The Book of Revelation (page 4)

STUDY INDEX

Page 1 Introduction, Rapture, Judgement of Christians, Marriage Supper

Page 2 Daniel's Dreams and Prophecies

Page 3 Daniel's Vision of Seventy Weeks; Great Tribulation Period

Page 4 Seven Trumpet Judgements; Middle of Tribulation Period

Page 5 Seven Vials; Great Whore; Second Coming; The Millennium

Page 6 Judgement of the Wicked; New Heaven and Earth; Conclusion

The Seven Trumpet Judgements

The seven trumpets, along with the seven vials, issue forth God's great and terrible judgements on mankind during the Tribulation Period. There is so much injustice in the world today. Many innocent people are the victims of horrible and terrible crimes. The citizens of many nations suffer poverty and famine while their leaders live in splendor. Millions of people have been tortured and killed because of their faith in Christ. Children suffer at the hands of abusive parents or fall prey to drug dealers and pushers. Millions of babies have been painfully dismembered and aborted. The outcry for centuries is why God allows such suffering to continue. Why doesn't He do something about it? Beginning with the trumpets, God does do something about it. It comes to pass the saying of the angel to Daniel concerning the seventy weeks, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to FINISH the transgression, and to make an END of sins, and to make RECONCILIATION for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24).

The first angel sounded his trumpet. Then hail and fire, mingled with blood, were cast upon the earth. One-third of all trees and grass were burnt up. The second angel sounded, and a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea causing one-third of the oceans to become blood. One-third of all ships were destroyed and one-third of all life in the sea died. The third angel sounded, and a great star or meteor burning with fire fell to the earth poisoning one-third of the rivers or fresh water. The fourth angel sounded and one-third of the moon, stars, and sun are darkened. There is very little light on the earth, and though the Scriptures do not mention this, there may be intense cold or other natural results stemming from one-third of the sun becoming dark. At this point, John saw an angel flying through the heavens crying 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!" (Revelation 8:13).

Revelation 9 begins with the fifth angel sounding his trumpet, and an angel came down and opened the bottomless pit. The smoke rising upward from the pit darkened the sun and polluted the air. And mingled with the smoke were billions of locusts with stingers like scorpions, and they were given power, not to kill, but to torment mankind for five months. John said the locusts were like horses prepared for battle, they had the face of a man, and hair of a woman, teeth as a lion, and upon their heads was a crown. The sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots running to battle. John said concerning these locusts that "in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." (Revelation 9:6). Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet and two hundred thousand thousand (or two hundred million) horsemen were released and power was given to them to kill one-third of mankind. All of these judgement are terrible, and will be a sad time for those living upon the earth. But what is even sadder is what John writes at this point, "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." (Revelation 9:20-21).

The Middle of the Tribulation

After the sixth trumpet and before the seventh, comes the middle of the Tribulation Period or the end of the first 3 1/2 years, at which time several events will happen. In Revelation 11:1-2, an angel commands John to measure the temple of God, and the angel remarks that the holy city, or Jerusalem, will be tread under foot 42 months (or 3 1/2 years). It is at this time that the Antichrist breaks his treaty will Israel and comes into Jerusalem to set up his throne in the temple. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)," Jesus admonished us, "then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains; let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house; neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.....for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." (Matthew 24:15-18,21).

It is a scary thought, when we see the terrible judgements issued upon the earth already during the first half of the Tribulation Period, to hear Jesus speak that when the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place and brings to a halt the daily sacrifice, then there will be great tribulation such as the world has never seen! The fact that the middle of Seven Year Tribulation Period is marked by the Antichrist breaking his treaty with Israel and setting up his throne in the temple, is confirmed by Daniel in his prophecy in Daniel 9:27, "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." There is no temple in Jerusalem right now and no daily sacrifice be offered. However, it is exciting to hear that there are plans drawn up for a temple to be built, that ornaments and elements are being constructed for use in the temple, and that plans are underway for sacrifices to once again be offered unto God.

Also, at the midway point, the two witnesses shall be revealed who shall prophesy for 1,260 day (or 3 1/2 years). They will have power to shut up heaven that it will not rain during the time of their prophecy, to turn waters into blood, and to smite the earth with plagues as often as they will. Just a few days before the close of the Tribulation Period, they will be killed and their bodies left in the streets for 3 1/2 days. There will be great rejoicing among the people and they will exchange gifts in celebration because they received much torment at the hands of the two witnesses. Then after 3 1/2 days, the two witnesses will rise, and stand to their feet, and will ascend to heaven in a cloud as the people look on in much fear. It is believed that these two witnesses will be Elijah and Enoch, two heroes of the Old Testament. "It is appointed unto men once to die," Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27). Elijah was carried up to heaven in a chariot of fire. Likewise, Enoch was also translated into heaven. Since neither of these men have ever tasted death, it is believed that they will be the two witnesses.

The Seventh Trumpet: The Woman, the Manchild, and the Beasts

When the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, John heard great voices in heaven, and they were 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. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear the name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:15-18). After this, John saw a great wonder in heaven. He saw a woman clothed with the sun (Revelation 12:1), and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.

There are many interpretions of chapter 12, of who the woman and the manchild represent. It is generally believed that the woman represents the nation of Israel, the crown of twelve stars representing the twelve tribes. There are several schools of thought on who the manchild represents. Some say that it represents Jesus who, being a Jew, came forth from Israel, escaped being killed on several occasions at birth and through His ministry, will one day rule the nations, and ascended to God and is now sitting at His right hand. This seems the likely interpretation at first glance. But many prophecy students believe the manchild represents the 144,000 who are sealed during the first half of the tribulation. Satan tries to destroy the 144,000 during their ministry until they are caught up to God during the middle of the Tribulation Period. Revelation 14:1 shows a picture of the 144,000 standing with the Lamb, and "They sung as it were a new song before the throne..... and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." (Revelation 14:1-3). After the manchild is taken up to heaven, the woman flees to the wilderness to a place which God has prepared especially for them. When the Antichrist, during the middle of the Tribulation, enters Jerusalem and defiles the temple by making his throne there and ceasing the sacrifice, Israel flees the city in fear. It was this flight into the wilderness that Jesus was referring to in Matthew 24:15-31. "Pray that your flight be not in winter, neither on the sabbath day," Jesus told them (Matthew 24:20). Many believe they will go to the city of Petra, an ancient city carved from the cliffs and walls of a closed canyon. The single entrance into the canyon, some say, is so narrow that only one or two people may enter at a time. Israel will stay in hiding for 1,260 days, or 3 1/2 years, until the end of the second half of the Tribulation Period.

Also marking the middle of the Tribulation Period is a war in heaven, Michael and his angels defeating the dragon (Satan) and his angels, and casting them down to the earth. "Rejoice ye heavens," is the cry because Satan can no longer enter in as he goes to and fro. But, "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:12). Revelation chapter 13 opens with John seeing a beast rising out of the sea having seven heads, ten horns and ten crowns. The beast, as John describes it, is like a leopard, has the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him his power. This beast is similar to the one Daniel saw in his vision. The beast had a mouth of a lion (Babylon), the feet of a bear (Medo-Persia), and the body of a leopard (Greece). The beast rises out of the sea, representing the rise of the kingdom, the ten heads and crown representing the ten kingdoms of which the Antichrist rules.

The beast as a whole represents the Antichrist. The people of the earth, as John saw it, worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast, and they worshipped the beast. "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given to him to continue 42 months (3 1/2 years). And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." (Revelation 13:5-6). Daniel says in his prophecy, "The king shal do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished." (Daniel 11:36). Then John saw a second beast, this one rising from the earth, having two horns like a lamb and speaking as a dragon. This beast has all of the power of the first beast, and causes the people of the earth to worship the first beast.

This beast from the earth does great wonders, even making fire come down from heaven, and deceives all the people because of the miracles which he has power to do. He commands the people of the earth to make an image of the beast, then he gives life to the image so that it can speak. He then commands everyone to worship the image, and kills those who refuse. He also causes everyone, rich and poor, small and great, to receive a mark in their foreheads or in their right hand without which they cannot buy nor sell. This mark is the number of a man, six hundred threescore and six, or 666. This completes the unholy trinity, the dragon (Satan), the first beast (Antichrist), and the second beast (the False Prophet; see Revelation 16:13-14).

It is interesting to read of certain technological developments in existence today. In California, a company has experimented with new technology to help identify and locate pets. They have developed a microchip which contains information about the pet such as the address and phone number of its owner, and its vaccination records. The little chip, which can be read by a scanner similar to those found in grocery and retail stores, is placed just under the skin of the animal. This could definitely be the forerunner of the mark of the beast mentioned in Revelation 13:16-18 (this chip is being implanted in sled dogs at the 2002 Iditarod Race in Alaska).

Soft drink and vending machine manufacturers have experimented with debit cards for purchasing drinks and food from vending machines. With increasing dependence on credit cards, and now debit cards which deduct funds directly from your bank account, all the technological elements are in place for a system wherein no one can buy or sell without a mark. Perhaps a microchip containing all vital information about a person will be placed in their forehead or hand. This chip, read by a scanner, will enable someone to buy or sell goods, and will sound an alarm when someone enters a store who does not have the chip under their skin. It will no doubt be a terrible time for people who are saved during the Tribulation Period, as now they have to go into hiding because of their faith. They cannot buy nor sell, nor can they worship openly. Many will become martyrs for Christ, for refusing to take the mark will cause certain death.