One Interpretation of the 7 Trumpets

The following is not LDS Doctrine. I just thought it was interesting. I was watching some YouTube videos and I was fascinated at an amazing interpretation of the 7 trumpets in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. While these scriptures likely also apply to the Last Days, this particular evangelical Christian was explaining how the 7 trumpets could be giving specific details about the fall of the Roman Empire.

1st Trumpet- Rev 8:6-7 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 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.

The first trumpet or Judgment upon the Roman Empire prophecies hail or war (Job 38:22-23). Hail is used as a symbol of war earlier in the Bible. The first group to attack and overrun the Roman Empire are the Goths. The result of the Goths is that Rome withdrew their armies from Germany and Great Britain allowing the Anglo-Saxons to conquer it.

2nd Trumpet- Rev 8:8-9 And the second angel sounded, and as it were 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.

The second trumpet or judgment upon the Roman Empire tells of the 2nd group to attack the Roman Empire. The Vandals came from the seas to attack the Roman Empire. The Vandals used naval power to conquer Northern Africa, many Mediterranean island nations, and even ransacked and "vandalized" Rome. Vandals were Germanic but they staged most of their successful naval attacks on Rome from Carthage after taking North Africa

3rd Trumpet- Rev 8:10-11 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 of the waters, because they were made bitter.

The third trumpet tells of Atilla the Hun and Barbarians coming from Mongolia to attack the Roman Empire. Atilla the Hun split up the Goths into the Visigoths in Spain and the Ostrogoths in Germany. Atilla conquest followed the rivers and while he avoided Rome and Constantinople, His empire reached as far as Gaul or modern day France. Waters refer to peoples and tribes (Isa 48:1, Rev 17:15). Atilla extorted money from the Roman Empire for peace.

4th Trumpet- Rev 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the 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 for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

The Western portion of the Roman Empire fell when the last Emperor Romulus Augustus was removed by federated Germanic troops led by Odoacer from within the Roman army rather than by foreign troops. The Roman Empire had been increasingly populated and governed by Germanic peoples long before. The Western Roman Empire never was a cohesive whole ever again and was broken up into tribes comprised by Franks, Goths, and Huns. The Book of Mormon and others warning voices (Alex Jones and Knights of Malta) have been warning that Mexicans and/or UN troops have been allowed into the United States and may be used by FEMA to impose martial law resulting in the fracturing of America in the same way Germans were used to fracture Rome.

4th Trumpet- Rev 9:3 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. 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. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 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.

Locusts refers to the rise of the Arabs and Islam out of North Africa. The Arab conquest first took North Africa (1/3 part of the Empire). The Arabs had hair like women (long hair on top) but faces like men (long beards). They wore golden crowns or turbans, they used Arabian horse calvary, used iron chain mail, and were first to use gunpowder and artillery cannon decorated with a mouth of a lion and lit with by the fuse in the tail. The Arabs did not slash and burn cities in their conquest and gave Christians the choice of freedom if they converted to Islam or slavery if they remained Christian. Christian wives were sent to harems and children were raised in Islam. John makes it clear that the religion of Islam is of Satanic origin.

Rev 9:13-14 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 ain the great river Euphrates. 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.And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

The new Islamic capital or Caliphate shifted to Iraq and incorporated the Turks. Turks wore uniforms of red, blue, and yellow. Turkish armies are organized in units of 10,000. The Arabs finally destroyed Constantinople in 1453 and the last third of Eastern Roman Empire only after the Eastern Orthodox Church went back to worshiping icons after the iconoclast period. Emperor Irene called for the 2nd Ecumenical Council of Nicea and re-introduced Babylonian and pagan worship in Eastern Orthodox religion. The Turks were the first to use gun powder and artillary cannon that were decorated with lion heads and were lit with a fuse in the end or tail. Turks continued on conquering Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania and Serbia but stopped in Catholic Vienna. Islam extended in Spain until turned back by the Catholic Franks and had an agreement to not go against Rome. After the fall of Constantinople fell, learned men with their scriptures and other texts were scattered all throughout Europe triggering the Renaissances and Reformation.

Rev 11:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. 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.

The last and 7th Trumpet involves the pouring out the 7 vials of God's wrath against Rome itself. While the trumpets involved the tribulation by Rome upon the evangelical Christians and Sephardic Jews, the 7 vials of wrath involve judgments upon those that initially inflicted the tribulation. According to the video, some of the vials had to do with the French Revolution and Reign of Terror after France persecuted and massacred the Huguenots. Comparatively, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Rome and Titus could be a type of the Tribulation while the volcano (Vesuvius) which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, fire, plague, drought and then an early death would represent the judgments and wrath of God upon Titus.

The End of All Nations

Again, let me remind the reader, despite the name of this blog, nothing on this blog represents official LDS Doctrine. The content on this blog are my personal opinion. The reason for using this title is so that anti-LDS can't.

D&C 88:77 And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom. 78 Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; 79 Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—80 That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.

“We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family.” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988, p. 167.)

In the Bible, the Book of Daniel has Daniel interpret King Nebakanezer's dream. In that dream, Daniel sees an idol with a head of gold, shoulders of silver, belly or bronze, and legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. Daniel was given the interpretation that the head represented the Babylonian Empire, the silver shoulders was the Persian Empire, the Bronze belly was Greece, and the Iron legs were Rome. It is interesting how those metals are associated historically with these Empires. Daniel is shown that a rock is cut out of the mountains without hands which rolls forth, and grows until it strikes the idol and destroys it.

Later on in Daniel, Daniel describes the same thing, but this time he is shown 4 Beasts arise out of the ocean. The first had the head of a lion with eagle wings. The second was a bear, the third was a 4-headed Leopard, and the fifth and most terrible and a combination of the previous 3. Again, this dream represents earthly kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Greece is described as a 4-headed beast because Greece split into 4 after the death of Alexander the Great.

But in the Last Days, there could be a latter-day fulfillment of this revelation to Daniel. If we look at history emerging from the Dark Ages and feudalism, the first great empire we see is the Spanish Empire beginning with Columbus in 1492 and ending with the 30-years war in Europe in 1618 and the decline of the Austro-Spanish Habsburg Empire. Spain suffered other defeats along the way such as defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and then the War of Spanish Succession in 17o1, and finally the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

The French Empire was the next to come onto the scene beginning with the 30-years war in Europe in 1618 with Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIII. In 1685 France reversed the Edict of Nantes (1598) with the Edict of Fontainebleau and made Protestantism illegal. French Huguenots fled France for neighboring countries. After 1701 and the War of Spanish Succession, King Louis XIV fostered the Baroque period of art and music and France ruled the cultural world. French power continued until Napoleon in 1804-1814 at the battle of Waterloo.

Great Britain comprising 4 countries of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England from about 1801 to 1945 and the end of World War II. Just as the third empire Greece gave the world a universal language, Great Britain had widespread cultural, linguistic, and political influence. At its peak approximately a quarter of the Earth's total land area. It was often said that "the sun never sets upon the British Empire."

World War II brought about the rise of the fourth and last world empire: the United States. While the constitution is an inspired document, the economic and imperialistic practices of the US has hurt many countries. While we do have legitimate concerns over Nazism, Communism, and Radical Muslim Extremism, US business is guilty of selling Coca-Cola in 3rd-world countries in exchange for milk, deluging Eastern Europe in cigarettes, and supporting this man-made global warming farce that is preventing the 3rd-world from developing. In "Confessions of an Economic Hitman," and "The Secret History of the American Empire" we learn that Imperialist West encourages developing nations to take out huge loans from the World Bank. Then after the country cannot possibly repay the debt which was used by Western Businesses to build a refinery or a mine, we tell the country we will help them and even forgive their debt if they allow the US control over their natural resources and if they do not impose tariffs on US imports. This control stifles innovation and jobs in developing nations.

Gold Head, Lion and Eagle, Babylonian, 525 B.C.— 457 B.C., Spain, 1492-1618
Silver Shoulders, Bear, Medo-Persian, 457 B.C.— 332 B.C., France, 1618-1815
Bronze Belly, 4-Headed Leopard, Greece, 332 B.C. — 30 B.C., Great Britain, 1815-1945
Iron Legs, 7-headed 10 horns, Imperial Rome, 30 B.C. — 476 A.D., United States, 1945 - Present.

After thinking a lot about the main threats to our freedom. Several things stand out to me. In the LDS "Proclamation to the World: The Family", the warning at the end by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that it would be policies that break down the family as the fundamental unit of society that would bring upon nations "the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets." This does not say the calamities will be caused by Islam or Communism; at least directly. Although it is our degrading traditional family values that empower these false ideologies.

In Joseph Smith's revelation on War, he said that the War of the States would begin in South Carolina and that the Southern States would seek assistance from Great Britain. The interesting thing about this prophecy is that Great Britain's support for the Confederacy was not in troops and ships but large loans to fund the war against the Union. These war loans were paid out of banks in Paris, France. When Abraham Lincoln found out that the Rothschild's were funding both sides of the war, he stopped paying interest on Union loans and started printing "greenbacks". It is not a surprise to many that Lincoln was assassinated. Joseph Smith said what was done during the War of the States would spread war all over the world. Well to me, it seems banking was the issue here.

This was not the first time the Rothschild's made money funding both sides of a war. The Rothschild's made their fortune beginning with the Battle of Waterloo. The Rothschilds are claimed to have been funding both the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon. The story goes that Nathan Mayer Rothschild had informants on the battle field that raced the news of the battle back 24 hours before the general public learned the outcome. At first Rothschild began selling off his stocks or consols. Upon learning that Rothschild was selling off his consols, all the traders in London followed. Then just before the news of Wellington's win at Waterloo arrived, Rothschild had his men buy every last consol they could get their hands on. Upon learning that England was victorious, Rothschild's consols were now worth 20:1 what he had paid for them. Rothschild owned the British Empire.

I have discussed in previous posts how our current banking system, corporatocracy and economy hurts families, workers, creates classes, and keeps the 3rd-world impoverished. We should not forget that it was Rothschilds who was the major supporter for the slave trade also. While I do not ignore other threats, the Bible tells us that in the Last Days, an economic and political system will arise that will first destroy false religion (the Beast will devour the Harlot) before it ends up destroying all nations.

There exist certain persons of power who desire that the entire world be globally united. In fact, Jesus Christ wanted to do this also. Except, the people formulating this global unification want to be in charge and not Christ. There are people of great power and wealth who seek to build Utopia and not Zion. And there are very many well-meaning people who have good intentions and hope for a great future potential good in this plan. Unfortunately, their hope in a right end tends to justify much wrong along the way.

How this global unification will come about is by driving wedges between people, and creating all sorts of factions, religions, classes, peoples, political ideologies, cultures and counter cultures. Mistrust and contention between groups will lead to war. In contrast to conflict and contention, a global unification will promise peace. So, our contention, mistrust, and anger among ourselves empowers globalists to take control. They will tell us how religion has failed us, and only through their vision has true peace been realized.

But those who put their faith in Christ, and are called, chosen and faithful know how the story will really end and that this secret combination will fail, and Christ alone will reign upon the Earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Ether 8:22-25 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not. Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—. . . For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people,

D&C 87: 6 And thus, with the asword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall bmourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;

Jer 30: 11 For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

"We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order." -David Rockefeller

“For more than a century ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as "internationalists" and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure - one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it." - David Rockefeller “Memoirs” 2002, p405

The 7 Seals of Revelation

Joseph Smith was told by God that the 7 seals are 7 1000-year periods of the earth history. The 7 Seals make mention of the emergence of disease and earthquakes. It is likely disease and earthquakes had always existed, but the the devastation is a result of how these natural occurrences are magnified due to man's changing living conditions.

D&C 77: 6-7, 12
6 Q. What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals?
A. We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and the works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence.

7 Q. What are we to understand by the seven seals with which it was sealed?
A. We are to understand that the first seal contains the things of the first thousand years, and the csecond also of the second thousand years, and so on until the seventh.

12 Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?
A. We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, a. . . . and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming.

Seal 1 4000-3000bc: men divide up the land
Seal 2 3000-2000bc: men fight over boarders, before seal 1 you didnt have much war because if you wanted some land it was easier to just move and find some then to kill over it.
Seal 3 2000-1000bc: Phoenecians invent money
Seal 4 1000-0: money allows people to live in cities. Living in cramped cities then diseases and plagues became a big issue.
Seal 5 0-1000ad: Christ is crucified and Christians are martyred.
Seal 6 1000-2000ad: sun,moon, stars darkened describes the Apostasy. Apostasy describes the time when all spiritual light from heaven is rejected for the ideas and interpretations of man. Not one stone is left upon another of the temple (church) of Christ. This led the world in the DARK AGES.

Earthquakes terrorize the people because this is the century when the Romans invented concrete and cement. Consequently many cities were built with unreinforced concrete and the same type of thing we saw happen in Haiti happened in many other cities.

Regional Earthquakes and Tsunamis are signs of the time. They only affect small regions but give us a glimpse of what a world-wide catastrophe during the tribulation could do. If what happened to Haiti happened everywhere, Haiti would not receive any help because everyone would be needing help at the same time. That is why Rev says after the first trumpet will burn 1/3 trees (richer people) but burn all the green grass (poorer people). Dying in the tribulation doesn't mean you are righteous or wicked.

Another angel appears with the seal of God describing the restoration of the everlasting gospel and the elect receive the sealing in the forehead. This restoration describes the Restoration by Joseph Smith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Restoration of the New Testament Temple and Everlasting Temple Covenant.

Seal 7 2000-3000ad:
This seal opens with a 1/2 hour of silence. this 1/2 hour could be 21 years and is not likely going to end in 2012.
The 7 Trumpets sound signaling the Tribulation
The Beast (false gov) turns against and devours the Harlot (false religion)
The righteous come out of the tribulation sanctified and with their robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb. The wicked still do not repent.
The righteous are raptured during the 7th Trumpet at the end of the Tribulation
The 7 Cups of Wrath are then poured out and the wicked are destroyed
Christ and the righteous enjoy a period of Paradisaical Peace
The Wicked are resurrected at the end of the Millennium and Satan is again empowered and there is a final Battle of God and Magog.

We are currently in the 1/2 hour silence of the 7th Seal. Soon the 7 Trumpets will sound. Signs of the times are regional disasters like Haiti and the Indonesian Tsunami which only give us a glimpse of what world-wide catastrophe could do. It would not take very much to disrupt the food supply and transportation system. Food is not locally grown any more in amounts to support large cities. Therefore, every family needs a 1-2 year supply of food and medicines. Summer is nigh at hand

Curse of the Water

Q. Someone asked me recently why LDS missionaries were not allowed to swim and did this policy relate to LDS believing that the waters had been cursed.

D&C 61:3;14 But verily I say unto you, that it is not needful for this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters, whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief. . . . Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters.

A. The origin of this goes back to the Doctrine and Covenants and the practice of returning missionaries to return home to Nauvoo via paddle boat up the Mississippi and Missouri from New Orleans. Christ told Joseph Smith that He preferred the missionaries to travel by land and not by water so that they could continue missionary work while they traveled. Also, there was mention made of avoiding sin because while the laws of the land applied to the land, it has always been the practice that the laws don't necessarily apply to the water. So, even to this day, paddleboats were used for gambling and brothels up and down the Mississippi.

As far as missionaries not being allowed to swim. This is a policy decision based on a desire to prevent injury. Missionaries are much less likely then their counterparts to be injured or die while on their mission. Missionaries are permitted to travel by boat, or ferry and missionaries get in the water to baptize converts often. Missionaries are also instruccted to bathe daily as well.

The curse of water spoken of in Revelation as part of the 7 trumpets, and 7 vials of the tribulation in the last days over the Seas, rivers, fountains etc and really is symbolic of peoples, nations, and tongues. So, in reality God is concerned with people not the water, and it is the people who are cursed and not really the water itself. This understanding fits perfectly with the reasoning that missionaries were instructed to travel home by land and continue to preach the gospel message instead of traveling by boat while the cursed peoples on the shores perish.

Rev. 17: 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Notes on the Book of Revelation

LDS believe the rapture will occur Post-tribulation and pre-wrath. LDS believe the rapture will occur simultaneously with the second coming of Christ. Upon Jesus' return, believers will meet him in the air while the Earth is burned and will then return and accompany him in His Millennial reign on a Paradisaical Earth.

Joseph Smith was told by God that the 7 seals are 7 1000-year periods of the earth history. The 7 Seals make mention of the emergence of disease and earthquakes. It is likely disease and earthquakes had always existed, but the the devastation is a result of how these natural occurrences are magnified due to man's changing living conditions.

Seven Seals
1st Seal: 4000bc-3000bc man conquers and divides up the Earth,
2nd Seal: 3000bc-2000bc man wars and disputes over boarders,
3rd Seal: 2000bc-1000bc money invented by Phoenicians,
4th Seal 1000bc-0 disease due to city crowding, and poor sanitation,
5th Seal: 0 -1000ad Christian Martyrs,
6th Seal: 1000ad-2000ad Sun, moon, stars darkened = Apostasy, Earthquakes cause fear, death, and destruction due to congested city living, city fires, and use of unreinforced concrete/cement. Restoration and elect of God from every nation receive the "sealing in the forehead."
7th Seal: 2000ad-3000ad 1/2 Hour Silence, Tribulation, Rapture, Wrath, Second Coming, Millennium, Final Battle.

Events of the 7th Seal
The angel says hurt not the Earth, Seas, Trees until we have Sealed the Believers.
Therefore, the Seal begins with 1/2 hour of silence = 21 years?
Then the 7 Trumpets Sound and 7 Vials poured out (like the 7 trumpets at the wall of Jericho)
The Beast is false government and economic system
The Harlot is false religion riding on the back of the Beast
The Beast turns against the Harlot, devours and destroys all false religion (Rev 17: 16)

Seven Trumpets
1st Trumpet: Hail, Fire and Blood burn 1/3 trees and all grass
2nd Trumpet: Mountain in the Sea turns to blood and kills 1/3 fish die and 1/3 ships
3rd Trumpet: Woomwood star contaminates 1/3 rivers and 1/3 springs
4th Trumpet: 1/3 part of Sun, Moon, Stars hidden
5th Trumpet: Another star falls, Sun is dark by smoke and Scorpion Locusts torment man 5 months
6th Trumpet: Armageddon kills 1/3 man, 2 Witnesses prophesy and call plagues
7th Trumpet: Christ Appears and wrath unleashed

Seven Vials
1st Vial: Sores upon those who worship the Beast and its Image
2nd Vial: Sea turns to blood and men in sea die
3rd Vial: Rivers and springs turn to blood
4th Vial: Sun scorches man with fire
5th Vial: Darkness and torment of man
6th Vial: AntiChrist and 3 frogs emerge to bring about Armageddon
7th Vial: Christ appears, believers raptured, and the Great Earthquake and Wrath unleashed

List of Symbols
Events of Apostasy during Roman Times replayed in the Last Days
It seems the Trumpet and Vials seem to be describing the same events.
Seas, Rivers, Springs , Water = peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. (Rev 17:15)
Seven heads = seven mountains = continents (NA, SA, EU, Afr Rus, SEAs, Aus)
7 Headed Beast = Summation of all beasts in Dan 3
Beast = False government and economy (merchant city)
Harlot = False religion

Antichrist: Denying the Physicality of God, His Church, His Temple

Many Evangelical, Creedal Christians deny the physicality of God, His Church and His Temple. They focus on only the spiritual meaning of temple as the body of the believer. They focus only on the spiritual meaning of the church, as the body of believers. But what many errantly deny is the continued importance of the physicality of Christ's being, the physicality of His church, and the physicality of His temple.

Yes, there is a crucial spiritual meaning to the temple and the church. But God is both spiritual and physical. Temples are both spiritual and physical. The Body of Christ is both spiritual and physical. These are not mutually exclusive. There is no dichotomy here. You want to make a false dichotomy and say it is only one way or the other. Truth is, its both, which is my point. Gods temple and church and being are both spiritual and temporal. Just as Christ redeemed and resurrected His body, He has redeemed and restored His church, His holy word, and His temple.
Without the body, Christ couldn't have performed the atonement. Christ not only performed the atonement with his body, he also died with His body, He redeemed and resurrected His body, H showed His body to the Apostles and Paul, and He ascended into heaven with His body. Therefore, the body can't be all bad or inherently evil. There must be something good about His physicality. And if there is any good in it, than that good must be a part of God's Being who is the source of all that is good.

Christ equated His body with that of the temple and with His church in the scriptures.

John 2:18-21 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.

Eph 4:11-14 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Jesus Christ showed us that perfection involves the unification of both the spirit and glorified body together. Despite Christ redeeming His physical body, many Evangelical, Nicene Creed Christians deny the physicality of God, deny the physicality of Christ's church, and deny the physicality of Christ's temple. Many Christians have adopted an extreme "Christ is all I need" doctrine to exclude the need for gifts of grace like prophets, apostles, priesthood, church organization, water baptism, communion, laying on of hands, etc. However, this is exactly the kind of thing John in Revelation warned the believers about. Denying the physicality of God is what John said was the spirit of Antichrist.

1 Jn. 4: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Many Early Christians went apostate because this "physicality is evil" doctrine crept into the doctrine. The physicality of God was denied and it affected other doctrines. Many Christians know that the gnostics denied Christs physical resurrection but have forgotten why the gnostics refused to accept that Christ had a body. They rejected Christ's physicality because they knew that Christ was the exact, perfect and complete revelation of the nature of the Father. And they could not accept that the Father could possibly have any physicality. So, while Evangelical Christians today accept Christ's physicality, many are no better then the Gnostics because, like them, they can not accept that the Father has physicality as part of His nature. that is the doctrine of the antiChrist then and now. And that leads many to deny any physicality in Christ's Church (also equated with His body), and Christ's temple (also equated with His body). The truth of the Bible is that there are both spiritual and physical meaning to Christ's Church and Temple as Christ has both a body and a spirit as the Father has both a body and a spirit.

Philip. 3: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

1 Cor. 9: 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1 Cor. 15: 42, 50, 52-54 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Satan and Evil do not create anything of their own, but corrupt things. Therefore there is nothing inherently evil about the body or physicality. Christ, on the other hand, changes things, purifies, sanctifies, and perfects things. Therfore the corruptible flesh can become incorruptible and holy. This truth refutes the belief that anything physical is evil, impure, and inferior. If anything physical is inferior, what would that mean about Christ who has a body? Would that make Christ inferior? Yes, corrupt flesh and blood can not inherit the kingom of God, but Christ's incorruptible and glorified body of flesh and bone did.

Rev 13:5-7 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

John talks again about the message of the "mouth" or "false prophet" or "Antichrist" of the beast. The Antichrist would blaspheme God, His name (Christ), by blaspheming his tabernacle, his body, or physicality. This is also directly related to those who deny the physicality of Christ's church and the revelations about the restoration of Christ's temple in the Last Days. Some see God as spirit only. Therefore, they only see the God's church, temple, and salvation in terms of the spiritual and deny any physicality associated with them.

When the Scriptures say that God is spirit, and that man must worship Him in spirit and in truth. It was saying God is both spirit and body and man must learn to worship God both in body and spirit, letter of the law and spirit of the law, with a broken heart and contrite spirit, and with faith and works together just as God is a perfect and glorified union of the spiritual and physical.

John warns us not to worship the beast (Roman Catholic Church), its image (Protestantism), and receive not its mark (Trinity, Nicene Creed). John warns us not to listen to the Antichrist and the "mouth" of the Beast that will blaspheme His tabernacle and deny the physicality of God, His church, and His temple.

Obviously, this would be the road most traveled by the Gentiles. If most people were to be fooled, shouldn't those who consider ourselves true believers of Christ examine ourselves like the Apostles did to ask if we are guilty of denying and betraying Him. Shouldn't we ask as did the Apostles, "Lord, Is it I" (Matt. 26: 22).

Beasts, Images, and Marks

Rev. 7: 3 and Rev. 9: 4 talk about God's "sealing in the forehead" not to be confused with Satan's counterfeit "mark of the beast"Daniel and John both talk about Beasts.

Daniel 7 talks about 4 Beasts or Empires: Babylon, Persia, Greece (4 heads), and Rome (ten horns). The 10 horns represent 10 Emperors to Vespasian. The little horn is Titus who destroyed the temple and crucified thousands of Jews around the walls of Jerusalem. John in Revelation talks about the same Beast but combines them into one with 7 heads (add up the heads) and the same 10 horns. John is telling the same story of the Great Apostasy. John and Daniel both warn that the Beast (Roman Empire) would both "overcome the Saints" and "prevail against them" Also, Daniel points out that the Roman Empire would "change the times and laws" of the gospel. We see this with the creation of the Catholic church of the Roman Empire and the Ecumenical Creeds. The gates of Hell do prevail against the Saints because they cease to be built upon revelation and Peter's keys and authority.

John in Revelation (Rev. 19: 20, Rev. 15: 2, Rev. 14: 9-11, Rev. 13: 14-15) talks more about this beast. John never uses the word Antichrist in Revelation but says the beast would be given a "mouth" to blaspheme God and His tabernacle (body and temple), and His people. This beast is the same as the 4-headed beast which personifies the Roman Catholic Church. But it doesn't just represent that. Because John says that this Beast makes a copy or an image of itself. And that if a person worshipped the Beast and its image, and receive its mark, they would burn. So, what is the image of the Catholic Church; an offshoot that is just as corrupt as the original? The image is Protestantism. So, in a specific sense, If the Beast is Roman Catholicism and the Image is Protestantism, then what it the mark? The mark is the only doctrine that Catholicism and Protestantism have in common. And that common doctrine is acceptance of the Nicene Creed which teaches that the Father and Son are one undivided substance or "homousious" and that the Father has no body, and that in some mysterious, incomprehensible way they are 3 persons yet 1 being. Remember that the "spirit of Antichrist" were those who denied the physical resurrection of Christ. Also, this is just one of many ways evil people mark themselves.

So, what about the Antichrist or this "mouth" that blasphemes God and its number of 666. 666 is a key to understanding what the Antichrist really is all about. The only place in scripture you find the number 666 is associated with King Solomon. Therefore King Solomon is a type of the Antichrist. What happened to King Solomon? What happened was that King Solomon was that not only did he practice polygamy, but that he took wives from outside the Jewish faith. Because these wives practiced pagan religion, he wanted to please these pagan wives, and began to adopt aspects of their pagan religions, and build temples and idols to their gods. Solomon became very rich and in the year the Queen of Sheba visited he received 666 talents of gold which he used to adorn his own palace and not the temple.

Considering this story, it is apparent that Aaron also becomes a type of the Antichrist. While Moses us up in the mountain communing with God, Aaron and the people claim that Moses "delayeth his coming." The people became idle and wrestless, and gave Aaron all their gold so that he would make a golden calf and false god to worship and fall into perverse sexual sin. This parallels Paul's warning about many in his day and in the Last Days who would practice what is called priestcraft, or preaching false religion for money. Paul calls preistcraft "gainsaying" for "filthy lucre." (Titus 1: 7, 11).

In a general sense the idea of the Beast, Image, and Mark would represent any false and apostate religion and religious ideology. John gives us the pattern for how apostate and false religions operate and what their message is. John in Revelations 13:6 what the Antichrist would say. John says he would "open his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."I think it interesting that John says the "mouth" of the beast would blaspheme the tabernacle or temple of God. This is an interesting concept because Christ equates several things with His body such as His church organization, and the temple itself.

There are many Evangelical, Nicene Creed Christians who have been taught an extreme "Jesus is all I need" doctrine that excludes the literal restoration of Gods temple, the literal physicality of God, and the proper organization of Christ's Church with Apostles and prophets, priesthood, water baptism, ordinances. Their rejection of the physicality of God becomes a metaphor for their rejection for the physical, tangible things of God's church. All I need is Christ they say. There is no more need for ordinances, or ritual, or priesthood, or church hierarchy. Everything is spiritual like God is. But they forget that Christ made a point by redeeming his body, and that while God is spirit, the physical and the spiritual together constitute perfection, and one cannot properly worship God in spirit and in truth unless He learns to worship God in body and spirit, by the letter and the spirit of the law, and with faith and works together.

Sanctification of Christ's Church

It seems to me that a vocal few love to criticize the LDS church for the very few changes in policy, ritual or organization over its long history. They seem to enjoy pointing to the issues of polygamy which hasn't been practiced in the church for over 100 years, and the church policy allowing blacks to hold the priesthood as examples that the church cannot possibly be Christ's true church. They also point to grammatical edits to the Book of Mormon, and minor modifications in ritual ordinances as similar evidence that the church caves to social pressure instead of being inspired by God.

First off, let me say that in many cases small modifications to church organization or this or that are not due to any mistake but due to changing needs and circumstances. With regard to the symbolism of ordinances, if the symbol changes meaning and usage in society, then ritual may be modified to preserve the original intent and meaning of the ordinance. Remember that it is the meaning of the ordinance that holds priority over the outward ritual. This would not apply to changing baptism from immersion to sprinkling because the symbol of being submerged in water and with Christ in His death and coming forth in a newness of life as Christ was resurrected has not changed meaning in our culture.

That said, while the LDS Church claims to be the only true church of Christ on the Earth with the fullness of Christ's doctrine instead of only parts of the truth, the church has never claimed that its leaders or the church itself is infallible. Remember that the Church is a living church. But, some want to make the LDS church into an institution that flip-flops at every gust of social pressure. Nothing could be further from the truth. In a few isolated instances, the church may have been given a preparatory, temporary but necessary law until God saw fit to inspire the Apostles and prophets of the Church to progress and perfect and sanctify the church when the church and the world was ready. But just because social challenges and criticisms may be part of the motivation for progress doesn't prove the church is not inspired. Instead this proves that the LDS church is a living church and it is undergoing its own process of sanctification.

Yes, I admit that many revelations are partly inspired by the social context of the time. The value of having a living prophet is that he can pray and ask God for instruction to meet the challenges of the day. The Bible says ask and ye shall receive. Well, without the challenges and tribulation, there wouldn't be a need to ask the question, and therefore no revelation. Some assume the LDS church claims its organization as it existed in the days of Joseph Smith or today is perfect and infallible. The LDS Church is not perfect even in its current form. The Doctrine and Covenants says that in some instances the church is under condemnation or not enjoying all the fullness of blessings that it could be. But as the church meets each challenge and looks to Christ for guidance, the church becomes more sanctified, perfected, and blessed. And this will be a continuing process within the Church of Christ into the Millennium as the process of sanctification will continue in the church its membership and its leadership.

D&C 84: 57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—

So, what some call flip-flopping on a few issues, is really the church progressing and becoming more sanctified. Remember that Christs church is a living church and that Christ is a God of the living. Also, remember that John in revelations is shown the the saints saved in in the Millennium dressed in white robes and serving in the temple. When John asks who where all these people dressed in white robes, the angel tells John that they are the Saints of God who have come out of the tribulation and washed their robes white in the blood of Christ.

Rev. 7: 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

So, we see that the tribulation is necessary. The Saints of Christ are not completely perfect, the Church of Christ is not completely sanctified in its current state, and the tribulation that is promised as well as the power and grace of Christ's atonement serves to sanctify and perfect the Church like the purifying of silver in preparation for the Millennium. Also, I would also add that this is how any attempts by Satan to fight against the true church only end up serving to strengthen and further perfect it.

The Beast and Its Image

The following presents a very interesting interpretation of the following scripture:

Rev. 14:9-11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

John is using 3 symbols here. The first is the beast, the second is the image of the beast, and the third in the mark of the Beast. Now John warns us that the true believers are not to worship the beast or its image. Now we know from Daniel that the 7-headed, 10-horned beast is Rome. In the last days it would represent the Catholic Church. In Daniel 7, Daniel comments that Rome at the time of Christ would fight against the Saints, wear them out, and prevail against them. Also, that the Roman Empire would seek to pervert the doctrine by changing the times and laws of the gospel. We see this happen after Emperor Constantine makes Catholicism the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Dan 7 :21, 25 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; . . . And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

So, the Beast is Rome and the Catholic Church today. But what does the image represent? The image is the Protestantism and Evangelicalism. Protestant churches broke off from the Catholic Church because many recognized that the teachings of the church did not fit what the Bible taught. Unfortunately, the Protestant Reformation which produced the many Protestant Denominations and Non-Denominations didn't fall far from the tree. And John likens these churches to an image of the original.

Lastly we have the mark of the Beast which both those who worship the Beast (Catholic Church) or its image (Protestantism and Evangelicalism) take upon themselves. Thinking about what Catholicism and Protestantism have in common, only one doctrine comes to mind. That common aspect is their belief in the Trinity Doctrine and the Nicene Creed which stems from the First Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church. According to this article, belief in the Trinity Doctrine is the Mark of the Beast.

What is wrong with the Trinity Doctrine and the Nicene Creed? The Nicene Creed only has one word and concept that is not from the Bible. That word is "Homousios" and it means that Heavenly Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are of one undivided substance. And that little addition causes all sorts of problems when it comes to a proper understanding of the true nature of God, the relationship of the Father and the Son, and man's relationship to God.

When it comes to the Nicene Creed and the Trinity Doctine, I only take exception with the word "Homousios" meaning the Father and Son are One undivided substance. The LDS understanding is very close to the Trinity Doctrine. But remember a little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump. Latter-Day Saints proclaim the divinity of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God. According to the LDS Godhead: God is 3 Persons, 3 Personages, and 1 God. The Following scriptures illustrate how the Bible teaches that God the Father and God the Son are One God in purpose but 2 distinct personages as Joseph Smith saw in the First Vision.

John 14: 28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Jesus Christ who is God and who is with the Father says the Father is greater then Himself.

Acts 7: 55-56 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Stephen sees Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of the Father.

Gen. 1: 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

God the Father and the Son converse about the creation of man.

Gen. 3: 22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

God the Father and the Son note that man has come to know good as they do suggesting that God is speaking to an intelligent being who is numerically distinct from Himself according to Justin Martyr to Trypho.

Matt. 26: 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Jesus Christ expresses that his will is distinct, separate but unified with the Father

Matt. 5: 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

The Father is perfect and complete alone. The separation of Jesus Christ from the Father does not diminish the Father.

Matt. 3: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

At the Baptism of Jesus Christ, the heavens open and the voice of Heavenly Father is heard separate from the Son.

John 17: 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Christ prays to the Father that His Apostles may be one and unified in purpose as He is one and unified with the Father.

Overcoming the Saints

The LDS Church believes the Bible speaks that the Church of Christ established by Jesus Christ would be rejected and fall into a complete Apostasy. And just as the people rejected and crucified Jesus Christ, and destroyed the temple, God would also allow His church and priesthood authority to be lost for a season. Christ did say that a church built upon the rock of revelation and upon the keys and authority of Peter would never fall. Many Christians claim that verse makes it impossible for there to have been a complete apostasy. But the issue here is that the so-called evangelical Christian church denies continuing revelation and priesthood, and prophets, and keys, and authority. So, by definition, they are apostate and the gates of hell have prevailed against them. And there are many other scriptures in the Old and New Testament which foretells of this Great Apostasy. And if that is not enough we can look to the Dark Ages were at the very moment we would expect the blessings of heaven to be poured out upon the Gentiles for embracing Christianity, what we see are the plagues of Revelations, disease, famine, ignorance, and the Judgements of God poured out upon Europe.

Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

Daniel sees, in Chapter 7, 4 Beasts or Kingdoms. The first represents the Babylonian Empire, the second represents the Persian Empire. The third represents the Greek Empire that splits into 4 after the Death of Alexander the Great (Egypt, Turkey, Syria, and Greece). The Fourth Kingdom with 10 horns and a little horn which is as big as all the previous kingdoms combined is the Roman Empire. The 10 horns represent 10 Emperors or Caesars to Vespasian. And the little horn is the son of Vespasian, Titus who destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of the temple to Rome and crucified possibly 3600 Jews around the walls of the city and then persecuted the Saints in Rome feeding them to the lions at the newly constructed Roman Colosseum.

Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

The Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine thought the change the times and laws, and doctrines of the true Christian faith. Time, times, and dividing of times or 3 1/2 years is a recurring reference made by Daniel and John in Revelations to the Apostasy as the famine of Elijah lasted 3 1/2 years.

Rev. 13: 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

John in Revelations describes only the fourth and last beast or kingdom of Daniel. Because this fourth Kingdom which is the Roman Empire would be more powerful than any of the preceding Kingdoms, John describes this beast as having 7 heads (Babylon (1), Persia (1), Greece (4), and Rome (1)) and 10 horns with the little horn referring again to Titus who was the son of Emperor Vespasian at the time He destroyed the temple at Jerusalem and then later became Emperor himself.

Amos 8: 11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

Amos says that unlike past apostasies, this time a person would search north, south; the entire Earth and not find it. Never had there been a spiritual famine like this. When Abraham left Ur, he found the everlasting covenant with Melchesidek. When Moses left Egypt he found the gospel with Jethro the High Priest of Midian. When the Jews at the time of Christ sought for the truth they left Jerusalem and found the true baptism in the wilderness with John the Baptist. But this time according to Amos, the truth would not be found.

Matt. 24: 2, 29, 34 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. . . . Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: . . . Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

While referring to the temple, and His body, Christ saying that not one stone being left upon another also makes reference to His church which Christ also likens to his body as He does the temple. With respect to the Church of Christ, no one stone would be left upon another doctrinally speaking. The stones are still there scattered about, but not even the ruins of the original as it was meant to be remain. And like the Jews worshiping at what they think is the western wall of the temple, Christians will find out that they have been also worshipping at the wrong wall.The sun, moon, stars not giving their light refers to the heavenly light of revelation ceasing. And the church not built upon the rock of revelation from heaven cannot stand against the gates of hell. And Christ says that all these things in Matt 24 would be fulfilled in that generation.

These scriptures have multiple fulfillment. But they have been fulfilled once. The tribulation was the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Titus and Vespasian. 3600 or more Jews were crucified outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Titus looted the temple and brought back the treasures and gold of the temple to Rome. When Titus was made Emperor Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, there was drought, famine, and plagues that swept through the Empire and another fire in Rome. Emperor Titus blamed the Christians and had them killed for sport in the newly constructed Roman Colosseum.

2 Thes. 2: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Paul says the apostasy would happen before the Second Coming of Christ and that the son of perdition would be revealed. Many Christians look to the future for a fulfilling of this prophecy. And while it may have multiple fulfillment, it has already been fulfilled as Christ said it would in that generation.

1 Jn. 4: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

John says here and elsewhere, as does the Epistle of Barnabas that the antichrist is already in the world and has already been revealed.

Rev 12:14-16 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

John in Revelations says the woman, or the Church of Christ would go into the wilderness like the Jews who spent 40 years in the desert. But the Earth would help the woman. How? The Book of Mormon comes from the Earth like a "voice speaking from the dust", and "low out of the ground" as Isaiah says to restore the truth of Gods word and gospel to the Earth.

Dan 2:44 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.

Daniel in Chapter 2 gives the interpretation of King Nebecanezzar's Dream saw the image with a head of gold, shoulders of silver, belly of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. The head of gold represented the Babylonian kingdom, silver is Persia, bronze is Greece, and Iron is Rome. But during the days of the feet of Iron mixed with clay would God set up His everlasting kingdom which will be cut out of the mountain without hands and roll forth and destroy the image and then fill the whole Earth. The rock of which Daniel speaks does not start during the days of the Roman Empire, but during the Days of the feet of iron and clay which is today in the Last Days with our United States of American and Mexico, European Union, Soviet Socialist Republic, UN, NATO, and NAFT treaties.

Rev. 14: 6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

John says that after this apostasy, there would be another angel who would come to Earth with the everlasting gospel to preach to every nation. This isn't another gospel but it is another angel sent from God.

Resurrection, Rebuilding, and Restoration

God prophesied and allowed that His Son be crucified and die. God prophesied and allowed that His temple be desecrated and destroyed that not one stone would be left upon another. God also prophesied and allowed that His church would also go into complete apostasy. However, in the Last Days before the Second Coming of Christ, God prophesied that just as His Son rose from the dead in resurrection, that the temple would be rebuilt, and that His church and kingdom would be restored to the Earth.

Prophecies of the Apostasy.
Matt 24:2 There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down
This prophecy of the temple being destroyed also refers to the church. Not one stone of true doctrine would be left upon another.

Matt 24: 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Immediately after the destruction of the temple, all heavenly or spiritual light in the form of revelation would cease.

Matt 24: 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Christ told us that the destruction of the temple and His church should all be fulfilled in His generation.

Matt. 16: 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Christ's church was to be built upon the rock of Peter, the chief apostle and the keys and sealing power given to him to receive continuous direct revelation from Christ to lead the church.

Rev. 13: 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Satan would be given power to overcome the saints because the church is no longer built upon Christ giving direct revelation to authorized prophets from heaven with priesthood keys after the martyrdom of the apostles and many early church fathers.

Amos 8: 11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
Amos says that a person would search north and east, and sea to sea and not find the truth. Never has there been a time when someone searching for the truth couldn't find it somewhere on the Earth. Abraham left Ur and found the gospel with Melchizedek at Salem. Moses left Egypt and found the truth with Jethro at Midian. The disciples at the time of Christ left Jerusalem and found John the Baptist in the Wilderness.

2 Thes. 2: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
According to Paul there must be a falling away or apostasy before the second coming of Christ. But the apostles told us the anti-Christ was already revealed.

1 Jn. 2: 18, 22 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. . . Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 Jn. 4: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
2 Jn. 1: 7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

John says that just when the woman is about to give birth, the dragon swallows her child. The woman is then taken away and cared for in the wilderness until it is time for her to be restored. The woman is the church and the the flood is the apostasy. The 3 1/2 years represents the spiritual famine because this was the length of time of the famine of Elijah.
Rev 12: 1-17 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Prophecies of the Restoration.
Peter prophesies that there will be a future "times of refreshing" when Jesus Christ will be sent again to restore all things.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

This restoration of all things is called "the dispensation of the fullness of times"
Eph. 1: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

God will do a "marvelous work and a wonder" in the Last Days. And those that think they are smart will be shown their folly. And this marvelous work will be a restoration of doctrine.
Isa. 29: 14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. . . They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

The temple is part of this restoration of all things. The temple will also be restored along with Christ's church. In the temple is where the everlasting temple covenant is made and where people officially accept the name of Christ upon themselves. The temple ceremony is a marriage ceremony, and adoption proceeding, a kingly coronation, and a priestly ordination all in one.
Isa. 2: 2-3 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Hag. 1: 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
Ezek 26-29 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Daniel saw the everlasting kingdom that would be cut out the mountain without hands during the days of the kings of clay and iron. This wasn't referring to the days of the Roman Empire, because the Roman Empire was represented in the dream by the legs of Iron. The feet of clay and iron refers to the political systems of today with the EU, USA, UN, NATO etc. The fact that this kingdom would never be destroyed suggests that the previous kingdom was destroyed. The stone rolling forth didn't fill the whole earth immediately suggesting that the foundations of this everlasting kingdom were established before the beginning of the Millennium when the image will be smashed and the entire Earth will become a temple to Christ.
Dan 2: 34;45 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. . . .and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain (temple), and filled the whole earth. . . And in the days of these kings (iron mixed with clay) 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.

The restored temple will not be a Jewish temple after the Levitical priesthood, but it will administer the everlasting covenant after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood. John explains that before and in preparation for the tribulation in the Last Days, and before the Millennium that those who receive the "sealing in the forehead" will be protected. So, while some are receiving the "mark of the beast" God is "sealing" His elect who are "called, chosen, and faithful". John says that God postpones the tribulation to seal his faithful believers with a "sealing in the forehead." This same group from every kindred, nation, tongue and people are called kings and priests unto God and Christ who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Most High God and the Most High Priest. This "sealing in the forehead" is the everlasting temple covenant which is received in the restored Christian temples.
Rev. 7: 2-8 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Rev. 22: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev. 9: 4 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.
Rev. 1: 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev. 5: 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Rev. 20: 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
1 Tim. 6: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Rev. 17: 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. Rev. 19: 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

John says that those who are "sealed in the forehead" and are made kings and priests will be given a new name, dressed in a white robe, made a pillar in the temple, blessed to eat of the tree of life, and give "hidden manna" to eat. (see overcometh verses).
Rev 7:13-15 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them

Sealing in the Forehead

In preparation for the tribulation, John in Revelations says God will seal His people in their forehead as a protection against the calamities prophesied to come about before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the Earth.

Rev. 7: 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. What is this sealing that will occur before the tribulation?
Rev. 9: 4 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. This sealing seems to be a protection from the tribulation
Rev. 7: 9, 13-14 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Those in white robes are the same who are sealed. notice they come out of the great tribulation.

Rev. 1: 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev. 5: 9-10 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

This same group that are sealed, dressing in a white robe, and come from every kindred, tongue and people, and nation are made kings and priests unto God.

Rev. 17: 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

This same group are called, chosen and faithful

Heb. 5: 4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

This honor is the priesthood. No man taketh it unto himself but needs to be called as was Aaron. How was Aaron called? He was called by prophecy and by the laying on of hands (1 Tim. 4: 14). But also, he was also washed and annointed, dressed in the undergarments and robes of the priesthood to serve in the temple.

Ezek 37:26-28 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Those that are prepared for the tibulation are sealed in their forehead, and dressed in a white robe, and called and chosen as was Aaron to serve in the temple day and night (Rev. 7: 15). When the sactuary (temple) is built in the Last Days. This temple will not be an Levitical or Aaronic Priesthood or Law of Moses Temple. There will be no blood sacrifice in modern Christian temples. This temple will be where the kings and priests of God will serve will administer the everlasting covenant of the Everlasting Melchesidek priesthood which involves admistering the infinite sacrifice of Christ, and the covenanting, consecration, and offering of our whole souls, a broken heart and a contrite spirit to God.

Heb. 7: 11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

Who Shall Be Able to Stand?

John's Book of Revelations sends a clear message that those who will be able to stand the last days will be those who have taken the name of Christ upon themselves and have taken the Holy Spirit to be their guide through the LDS temple. The focus of Revelations is asking this question: who shall be able to stand in the Last Days? (Eph. 6: 11, 13)(D&C 45: 57)

Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Revelations tells a story about an angel rising up and calling out the other 4 angels who are
waiting impatiently to unleash the tribulation upon the Earth. "Hurt not the Earth until we have
sealed the servants of our God in their forehead"

Rev. 7: 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Rev. 9: 4 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.

So, we see that the tribulation is being delayed until all the elect has a chance to be endowed or sealed in their foreheads. In recent years in the LDS church we have witnessed a huge expansion in temple building which has made the blessing of the temple availible to nearly all the saints. And as Revelations promises, those who are sealed will not be hurt; only those "which have not the seal of God in their foreheads"

So, while Satan is going around marking his followers with the sign of the beast (whatever that means) God is sealing His elect. Are there ways we mark ourselves as worldly? What ways do people mark themselves (tatoos, effeminate voice, piercings, Goth, fashion, fads)? How does God want us to distinguish ourselves? (service, love, clean living)?

Again, who shall be able to stand in the Last Days? Those who will shall be able to stand will be those who overcome: [Read all the overcometh verses]

Rev. 2: 7, 11, 17, 26
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat
of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

Rev. 3: 5, 12, 21
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Rev. 21: 7
7 He that overcometh shall inherit call things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

1 Jn. 5: 4-5
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

The parallels between the LDS temple and these verses should be apparent to those who have attended. And interesting aside is that when John sees those who are sealed as kings and priests unto God (not just the oldest son, or from the tribe of Levi, but every kindred, tongue and people) he asks the angel "who are all these people with the white robes." See, when Aaron was set apart as a priest, the priests did not wear white, they wore priests robes that where many-colored like the coat of Joseph; blue, red, purple. But the ten thousand times ten thousand plus a thousand thousand John sees (100,000,000+) are dressed in white robes symbolizing that they have been washed clean in the blood of Christ.

Rev 7: 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

Revelations is telling the story of the saints who are sealed as kings and priests unto God in preparation and protection from whatever trial or tribulation will come. And then Christ who will come to save His people who will come as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Rev. 1: 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev. 5: 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth

How are priests made? No one taketh this honor unto himself, but he is called as was Aaron (Heb. 5: 4) . How was Aaron called?Aaron was called by prophecy, and was washed, annointed, and clothed in the undergarments and robes of the priesthood. And this is exactly what the temple is all about. The temple is a kingly coorination, a priestly ordination and a solemn marriage ceremony all in one. In the sacrament we say we are willing to take upon us the name of Christ, but in the temple is where the saints actually take take His name upon us.

http://ldsdoctrine.blogspot.com/2008/06/latter-day-temples-and-tribulation.html

Latter-Day Temples and the Tribulation

Ezekiel 37 and Isaiah 2 have powerful revelations about the restoration of the Latter-day temple. Ezekiel says that when Israel is restored (church and kingdom of God after an Apostasy as well as a later literal restoration of the Jews to Israel), God will build His sanctuary and tabernacle among them. But this temple is not a Law of Moses temple because Ezekiel says that the temple will administer the everlasting covenant. But the Law of Moses was not everlasting but only preparatory. So, the sanctuary of Ezekiel and the mountain of the Lords house of Isaiah will be a temple after the order of Melchizedek and not Moses which will sanctify Israel (Christs church).

Ezek 37:26-28 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Heb. 7: 11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

Later in Ezekiel, the prophet describes a huge temple that is as big as a nation. Ezekiel is not seeing a temple in heaven but likely the temple of Enoch in the City of Zion. Remember the entire city of Zion was so righteous it was taken to Heaven like Elijah. There are no temples in heaven. All of heaven is holy and there doesn't need to be a special place set aside for God in heaven. The whole place is His house. But this vision reveals that the concept of the temple is scalable. It begins in the individual heart and then expands to a sacred and holy building and then a city, and then a holy nation, until it fills the whole Earth. John in Revelations sees the eventual Celestial Earth which he describes as a "sea of glass mingled with fire." John commented how he saw "no temple there." That is the goal that there be no temple, but that the whole Earth become a literal heaven on Earth. Remember that Christ promises the meek that they should inherit the Earth.

Rev. 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Daniel interpreting the dream of the King of Babylon saw the Great Idol with the head of gold, the shoulders of silver, the belly of bronze, the legs of iron and the feet of clay and iron. The head represented the Babylonian Empire, Silver are the Persians, Bronze are the Greeks, and Iron are the Romans. Then Daniel says that in the days of the kings represented by the clay and iron a kingdom would be established which will not be destroyed but will be everlasting. This last kingdom is not the church of Christ that Christ established during the days of the Roman Empire. Satan was given power to overcome that kingdom but not those righteous saints themselves who were the fruit of the Apostles labors.

Rev. 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

Dan 2:44 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.

But, in the days of the European nations represented by the feet of clay and iron, will the Church of Christ be re-established and restored. It is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands which will strike the image in the feet and topple it and pulverize it to dust. Then that stone will grow until it becomes a great mountain (temple) and fills the whole Earth. The description of the mountain filling the whole Earth is a direct allusion to the temple which will grow and fill the whole Earth during the the Millennium. But the process will begin in this world in the Last Days and the days of the kings represented by the feet of iron and clay.

Just as the temple was central in both the New and Old Testament, the Latter-day Saints are also a temple building people. God says he does not dwell in temples built with hands. But LDS temples were and our build like the Temple of Solomon; by the direction of God. And we know that God and His presence dwelt in Solomon's temple.

Rev. 7: 2-3 And I saw another angel (Moroni) ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

However, latter-day temples are not like Solomons temple. LDS temples are Christian and Melchizedek priesthood temples and they administer the everlasting covenant which is prophesied in (Ezek 37) and it is the sealing in the forehead (Rev 7:3)(Rev 9:4)by God in preparation for and protection from the tribulation (Rev 7:14)(Rev 9:4). These are the 144,000 in Revelation who are symbolic for the 10-thousand times 10-thousand (100 million+)(Rev 5:11) ordained kings and priests unto God (Rev 1:6)(Rev 5:10). They represent the 12,000 from every tribe which symbolizes that those sealed and ordained as kings and priests will be from every nation, kindred and tongue and people and not just from one tribe. Also, these priests do not offer their own sacrifice like the priests during the time of the Law of Moses (Heb 5). These priests represent Christ and administer Christ's infinite and final sacrifice to others as instruments in His hands.

Rev. 1: 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev. 5: 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth

But no one taketh this honor except he be called as was Aaron (Heb 5:4). Accordingly, John sees that like Aaron, those who overcome and are sealed will partake of the tree of life (Rev 2:7), will be set apart as kings and priests, and will be washed and anointed, and clothed in white robes representing that they have been washed in the blood of Christ (Rev 3:5), they will be given a new name and take upon themselves the name of Christ (Rev 2:17)(Rev 3:12), and they will be made to sit in Gods throne with Him and receive all things (Rev 3:21)(Rev 21:7).

All worthy men and women are ordained and sealed in temples as priests and priestesses. In actual fact, LDS women are ordained to the priesthood as priestesses unto God. We just don't set them apart to the same offices in the priesthood which give them unnecessary responsibilities to preside in church which would take them out of the home. And the LDS don't just call doing nothing the the priesthood of all believers. We actually seal and ordain all the believers to the priesthood. And all worthy fathers lay hands on their wives and children and anoint the sick with oil, and baptize and confer the gift the Holy Ghost. Men and women officiate in the temple. And the women prophesy and have visions and dream dreams (Acts 2:17) and the men heal the sick and speak in tongues (other languages for the purposes of missionary work). And Christ will come and receive His people as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And Christ will see eye to eye with His watchmen when the Lord brings again Zion (Isa 52:8).