The Tribulation And The Second Coming Part Ii Series

James O. Davis is the founder and president of Second Billion (TM). You are invited to learn more about Second Billion by visiting www.billion.tv.

INTRODUCTION

The following is an overall outline of the Book of Revelation. We pick up with part 2 of this message, “The Tribulation and the Second Coming.”

Part I

I. The Introduction the Book (Rev. 1:1-3)

II. The Visions of God (Rev. 1:4-20)

III. The Visions of Grace (Rev. 2:1 -- 3:22)

IV. The Visions of Government (Rev. 4:1 -- 20:15)

A) The Hallelujahs in Heaven (Rev. 4:1 -- 5:14)

B) The Horrors on Earth (Rev. 6:1 -- 20:15)

1) The seals—a world ruined by men

Part II

2) The trumpets—a world ruled by Satan

The Three Capital Cities

The Two Witnesses

The Believing Jewish Remnant

The Two Beasts

The Scene Back in Heaven

Part III

3) The vials—a World Rescued by God.

The Two Babylons

The Scarlet Woman

The Antichrist

The Fallen Babylon

Events in Heaven

V. The Visions of Glory (Rev. 21:1 -- 22:7)

VI. The Conclusion of the Book (Rev. 22:8-21)

This message brings us to Revelation chapters 8 through 11. These scriptures deal with the trumpet judgments. With the blowing of the seven trumpets a new dimension of horror is introduced into human affairs. Under the seals the world became a world ruined by man. Now under the trumpets it becomes a world ruled by Satan.

The symbolism under the trumpets is much more complex than under the seals because it deals with the world of the weird, the occult, the Satanic. Under the trumpets, Satan’s man takes over the world. He has been waiting while the sealed judgments were tearing the world apart and reducing human affairs to chaos. Now men will be ready for anyone just so long as he is clever and strong enough to bring peace and sanity back to the world. Satan’s man will be ready, but first whatever is left of the establishment must be overthrown.

2) THE TRUMPETS—A WORLD RULED BY SATAN

We can summarize the trumpet judgments as follows; they can be broken down basically into two categories. First, you have the war trumpets, found in Revelation 8:1-13. Next, you have the woe trumpets, which are found in Revelation 9:1-21, 10:7, 11:15-19. Under the war trumpets you have the brewing storm, the boiling sun, the banished star, and the blackened sky. Under the woe trumpets you have misery endured, mastery ensured, and mystery ended. The first four trumpets are war trumpets, the last three are woe trumpets, because an additional woe is sounded along with them.

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

The first trumpet brings a storm of fire, hail and blood upon the earth which causes the third part of the trees and all green grass to be burned. This could, of course, depict a literal disaster, an ecological disaster of terrible proportions. The old establishment must be overthrown to make way for a new world order ruled by the beast, as the antichrist is called in Revelation.

The expression “the third part” occurs frequently in connection with the trumpets. A clue to its significance is found in a reference to Satan’s original fall and the downfall of the third part of the stars of heaven (Revelation 12:4). The expression, “stars of heaven,” refers to the angels who join Satan’s affair in connection with this world. Satan has a second fall in this same chapter for he is now cast out of heaven and confined to the earth. Consequently, a woe is pronounced against the earth’s inhabitants (Revelation 12:12). This is what makes the last three trumpets woe trumpets. The expression, “the third part,” seems to be a reference to the sphere of the Satanic influence which, under the trumpets, is to be confined to this world.

The second trumpet affects the sea. A great mountain burning with fire is cast into the sea so that the third part of the sea becomes blood. The third part of the creatures in the sea die and a third part of all shipping is destroyed. This of course could be a literal disaster. There is no reason why an omnipotent God could not uproot an erupting volcano and cast it into the sea. Or this trumpet could be describing a future ecological disaster affecting marine life and commerce.

Probably we should interpret these things symbolically. The sea is well known in the Bible. For the Gentile nations, the mountains sometimes stand for a great world power. If we interpret this judgment symbolically we have described a further upheaval among the nations and one which enables the beast to emerge and begin his remarkable career. He is described later in the Book as a beast out of the sea (Revelation 13:1). He will become prominent on earth, it seems, during a time of unrest in Europe. He will swiftly bring that continent to heel and will eventually spread his influence throughout the rest of the Western world. From the standpoint of Biblical prophecy, the future lies with Europe, not with the United States of America. Revelation 17 puts the focus on Italy, and particularly on Rome, as the chief scene of the antichrist’s early activities.