What is the Tribulation? What are the trumpet judgments? What are the bowl judgments?
Page 1 of 1
What is the Tribulation? What are the trumpet judgments? What are the bowl judgments?
by Admin Tue Jan 26, 2016 2:36 am
The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, speaks of tribulation in general terms. When Moses was making his farewell address to the nation of Israel just prior to his death and their crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land, he said, Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, I call heaven and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath—Moses, Deuteronomy 4:23-31. “When you are in distress” in the Hebrew is the word for “tribulation.” Likewise in the New Testament when Christ was preparing for Gethsemane, his final words to His disciples were these: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”—Jesus Christ, John 16:33. Christ’s word for “trouble” is the Greek word for “tribulation.” However, in prophetic terms, “tribulation” usually refers to a specific seven-year period of distress that is going to be experienced by the entire world. In the timing of prophecy, it is a period of time that is going to occur after the Rapture, that amazing moment in human history when Jesus Christ calls His church—all born-again believers around the globe—to join Him in heaven. All those “left behind” will be subject to the Tribulation.
The Tribulation is going to occur in two equal halves—42 months (3½ years) each. During the first half, an incredibly powerful, likeable, capable leader that the Bible names the “Antichrist” will become front and center the primary personality on the earth. He will promise peace on earth and, as a picture of his ability, will actually bring peace to the Middle East. As a pledge of this peace, he will sign a seven-year treaty with the nation of Israel, seeming to ensure their survival. The prophet Daniel foresaw this moment: He (the Antichrist) will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’—Daniel 9:27a. The “seven” referred to by Daniel is prophetic week, meaning that each day of the week is actually a year; thus Daniel is referencing a seven-year period of time (defining a “week” in this way is a frequent Hebrew expression). The signing of that peace treaty will be the “kickoff” of the Tribulation. However, it is the halfway point of the Tribulation where the intensity really gets going, as the Antichrist will appear in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God. Daniel said of that moment, In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him”—Daniel 9:27b. From that point onward, scholars refer to the ongoing Tribulation as the Great Tribulation, as the judgments God pours down on the planet greatly increase in severity.
That said, here are brief descriptions of the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments and their consequences:
(1) Trumpet judgments (Revelation 8-11):
1. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up—Revelation 8:7. This judgment makes the earth instantly a difficult place in which to live.
2. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed—Revelation 8:8-9. There have been historical instances of incredibly major volcanic eruptions (Krakatoa 1883, Thera (a Mediterranean island near Patmos, 1440 BC) that caused similar destruction to what this trumpet judgment suggests.
3. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers, and on the springs of water—the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter—Revelation 8:10-11. Maybe an asteroid?
4. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, 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 turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night—Revelation 8:12
5. The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them—Revelation 9:1-6. Thought to be some kind of demonic beings.
6. The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts—Revelation 9:13-21.
7. The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and those who reverence your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm—Revelation 11:15-19. The trumpets are done; the bowls are about to begin.
(2) Bowl judgments (Revelation 15:6-16:1):
1. The first angel went out and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image—Revelation 16:2. In the Greek, these sores are abscesses or ulcers, and they are also termed malignant.
2. The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died—Revelation 16:3
3. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments—Revelation 16:4-7
4. The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him—Revelation 16:8-9. Dermatologists tell us of the almost epidemic proportions of melanoma—skin cancer—because of our exposure to the sun. We haven’t seen anything yet.
5. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done—Revelation 16:10-11
6. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon—Revelation 16:12-16. This sets the stage for the battle of Armageddon—the final battle before the triumphant return of Christ.
7. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible—Revelation 16:17-21
KYLE (DAVID)—Why if the Bible is inspired by God wouldn’t it just tell us the names of the nations in the Ezekiel battle instead of the geographical locations? Obviously God would know them.
Simply put, the geographical locations would remain the same, even as the names of nations changed over time. God gave locations that would always be there—by any name.
The Tribulation is going to occur in two equal halves—42 months (3½ years) each. During the first half, an incredibly powerful, likeable, capable leader that the Bible names the “Antichrist” will become front and center the primary personality on the earth. He will promise peace on earth and, as a picture of his ability, will actually bring peace to the Middle East. As a pledge of this peace, he will sign a seven-year treaty with the nation of Israel, seeming to ensure their survival. The prophet Daniel foresaw this moment: He (the Antichrist) will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’—Daniel 9:27a. The “seven” referred to by Daniel is prophetic week, meaning that each day of the week is actually a year; thus Daniel is referencing a seven-year period of time (defining a “week” in this way is a frequent Hebrew expression). The signing of that peace treaty will be the “kickoff” of the Tribulation. However, it is the halfway point of the Tribulation where the intensity really gets going, as the Antichrist will appear in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God. Daniel said of that moment, In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him”—Daniel 9:27b. From that point onward, scholars refer to the ongoing Tribulation as the Great Tribulation, as the judgments God pours down on the planet greatly increase in severity.
That said, here are brief descriptions of the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments and their consequences:
(1) Trumpet judgments (Revelation 8-11):
1. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up—Revelation 8:7. This judgment makes the earth instantly a difficult place in which to live.
2. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed—Revelation 8:8-9. There have been historical instances of incredibly major volcanic eruptions (Krakatoa 1883, Thera (a Mediterranean island near Patmos, 1440 BC) that caused similar destruction to what this trumpet judgment suggests.
3. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers, and on the springs of water—the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter—Revelation 8:10-11. Maybe an asteroid?
4. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, 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 turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night—Revelation 8:12
5. The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them—Revelation 9:1-6. Thought to be some kind of demonic beings.
6. The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts—Revelation 9:13-21.
7. The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and those who reverence your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm—Revelation 11:15-19. The trumpets are done; the bowls are about to begin.
(2) Bowl judgments (Revelation 15:6-16:1):
1. The first angel went out and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image—Revelation 16:2. In the Greek, these sores are abscesses or ulcers, and they are also termed malignant.
2. The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died—Revelation 16:3
3. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments—Revelation 16:4-7
4. The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him—Revelation 16:8-9. Dermatologists tell us of the almost epidemic proportions of melanoma—skin cancer—because of our exposure to the sun. We haven’t seen anything yet.
5. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done—Revelation 16:10-11
6. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon—Revelation 16:12-16. This sets the stage for the battle of Armageddon—the final battle before the triumphant return of Christ.
7. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible—Revelation 16:17-21
KYLE (DAVID)—Why if the Bible is inspired by God wouldn’t it just tell us the names of the nations in the Ezekiel battle instead of the geographical locations? Obviously God would know them.
Simply put, the geographical locations would remain the same, even as the names of nations changed over time. God gave locations that would always be there—by any name.
Admin- Admin
- Posts : 160
Join date : 2015-09-30 -
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum|
|
|