Eschatology The Tribulation Part 4

How? The pressing question for students of prophecy is to address the means by which God will bring Israel to restoration. This is particularly significant in view of the fact that the majority of the world’s population is Gentile. The Tribulation will be a time of unparalleled judgement.

Tribulation Judgment A judgment upon Israel that will drive God’s people to repentance A judgment upon wicked gentiles (both nations and individuals) A judgement upon an apostate world religious order A judgement upon the kingdom of antichrist.

Old Testament Titles for the Tribulation The Time of Jacob’s Trouble – Jer. 30:7 The Seventieth Week of Daniel – Dan. 9:27 Jehovah’s Strange Work and Strange Act – Isa. 28:21 The Indignation – Isa. 26:20; Dan. 11:36 The Overflowing Scourge – Isa. 28:15,18 The Day of the Lord’s Vengeance – Isa. 34:8; 35:4; 61:2

The Year of Recompenses – Isa. 34:8 A Time of Trouble – Dan. 12:1; Zep. 1:15 The Day of Wrath, Distress, Wasteness, Desolation, Darkness, Gloominess, Clouds and Thick Darkness – Zep. 1:15 The Day of Darkness – Amos 5:18,20; Joel 2:2 The Day of the Trumpet and Alarm – Zep. 1:16

New Testament Titles for the Tribulation The Day of the Lord – 1 Thes. 5:2 The Wrath of God – Rev. 15:1,7; 14:10,19; 16:1 The Hour of Trial – Rev. 3:10 The Great of the Wrath of the Lamb of God – Rev. 6:16,17 The Wrath to Come – 1 Thes. 1:10 The Wrath – 1 Thes. 5:9; Rev. 11:18 The Great Tribulation – Mat. 24:21; Rev. 2:22; 7:14 The Tribulation – Mat. 24:29 The Hour of Judgment –Rev. 14:7

Psalm 2 depicts storing up and release of righteous anger of God against people who refuse His sovereignty, reject His Son, attempt to throw off all restraint. As God utilizes the wrath of man for His own glory (Psalm 76:10), the world will pass through a series of terrible experiences, some created by man himself, some directly the hand of God in the natural world. There are two positions in the interpretation of the data given in Revelation chapters 5-19. The minority view is that the series of judgments begun with the seven sealed book are repeated in the seven trumpets and seven bowls (concurrent view).

Concurrent View

Most dispensationalists see the unfolding judgments as chronological with Revelation 11 describing the mid-point of the Tribulation (consecutive view). This is not in any way an accommodation to the Mid-Tribulation Rapture theory. It is a reasonable reading of the text similar to the reading of any other book of the Bible. Viewing the more prominent interpretation, we can see the building destruction that will be experienced by the world during this awful time.

Consecutive View

Looking at the each cycle of judgment, it is apparent that God is at work whether by the hand of man or acting independently from man.

Seal Judgments First Seal – White Horse – Appearance of antichrist working through diplomacy Second Seal – Red Horse – Open warfare Third Seal – Black Horse – Famine Fourth Seal – Pale Horse – Death Fifth Seal – Martyrdom Sixth Seal – Unnatural Disasters in the natural world Seven Seal – Silence followed by seven angels with seven trumpets

Trumpet Judgments First Trumpet – Hail and fire mingled with blood Second Trumpet – Great mountain striking the oceans Third Trumpet – Water sources polluted. Fourth Trumpet – Heavenly bodies affected Fifth Trumpet – the first woe – Locusts from the bottomless pit Sixth Trumpet – the second woe – An army 200 million strong marches west Seventh Trumpet – the third woe – Announcement that end is at hand with the appearance of seven angels with seven bowls full of the final judgments

Bowl Judgments First Bowl – Loathsome sores Second Bowl – Oceans turns to blood Third Bowl – Domestic water turns to blood Fourth Bowl – The Sun intensifies and men are scorched Fifth Bowl – Darkness Sixth Bowl – Euphrates Rivers dries up making way for the kings of the East Seventh Bowl – Violent natural disasters

The consequences of all of this judgment will be the death of one half the world’s population (one fourth in the fourth seal – Revelation 6:8 and one third of the remainder in the sixth trumpet – Revelation 9:15). Even though many if not most people will come to recognize that the judgment comes from God, they still refuse to repent. (Rev. 16:9-11,21) ¼ plus 1/3 of ¾ = 1/2

God will pour out judgment upon the kingdom of antichrist (Rev God will pour out judgment upon the kingdom of antichrist (Rev. 16:10), who will ultimately be defeated and judged (Rev. 20:10). It should not be assumed that people who have rejected Christ in the age of grace will have a second opportunity to be saved once they realize the implications of the Tribulation.  (2 Thes. 2:3-12)

Neither should we assume that there will be no salvations in the Tribulation Period. The nations of the world will be evangelized by 144,000 Jewish evangelists. (Rev. 7:1-12 ) God’s people who rejected Messiah will now represent Him to the world. In addition to the Jewish evangelists, God will have two particular witnesses who through modern communication means will have a world-wide audience. (Rev. 11:3-13) God will not be without witness. Even after the two witnesses are resurrected and translated, God will still have a voice in the earth. (Rev. 14:6,7)

Ultimately, the Tribulation is about the consummation of the plan and purpose of God. He who men have so long rejected will assume title deed to the earth. He will finally destroy all rebels and set up His kingdom upon the earth. (Rev. 11:14-19)