Our outline for the tribulation period has been:
I. THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
II. THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
III. THE PLAGUES OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
• We have worked our way through the SEVEN SEAL JUDGMENTS in chapters 6 and chapter 8.
• We are presently working our way through the TRUMPET JUDGMENTS in chapters 8 and 11.
I would like to remind you that the Bible states that this time in the history of mankind will be like no other time in history.
Illus: So much of life for mankind is just history repeating itself. When it comes to this time in the life of man, during the Great tribulation period, it will be like the STARTREK series on television, where man will be entering a time in their life like no one has ever been through before.
Look again at Matthew 24:21-22, we read, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”
These pitiful people who will be living here on earth during this time, will see suffering like no other group of people has ever seen.
WHO WILL BE LIVING HERE ON EARTH AT THIS TIME? These are the ones who will be left here after the Lord Jesus RAPTURES HIS CHURCH.
If you are not saved today, you do not want to leave here lost, because if the Lord raptures the church, you would be here to face these dreadful things.
In the last sermon we talked about-
(1) FIRST TRUMPET JUDGMENT
We saw that the worst hail storm that will ever strike the earth, is yet to take place. Look at Rev. 8:7, we read, “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”
This was so devastating that A THIRD PART OF THE TREES AND GREEN GRASS WILL BE BURNED.
(2) SECOND TRUMPET JUDGMENT
We saw that the worst tidal wave that will ever be seen, is yet to come.
Look at Rev. 8:8-9, we read, “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”
This was so devastating that a THIRD PART OF THE SEA BECOMES BLOOD AND A THIRD PART OF THE SEA CREATURES DIE.
But notice, this object that was as big as a GREAT MOUNTAIN, caused such a tidal wave that a third of the ships on the sea were destroyed.
(3) THIRD TRUMPET JUDGMENT
We saw the worst contamination that will ever exist, is yet to come. Look at Rev. 8:10-11, we read, “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a GREAT STAR from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”
This GREAT STAR FROM HEAVEN, contaminated a third part of the rivers and fountains of waters, and the Bible said, “…Many men died of the waters…”
But today, we want to continue to deal with the other four TRUMPET JUDGMENTS. Let’s pick up where we left off, and look at the-
(4) FOURTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
In the FOURTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT, we will see that the worst catastrophe is yet to come.
Look at Revelation 8:12, we read, “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”
This is going to be some kind of ASTRONOMICAL ECLIPSE.
This judgment is difficult to understand, because the world in which we live has never experienced a catastrophe similar to this.
The Bible talks about this judgment in other places, such as:
• Joel talks about it in Joel 2:10-11, we read, “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”
• Amos talks about it in Amos 8:9, we read, “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.”
While we might have a difficult time understanding the full impact of this TRUMPET JUDGMENT, we know from whence it comes. This judgment is coming from almighty God.
God has had enough of all the sin and rebellion of sinful man. God is ready to do two things:
1. God is ready to bring all this sinning and rebellion to an end
2. God is ready to send His Son back to the earth to establish His millennial Kingdom
The antichrist has launched a holocaust designed to wipe all Christians from the face of the earth. But God is intervening, and God is preparing to wipe the wicked from the face of the earth.
Look at Luke 21:25-28, we read, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
This FOURTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT is similar to what happened in Egypt during the days of Moses. Look at Exodus 10:21-23, we read, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”
Many of the plagues that will take place during the Great Tribulation period are similar to the plagues that took place during the time of Moses. (This is why many think that Moses will probably be one of the two witnesses that will be here during this time).
The Lord Himself predicted these astronomical things that are going to take place during this JUDGMENT.
(5) FIFTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Look at Revelation 9:1, we read, “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.”
Notice in this verse of scripture, that this verse refers to a STAR. But also notice the star in this JUDGMENT is the pronoun -- Him. That is, the star is symbolic of a person.
Illus: Here, the word STAR is used the way we use the word STAR in referring to someone who is FAMOUS or has CLOUT!
WHERE DID THIS STAR COME FROM?
• The Bible says this star has FALLEN FROM HEAVEN UNTO THE EARTH
• But also notice from the language that it is PAST TENSE
That means he had already fallen, before God gave him the key to the bottomless pit.
WHO IS THIS STAR? Most likely this STAR is none other than LUCIFER himself. At one time, Satan was a STAR in heaven. He was one of the arch angels, but he rebelled against God and was thrust out of heaven.
• The Lord said this about him, in Luke 10:18, “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”
• Isaiah said this about him, in Isaiah 14:12-15, we read, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
WHAT IS SATAN GIVEN? He is given the keys to the bottomless pit.
WHO PRESENTLY HAS THE KEYS TO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT? At the present, the Lord Jesus has the keys to the bottomless pit. Look at Rev. 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
There is coming a time when the Lord is going to say, “Enough, is Enough! Ok, inhabitants of earth, you have chosen Satan over my beloved Son, now you can have him!”
During this Judgment, He allows Satan to release all the demons in hell upon the face of the earth. If you think it is bad now, YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING YET.
WHAT IS THE BOTTOMLESS PIT? You might say the bottomless pit is the prison where all the evil spirits are kept, until at this time they are released.
But notice what happens when the Bottomless Pit is opened. Look at Rev. 9:2-12, we read, “And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”
When the Bottomless Pit was opened, these terrifying creatures came forth. Look at them:
• Verse 8, we read, “And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.”
• Verse 9, we read, “And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.”
• Verse 10, we read, “And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.”
In verse 6, we are told what happens when this Judgment is poured out. “In those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”
If you are not saved, you need to give your heart to the Lord. The Lord may come back today, and you are going to be living during this dreadful time known as a time of suffering like this world has ever seen before.
(6) SIXTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Before we get into the SIXTH JUDGMENT, we need to look at the verse of scripture that precedes this verse.
Look at verse 12, we read, “One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”
These three woes mean EXTREME SUFFERINGS are to come. The SIXTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT will be the second “Woe.”
During this three-an-a-half years, the world, has seen horrifying and catastrophic events like never before.
• A hail storm that sent hail mingled with blood
• An earthquake that shook the whole world
• Tidal waves like the world has never seen before
• God turns the keys to the Bottomless Pit over to Lucifer to release all the demons in the bottomless pit
In the SIXTH JUDGMENT, another horde of demons are released upon the earth.
HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER DEMONS?
• These are known as the military demons.
• When these military demons appear, they will cause many to die.
Notice, these are FOUR fallen angels that are loosed.
Look at Revelation 9:13-15, we read, “And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, LOOSE THE FOUR ANGELS which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.”
The Bible reveals some interesting things about these FOUR FALLEN angels.
WHERE DID THIS VOICE COME FROM? Look at verse 13, “And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,…”
WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THAT? Remember, when the FIFTH SEAL was opened in Rev. 6: 9-10, “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”
The Lord told them it would only be a little time before He would bring justice on those who had killed these saints. THE TIME HAS COME!
These are FOUR released fallen angels. But they are not just ordinary fallen angels. These fallen angels are high in rank in the army of Satan. Look what they will do, once they are loose on the earth.
Look at Rev. 9:16-17, we read, “And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.”
These are FOUR vicious military leaders that no one can stop. They will have under their control an army of, “…two hundred thousand thousand…”
These men will probably use such things as nuclear weapons to bring about such destruction at one time.
Look at verses 18-20, we read, “By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:”
Notice this, the survivors of this dreadful judgment STILL WILL NOT REPENT OF THEIR SINS. Look at verse 21, we read, “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”
Now let’s look at the-
(7) SEVENTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
In this judgment, we now come to the THIRD WOE.
• The first woe consisted of demonic creatures like locust, that will cover the earth, biting people and causing them to be in agony for five months. (Rev. 8:13 and 9:11)
• The second woe was demonic military horse creatures that kill one-third of the world’s population.( Rev. 9:”12-21)
Look at verse 14, we read, “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”
But notice, when the seventh trumpet blasts there are no judgments.
WHY? Because like the Sixth Seal Judgment that lead us into the SEVEN TRUMPET JUDGMENTS, now the SEVENTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT will lead us into the SEVEN VIAL JUDGMENTS.
Conclusion:
We will deal with these Vial Judgments in the next message.
Our outline for the tribulation period has been:
I. THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
II. THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
III. THE PLAGUES OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
A. THE SEVEN SEAL JUDGMENTS
B. THE SEVEN TRUMPET JUDGMENTS
C. THE SEVEN VIAL JUDGMENTS
