Revelation 8:1 ‘and when He (Jesus) had opened the seventh seal there was a silence in Heaven, about the space of half an hour.’ This heralded in the seven angels with seven trumpets. The trumpets soundings announce the plagues that will come upon the Earth.
- The first trumpet, hail, fire with blood (Verse 7).
- The second trumpet, great mountain burning with fire is thrown into the sea and a third of the sea became blood (Verse 8)
- The third trumpet, rivers, underground springs and reservoirs become poisoned (Verse 9)
- The fourth trumpet, the moon, sun and one third of the stars are darkened (Verse 10 and 11)
- The fifth trumpet, opening the bottomless pit and the locusts came out, these locusts will not hurt grass or trees, only men who do not have the seal of God upon them, with the torment of a scorpion (Revelation 9:3-6). Notice the 144,000 sealed by God were to be spared
Revelation 9:20-21
20But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.
21And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
- The sixth trumpet, the sixth angels are told to loose the four fallen angels bound in the river Euphrates (Verses 13-14).
- The seventh trumpet, announces Christ's reign over the Earth (Revelation 11:15).
The troubles on the Earth are not over, for the wrath of God is then poured out, Revelation 16:2-17, these bowls are poured out.
- Boils
- Oceans becomes totally blood, most likely Mediterranean Sea
- Domestic water becomes totally blood
- Heat of the sun is increased
- Total darkness
- River Euphrates is dried up, opening the way for the large army for the Battle of Armageddon
- Upheaval in nature - mighty earthquakes, super-large hailstones, Jerusalem is divided.
Revelation 16:17
17Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’
In earlier articles, we spoke of other raptures. God saves His servants out of the troubles.
The Church is raptured before the tribulation. By mid-tribulation, we read there are many more, a great multitude in fact are gathered around the throne.
The 144,000 are among them, Revelation 14:3-4.
The two witnesses sent to Earth to evangelise and give their testimony for three and a half years were called up before the great earthquake (Revelation 11:3-12).
God gives His warnings and every opportunity for people to repent and be saved out of the wrath/judgment to come.
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