Sermon Tone Analysis

In the previous verse we have been told:

Last week we heard about Jacob’s troubles and how the survivors of the initial onslaught will be saved and protected from the Antichrist.

He will do the ‘abomination that causes desolation’.

We are told by both Daniel and Jesus to understand what this is.

The abomination is caused when the Antichrist declares himself to be God and stands in the temple in order to be worshipped.

We know that as a result he will be worshipped by every person on the planet other than those who are and will be saved during the tribulation.

God’s judgement is poured out on him, the world and Jerusalem.

The desolation that happens as a result will be the destruction of Jerusalem by the surrounding armies - this is not the same as happened in AD70 but is a still future event.

We know that 2/3rd of Jews will die as a result.

We are now at the half-way point of the tribulation and now, the last 3.5 years are called the Great Tribulation.

This is the time of God’s judgement.

It has been a dreadful 3.5 years already with a quarter of the world’s population dying in what Revelation 6 calls the “Seal Judgements”.

But the next 3.5 years are set out for us too with the Trumpet Judgements and Bowl Judgements.

Remember that the point of these judgements is to bring the world to account and to bring them to repentance.

This is the last chance saloon.

And in his mercy He was also provided witnesses with the 144,000 Jews and the two in Jerusalem, likely to be Elijah and Moses.

So, what is the timetable set out in Scripture for the last 3.5 years before the coming of Christ to reign on the earth?

a.

The Trumpet Judgements

1.

The First Trumpet—Rev.

8:7 –1/3 of the green vegetation on the face of the earth is destroyed.

2. The Second Trumpet—Rev.

8:8–9 —1/3 of the oceans become blood and 1/3 of the life in the sea is destroyed.

1/3 of the world’s shipping is also destroyed.

(Imagine the impact this will have on world food supplies.

No doubt this will bring about even more death by starvation.)

3. The Third Trumpet—Rev.

8:10–11 —Perhaps this refers to a meteor that falls into the water supplies and pollute 1/3 of the freshwater of the world.

This poisons the water and many more people perish in this plague.

4. The Fourth Trumpet—Rev.

8:12 —Some events takes place in the heavens and the sun’s light is diminished by one-third.

Also, one-third of the light of the other heavenly bodies is destroyed.

This is the day being shortened from 24 hour days to 16.

Before the Fifth Trumpet sounds, an angel flies through Heaven and pronounces three woes upon the earth.

The reason?

Things are going to get even worse.

Rev. 8:13

5.

The Fifth Trumpet—Rev.

9:1–12 —The earth is invaded by an army of demons from the pits of Hell.

The demons have the power to torment men for 5 months.

They won’t kill men, but the pain will be so intense that men will want to die, but they will be unable to achieve death!

Hell will literally visit the earth!

6.

The Sixth Trumpet—Rev.

9:13–21 —An invasion of an army that numbers 200,000,000 from the East.

This was more the whole earth’s population when Revelation was written.

China is now seven times that on its own.

The results of this invasion will be that 1/3 of the human population will be destroyed.

This event is on top of the 25% who have already died mainly through famine meaning that over half of the worlds population has died since this all started.

But, what is the reaction of humanity?

Rev. 9:20–21, they remain unrepentant!

7. The Seventh Trumpet—Rev.

11:15–19 —This trumpet announces the soon return of the Lord Jesus.

It also introduces the seven Bowl Judgements.

b.

The Bowl Judgements

1.

The First Bowl—Rev.

16:2 —Some kind of vile cancerous sore in poured out on mankind.

2. The Second Bowl—Rev.

16:3 —The waters of the sea are turned to blood and every creature in the sea dies.

3. The Third Bowl—Rev.

16:4–7 —The fresh waters of the earth are turned to blood.

4. The Fourth Bowl—Rev.

16:8–9 —The sun’s heat is intensified and men’s bodies are burned by the heat of the sun.

Yet, with all these torments, they do not repent!

5.

The Fifth Bowl—Rev.

16:10 —This plague brings darkness and intense pain to the inhabitant of the earth.

Again so intense that they gnaw their tongues in their pain, yet they still refuse to repent.

6.

The Sixth Bowl—Rev.

16:12–14 —The Euphrates River is dried up preparing a pathway for the nations of the earth to descend upon Israel for the final conflict, otherwise known as the Battle of Armageddon.

7. The Seventh Bowl—Rev.

16:17–21 —This bowl brings with it a terrible cataclysm in the earth.

There is an earthquake of such magnitude that the islands of the sea sink and all the mountains of the earth fall down flat.

On top of this, all the major cities of the earth will be destroyed!

Then, hailstones fall from the heavens that weigh in at around 125 pounds each.

By now the majority has died.

In verse 22 we are told that unless the days had been shortened then no one would be saved.

How to understand this?

Well, perhaps it really means that the days are shortened - to 16hr days instead of 24.

We have understood the possibility of this from Revelation 8 where a third of the sun, moon and stars light has gone.

We cannot think that somehow there is only 2/3rd of a sun, 2/3rd of the moon, and 2/3rds of every star are somehow blotted out.

It simply means that we will not see them as much for the days are shortened.

Others speculate that the tribulation itself will be shortened but seeing Daniel and Revelation are very specific about 42 months, 1260 days, and 3.5 years this seems unalterable.

The point, though, of all this, is the love God has for His people.

When God judges He remembers mercy.

But during these terrible days there will be so many false prophets around, and people are no doubt even more superstitious so that they do not do is turn to the living God.

And there will be those who will say Christ is there or here but they should not believed simply because when Jesus does come there will be no doubt in anybody’s mind!

The first time Jesus came from Heaven to earth it was with humility, practically anonymous, in some small place in Bethlehem with a few shepherds for company.

He had come to die, die on a cross to save humankind from ourselves and a fate worse than death and He achieved reconciliation for us who trust in His name.

The second time He comes from Heaven to earth every eye will see for He will come in glory, to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords and will be the judge of all the earth, both the living and the dead.

We are told angels said:

Just as He went up in the clouds bodily so shall He return bodily and will arrive at the Mount of Olives where this very sermon is being preached and from where He ascended back to the Father to prepare a place for us.

No one will be in doubt as to His return.

The earth and its people will have been decimated during 7 long years of trouble and just after the battle of Armageddon there will be bodies everywhere as a sign of the judgement of God and the vultures will be having a field day.

When you see this then you know Jesus the Judge is about to arrive.

The seven year tribulation is going to be an horrendous time - we know the aim is to bring judgement upon the nations with the hope that some may be saved as a result, and the other purpose is to purify Israel and only a 1/3rd will survive the holocaust that will happen.

People will be uncertain but Scripture has laid out the timetable that they will really be without excuse.

Everything is set out that the generation that is alive when all this happens will also see the Coming of the Lord.

At His coming He will set up His kingdom and it comes almost as soon as the tribulation ends.

How do these terrible seven years end?

The key is the word ‘immediately’ in the next verse.