Eschatology

                     Eschatology           

Eschatology is the theological study of "last things," focusing on the ultimate destiny of humanity and the cosmos, including death, judgment, the afterlife, and the end of the world.

Names of the Anti-Christ

Abomination that causes Desolation

Matthew 24:15-16 (ESV): "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."

Mark 13:14 (ESV): "But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."

Daniel 12:11 (KJV): "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days."

Son of Perdition

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NKJV): "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped...".

John 17:12 (NKJV): "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled".

Man of lawlessness

2 Thess 2:3-4: "Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped…

The little horn

Daniel 7:8 (Origin): "I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." (NKJV)

Daniel 7:25 (Actions): "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law." (NKJV)

Daniel 8:9 (Different Context): "And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land." (NKJV)

The beast out of the sea

Revelation 13: 1-10; The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.  It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. Whoever has ears, let them hear. “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed."This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

Revelation 17:3-2; Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 

The idol shepard

Zechariah 11:15-17 And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

The willful king

Daniel 11:36-45; The King Who Exalts Himself “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.  Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.  He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.

The destroyer of nations

Jeremiah 4:7; The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he has gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

The ruler of babylon

Isaiah 14:4-8; you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing.Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, “Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.”

Daniel 8:23; And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

Here I have given you some ideas of what we will be expecting from the Anti-christ. He is called the man of sin, man of lawlessness, son of perdition, abomination that causes desolation, the antichrist, the little horn, the beast, the ruler of Babylon, the idol shepherd, the willful king, the vile person, and the destroyer of nations. 

The unholy trinity

What is the unholy trinity?  Just as there is a Holy Trinity; God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. There is the unholy trinity, a demonic counterfeit, because everything GOD does is the enemy of our soul, the serpent of old copy cats and mirror images. The unholy trinity consists of the dragon( satan), the antichrist(beast of the sea), and the false prophet(beast of the earth). They work together to deceive the world and oppose God. Below are some verses to help better understand. 

The Trinity Identified: Revelation 16:13 (NKJV) states, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], out of the mouth of the beast [Antichrist], and out of the mouth of the false prophet".

The Dragon (Satan): Revelation 12:9 describes him as the deceiver, who empowers the beast.

The Beast (Antichrist): Revelation 13:1-10 details the beast from the sea, empowered by the dragon, who speaks blasphemies and makes war with the saints.

The False Prophet: Revelation 13:11-18 describes the second beast from the earth, who causes the world to worship the first beast, performs signs, and enforces the mark of the beast (666).

Their Defeat: Revelation 19:20 confirms their destruction, stating the beast and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire, with Satan following in Revelation 20:10.

The Bible describes the Antichrist as a deceptive, lawless figure who denies Jesus is the Christ, often identified as the "beast" in Revelation 13 or the "man of lawlessness" in 2 Thessalonians 2. Key verses emphasize his opposition to God, his rise in the "last hour," and his eventual destruction by Christ.

• 1 John 2:18: "Children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen".

• 1 John 2:22: Defines the antichrist as one who denies that Jesus is the Christ, denying both the Father and the Son.

• 1 John 4:3 States that any spirit not confessing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God and is the spirit of the antichrist.

• 2 John 1:7: Identifies the antichrist as a deceiver who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ coming in the flesh.

• 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: Describes the "man of lawlessness" or "son of destruction" who opposes God and takes his seat in the temple.

• Revelation 13:1-8: Describes the "beast" rising from the sea, empowered by the dragon (Satan) to blaspheme God and rule over the earth.

• Matthew 24:24: Jesus warns of false christs and false prophets performing great wonders to deceive people

The word antichrist in greek is antikhristos is the Greek term for Antichrist (ἀντίχριστος), meaning an opponent or imposter of Christ. He will fool many even people who say they are believers. That is why it is important to know the Word of God, to know who the true KING is. 

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS ANDLORD OF LORDS.”

We see the anti-christ mirror all that the true Christ does, even down to being a rider on a white horse. He will also die and rise just as Jesus did. We see that with his fatal wound and subsequent resurrection to imitate Christ’s resurrection. He has a false gospel, he rebuilds the temple and allows animal sacrifices, until he stops them. He will make a one world order and be the one all who do not believe in the true Messiah will worship. He will also do signs and miracles. 

Let us take a look at the parallels between the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation. The books of Daniel and Revelation are intrinsically linked, with Revelation expanding on the apocalyptic prophecies, timelines, and symbolic imagery first introduced in Daniel. Key parallels include the prophecy of four successive kingdoms, the "little horn" power versus the beast, 1,260-day/year persecution periods, and the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom. 

• The Four Beasts & Composite Beast: Daniel 7 outlines four beasts (lion, bear, leopard, non-descript beast) representing kingdoms. Revelation 13:1-2 describes a single composite beast with features from all four (leopard’s body, bear’s feet, lion’s mouth) representing a final, global power.

• The Little Horn and the First Beast: The "little horn" of Daniel 7:8, 25, which speaks pompous words and persecutes saints, is paralleled by the first beast of Revelation 13:5-7, which has the same characteristics and blasphemies.

• Time Periods: Both books refer to a period of persecution spanning 3.5 "times," "a time, times, and half a time" (Daniel 7:25, 12:7), or 1,260 days/42 months (Revelation 11:2-3, 12:6, 13:5).

• Judgment and End Times: Both conclude with the destruction of the opposing power (Daniel 7:11; Revelation 19:20) and the establishment of God's everlasting kingdom.

• The Son of Man: Daniel 7:13 sees the "Son of Man" coming with clouds of heaven, which is directly referenced in Revelation 1:7 and 14:14 when Christ returns.

• Image Worship (Daniel 3/Revelation 13): The demand to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image (60x6 cubits) in Daniel 3 is a direct foreshadowing of the demand to worship the beast's image and its "666" number in Revelation 13

• Foundation and Expansion: Daniel is told to "seal" his book until the time of the end (Daniel 12:4), whereas Revelation, often seen as its continuation, is to remain unsealed, explaining the final application of Daniel's prophecies.

• Succession of Empires: Both prophecy a succession of worldly empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome) ending in divine intervention

• Symbolism (Daniel 7:1–14): Daniel sees four beasts rise from the sea, representing kingdoms that arise from worldly turmoil.

• The Four Kingdoms:

  • Lion (with eagle's wings): Babylon (605–539 BC).

  • Bear (raised on one side): Medo-Persian Empire (539–331 BC).

  • Leopard (with four heads/wings): Greece under Alexander the Great (331–146 BC).

  • Terrifying Beast (with ten horns): Traditionally interpreted as the Roman Empire.

• The Little Horn (Daniel 7:8): A "little horn" emerges from the fourth beast, representing a, often interpreted as an end-times, power.

• Connection to Daniel 2: These beasts parallel the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (gold, silver, bronze, iron), depicting the same succession of empires.

• Outcome: All four kingdoms are temporary and will be replaced by the everlasting kingdom of God

• Symbolism: It is widely interpreted that the leopard, bear, and lion represent previous empires (Greece, Persia, and Babylon, respectively), indicating the final beast is a combination of these powers.

    The destruction of the unholy trinity

They lose! But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.(Revelation 19:20) And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.(Revelation 20:10)

   Revelation 

The Seven Seals

First Seal (White Horse): Symbolizes conquest, often interpreted as the rise of the Antichrist or the swift spread of a powerful force. 

Second Seal (Red Horse): Represents the removal of peace, unleashing war and bloodshed upon the earth.

Third Seal (Black Horse): Signifies widespread famine and scarcity.

Fourth Seal (Pale Horse): Represents death by sword, hunger, plague, and wild beasts, killing one-fourth of the earth.

Fifth Seal (Martyrs): Reveals the souls of those slain for the Word of God, calling for justice from under the heavenly altar.

Sixth Seal (Cosmic Upheaval): A massive earthquake, sun turning black, moon turning red, and stars falling, causing massive fear.

Seventh Seal (Silence): Introduces silence in heaven for about half an hour, followed by the seven trumpets, indicating the severity of the coming final judgments.

Revelation 6:1-2; I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Revelation 6: 3-4; When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given the power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

Revelation 6: 5-6; When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages,and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

Revelation 6: 7-8; When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Revelation 6:9-11; When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

Revelation 6: 12- 17; I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their[g] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Revelation 8: 1-5; When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 

We are going to look at the parallels between Revelation 6 the seven seals and Matthew 24.

Matthew 24 (the Olivet Discourse) and Revelation 6 (the opening of the seals) are largely considered parallel, chronological descriptions of the end-times tribulation, mapping out the "birth pangs" leading to the Second Coming. Both passages highlight rising deception, global warfare, famine, mass persecution, and cosmic disturbances.

• 1st Seal / False Messiahs (Rev 6:1-2; Matt 24:4-5, 11): The white horse rider (conquest/antichrist) corresponds to the rise of false prophets and many claiming to be the Christ.

• 2nd Seal / Wars (Rev 6:3-4; Matt 24:6-7): The red horse, which takes peace from the earth, mirrors Jesus’ warning of "wars and rumors of wars" and nation rising against nation.

• 3rd & 4th Seals / Famine and Death (Rev 6:5-8; Matt 24:7): The black horse (famine/economic collapse) and pale horse (death/pestilence) align with the predicted "famines and earthquakes".

• 5th Seal / Martyrdom (Rev 6:9-11; Matt 24:9-10): The martyrs crying for justice under the altar correspond to the prophecy that believers will be handed over to be persecuted and killed.

• 6th Seal / Cosmic Signs (Rev 6:12-14; Matt 24:29): The great earthquake, sun turning black, and moon turning red (blood) directly parallel the cosmic disturbances described immediately after the tribulation in Matthew.

• Reaction to the End (Rev 6:15-17; Matt 24:30): The terrified reaction of humanity hiding in caves matches the description of "all the tribes of the earth mourn" upon seeing the Son of Man coming

The seven trumpets

1st Trumpet: Hail and fire mixed with blood burn one-third of the earth, trees, and green grass.

2nd Trumpet: A blazing mountain is thrown into the sea, turning one-third of the sea to blood and destroying one-third of sea life and ships.

3rd Trumpet: A burning star (Wormwood) falls on one-third of the rivers and springs, turning them bitter and toxic.

4th Trumpet: One-third of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened, reducing light by one-third.

5th Trumpet (1st Woe): Demonic locusts are released from the bottomless pit to torment, but not kill, those without God's seal for five months.

6th Trumpet (2nd Woe): Four angels are released to lead a 200-million-man army that kills one-third of humanity.

7th Trumpet (3rd Woe): Sounds the arrival of God's kingdom, accompanied by heavenly announcements, earthquakes, and hail.

Revelation 8: 7; The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Revelation 8:8-9; The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Revelation 8: 10-11; The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water—  the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

Revelation 8: 12-13; The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

Revelation 9: 1-12; The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer). The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

Revelation 9: 13-21; The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Revelation 11:15-19; The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

The seventh trumpet would be considered the last trumpet. We see in 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 Paul speaks of a last trumpet. “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” This day is the Day of The Lord. We see it also spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:1-11 ; “According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words. Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,  for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 

Now let us look at God's wrath, the seven last plaques and with them God's wrath will be complete. The plaques were bowls filled with the wrath of God. As we see here in Revelation 15:2; “ And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God” Everyone who belonged to God will not see or suffer the wrath of God, the day of God's wrath for they have triumpheth. 

The seven bowls of God’s wrath

• 1st Bowl (Earth): Festering, malignant sores break out on those who worship the beast.

• 2nd Bowl (Sea): The sea turns to blood—like that of a dead man—killing all marine life.

• 3rd Bowl (Rivers/Springs): Fresh water sources turn to blood.

• 4th Bowl (Sun): People are scorched with intense fire and heat, yet they curse God.

• 5th Bowl (Beast’s Throne): Thick darkness covers the Antichrist's kingdom, causing pain.

• 6th Bowl (Euphrates River): The river dries up, preparing the way for kings of the East, and demonic spirits gather nations for the battle of Armageddon.

• 7th Bowl (Air): A massive earthquake and hailstones destroy cities, followed by the end of God's wrath

The first bowl/vial

Revelation 16:2; And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image

The second bowl/vial

Revelation 16:3; And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

The third bowl/vial

Revelation 16:4-7; And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.  And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

The fourth bowl/vial

Revelation 16:8-9; And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

The fifth bowl/vial

Revelation 16:10-11; And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

The sixth bowl/vial

Revelation 16:12-16; And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

The seventh bowl/vial

Revelation 16:17:21; And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

The "day of God's wrath" (or "day of the Lord") in the Bible refers to a future, inevitable, and righteous judgment on sin and disobedience. Key verses include Revelation 6:17 ("the great day of Their wrath has come"), Zephaniah 1:15 ("a day of wrath, trouble and distress"), and Romans 2:5 (storing up wrath for "the day of God's wrath)

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh  and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,  in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:1-10) We see God has made a way for people to not see the day of his wrath, for it is stored up for those who are unrepentant and refuse to believe. He made a way for us to be saved. 

The Tribulation

What is the tribulation? How long is it for? What is the purpose of it? These are all questions I have and anytime I seem to figure out answers to the questions I have I always end up having more questions. That is ok though because questions mean we are seeking truth. 

The first mention in the Biblical text of the tribulation is in Deuteronomy 4:27-30, “ And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you.  And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.  But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.  When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice.”

The context is that the people of God will be scattered all over the nations due to unfaithfulness and they “ in latter times” will go through tribulation which will lead them to return to the Lord. The whole point of tribulation is to help us see we need God and that He has made a way for us to have Salvation. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of “Jacobs trouble” and the Prophet Daniel spoke of the same time and called it “ the time of distress” all these are the same time which we call “ the tribulation”. 

Jeremiah 30:7- Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.

Daniel 12:1- “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.

In the New Testament we see Jesus speak of this time as “ the great tribulation” in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. We also see John speak of it in Revelation when he speaks of the people who came out of the tribulation. 

Matthew 24:21- For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Revelation 7: 9:11- After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

Where do we get the seven years from? 

Daniel 9:24-27- 

“Seventy weeks are determinedFor your people and for your holy city,To finish the transgression,To make an end of sins,To make reconciliation for iniquity,To bring in everlasting righteousness,To seal up vision and prophecy,And to anoint the Most Holy.

“Know therefore and understand,That from the going forth of the commandTo restore and build JerusalemUntil Messiah the Prince,There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;The street shall be built again, and the [e]wall,Even in troublesome times.

“And after the sixty-two weeksMessiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;And the people of the prince who is to comeShall destroy the city and the sanctuary.The end of it shall be with a flood,And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;But in the middle of the weekHe shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,Even until the consummation, which is determined,Is poured out on the desolate.”

One Week is considered 7 years, what we see here is a covenant, a treaty made for seven years, whoever gets this treaty signed is ushering in the tribulation. Now it seems as if the first three in a half years will be peaceful, the Third temple will be built