And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
– Revelation 8:5-6
Carl Gallups has entered the Bible prophecy community like a comet, reeling off one bestselling book after another.
The writer of "The Magic Man in the Sky" (one of the very best apologetics books I've ever read) and "The Rabbi Who Found Messiah" is a prolific thinker and author. He cranks out thought-provoking titles like Stephen King produces horror novels.
Now, in his new effort, "Final Warning: Understanding the Trumpet Days of Revelation," Gallups issues a challenge to folks just floating through life: are we living in the specific trumpet judgments of the very last days?
What seems like an esoteric subject is, in fact, important to every man, woman and child on the planet, for these judgments signal the beginning of the end, in which our world will literally be altered beyond recognition. If we think current political and cultural shifts are leaving us reeling, just get a load of the famous biblical prophecies of the last days of world history. Gallups aims to raise us from our slumber.
The Florida-based pastor examines certain key scriptures, then analyzes events unfolding in our time, such as the Chernobyl disaster (and its eerie similarities to the famous "Wormwood" prophecy of Revelation 8).
Gallups asks some pertinent questions:
- Are there credible connections between the well-known Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 and the wormwood prophecy outlined in John's third trumpet vision in Revelation 8?
- What about reports that the biblical words Abaddon and Apollyon in Revelation 9 match up perfectly with the ancient Persian word Saddam ... as in Saddam Hussein?
- Are violently burning oil wells mentioned in Revelation? Was Saddam's five-month uncontested occupation of Kuwait foretold thousands of years ago? Or are these speculations merely unwarranted stretching of biblical visions made to "fit" current events?
Gallups takes on some of the most relevant topics of our times – Islam, political chaos, wars – and examines them in the light of Scripture, to warn those who will listen that perilous times are coming (or are already here).
Gallups is well aware that his views on certain eschatological matters can be called into question; that seems to be standard fare in the world of Bible prophecy teaching. However, he makes some salient points about that: ""Our goal should be to let Scripture interpret scripture ... first and foremost. I want to know the biblical truth of the matter even if it upsets my previously-held belief. I want to know what the Bible clearly says, in a contextual manner, regardless of popular belief, the most admired literature, or the most accepted interpretation of our times."
Indeed, Gallups leaves plenty of room for debate and respectful dialogue, as he tackles an array of fascinating topics: the feasts of the Lord; the olive tree and the lampstand; the rise of vicious totalitarians; the specialness of Jerusalem; and many more.
Gallups manages to pen another very accessible book for the layman, while also overlaying a scholarly varnish that serves the reader well. For example, in Chapter 12 of "Final Warning," the author introduces the reader to an overview of understanding what he calls the "revelatory style" of Hebrew biblical literature: "The unique Hebrew-Semitic style involves presentation ebb and flow, or a recapitulation, of the material presented. One of the easiest places to see this particular style is in the opening pages of Genesis."
He then cites passages from Genesis, Daniel and Revelation, to reveal the remarkably uniform structure of Scripture, in which concepts and prophecies take on a trajectory that make sense to readers of all levels.
In Chapter 27 ("Abomination"), Gallups tackles that seventh trumpet of Revelation 11, in which the Temple in Jerusalem is defiled. Gallups then treats readers to a remarkable series of date correlations that make sense of unfolding events. His in-depth research into the famous dates of Daniel will surely prompt renewed interest in studying these seminal biblical passages.
All in all, Carl Gallups has produced another meaty, absorbing look at the all-important subject of Bible prophecy, and students and teachers alike will benefit from the research found in "Final Warning."
This book also comes with a very helpful index.