Millions of people
have just disappeared and you were left behind.
You've come to the realization that everything you had heard before about Jesus was right after all. You're probably scared and confused and wanting information. I will try and explain as best I can, what your options are and what you can expect now. I will try to keep my explanations as short as I can so that you can have the bare bones of it for now. You can get more in depth explanations in other articles here later.
Before I begin though, just in case you've heard that God took the "good people" and left the bad, that is simply NOT true! God took all the people that had a personal relationship with Him, that had Jesus as their Savior and had made Him the Lord of their life. Many "good" people will have been left behind. Many "religious" people will have been left behind. The only ones that have been taken in the rapture are those who were truly saved and those who through their youth or disabilities were raptured due to the Lord's mercy and righteousness.
First let's deal with the most important item. Is it to late for you to be saved? No it's not! You can still be saved right now!!! The way will be rough, and your chances of survival as a believer aren't good, but you CAN be saved. That's part of the reason for all that's happened. God wants to get your attention. Nothing else worked, or you would have been saved and gone in the rapture too. So now He pulls out all the stops. You have a choice to make. Who will you follow? Jesus or Satan? No other choice is available to you. Neutral is still choosing Satan. If you choose Jesus, He will do for you all that He did for us, except for the rapture. You will still have to go through the 7 years of tribulation that are coming.
If you accept God's gift of salvation, He will still dwell within you, He will never leave you, He will forgive you, strengthen you and encourage you, He will always tell you the Truth and He will teach you about Himself and what is to come next, and He will guide you. He will write your name in His book of Life and you will spend eternity in Heaven with Him and all your loved ones that were raptured.
Your days are quite literally numbered. Please, please, don't put salvation off even one moment longer!!! Right this second could be your last chance. I will be making a page about how to be saved, so if you need more guidance please look for it.
Now, what can you expect to happen next? First off, you only have approximately 7 more years to live this life. There may be a "lull" between the rapture and the actual beginning of the 7 year tribulation. You will know that the Tribulation has "officially" started when you see a treaty signed with Israel promising peace for the next 7 years. You will see other "signs" even before that most likely. Please note that I said there "may be" a lull between the rapture and the tribulation. I am not guaranteeing that by any means. There may not be either. The Bible isn't clear on the exact timing, other than, as I said, you can know the trib has started for sure at the signing of that treaty with Israel. This "lull" could last hours, days, weeks, or even years, although I think that's highly unlikely, or not happen at all.
You've come to the realization that everything you had heard before about Jesus was right after all. You're probably scared and confused and wanting information. I will try and explain as best I can, what your options are and what you can expect now. I will try to keep my explanations as short as I can so that you can have the bare bones of it for now. You can get more in depth explanations in other articles here later.
Before I begin though, just in case you've heard that God took the "good people" and left the bad, that is simply NOT true! God took all the people that had a personal relationship with Him, that had Jesus as their Savior and had made Him the Lord of their life. Many "good" people will have been left behind. Many "religious" people will have been left behind. The only ones that have been taken in the rapture are those who were truly saved and those who through their youth or disabilities were raptured due to the Lord's mercy and righteousness.
First let's deal with the most important item. Is it to late for you to be saved? No it's not! You can still be saved right now!!! The way will be rough, and your chances of survival as a believer aren't good, but you CAN be saved. That's part of the reason for all that's happened. God wants to get your attention. Nothing else worked, or you would have been saved and gone in the rapture too. So now He pulls out all the stops. You have a choice to make. Who will you follow? Jesus or Satan? No other choice is available to you. Neutral is still choosing Satan. If you choose Jesus, He will do for you all that He did for us, except for the rapture. You will still have to go through the 7 years of tribulation that are coming.
If you accept God's gift of salvation, He will still dwell within you, He will never leave you, He will forgive you, strengthen you and encourage you, He will always tell you the Truth and He will teach you about Himself and what is to come next, and He will guide you. He will write your name in His book of Life and you will spend eternity in Heaven with Him and all your loved ones that were raptured.
Your days are quite literally numbered. Please, please, don't put salvation off even one moment longer!!! Right this second could be your last chance. I will be making a page about how to be saved, so if you need more guidance please look for it.
Now, what can you expect to happen next? First off, you only have approximately 7 more years to live this life. There may be a "lull" between the rapture and the actual beginning of the 7 year tribulation. You will know that the Tribulation has "officially" started when you see a treaty signed with Israel promising peace for the next 7 years. You will see other "signs" even before that most likely. Please note that I said there "may be" a lull between the rapture and the tribulation. I am not guaranteeing that by any means. There may not be either. The Bible isn't clear on the exact timing, other than, as I said, you can know the trib has started for sure at the signing of that treaty with Israel. This "lull" could last hours, days, weeks, or even years, although I think that's highly unlikely, or not happen at all.
The seven years of Tribulation: what's going to
happen:
First I want to acknowledge that some experts think that the judgments I'm going to talk about will happen in the order they are listed in the Bible. That is certainly possible, but I have found nothing in the bible to indicate that it must happen this way. Therefore I want to caution you that the judgments I list here, could come in any order and may very well overlap each other. For your sake I hope they don't, but I have no way of knowing that for sure and certainly don't want to mislead you in any way.
The Tribulation Period will consist of 21 judgments that the Lord will send out upon mankind and the earth. The judgments are listed in groups of 7. There are 7 Seal Judgments, 7 Trumpet Judgments, and 7 Bowl judgments. You can find these judgments listed in the book of Revelation. If you search on this site, Fresh-Hope, you will find several very good threads about Revelation and the Tribulation in the Bible Study forum, Richards Studies forum, and the End Times Chat forum.
As I stated before the very beginning of the Tribulation happens when the 7 year peace treaty is signed with Israel. The person doing the signing will be the AntiChrist, so please, please, beware of him! This peace he guarantees them will be a false peace and will actually only last 3 and a half years. After that there will be all out war. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's look at the judgments first.
The Seal Judgments:
FIRST SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
The first Seal judgment shows us a rider on a white horse. This is the AntiChrist who will deceive many into believing that he has come to restore peace in the world and that is all he wants. That however will prove in time to be a huge lie. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in this. He will most likely be very charismatic, very appealing and put out many great ideas to bring peace to the world. Notice that in the verse it says this rider has a bow, but doesn't say anything about arrows? That's how we know that he will come claiming to bring peace. He is given a crown so we know that he will be very popular and most likely placed in a position of great authority. Note that he is given the crown, so he most likely won't earn it or inherit it. This verse also tells us that He will go out as a conqueror bent of conquest, which means that he will toss out his peace program. His peace treaties will be fake.
SECOND SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:4 And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
Next we see a rider on a red horse which is symbolic of war. This rider will take the false peace away from the world and show them war and terror instead. The large sword in his hand indicates that there will be many weapons of war used now.
THIRD SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see.'' And I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.''
A black horse is the color of grief and mourning. The scales symbolize economic disaster and famine. The scales will be used to weigh food which will be sold for an outrageous price. A quart of wheat will cost about a days wages. Obviously many won't be able to survive because of this. This also shows that the gap between the rich and the poor will become even wider. While most people are struggling just to eat with nothing left over for anything else, the rich will still be able to buy wine and oil. This is another sign of economic disaster.
FOURTH SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
The next horse is a pale horse. The Greek word used is "chloros," meaning pale green like chlorophyll. It's the color of spoiled meat and rotting flesh. His rider and the person following him are personified by death and hades. He will be harvesting souls destined for hell. Things will continue to get worse and worse according to this.
Notice that each rider is given more weapons against the people of the earth. The first one has a bow but no arrows, the second one, has a single large sword, the black horse has economic collapse and famine and the pale horse has sword, famine, plague and wild animals.
FIFTHTH SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?'' 11. And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
The people "under the altar" are the people who will be killed for their belief in Christ during the Tribulation. A huge number of Christians will be killed for their faith in Christ during the Tribulation. Here the Lord is telling them that even more will be killed before it's over.
SIXTH SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16. and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17. "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?''
This first verse sounds pretty straight forward, and it could be a world wide earthquake which would be bad enough. Some people think it also sounds a lot like one or more nuclear explosions that could also cause the earthquake. Nuclear Explosions would result in a lot of pollution in the air that could account for the descriptions of the sun and moon too.
First I want to acknowledge that some experts think that the judgments I'm going to talk about will happen in the order they are listed in the Bible. That is certainly possible, but I have found nothing in the bible to indicate that it must happen this way. Therefore I want to caution you that the judgments I list here, could come in any order and may very well overlap each other. For your sake I hope they don't, but I have no way of knowing that for sure and certainly don't want to mislead you in any way.
The Tribulation Period will consist of 21 judgments that the Lord will send out upon mankind and the earth. The judgments are listed in groups of 7. There are 7 Seal Judgments, 7 Trumpet Judgments, and 7 Bowl judgments. You can find these judgments listed in the book of Revelation. If you search on this site, Fresh-Hope, you will find several very good threads about Revelation and the Tribulation in the Bible Study forum, Richards Studies forum, and the End Times Chat forum.
As I stated before the very beginning of the Tribulation happens when the 7 year peace treaty is signed with Israel. The person doing the signing will be the AntiChrist, so please, please, beware of him! This peace he guarantees them will be a false peace and will actually only last 3 and a half years. After that there will be all out war. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's look at the judgments first.
The Seal Judgments:
FIRST SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
The first Seal judgment shows us a rider on a white horse. This is the AntiChrist who will deceive many into believing that he has come to restore peace in the world and that is all he wants. That however will prove in time to be a huge lie. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in this. He will most likely be very charismatic, very appealing and put out many great ideas to bring peace to the world. Notice that in the verse it says this rider has a bow, but doesn't say anything about arrows? That's how we know that he will come claiming to bring peace. He is given a crown so we know that he will be very popular and most likely placed in a position of great authority. Note that he is given the crown, so he most likely won't earn it or inherit it. This verse also tells us that He will go out as a conqueror bent of conquest, which means that he will toss out his peace program. His peace treaties will be fake.
SECOND SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:4 And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
Next we see a rider on a red horse which is symbolic of war. This rider will take the false peace away from the world and show them war and terror instead. The large sword in his hand indicates that there will be many weapons of war used now.
THIRD SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see.'' And I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.''
A black horse is the color of grief and mourning. The scales symbolize economic disaster and famine. The scales will be used to weigh food which will be sold for an outrageous price. A quart of wheat will cost about a days wages. Obviously many won't be able to survive because of this. This also shows that the gap between the rich and the poor will become even wider. While most people are struggling just to eat with nothing left over for anything else, the rich will still be able to buy wine and oil. This is another sign of economic disaster.
FOURTH SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
The next horse is a pale horse. The Greek word used is "chloros," meaning pale green like chlorophyll. It's the color of spoiled meat and rotting flesh. His rider and the person following him are personified by death and hades. He will be harvesting souls destined for hell. Things will continue to get worse and worse according to this.
Notice that each rider is given more weapons against the people of the earth. The first one has a bow but no arrows, the second one, has a single large sword, the black horse has economic collapse and famine and the pale horse has sword, famine, plague and wild animals.
FIFTHTH SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?'' 11. And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
The people "under the altar" are the people who will be killed for their belief in Christ during the Tribulation. A huge number of Christians will be killed for their faith in Christ during the Tribulation. Here the Lord is telling them that even more will be killed before it's over.
SIXTH SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16. and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17. "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?''
This first verse sounds pretty straight forward, and it could be a world wide earthquake which would be bad enough. Some people think it also sounds a lot like one or more nuclear explosions that could also cause the earthquake. Nuclear Explosions would result in a lot of pollution in the air that could account for the descriptions of the sun and moon too.
Verse 13 could also be a couple of things. It could be a meteor shower or it could also be a missile attack. 2,000 years ago that would have "looked like" falling stars to John most likely. Verse 14 is yet another possible indication of a nuclear war.
SEVENTH AND LAST SEAL JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:1 And when he opened the seventh seal, there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
No one really understands what this verse means. It could mean that what comes as the 7th Seal Judgment is so horrid that everyone in heaven is speechless because of it. Or it could mean that they are just in awe of what He does next....
Revelation 8:3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. And he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. 5. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
Perhaps part of it is mentioned here....yet another world wide earthquake, and what sounds like a pretty nasty thunderstorm.
Sometime during all this the Lord will seal to Himself 144,000 people to preach the Gospel They will each be of Jewish descent.
Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
It goes on to say that so many will be saved during the Tribulation that they won't be able to be numbered!
Another sign you can look for is mentioned here:
Revelation 11:3 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.''
Please read the rest of chapter 11 as it gives a lot more information about these two men. Many experts think that these two men will be Elijah and Moses. This is partly because of these verses:
Matthew 17:1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, brought them up on a high mountain by themselves, 2. and was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
It may very well be them, but we have no way of being sure beforehand as the Bible doesn't say. However, when you hear of these two witnesses preaching in Jerusalem, you'll know this prophecy is being fulfilled.
The Trumpet
Judgments
THE FIRST TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
This very well could be a continuation of the last earthquake and storm. With the huge loss of vegetation, there will be soil erosion, floods and mudslides. Air pollution will get pretty bad and the ecology will be in chaos.
THE SECOND TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood; 9. and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
The second judgment is a judgment on the sea. A third of it is turned to blood and a third of the creatures die. This will again effect how much food is available. Now there will be even less. Some people think the "something like a burning mountain" is a nuclear missile, and others think it'll be a meteor. Anyone who depends on the sea for jobs, food, defense or cargo transport will suffer. It is also likely that everything close to the sea will be destroyed or damaged by a tidal wave from the meteor or missile hitting it.
THE THIRD TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water; 11. and the name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Next we have Wormwood , possibly a meteor or another missile hitting the earth. Now one third of the earth's fresh water supply is contaminated and unusable. Many more will die, this time from thirst.
THE FOURTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:12 Then the fourth angel sounded: 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 were darkened; and a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
The Fourth judgment will affect the heavens. The sun, moon and stars will be darkened by a third. It doesn't say how long this will continue, but a reduction in light like that will affect the weather, crops, and all of life in general.
Revelation 8:13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!''
Apparently the next three judgments are especially bad.
THE FIFTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
The bottomless pit is opened and a plague of locust-like creatures proceeds to torture mankind for five months - This plague doesn't come to those who've accepted Christ, but tortures everyone else. The pain and torment from the stings of these demonic locusts will be so bad that the people will even try to commit suicide but God won't let them die. The pain from them will last for 5 months.
THE SIXTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14. saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.'' 15. So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million, and I heard the number of them. 17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
These "angels" are more powerful cohorts of Satan. This river has been associated with witchcraft, astrology, idolatry, demon worship, and other sins for a very long time. Notice the huge number of their army and that they will be mounted on "horses". John uses the words "like" and "resembled" because he couldn't fully understand what he was seeing. This leaves a lot open to our imaginations. However, it may be that he was seeing technology from our time that he simply coudn't understand or it could be something totally demonic that we simply know nothing about. Some have taken this as a picture of modern warfare including the use of armed vehicles such as tanks. Whether symbolic or literal, the passage certainly implies terrible destruction and an awesome invading force. Regardless, it will be the fire, smoke, and brimstone (sulfur) that will kill another third of the people living on earth.
THE SEVENTH AND LAST TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 10:1 And I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2. And he had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
3. and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. And when he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.''
5. And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his hand to heaven
6. and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,
7. but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
This is going to be so terrible that John wasn't allowed to write about it, so there's really no point in trying to guess.
THE FIRST TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
This very well could be a continuation of the last earthquake and storm. With the huge loss of vegetation, there will be soil erosion, floods and mudslides. Air pollution will get pretty bad and the ecology will be in chaos.
THE SECOND TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood; 9. and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
The second judgment is a judgment on the sea. A third of it is turned to blood and a third of the creatures die. This will again effect how much food is available. Now there will be even less. Some people think the "something like a burning mountain" is a nuclear missile, and others think it'll be a meteor. Anyone who depends on the sea for jobs, food, defense or cargo transport will suffer. It is also likely that everything close to the sea will be destroyed or damaged by a tidal wave from the meteor or missile hitting it.
THE THIRD TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water; 11. and the name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Next we have Wormwood , possibly a meteor or another missile hitting the earth. Now one third of the earth's fresh water supply is contaminated and unusable. Many more will die, this time from thirst.
THE FOURTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 8:12 Then the fourth angel sounded: 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 were darkened; and a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
The Fourth judgment will affect the heavens. The sun, moon and stars will be darkened by a third. It doesn't say how long this will continue, but a reduction in light like that will affect the weather, crops, and all of life in general.
Revelation 8:13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!''
Apparently the next three judgments are especially bad.
THE FIFTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
The bottomless pit is opened and a plague of locust-like creatures proceeds to torture mankind for five months - This plague doesn't come to those who've accepted Christ, but tortures everyone else. The pain and torment from the stings of these demonic locusts will be so bad that the people will even try to commit suicide but God won't let them die. The pain from them will last for 5 months.
THE SIXTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14. saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.'' 15. So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million, and I heard the number of them. 17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
These "angels" are more powerful cohorts of Satan. This river has been associated with witchcraft, astrology, idolatry, demon worship, and other sins for a very long time. Notice the huge number of their army and that they will be mounted on "horses". John uses the words "like" and "resembled" because he couldn't fully understand what he was seeing. This leaves a lot open to our imaginations. However, it may be that he was seeing technology from our time that he simply coudn't understand or it could be something totally demonic that we simply know nothing about. Some have taken this as a picture of modern warfare including the use of armed vehicles such as tanks. Whether symbolic or literal, the passage certainly implies terrible destruction and an awesome invading force. Regardless, it will be the fire, smoke, and brimstone (sulfur) that will kill another third of the people living on earth.
THE SEVENTH AND LAST TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Revelation 10:1 And I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2. And he had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
3. and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. And when he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.''
5. And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his hand to heaven
6. and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,
7. but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
This is going to be so terrible that John wasn't allowed to write about it, so there's really no point in trying to guess.
Somewhere around the mid point of the
Tribulation, the Antichrist will be killed and then somehow resurrected. He will
then do two things. He will make it so that everyone who wants to buy or sell
things must take a mark in their hand or forehead. DO NOT
ACCEPT THIS MARK FOR ANY REASON!!!! Those who do are doomed to
Hell for all eternity. The second thing he will do is proclaim himself as God.
This is called the abomination of desolation, and will take place in the Temple
in Jerusalem. If you are in Israel at the time this happens, the very second you
see it happening, FLEE
IMMEDIATELY!!!!
Matthew 24:15-22
15 So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel let the reader understand16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
Also about this time, the False Prophet will become known. He will cause a huge statue of the Antichrist to be built and placed in the Temple and will somehow bring "life" to it. Everyone will be required to bow down and worship this statue. DO NOT TAKE THE MARK AND DO NOT WORSHIP THIS STATUE!!!! It is better to die then to do either of these things.
Revelation 13:11-17
11 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
There is one more thing I want to mention here as well. You may have heard that God will put a "seal" on the forehead of all believers. In many fictional accounts of the tribulation the authors use this seal in their plots and say that only other believers can see them and non believers can't. This is partly true and partly false. Let me show you the verse they're taking this idea from:
Revelation 9:4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
God will put a seal on every believers forehead. That part is true. The part in the stories about only other believers seeing the seals is simply fiction though. We don't know for sure what will happen as the Bible is silent about this. It's possible that no one will be able to see the seals, or equally possible that everyone will be able to see them. If everyone can see them, that will make things even harder on Christians during the tribulation. It is also possible that only believers will be able to see them. I just didn't want you to be confused if things don't happen the same way they do in the fictionalized accounts of the Tribulation times.
Matthew 24:15-22
15 So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel let the reader understand16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
Also about this time, the False Prophet will become known. He will cause a huge statue of the Antichrist to be built and placed in the Temple and will somehow bring "life" to it. Everyone will be required to bow down and worship this statue. DO NOT TAKE THE MARK AND DO NOT WORSHIP THIS STATUE!!!! It is better to die then to do either of these things.
Revelation 13:11-17
11 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
There is one more thing I want to mention here as well. You may have heard that God will put a "seal" on the forehead of all believers. In many fictional accounts of the tribulation the authors use this seal in their plots and say that only other believers can see them and non believers can't. This is partly true and partly false. Let me show you the verse they're taking this idea from:
Revelation 9:4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
God will put a seal on every believers forehead. That part is true. The part in the stories about only other believers seeing the seals is simply fiction though. We don't know for sure what will happen as the Bible is silent about this. It's possible that no one will be able to see the seals, or equally possible that everyone will be able to see them. If everyone can see them, that will make things even harder on Christians during the tribulation. It is also possible that only believers will be able to see them. I just didn't want you to be confused if things don't happen the same way they do in the fictionalized accounts of the Tribulation times.
Revelation 16:1
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, Go, pour out the seven bowls of Gods wrath on the earth.
THE FIRST BOWL JUDGMENT
Revelation 16:2
2 The first angel went 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.
Once again God sends awful sores to everyone that has taken the Mark of the Beast and we see that they will be very painful too.
THE SECOND BOWL JUDGMENT
Revelation 16:3
3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.
This will have a huge impact on the earth since everything in the seas will die!
THE THIRD BOWL JUDGMENT
Revelation 16:4
4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.
Now the rest of the water supply is turned to blood, which will cause huge consequences for everyone on earth. These blood judgments are being done by God as a way to punish those responsible for killing Christians.
THE FOURTH BOWL JUDGMENT
Revelation 16:8-9
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 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.
It's going to get really really hot on earth. Much hotter then most people can live through most likely. Now let's tie these together somewhat: The sun is making the earth as hot as a furnace... people are getting badly sunburned on top of the awful sores of the other plague. They're hot, but have no water to drink because it's all turned to blood. They finally admit that God exists and that He is in control, but do they repent? No! They begin to curse Him!
THE FIFTH BOWL JUDGMENT
Revelation 16:10-11
10 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 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
There will be no light from the sun, moon, or stars. It will be darker then we can imagine. I think of it this way: Jesus is the light of the world, and these people have rejected Him. Therefore they live in darkness and this plague is just making that more real to them. But once again they curse God rather then repenting.
THE SIXTH BOWL JUDGMENT
Revelation 16:12-14
12 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. 13 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. 14 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.
Revelation 16:16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
Now we see that the Euphrates river is dried up to prepare the way for the Kings from the East. This will most likely be an alliance of Eastern Nations. Now they'll be able to move their 200 million man army against Israel in the battle of Armageddon. Demons will come and gather other armies from all over the world. Here we will see yet another world war. The size of the armies ready to fight will be mind boggling. Yet this war will be finished by Jesus Himself when He returns.
God says that 3 evil spirits will come forward during the Tribulation: 1 from the mouth of Satan; 1 from the mouth of the Antichrist; 1 from the mouth of the False prophet. Why they looked like frogs, I have no idea. Maybe because of the Egyptian goddesses Heka, who was a frog headed goddess and one of the oldest to have demonic powers.
These evil spirits will be performing miraculous signs all over the world.
THE SEVENTH AND LAST BOWL JUDGMENT
Revelation 16:17-21
17 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! 18 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. 19 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. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 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.
And then comes the pronouncement: "It is done!" The Seventh bowl judgment is the last one. Just before Jesus died on the cross He said, "It is finished!" and now just before He returns to earth He will say, "It is done!"
Next is an earthquake such has never happened before. Jerusalem will be split into 3 equal parts and nations all over the world will collapse.
The surface of the whole earth will be changed by this earthquake. Many will die. and then there will be hail that is huge, weighing 100 pounds EACH falling on the earth! Many more people will die because of this judgment, yet the people who remain will curse God rather then repent.
A final word:
As you can see, there will be much pain, suffering and death during the 7 years of Tribulation. Besides the judgments themselves, there will be even more suffering due to the way they will affect the economy, agriculture, the environment etc. There's no way I can even begin to guess how bad it will really be for you. Plus you will have to deal with the disease that will be a result of the judgments. On top of all this, you'll have the "normal" diseases, viruses, etc to deal with. I'm sure due to all the chaos in the world there will also be a lot of looting and gangs and all that goes with those things too. It will be a terrible, terrible time. God Himself said that it would be so terrible that NO humans would survive at all except that He will shorten it.
Matthew 24:22 "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened
This means there will be an end of this period of time, as it will only last for 7 years. If it were to go on indefinitely, no one would survive it.
It will be a very hard time to be alive in, but if you live through the 7 years, you will get to see the Lord's physical return to earth, and you will be among the people that will repopulate the earth during the Millennium.
If you do not live through the entire 7 years, then you will be among those who will return to the earth with Jesus and will be given the responsibility of ruling with Him.
The only advice I can give you is to first and foremost accept Jesus Christ as Lord if you haven't done so already. Second, pray daily, and pray a LOT!!! Third, read and study the Bible as it will be your instruction manual.
Now, please let me pray for you:
Heavenly Father, I lift up to You this person who has been left behind after the rapture of Your Church. I ask Lord that You would soften their heart, and open their eyes and ears to Your Gospel. Bring them into Your Kingdom Lord! I ask Father for You to send Your Holy Spirit to guide them into all Truth, and to guide them daily as to what You would have them do. I pray that You would open their mouths and give them Your Words, so that they too will proclaim Your Gospel for all to hear so that many will be saved. I pray that you would give them understanding of Your Word as they read their Bible. I ask too that You would give them discernment to recognize when people are lying to them in any way. Please be their provision for all that they will need, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and materially. Guide them to others who have accepted Jesus as their Savior so they can encourage and support each other. Bless, strengthen, encourage and help them as they face all that will be happening during the Tribulation. Help them to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Protect them and hide them from the enemy of their souls and put a hedge of protection around them. Thank You Father! All this I ask in the Name of my beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
May God keep you safe in the palm of His Hand and may you bring much glory to His Name and live to see His Return!
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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