26. Tribulation Continues God's Purpose for Man

Chapter 26
Tribulation Continues

As discovery is made regarding the second half of the Tribulation Period, it is important to understand that the chapters in the Book of Revelation do not follow the chronological order of events.  In addition, there are many cross-overs of seals, trumpets, vials, and bowls, with biblical scholars having various interpretations in placing the events in the order of its happenings.  

Silence in heaven

Seal seven:  There will be silence in heaven for one-half hour.  Why?  That is uncertain.  Many biblical scholars speculate that it could be a time of reverence for what is happening on the earth, or maybe it is the calm before the storm.

When the time was complete, seven angels with seven trumpets stood before God.

The prayers of the saints answered

Then another angel with a golden censer, filled with all of the prayers from the saints, stood before the altar of God.  The smoke from the incense, along with all of the prayers, filled with fire from the altar of God was then thrown to the earth. 

The Day of the LORD

At that point, thunder, lightning, and an earthquake will take place.   God's wrath will have come upon the earth.  The cries of the saints will have been answered.  With the sound of the trumpet resounding, the "Day of the LORD" will begin.

Joel 2:1  Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand.

The "Day of the LORD" is God's judgment upon the earth

We must remember that the cleansing of the earth is essential for bringing on the forthcoming reign of the Messiah.

The two witnesses

As the beginning of the second half of the Tribulation Period two witnesses will come on the scene to witness for Christ.  Remembering that the 144,000 Jewish evangelists have been raptured into heaven at Mid-Tribulation Period, God now provides two witnesses to come forth to boldly speak out for Christ in a tumulteous world.  God continuously, even during the whole Tribulation Period, offers salvation through Christ to those who have continuously denied Him. 

I Tim 2:3-4  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires ALL men to be saved AND come to the knowledge of the truth.

Most biblical scholars believe the two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah personified, returning from heaven to earth.

Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet BEFORE the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the LORD.

Only two men never died who lived upon the face of the earth - one being Elijah, and the other being Enoch.  The Bible tells us (Heb 9:27) that it is appointed for everyone to die once - then face the judgment of God.  Elijah never died - he was raptured into heaven.  He never saw death. 

2 Ki 2:11...suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire...and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

The Bible also tells us that Enoch never died - he also was raptured into heaven as well.

Gen 5:4  And Enoch walked with God and he was not - for God took him.

There are some biblical scholars who claim Moses is one of the two witnesses.  Moses, however, died.  There would be no biblical support to claim he would be one of them.  

Deut 34:7  Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died.

The two witnesses will be given power to do what no man has done.  They will perform many miracles, as well as cause many plagues.  These plagues will be similar to those poured upon Egypt by God through Moses when Pharaoh refused to let God's people go.  They will, however, be far worse. These two witnesses will prophecy for 1,260 days - or 42 months/3 1/2 years - the balance of the rest of the Tribulation Period.

Rev 11:3-6  And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth...These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy, and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

Plagues - the judgment upon the earth

These two witnesses will call forth plagues as God's seven angels sound their trumpets.  While many people will be killed during these plagues, the purpose of the sounding of the first four angels will be to judge the earth.

Angel #1:  As the two witnesses command, angel #1 will blow his trumpet.  Hail and fire mingled with blood will be cast upon the earth and one-third of all of the trees and grass will be burnt up.  Just as fire and brimstone rained on Sodom and Gomorrah, one-third of the earth will be burnt as well.

Rev 8:7  The first angel sounded.  And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth.  And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Angel #2:  As the second angel sounds his trumpet, a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea.  One third of the seas died, along with the ships that were on those seas.  Those seas then became filled with blood.

Angel #3:  As the third angel sounds his trumpet, a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch.  The name of the star is Wormwood, which will fall on a third of the rivers and fresh water.  This star is probably a meteorite with its vapors.

The name wormwood is named after a poisonous herb called absinthe.  The Bible says the waters will become bitter and probably very poisonous.  As a result, many people will die from drinking from these waters. 

It is interesting to note that all rivers in Europe start in the Alps.  From there, water flows to the whole continent.

Rev 8:10-11  Then the third angel sounded.  And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.  The name of the star is Wormwood.  A third of the waters become wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

Jer 9:15  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold I will feed them, even this people with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

Angel #4:  When the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, a third of the sun, moon, and stars were darkened.  As a result, the day only gave light one third of its time.  Since the stars were darkened one third of the night did not give forth its light as well.  Either one third of the earth will be affected by this judgment or sixteen hours out of twenty-fours will be darkened throughout the earth.

Rev 8:12  Then the fourth angel sounded:  And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened;  and a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the nights.

Judgment upon mankind

These four trumpets of God's angels will have been plagues upon the land and sea.  The next three angelic trumpets, however, will be plagues upon mankind.

Rev 8:13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice.  Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound.

An angel will then fly across the earth holloring warnings with a loud voice.  "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth."  Three woes are given to mankind.

Angel #5:  Another angel flew down from heaven carrying keys to the bottomless pit, residing in the core of the earth - in hell.  As commanded by the two witnesses, this angel will open the bottomless pit.  Smoke will arise out like a furnace.  As a result, the sun will be darkened and the air filled with smoke.  Out of the pit will crawl demonic locusts:  Their appearance will appear as:

• Horses prepared for battle
• Faces like a man
• Crowns upon their head as gold
• Long hair like a woman
• Teeth like a lion
• Breastplates of iron
• The sound of their wings will be like sounds of many horses running to battle
• Their tails will have stings in them like scorpions

Their appearance may be figurative.  They will, however, be feared by all mankind.  The goal of these locust/scorpions will be to sting/torment whomever they find.  They will be forbidden, however, to harm the grass or trees of the earth, as well as anyone who has the seal of God on their foreheads.  Who are those who will have the seal of God on their foreheads?  Any new believer who accepted Christ during the Tribulation Period who has not been martyred up to this point of time.  

Those targeted will be those who have received the mark of the beast.  The sting of these locusts/scorpions will mentally torment their victims, and as a result they will think they are going crazy.  The sting will not kill, however, it will mentally torment its people for five full months.  People will want to die; however, death will not give them the comfort they desperately seek. 

Rev 9:1-11  Then the fifth angel sounded.  And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth.  And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.  And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace.  And the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.  Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth, and to them were given power as the scorpions of the earth have power.  They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.  And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torture them for five months.  And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.  In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die and death will flee from them.  And the shape of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads were crowns of something like gold and their faces were like the faces of men.  They had hair like women's hair and their teeth were like lions' teeth.  And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the wound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.  They had tails like scorpions and there were stings in the tails.  And their power was to hurt men five months.  And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he had the name Apollyon. 

Angel #6:  As the sixth angel sounds his trumpet, a voice will be heard from the four horns of the golden altar that rest before the throne of God.  This voice said to the sixth angel "Release the four angels who have been bound for this hour at the great River Euphrates.  Their orders - kill one third of mankind upon the earth.

Who are these four angels bound at the great River Euprates?  The Scriptures go on to say they are an army of 200,000,000 mounted warriors.  Their description is as follows:

• They looked like horses
• They had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow
• The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions
• Out of their mouth came fire, smoke, and brimstone 
• Their tails are like serpents 

Rev 9:16-19  Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million;  I heard the number of them.  And thus I saw the horses in the vision - those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone...By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed; by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.  For their power is in their mouth and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. 

There are two schools of thought regarding these 200,000,000 warriors.  There are some biblical scholars who claim the locusts/scorpions who are released out of the bottomless pit are these 200,000,000 warriors.  While that is certainly possible, it must be noted that they were given orders to sting and not kill.

The others claim, which most biblical scholars hold to, is that these warriors are human soldiers.  The description given of them are simply figurative.  There was nothing stated that they came out of the bottomless pit - they were held at the Great River Euphrates for the time of their warring.

50,000,000 warriors will head off in four different directions killing everything in its path.  These warriors will cross over Afghanistan and India slaying nation upon nation.  Their destination - Israel.  

The only nation on the face of the earth today that has that kind of man power is China.  They are the biggest force from that part of the world. 
They are presently equipped and openly claims to be able to handle a 200,000,000 man army. 

The rest of mankind (two-thirds of the earth) who were not killed by all these plagues, did not repent of their evil ways.  As such, the judgment of God continues on!

Sealing of the Book

An angel will come down from heaven carrying a little open book in his hand.  As he sets his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, he cried out with a loud voice.  His voice, like the roar of a lion sounds like seven thunders.  As the Apostle John continues to write this letter of "Revelation," God told him to seal up what the thunder roared.  They were not to be written down.  What that thunder roar is, is not known.  God then instructed John to go to the angel and ask for the book.  The angel told him to eat the book.  It will, however make his stomach bitter, but it will be sweet to the taste.  As he ate, the angel told him that he must prophesy against many tongues, rulers, and nations.  In other words, what seemed sweet to the taste would only turn out bitter - the rest of the Tribulation Period will be bitter.

The death of the two witnesses

At the designated time, as the Tribulation Period comes to an end, the two witnesses will be killed by a beast that will arise out of the bottemless pit.  The two witnesses' bodies will lay in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days for all the world to see.  (Probably by satellite T.V.)  The world will rejoice over their death, only pointing to the wickness of the people in the world.  They will celebrate by giving gifts to one another.  They will then resurrect from the dead, coming back to life, stand up, with onlookers being struck with fear, and will then be visibly taken up to heaven.

Rev 11:7-12  Now when they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.  And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city...Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days...And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another...Now after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.  And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here."  And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.

Two out of the three woes will then be complete.  The third woe is about to come upon the earth.

The last rapture

This completes the fifth and final rapture in Scripture.

1.  Enoch
2.  Elijah
3. The Church
4.  The 144,000 Jewish evangelists
5.  The two witnesses

There have been much debate over when the Rapture of the Church occurs.  Some claim pre-tribulation, while others claim mid-tribulation, and yet, there are some who also claim it comes at the end of the Tribulation Period.   If one properly understood end-time prophesy  in light of Scripture as a whole, discovering there are five raptures in Scripture, it then becomes clear who, what, when, and why each rapture has it own value and purpose.

Angel #7:  The last and seventh angel gave trump on his horn.  At that, there were loud voices in heaven saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.  All praise was given to the Lord as  twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God.  It was followed by lightnings, noises, thunderings, earthquake and great hail upon the earth.

The wounding of the anti-christ

Rev 13:3  tells us that the anti-christ will be fatally wounded.  He will, however, be healed from his wound.  In other words, it will appear he will rise from the dead.  The world then will believe it a miracle and he is god.  He will be worshipped even more than before.

Angels preach the final gospel to all the earth

At the end of the Tribulation Period, three angels will fly to the ends of the earth preaching the gospel to one and all.

Rev 14:6-7  Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having e everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth; to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people saying with a loud voice.  "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.

Matt 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Angel Warns the Earth Not to Obey the Anti-christ
The Mark of the Beast

Another angel wil come forth telling the earth that the city where the anti-christ reigns is about to fall.

Rev 14:9-11  Then a third angel followed them saying with a loud voice.  "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indigvnation.  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 thie torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever received the mark of his name."

EVERYONE WILL BE WARNED - THERE WILL BE NO EXCUSE

People will be warned throught the Tribulation Period not to take the mark of the beast.  They will be told of the deceitfulness of the anti-christ and the false prophet, and the real coming of Jesus the Messiah.  God is still trying to reach man to come to Him.  Even in His judgment upon the earth, during the worst time in the history of man, God is still trying to reach people to come to Him.   

In the fullness of time, Jesus will be given a sharp sickle.  As directed by God, an angel came out of the temple and cried with a loud cry to Jesus.  "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.  Another angel came out of the temple also having a sickle.  The wrath of God is complete.  Israel will be primed and made ready for Jesus.

While the time of the Tribulation Period is going on down on earth, there are wonderful things happening in heaven with all the saints of God.

Click here to view Chapter #27 - Believer's Judgment Seat of Christ