Where are we in the Bible?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulation"Book of Revelation
Here is a list of events mentioned in the Book of Revelation, some of which (usually attributed to the seven trumpets) occur during the Great Tribulation period. The following chronological order of end time events is presented here as seen in the Book of Revelation, followed by a quick description of the 21 judgments (seals, trumpets, and bowls). The interpretation given is from the pre-tribulationist and literalist view. Of course, opinions among Christians differ:
First 3 1/2 Years:
* 1. The Rapture takes place. (but note that virtually no one interpreted the book of Revelation to suggest a 'pre-Tribulation Rapture' until the 19th century, see Rapture for details on the history of this doctrine)
* 2. The Rise of Antichrist and the False Prophet.
* 3. The Third Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem.
* 4. The Rise of Babylon.
* 5. The Rise of the false one-world religion.
* 6. The appearance of the two witnesses and the rise of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists.
* 7. The Seven Seal Judgments.
* 8. The Seven Trumpet Judgments.
Midpoint:
* 9. Death and Resurrection of the Two Witnesses.
* 10. Destruction of the One World Church.
* 11. The death and resurrection of Antichrist.
* 12. Antichrist defiles the temple and proclaims himself God.
* 13. The Mark of the Beast begins.
* 14. The Jewish Remnant flees to the desert.
Second 3 1/2 Years:
* 15. 7 Bowl Judgments
* 16. Martyrdom of Jews and Believers
* 17. Babylon is destroyed
* 18. Antichrist summons the world's armies to Armageddon
* 19. Battle of Armageddon
* 21. Return of Jesus Christ in Glory
* 22. Antichrist and the False Prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire
* 23. Satan is bound for 1,000 years
* 24. Resurrection of Tribulation martyrs
End of the 7-year Tribulation.
* 25. Christ establishes His 1,000 year kingdom.
* 26. Satan is released after 1,000 years.
* 27. Final Battle.
* 28. Satan, Death, and Hell are cast into the Lake of Fire.
* 29. Great White Throne Judgment (Final Judgment).
* 30. New heaven and earth. Eternity begins.
Seven seals
Main article: Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
* 1st Seal (Rev. 6:1-2): The White Horse of the Apocalypse. When he comes, he is given a crown and he goes out bent on conquest.
* 2nd Seal (Rev. 6:3-4): When the Red Horse comes he is given a large sword and he takes peace from the world, causing men to kill each other. The Antichrist reveals his true war-like self.
* 3rd Seal (Rev. 6:5-6): When the Black Horse comes he causes severe famine.
* 4th Seal (Rev. 6:7-8): The Pale Horse causes pestilence and death from the sword, famine, plague and wild beasts and Hades follow it. 1/4 of the world's population die from the horsemen.
* 5th Seal (Rev. 6:9-11): Martyrs begin dying during the Tribulation (The Antichrist begins his persecution of believers).
* 6th Seal (Rev. 6:12-17):
o Worldwide earthquake;
o Visible sunlight ceases and the image of the solar disk goes from granular to woven;
o The image of the moon resembles blood;
o The stars of the heaven fall to earth;
o The sky rolls up;
o Every mountain and island are dislodged;
o The entire world population flees to caves, canyons, dens, and cliffs; and
o The world population interprets the Sixth Seal events as signs for the beginning of the wrath of the Lamb (the Day of Wrath).
* 7th Seal (Rev. 8:1-6): Silence in Heaven, seven angels given seven trumpets, followed by fire being hurled to the Earth.
Seven trumpets
The sounding of the trumpets in Chapter 8 of Revelation, breaks the silence following the previous cycle of visions. Each trumpet blast brings with it a plague of a more disastrous nature than the one before it. The trumpet is used to build anticipation and tells the reader that an alert, announcement, or warning is about to take place.[4]
* After the first trumpet sounds: Hail, fire, and blood fall upon the earth, burning one-third of the earth, trees, and grass. This is a plague similar to the hailstorm described in the Book of Exodus, with the exception of the blood.
* Following the second trumpet blast: Something like a burning mountain plummets into the sea, turning one-third of the sea into blood, sinking one-third of the ships, and killing one-third of all the fish. Some Christian apologists believe this to possibly be an impact event of one of the Near-Earth objects.[5][6]
* At the sound of the third trumpet: A star called Wormwood falls onto the Earth poisoning the freshwater sources such as streams and rivers.
* Following the fourth trumpet: Sun, stars and moon are darkened by one-third.
* After the fifth trumpet blows: Plague of indestructible locusts led by Apollyon, Chief Demon of the Abyss ravage the forces of the Antichrist, inflicting endless pain. Many will try to kill themselves from the pain, but "death will flee from them". There is mention that believers will be sealed by God first, and the locusts will not attack them upon seeing God's seal on them.
* At the sound of the sixth trumpet: Over 200 million horsemen kill one-third of wicked left on Earth with massive strikes, fire, and smoke.
* At the sound of the seventh trumpet (last trumpet), from the Seventh Trumpet Rapture perspective, "... at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised" (1Cr 15:52). First Th 4:16 also mentions the Lord coming back "... with the trumpet of God."
The first six trumpets are used to serve as a wake up call to the sinners on Earth and a call to repentance. The seventh trumpet does not bring a plague with it. It is sounded as glory is being given to God and His kingdom is announced.[4]
Seven thunders
* Revelation 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
* Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
* Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
* Revelation 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
The seven thunders in Revelation 10 are a mystery of God until the seventh angel actually sounds.
[edit] Seven vial (bowl) judgments
The seven Vial/Bowl judgments are similar in nature to the Trumpet judgments, but far more serious for there will be no warning when they come. In addition, there are three key differences between the Trumpet judgements and the Vial/Bowl judgments: firstly, the Trumpet judgments are plagues upon nature, while the Vial/Bowl judgments are direct assaults against humanity. Secondly, the Trumpet judgments are partial (namely, they affect 1/3 of what they plague) while the Vial/Bowl judgements will destroy or harm all of what they assault. Lastly, the Trumpet judgments offer a possibility of redemption, while the Vial judgments do not; the Vial judgments are a literal assault on those who have taken the mark of the Beast, and those who take it are irredeemable.
* Noisome and grievous sores (possibly boils or carbuncles) on the worshipers of the Beast (These sores only affect those bearing the mark of the beast, who worship his image.)
* Sea turns to blood
* Rivers turn to blood
* Sun burns with intense heat and scorches people (This is an intense heat plague, that is believed[by whom?] will also affect mostly those with the mark.)
* Antichrist's kingdom is plunged into darkness (It is not clear if it means all the earth, or only the Antichrist's capital. New Babylon, the city many[who?] believe will be this capital, is a likely place, but cities such as Rome and Jerusalem have also been proposed.[by whom?] This is a darkness reminiscent to the one described in the Book of Exodus. It is so thick and deep that it causes literal pain. People writhe and gnash their teeth from the pain which is worsened by the sores that they still have from the first plague.)
* Euphrates River dries up and is prepared for battle from the armies from the east (To clarify, the river dries up to facilitate the crossing of the armies from the east, on their way to Israel for the battle of Armageddon.)
* Worldwide earthquake leveling every mountain into the sea followed by huge hailstones and lightning. (This could also be[weasel words] simultaneous earthquakes of great magnitude throughout the world. The Earth's geography and topography will be altered forever, as every mountain and hill will be leveled, and every island will either move or disappear. The earthquakes are accompanied by huge 100-lb hailstones.)
(Note: Some[who?] believe that the seals and trumpets will occur during the first half of the tribulation. The vial judgments will occur during the second half, as the first one refers to those with the mark of the beast. The mark will not be implemented until the Antichrist dies and resurrects, and then defiles the Temple; and this will happen at precisely the mid-point of the tribulation. Thus, the vial judgments will be more severe, and will last longer than any of the previous ones.
(Others[who?] argue that the seals generally cover man's history from after the first coming of Christ up to the End time (although several seem to go well into this period), with the trumpets generally covering the Tribulation, and the Bowls reserved for the Wrath of God period — preceding the Millennium.)"
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_ApocalypseTo better understand events, I read recently read where the seals, trumpets, and bowls are happening simultaneously. It might be that a seal is broken (a way that they sealed documents with wax stamps), a trumpet sounds, a bowl is poured...
