusts said to have over them?

"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon [margin, a destroyer]." Verse 11.

NOTES: For hundreds of years the Mohammedans and invading Tartar tribes, like the locusts (Prov. 30:27), had no general government or king over them, but were divided into bands, or factions, under separate leaders. But in the twelfth century Temuljin, king of the Mongols, or Moguls, who is described as "the most terrible scourge that ever afflicted the human race," built up an empire "at the cost," it is estimated, says Myers in his "General History," page 461, of "fifty thousand cities and towns and five million lives." This was followed by the more permanent Tartar empire founded by Othman a century later, commonly known as the Ottoman Empire, and ruled by the sultan. From the first, the great characteristic of the Turkish government has been that of a "destroyer." Speaking of a war by the Turks upon the Byzantine Empire in 1050, Gibbon (chapter 57) says: "The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles from Taurus to Erzeroum, and the blood of one hundred and thirty thousand Christians was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet." In 1058 the Turks wrested the Holy Land from the Saracens, desecrated the holy places, and treated the pilgrims to Jerusalem with cruelty. This brought on the nine unsuccessful crusades of the next two centuries for the recovery of the Holy Land.

12. What definite period is mentioned under this trumpet?

"And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months." Verse 10. See also verse 5.

NOTES: "It was on the twenty-seventh of July, in the year 1299," says Gibbon, "that Othman first invaded the territory of Nicomedia," in Asia Minor, "and the singular accuracy of the date," he adds, "seems to disclose some foresight of the rapid and destructive growth of the monster."-"Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," chap. 64, par. 14. This, then, we take to be the beginning of the period referred to.

A Bible month consists of thirty days; five months would be 150 days. Allowing a day for a year, 150 years from July 27, 1299 would reach to July 27, 1449. During this period the Turks were engaged in almost constant warfare with the Greek Empire, and yet without conquering it.

13. With what statement does the fifth trumpet close?

"One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter." Verse 12.

14. What command is given under the sixth trumpet?

"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates." Verses 13, 14.

NOTES:These four angels are understood to refer to the four leading Turkish sultanies--Aleppo, lconium, Damascus, and Bagdad-of which the Ottoman Empire was composed, situated in the country watered by the river Euphrates.

As a striking parallel it may be noted that under the sixth plague (Rev. 16:12-16) the four angels of Rev. 7:1-3 will loose the winds of war, the waters of the river Euphrates (the Turkish Empire) will be dried up, and the armies of the nations will assemble for the battle of Armageddon.

15. What warlike scene is given under this trumpet?

"The number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: . . . and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeds fire and smoke and brimstone." Verses 16,17, R.V.

NOTES: In the year 1453, Mohammed 11 the Great, sultan of the Ottomans, laid siege to the capital [Constantinople], with an army of over 200,000 men. After a short investment the place was taken by storm. The cross, which since the time of Constantine the Great had surmounted the dome of St. Sophia, was replaced by the crescent, which remains to this day."-Myers's "General History" edition 1902, pages 462, 463. Thus Constantinople, the eastern seat of the Roman Empire since the days of Constantine, was captured by the Turks. Reference also seems to be made here to the use of firearms, which began to be employed by the Turks toward the close of the thirteenth century, and which, discharged from horseback, would give the appearance of fire and smoke issuing from the horses' mouths. In the battle of Armageddon, to which allusion may here be made, an army of "twice ten thousand times ten thousand," or two hundred million, will doubtless be assembled.

16. What was the result of this warfare by means of "fire and smoke and brimstone"?

"By these three was the third part of men killed." Verse 18.

NOTE: This shows the deadly effect of this new means of warfare. "Constantinople was subdued, her empire subverted, and her religion trampled in the dust by the Moslem conquerors."-Elliott's "Horae Apocalypticae," Vol. I, page 484.

17. What definite period is mentioned under this trumpet?

"And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men." Verse 15.

NOTE: An hour in prophetic time is equal to fifteen days; a day stands for a year, a month for thirty years, a year for 360 years. Added together, these amount to 391 years and fifteen days, the time allotted for the Ottoman supremacy. Commencing July 27, 1449, the date of the close of the fifth trumpet, this period would end August 11, 1840. In exact fulfillment of the words of Inspiration, this date marks the fall of the Ottoman Empire as an independent power. Wasted beyond hope of recovery in a war with Mohammed Ali, pasha of Egypt, the sultan of Turkey submitted to the dictates of the four great powers of Europe- England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia,-and, through his minister Rifat Bey, on that very day, August 11, 1840, placed in the hands of Mohammed Ali the decision, or ultimatum, drawn up by these powers. Since then Turkey has existed only by the help of sufferance of the great powers of Europe, and has commonly been referred to as "the Sick Man of the East."

18. With what announcement does the sixth trumpet close?

"The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe comes quickly." Rev. 11:14.

NOTE: The definite period under the sixth trumpet brings us to 1840, when Turkey lost her independence. Her final downfall, we understand, will come at the opening of the seventh trumpet.

19. What is to be finished when the seventh trumpet is about to sound?

"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good tidings which He declared to His servants the prophets." Rev. 10:7, R.V.

NOTE: The mystery of God is the gospel. Eph. 3:3-6; Gal. 1:11,12. When this trumpet is about to sound, therefore, the gospel will close, and the end will come. The "time of trouble," of Dan. 12:1, and the seven last plagues and the battle of Armageddon, spoken of in Revelation 16, will take place when this trumpet begins to sound.

20. What events mark the sounding of the seventh trumpet?

"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. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, f ell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and was, and art to come; because Thou has taken to Thee Thy great power, and has reigned." Rev. 11:15- 17.

NOTES: The seventh trumpet, therefore, brings us to the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom.

21. What is the condition of the nations, and what other events are due or impending at this time?

"And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." Verse 18.

NOTES: The closing scenes of this world's history and the judgment are clearly brought to view here. Ever since the loss of independence by the Ottoman Empire in 1840, the nations have been preparing for war as never before, in view of international complications and a world war which all fear is inevitable upon the dissolution of Turkey and the final disposition of its territory. Towering above all others, the Eastern question has been the one of paramount concern to them. The investigative judgment began in heaven in 1844, at the close of the prophetic period of 2300 days. See readings in Chapters 53. thru 56. of this book. When this is finished, the time of reward will have arrived, the end will have come, and the saints will themselves sit in judgment. See Rev. 20:4; 1 Cor. 6:1-3.

22. What scene in heaven was presented to the prophet as the seventh trumpet was about to sound?

"And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." Rev. 11:19.

NOTES: This forcibly calls attention to the closing work of Christ in the second apartment, or most holy place, of the sanctuary in heaven, which began in 1844. See readings referred to in preceding note. The reference to the ark of God's testament is a forcible reminder also of that which is to be the standard in the judgment,-the law of God, or ten commandments. See Eccl. 12:13,14; Rom. 2:12,13; James 2:8-12.

From its dosing words-the reference to "great hail"- the seventh trumpet evidently embraces the seven last plagues (see Rev. 16:17,18); and from its opening words-"the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord"-it marks the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom.

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