7 Trumpet Judgments Summary
Immediately after the 7th seal judgment, seven angels with trumpets announce the beginning of additional judgments of the people the earth.
The trumpet judgment begins with hail and fire mixed with blood being hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth is burned up including a third of the trees and all the green grass. Then a huge burning meteorite falls into the sea, and one third of it turns into blood killing a third of the sea creatures and it destroys a third of all the ships. After this a great blazing star called Wormwood (perhaps an angel) comes down from the sky and turns one third of the rivers and springs of water bitter. Many people died from the waters. Here a fourth angel sounds his trumpet and one third of the sun, moon, and stars are turned dark (this might be one third of the angels in heaven being judged by the Lamb and casted down upon the earth). One of these fallen ones then opens the shaft of the Abyss and smoke and monstrous locust are released to torment all who do not have the seal of God upon them. For five months, these creatures sting and torture all Earth's inhabitants except the 144,000. During this time people will long for die, but cannot. Next four angels who have been bound at the Euphrates river are released to kill one third mankind. These angels command an army of 200 million monstrous creatures who kill with fire, smoke, and sulfurous gases. In spite of these terrible events the entire world still keeps worshiping the false gods and demons while continuing in the sexual immorality, thievery, murders, and witchcraft.
At this point, we find the third Jewish Temple has been rebuilt, which is most likely the result of a 7-year peace treaty made by the Antichrist between the Muslims and the Jews. The treaty addresses the property rights and the eventual turning over control of the holy sites to both parties. The Jews are promised sovereignty over the city of David including the newly built Temple, while the Muslims will receive control over the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex. During the 7-year transition period, the Antichrist's UN troops will control access over the entire area of the Temple courts and the Muslim holy sites, much to the eventual anger of both groups.
The treaty holds for 42 months until the Antichrist breaks the agreement by expelling the Jews and then defiles the Temple by sitting up his throne in the holy of holies and declaring himself god. God however, will not be mocked or leave himself without a witness. He sends two supernatural witnesses to the entrance of the Temple to proclaim the true word of God to the peoples of world who are being deceived by the Antichrist. The witnesses, dressed in sackcloth call on the world to repent of their sins day and night to the disgust of the whole planet. During this time people will attempt to silence, harm, and kill them because they have called down every kind of plague upon the earth, including turning the waters into blood. Every time anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. After this goes on for 1,260 days, the beast from the Abyss (Satan) finally attacks and kills them to the joy of the entire world. All the inhabitants of the earth then gloat over their dead bodies and even celebrate by sending each other Christmas present-like gifts.
But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God enters the bodies of the witnesses, and they stand up on their feet terrifying all who see them. Then a loud voice from heaven calls aloud saying "Come up here." And they rise to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies look on. That very hour a severe earthquake levels a tenth of the city of Jerusalem, killing 7,000 people. The survivors are terrified and finally give glory to the God of heaven. The seventh angel then sounds his trumpet bringing flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, another earthquake and a severe hailstorm that pounds the earth.
"Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!
(This section steps out of chronological order. It presents a duel timeline of different events. First, we are presented with the birth of Jesus, his death, his resurrection and rise of the church. Second, we see the scene shift to the rise of the Antichrist and his persecution of the church and Jews in the end times).
Revelation 12 starts off with two great signs appearing in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun and a red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns. The woman who has a 12-stared crown on her head and the moon under her feet, is pregnant. She gives birth to the son who will rule all nations with an iron scepter. The dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns tries to kill the son, but the son is taken to heaven to God and his throne. After the son is then taken to heaven, the angry dragon tries to kill the woman, but she is protected for 1,260 days. Then war breaks out in heaven and Israel's great angel of protection, Michael and his angelic army caste the Dragon and his army out of heaven, down to the earth. Satan no longer has access to accuse Christians of their sins at God's throne. The angry devil then sets his sights on killing the woman and the rest of her offspring, but she is able to fly with the wings of an eagle to a place of protection in the wilderness for 1,260 days.
What is the meaning of this vision? The woman with the 12-stared crown is the Jewish people. She gave birth to Jesus and the church. Just as Jesus was taken to heaven, so the church will also be taken. As the church is taken to heaven, Satan and his army of fallen angels will be caste down from heaven to the earth. Then the devil and his army will accomplish the great deception by empowering the rise of the Antichrist and his armies. They will kill the Jewish people who refuse to worship the beast, but the 144,000 Jews who are saved and worship Jesus will be divinely protected during the second half of the great tribulation.
Rise of the Dragon's Antichrist System
(This section again appears to step out of chronological order and explains how the Antichrist wages war on the church and deceives the world by surviving a fatal head wound)
Revelation 13 explains the vision John was given of how Satan will establish his control over the planet for the beast by setting up a one world government that will deceive the whole world. Performing great signs, and wonders, the beast (Antichrist), his prophet, and the image of the beast will force all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This Babylonian system will compel the whole world into a battle against Jesus, his church and then the Jewish people (this satanically empowered beast is the same person described as the conqueror in Revelation 6 when the first seal of the Judgment scroll was opened).
Final Warning Given to the Entire Earth
In Revelation 14 of John's vision, Jesus arrives on Mt. Zion in the mists of the 144,000 chosen ones he has gathered, and then the final seven bowls of God's wrath are initiated. Before the final judgments are poured out upon the earth God sends three powerful angels who give final warnings to all mankind in every language. Flying in air in the heavens, they speak to all mankind these final warning:
The first angel proclaims:
"Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
The second angel announces:
"'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,' which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."
The third angel warns:
"If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name."
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
Then I heard a voice from heaven say,
"Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."
"Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
Final Judgments start with Jesus destroying the beast army outside Jerusalem.
After these warnings are given, Jesus removes the surviving 144,000 from the earth. Then the first battle of God's wrath happens when a massive army of the beast that gathers against Jerusalem is annihilated, causing blood to flow neck deep for 1,600 stadia or 183 miles.
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