An Introduction to End Times.

Part 4 The Tribulation and On (cont’d)

Continuing Evangelism – Section 4c

Revelation Chapter 7

This chapter could be a parenthetical section illustrating God’s continuing desire to draw people to Himself, even through these troubled times.

Angels are told to hold back the earthly disasters of Chapter 6 pending the sealing of special evangelists from twelve tribes of Israel. God would not want to leave a spiritual vacuum on the earth and, without the presence there of the Holy Spirit (per 2Thess 2:7) or the Church, God’s ‘salvation’ would not be presented to the world. Thus 144,000 Jews are ‘sealed’ by God to spread the word. Incidentally note the absence, from the list, of Ephraim and Dan (cf. Num 13:4-15). See also 1Ki 12:25-30.

Verses 9 to 17 describe those who have been ‘saved’ by the special evangelising force so far during the Tribulation. Their white robes show them to be ‘cleansed’ by the blood of Jesus. But, note, unlike Christians from the Rapture or earlier they do not sit on thrones or get rewards (‘thrones’ entitle them to sit in judgement as opposed to only reigning (cf. 1Cor 6:2-3, Rev 20:4), ‘crowns’ are symbolic of ‘rewards’, see End Note (a), yet to come. However verses 16 and 17 suggest that they are well cared for after what they must have been through at the hands of the Antichrist.

Revelation Chapter 8

Seal seven.

I see verse 1 as a continuation from chapter 7 (remember, the division of the bible into chapters was not part of its original structure) and possibly representational of the Millennium (Rev 20) when Jesus rules on the earth ‘with a rod of iron’ (Ps 2:9; Rev 12:5; 19:15). Surely this would be a time when ‘God in heaven’ could take a break!

This would tie in with the broadly held view that the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet and the seventh bowl (both see later) all describe one and the same event, but seen from different viewpoints, or in different ways, all depicting the completion of God’s judgements upon the earth.

Others however, perhaps more wisely, see this silence as a precursor to even greater coming judgement following the opening of the seventh seal, perhaps with God, meanwhile, in his infinite patience, just waiting – in case any ‘last minute’ believers should come forward!

I believe the section from verse 2 of chapter 8 to the end of chapter 9 (verse 9:21) to be a continuation of God’s judgements as we work through the first six trumpets.

Verses 3 – 5. This priestly role has been interpreted in many ways, including that of being taken to represent our great high priest, Jesus, himself, fulfilling his role as our intercessor and offering the prayers of all the saints to the Father.

Trumpets one, two, three and four.

Verses 7 to 12 can be seen as divine action taken against the earth in the form of fire, food and other shortages, poor water supply, and darkness, as we move through the first four trumpets. This is followed in verse 13 by a warning of three woes to come.

Revelation Chapter 9

Trumpet five.

Verses 1 to 11. An angel comes to earth and is allowed to release demons (‘given a key’ – by God) who were specifically told to torture, not kill, ‘unsealed’ (unsaved) humans for five months; as opposed to harming earthly matter or introducing natural calamities. Think of this as a ‘carrot and stick’ approach, by God, to bring souls into the Kingdom – and the ‘stick’ is getting harder! (See also Lk 8:31, 2Pet 2:4; and Jude 6).

I am reminded of Hebrews 10:26-31. ‘If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 

How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’

Trumpet six.

Verses 12 to 21. The first woe is over. At the sound of the sixth trumpet a voice commanded that the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates be let loose.

These four angels, loosed now during the first half of the tribulation, have been held for just this occasion. They in turn release a force of 200 million troops from the east across the Euphrates. They kill a third of – (the remainder of?) – mankind. In which case, this combined with the killings in Rev 6:8 now equals half the population of the world as we know it, ie. three and a half out of seven billion dead through major tragedy. This is just the early stages, the run-up, to the battle of Armageddon. Can you imagine it?

The passage now covered in verses 17 to 19 is in the terminology of the time of John, but, in present day vision, could be representational of tanks, guns, flame-throwers and other weapons of atomic warfare.

In verses 20 and 21 we see that even with all this happening, there is such hardness of heart that people still fail to repent, or even recognise, their situation!

Next time: Approach of the Great Tribulation