SEQUENCE OF REVELATION JUDGMENTS

Most Believers today presume that Revelation will unfold chronologically as it is written, but this simply cannot be. We should note that the Anti Christ is shown as arising out of the sea in Revelation 13:2, yet he has already come on the white horse in Revelation 6:2. If Revelation had been written with a chronological alignment of events, Revelation 13:2 would of necessity have come before Revelation 6:2. There are many other passages that indicate the existence of an "overlaying" type of process in the timing of the events of this book. Because of the numbering of the seals, the trumpets, and the vials, we know which within each of these categories comes before the other. For example, the third trumpet will not be blown before the first, etc., but that is about the only confirmed ordering we are given here. The rest has been arbitrarily assigned by our theologians. A closer study of the "chronology" of this book has been very interesting when viewed from a different perspective.

If we align all three of the number ones listed in Revelation, and put them before all three of the number twos, and continue in this fashion, we find a natural progression that is hard to refute. The evidence at the beginning is far from conclusive, as the events in the first seal, the first trumpet, and the first vial do not have much in common. However, as we progress, you will begin to see a great deal of confirmation to this theory. Let's proceed for a moment in this manner.

As the first seal is opened in Chapter 6:1-2, we find a rider on a white horse, wearing a crown, and holding a bow. He is given the authority and capability to rule and conquer all who stand in his way, and he does so. It is obvious that this is the Anti Christ. Then we hear an angel sound the first trumpet in 8:7. Hail and fire mingled with blood are cast upon the earth at the sound of this trumpet, and 1/3 of the trees and all of the green grass is burnt up. Now we find the first vial being poured out in 16:2, whereby all those on the earth who had taken the mark of the beast from the first seal and worshiped his image are given noisome and grievous sores (probably similar to the boils given the Egyptians as Egypt was a shadow of the world who is now being judged).

The opening of the second seal in 6:34 reveals a rider on a red horse, who is given power to remove peace from the earth, that mankind can kill one another, and a great sword was given unto him. (We might note that in 20:4 people of these days are "beheaded" for the witness of Yeshua, and for the word of God. Though common conception now is that the guillotine will be used to perform this "beheading", it is more likely that this will be done by the Islamic death mode through use of the sword.) When the second angel sounds the trumpet in 8:89, we see a great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea, resulting in 1/3 of the sea becoming blood, 1/3 of the sea life dying, and 1/3 of ships being destroyed. Now in 16:3 the second vial is poured out upon the sea as well, and it became as the blood of a dead man. (Is it just coincidence that both the trumpet and the vial affect the sea, and that it becomes as the blood of a dead man after the sword is given to the rider of the second horseman?)

At the opening of the third seal in 6:56 we find that the rider of the black horse has brought famine. The term penny used here represents "denarius", roughly a whole day's wages. Wheat and barley are among the most basic necessities of life, and their price is exorbitant, about 10 times higher than normal. Again the Anti Christ figure holds the scales (sets the prices), and only those with his mark can buy or sell at all per 13:17. In 8:10-11 the third trumpet blows, and a great star falls from heaven into the rivers, and fountains of waters (springs). It is called Wormwood, and 1/3 of each of these waters becomes bitter, killing more people. In 16:47 the third vial is also poured out upon the rivers and fountains of water (springs), and they become blood. The judgment upon those who have shed the blood of saints by the sword is to have only blood to drink. Again we see the correlation of the third trumpet and the third vial, both effecting the rivers and springs.

Now the fourth seal is opened in 6:78, and the rider of the pale horse appears. His name is Death, Thanatos in the Greek, meaning physical, temporal, or eternal separation from blessed influence; also plague or pestilence) and he is followed closely by Hell (Hades in the Greek). It is probable that Death here (closely linked to Hades) is the introduction to the actual Millennial existence of Outer Darkness and Gehenna as explained in Bible Verses to Ponder available through this ministry, and that the princes of these places of judgment are given permission to wreak havoc. They are given power over 1/4 of the earth, to kill by the sword, and with hunger, death (plague or pestilence), and with the beasts of the earth. (It might be noted here, that some of the most virulent strains of pestilence known to mankind today originated with the "beasts" of the earth or animal kingdom.) The fourth trumpet sounds in 8:1213, and 1/3 of the sun is smitten (struck) as well as 1/3 of the moon and 1/3 of the stars. These portions were darkened and could give no light for the day or night. The fourth vial is likewise poured out upon the sun in 16:89. It intensifies the heat of the sun to scorch men with fire, and the heat was so great that man blasphemed the name of God which provided the power for these things to take place. Just as the second trumpet and vial both affected the sea, and the third trumpet and vial both affected the rivers and springs, the fourth trumpet and vial both affect the sun. Could that simply be happenstance? Could it be that if 1/3 of  the sun had not just been smitten so that it could not shine, (shortening the days) that no man could survive the heat of this vial? (See Matthew 24:2122.)

The fifth seal is now opened in 6:9-11, and we find the souls of them that were slain (beheaded by the sword) for the word of God and for their testimony. They are under the altar, and they cry with a loud voice for His judgment to avenge their blood upon those who had shed it. They are "given" (granted) white (pure and spotless) robes for their testimonies, and told to wait until the allotment of those to die in such manner should be completed. It is now open season on the Believer, and he will be hunted down and killed like an animal by the ruthless powers that be through the temporal authority granted them by God. Even as Satan did not realize the consequence for crucifying Yeshua, he does not realize that as he and his followers behead these victims they are bringing about the cleansing that will purify these Believers unto God for the Millennial Kingdom. Thus, they cannot receive them back in Gehenna or Outer Darkness during that time period. (Again, there is not time here to explain this process, and the reader is referred to Bible Verses to Ponder for such explanation.) The consequence of the fifth trumpet is found in 9:111. When a star (angel) falls from heaven to the earth, he is given the key to the bottomless pit. When it is opened we see so much smoke arise from it that the sun is darkened. Then beasts referred to as "locusts" come out of it onto the earth, and they are given power to sting with their tails as scorpions sting. These "locusts" however, are not allowed to harm any foliage at all, but only those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads (the 144,000 Jewish witnesses of 7:24). Their sting will not kill man, but will torment him for five months. Men will seek death at this time, and not be allowed to die. The king that rules over these "locusts" is the angel of the bottomless pit (Abbadon in Hebrew, or Apollyon in the Greek). The twelfth verse of this passage says that one woe is past and two are yet to come. The consequence of this trumpet is so severe that it is considered to be the first of three horrific woes. In 16:10-11 the fifth vial is poured out upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom becomes full of darkness. The darkness somehow seems to intensify the pain that those of his kingdom are enduring, and they blaspheme God because of their pain and sores.

It may serve our purpose well to break for a moment here. We should look at a passage in Luke in reference to the crucifixion of Yeshua. In Luke 23:44-45 we read, "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst." The extraBiblical documentation attributed to Nicodemus agrees entirely with this account, but clarifies that the darkness was at least in part due to an eclipse. In it we read "And it was about the sixth hour, and darkness was upon the face of the whole earth, until the ninth hour. And while the sun was eclipsed, behold the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom; and the rocks also were rent ...." As Yeshua endures the harshness of the judgment of mankind, this judgment is amplified by intense darkness. Now we see the woes of the judgment of man by Yeshua being characterized in like manner as darkness overtakes the world once again. This parallel will become even more obvious as we proceed.

Now we have the opening of the sixth seal in 6:12-17. Upon it's opening, we find a great earthquake, and the sun becoming black as sackcloth of hair (i.e. the sun is eclipsed) and the moon becoming as blood (probably a lunar eclipse as well). The stars of heaven fall unto the earth, and the heavens depart as a scroll when it is rolled together. Every mountain and island are moved out of their places. Mankind is terrified, and tries to hide, pleading with mountains to fall on him so he will escape the wrath of the Lamb, and it is acknowledged here that His day of wrath is come. Matthew 24:29 tells us that "immediately AFTER the Tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." Could the Tribulation of the Believers left behind through those days be ending? Maybe our answer is coming right up! The sixth trumpet sounds in 9:13-21, and four angels are sent out from the Euphrates River, prepared to slay 1/3 of the men on earth. They were to gather a massive army of horsemen to perform this task, who could issue fire, smoke, and brimstone from their mouths, and have tails as serpents, whereby both their heads and tails were equipped to hurt man. Verse 15 indicates that this will take place over a period of an hour, a day, a month, and a year. As the sixth vial is poured out in 16:12-16, we find the Euphrates River (the same river from which the angels of the sixth trumpet were released) being dried up to make way for this army to converge upon Israel for the battle of Armageddon. Three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouths of the Dragon (Satan), the Beast (the Anti Christ), and the False Prophet. These spirits are assigned the task of collecting this army for its destined end. Now we should take note of a very peculiar insertion in the MIDST of this passage. It is SO intrusive, that it interrupts a single thought, which would have been, "For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God almighty. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." In the very MIDST of this congruent through, we find these words in RED LETTERS. "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."! The Lord Himself inserts this message in the very MIDST of the surrounding text. Virtually ALWAYS when we hear of Him coming like a thief, it is in relation to a Rapture. It seems rather obvious that He is giving us a time frame here for this Rapture. Drawing from other writings of this ministry we would point out that this is the second rapture, as the First Fruits Rapture would have preceded "ALL THESE THINGS THAT SHALL COME TO PASS" per Luke 21:36. This second (Ingathering) Rapture occurs as foretold in 14:15-16, "for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."

Now, again we will digress with a short reprieve. It seems that at this point in the picture, the progression is rather rapid fire. Though the activity of the four angels released in the sixth trumpet will take an hour, a day, a month, and a year to complete, the release of future judgments do not await its completion. The sores (boils) which occurred with the first vial were still present in the darkness of the fifth vial, so the onset of a new judgment does not end the effects of the previous judgments. Once established, they may continue throughout the balance of the Tribulation Period. Thus the sixth seal, trumpet and bowl judgments may have been released in rapid fire sequence. The only immediate action required for the implementation of the last two of these is the release of the four angels in the trumpet judgment, and the release of the three spirits in the vial judgment. This could occur virtually within the blink of an eye. Indeed the earthquake of the sixth seal may still have been rumbling as our Lord speaks that He comes as a thief during the context of the sixth vial. Let's return again to the passages related to the crucifixion of Yeshua. We find in Matthew 27:51-53 that "... the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves ...." Just as the darkness during the three hours of the crucifixion appears to have been a shadow of the darkness of the fifth bowl, could the earthquake and the opening of the graves of the saints whereby they arose here be the foreshadow of the Rapture even from the grave in the text of the sixth seal, and vial? I Thessalonians 4:16 tells us that the dead will rise first, then we which are alive AND REMAIN (Greek for REMAIN indicates having been left behind) shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: ...) I Corinthians 15:52 indicates that this Rapture will occur the "last trump" (Greek here is the same as trumpet). The word "AT" in this verse is in the Greek, and can mean "in the close proximity of". The occurrence of the Rapture would definitely fit this description in relation to the seventh (last) trumpet of Revelation. It ALSO fits the definition of the "LAST TRUMP" per Hebrew writings, as discussed in other work by this ministry which focuses heavily upon significance of the Hebrew Festivals.

Now we find the opening of the seventh seal in 8:1. It is only mentioned in a single verse, and it indicates that there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. There is much speculation about what occurs in heaven during this time. It must indeed be something very "HEAVY-DUTY" for all sound in heaven to cease. Could it be the gathering of those just raptured to stand before the on in judgment? Then we hear the voice of the seventh angel's trumpet in 10:710, announcing that the "mystery of God should be finished", as He hath declared to his servants the prophets. A little book is involved here, that was sweet to the taste but bitter to the stomach. Could it be telling of the judgment to occur at the Bema Judgment seat (per I Corinthians 3:11-15)? Only the sweet portion of the book is taught in our churches today! Could all Believers stand before the Son, and some NOT be prepared (per Luke 21:36), and face consequences NOT taught by the church today (i.e. Outer Darkness and Gehenna)? When Yeshua was dying on the cross, John 19:28-30 tells us:

Now why would Scripture have been written regarding this matter, and Yeshua have thought to fulfill it? Could it foreshadow the sour drink offering that Yeshua will have to partake of when He judges the unripened fruit of many of HIS BELIEVERS as they stand before Him at Bema? Again, the parallels to the end of His mortal life here on earth are seen as the end times are played out in heaven. At this time, the FULL revelation that He has given his prophets and his servants WILL be understood by ALL BELIEVERS! In 11:15 we find further reference to the seventh trumpet. Here it seems that it announces that "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever". This indicates that the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom is at hand! Verse 18 tells us here that "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 THY NAME, small and great: and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and  thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." I scarcely see this (Bema in the Greek) judgment seat as being the picnic the "church" of these end days teaches us that it will be. The concluding comment here seems to be that we must FEAR HIS NAME, and many of the "church" today does not. At the distribution of the seventh vial, we find the same things we just saw in the text of the seventh trumpet. In 16:17 we hear a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. (Presumably His Bema judgment has concluded, and He is ready to proceed to the earth to handle matters there. The earthly Tribulation Period for all BELIEVERS IS past, but the hand of God Almighty is ready to judge those who have slain the saints, and are persecuting His Hebrew Elect who are still upon the earth.) The Earthquake foreseen in the text of the seventh trumpet is now upon the earth, and is so immense that every island flees away, and the mountains are not found. It splits the city into three parts, and the cities of the nations fall. A great hail, also foreseen in the seventh trump falls now, and each hailstone weighs about one talent (roughly 100 pounds). Men continue to blaspheme God. We also see here the giving of the cup of the wine of the fierceness of Christ's wrath upon Babylon, and recall the passage in 14:17-20 which tells us of the other angel that carries out this task. With a loud cry he thrusts in his sharp sickle, and gathers the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. He then casts them into the winepress of the wrath of God, and blood comes out of the winepress even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs (roughly 184 miles).

At the close of all of these events, we are assured in Revelation 19:2:

We cannot question the reality of these events, only the timing in which they WILL BE FULFILLED. What will your part in them be? Will you be gone before they begin, or endure a portion of them as an ERRANT, and BACKSLIDEN BELIEVER, or will you endure the ENTIRE COURSE OF EVENTS as an UNBELIEVER only to later face the White Throne Judgment whereby the Lake of Fire beckons? Of course, you could also be one of the casualties of this period of time, but how much better to be taken home before it starts. May God bless you as you consider these concepts.