We all accept then that Revelation is a hugely prophetic and we are meant to try and understand prophecy?
The 7 trumpet blasts appear in Revelation 8 and 9. They concern Angels heralding very symbolic events that happen. We witnesses see these as various events that happened during our early days up until Armageddon.
Jehovah's Witnesses found the real truths in God's Word. With God's help through his word the Bible and his spirit and they saw how much Christendom and governments had fallen away from Jehovah. In a particular convention witnesses challenged these Authorites and Christendom.
I think it is hard in the current time of scepticism to know how outstanding their stance was at that time. How much they did for the religious freedom you now enjoy today.
I can see you want me to be stumbled by our viewpoint on these blasts? But I have no problem seeing this highly symbolic prophetic language as pertaining to real men doing things that stood out from a very currupt Christendom and governmental rule but would seem insignificant to the majority. That may seem tame as fullfillment of prophecies about dramatic locust plagues and consuming flames.
But the Bible has already set a precedent that things that seem less than dramatic to sceptic eyes that are in fact are great and important events. Jesus being the biggest example of this.
The promise of salvation of mankind, bringer of God's kingdom, Ender of earthly rule under Satan. what was Jesus's life?
He was a lowly carpenter for 30 years, he became a messiah he said words in Sermons and healed people and then he was killed on a stake 3 1/2 years later. The Jews found this less than impressive and it stumbled a lot from becoming Christians.
Jesus brought words of truth to mankind not the massive destruction to ruling powers that Jews expected from their understanding of biblical prophecy.
To the Romans Jesus was just an annoying Jewish holy man that weirdly the Jews hated themselves. To the Jewish Leaders Jesus was a false messiah making blasphemous claims that incited them to extremes of hatred.
When Jesus died he had only a few hundred followers yet prophetically this is a massively predicted time.
Yet they grew....
Take another example.... God's people themselves? to the world they were an insignificant slave race that never had any real power and were a source to plunder but just mainly annoying to rule. To the Romans it would seem laughable that these humble people were God's chosen race. The christians were also just seen as an insignificant sect following yet another false messiah.
Yet they grew....
I have no problem seeing Gods prophecies being fulfilled by events and portents that appear less than impressive to skeptics that want burning flames, darkened skies, blasts from heaven and real heavy duty fulfillment, in fact quite the contrary.
(You may want to get involved with individual parts of the trumpet blasts but I thought I would get to the point of the matter and address where you are clearly going)
That you think? the declarations at the Ohio convention the, imprisonment etc of our early days as witnesses couldn't be fulfilment of some of these blasts but it really depends on what you expect from God's prophecies.
Yet we grew....
Anyone that really reads the Bible knows heavily symbolic prophecies are rarely fulfilled in the way expected of them. Could they need refining on the trumpets? Well prophecy does get refined because of it's nature as greater understanding is acquired but I am happy to go along with this one given Jehovah's track record with Prophecies and mankind.
James 2:5
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
