“The Last Trumpet”: Heralding the Sound of Freedom

Oppression takes many forms, and we hear about it in the news almost every day.

We read about terrorists who kidnap, torture and even kill unsuspecting people. We hear about young children being abducted and exploited for forced labor or sex.

There are also numerous instances of corruption within institutions, where those in authority victimize those they are supposed to serve and protect.

And it goes on and on.

Why does this happen, and more importantly, when will it end?

The whole world has been kidnapped

Oppression is a real evil that exists in our world. However, the Bible also teaches us that the entire world has been kidnapped by an evil being called Satan the devil.

How did this happen?

Many abductors lure their victims with lies and false promises. They often prey on the naiveties of children and young adults.

Satan the devil is no different.

The Bible tells us that in the Garden of Eden “the serpent” approached Eve, appearing to be harmless and only wanting a simple conversation. But he had ulterior motives. He asked her about God’s warning not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

What seemed like an innocent question was actually a cunning ploy. After Eve answered Satan, he then told her that God was lying to her, which—in accordance with Satan’s true intentions—caused her to question and doubt God (Genesis 3:1-4).

By rejecting God and embracing Satan, Adam and Eve were now under his sway. And from that day on, all of their descendants have been held captive by him to do his will. Continuing with his deceptive motives, Satan proceeded to tell Eve that God was holding something back from her (verse 5).

She thought about what he said, and then chose to believe Satan instead of God. Eve disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit. She then gave the fruit to Adam and he ate as well (verse 6).

And thus Satan kidnapped our first parents!

Eve was deceived by Satan’s cunning tactics, just as many innocent children are deceived by their kidnappers.

But unlike abducted children, Eve was not an innocent child. She allowed herself to be deceived. She could have easily talked to God about the things that the serpent was telling her, but she chose to believe the serpent’s story rather than God’s instructions.

By rejecting God and embracing Satan, Adam and Eve were now under his sway. And from that day on, all of their descendants have been held captive by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26).

The deceptive tactics Satan used on Eve are the same tactics he uses on people today. We are told in Revelation 12:9 that this “serpent of old” has deceived the whole world!

But why did God allow this abduction? Why didn’t He intervene?

To learn more, read “A World Held Captive?” 

God will ultimately free humanity from our captor

God gave all of us free will. But with that freedom to choose come consequences (Galatians 6:7).

The consequences of yielding to Satan instead of God are all around us. All the evil, suffering, tragedy, oppression and even death are the result of rejecting God.

The world of freedom and self-reliance that Satan promised Eve was a lie. His promise of never dying was a lie. Christ reinforced the sad reality we see all around us when He said there is no truth in Satan (John 8:44).

Satan is both a liar and, as Christ said in the same verse, a murderer.

Just as many kidnappers ultimately kill those they abduct, Satan’s main objective is to murder humanity. He knows that we have the potential to become children of God, an opportunity he will never have.

When they are born into God’s family, the children of God will be exalted higher than the angelic realm, which is the level of existence Satan will always occupy. So he wants to prevent us from reaching our godly potential.

But even though Satan has the world in bondage for now, God promises to eventually deliver us from his control and give us the freedom to choose to follow God instead.

Freedom from oppression is coming

Whether individually or collectively, when people are released from bondage, they often celebrate their freedom with music, fireworks or simply with sighs and cries of relief.

These are sounds of freedom.

The Bible also mentions the sounds of freedom resulting from His direct intervention. When God rescued the Israelites from their oppression in Egypt, they celebrated with song (Exodus 15:1-21).

In Zechariah 8:5, we read about another sound of freedom coming in the future—the sound of children playing in the streets. The Bible paints a beautiful scene of the future time when Satan’s influence will be blocked and fear will no longer exist (Revelation 20:1-3; Micah 4:1-4).

Yet Scripture tells us about another sound of freedom—the real sound of freedom!

All will hear the sound of Jesus Christ’s return

One of God’s annual festivals, the Feast of Trumpets, points to the time when Jesus Christ will return to this earth to usher in God’s world, the Kingdom of God.

The sound of a trumpet blast will be heard by the entire earth when Christ comes in power and glory (Revelation 11:15).

Upon His return, Christ will subdue the armies influenced by Satan, that will try to fight Him (Revelation 19:11-21). And then Christ will rescue humanity as a whole from bondage to Satan.

To learn more, read “Jesus Christ Will Return to Earth.” 

The day the captor is captured

Since the time when Satan first kidnapped Adam and Eve, he has been the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31). But when Christ returns, Satan will be dethroned, removed and restrained. This event is pictured by the next of God’s annual festivals, the Day of Atonement.

“Then I [the apostle John in a vision] saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more” (Revelation 20:1-3).

After the armies that fight Christ are destroyed and Satan is imprisoned, Christ will rescue those who have been enslaved. Freed from Satan’s evil influence, humanity will more willingly embrace God’s ways. After the armies that fight Christ are destroyed and Satan is imprisoned, Christ will rescue those who have been enslaved.

The prophet Jeremiah talks about this emotional rescue and the sounds of freedom that will accompany it: “Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I [Christ] will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble . . . The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing” (Jeremiah 31:9, 13, New Living Translation).

Rescue will come!

Just as so many are not truly aware of the magnitude of the oppression that exists in the world, many are not aware of the magnitude of Satan’s deception and exploitation of humanity.

But God has revealed that truth to some now. Understanding the incredible plan of God will change your life forever!

God the Father will send His Son Jesus Christ to rescue humanity from the grips of Satan. Oppression will end, and all people will have the opportunity to follow God and enjoy the incredible peace and joy that will come from that.

May God speed that day, because the sound of the last trumpet will indeed be the real sound of freedom!

Date Posted: September 22, 2025