XXX: TIMELINE FOR REVELATION

In which we sequenceSeals, Trumpets and Bowls

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the skOG

Workshop

Narratively speaking, the story of the Tribulation doesn’t so much unfold as it tumbles through Chapters 5-13. Think: a set of trailers for “Tribulation: The Movie” when you consider how the events and characters of the Tribulation appear in these 9 chapters. There’s drama and tension galore but a reader can get a headache trying to securely put the images in story order.Easiest thing to do? Assume the ORDER OF TELLING is the same as the ORDER OF OCCURRENCE. Upon close inspection, I don’t think that this makes much sense for the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls.

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4. And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

5. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead

many. 6. “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are

not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7.

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in

various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8. “But all these

things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Matthew 24:4-8

Jesus uses the metaphor of birth pangs to describe the overall experience of the 70th Week. I take His choice of metaphor as inductive of the pace of Tribulational events..

Birth pangs! One ‘pain’ after another, increasing in intensity

and in frequency as time goes on! Expect to see this pattern in any proposed

sequence of Seals, Trumpets and Bowls my attendant cooks up.

Note: No animals were harmed in the creation of this slide. At least one was bemused if not somewhat annoyed.

I want to look at the characteristics of each of the

Seals, Trumpets and Bowls separately. Perhaps

these characteristics will recommend a sequence.

Perhaps, the characteristics will reinforce the

common belief that the ORDER OF TELLING

should represent the ORDER OF OCCURRENCE.

Perhaps another set of sequential relationships will

recommend itself for our consideration.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JUDGMENTS

The Seals: Revelation Chapter 6Order of Mention:

1. Conquest and empire building (6:1)2. War and social unrest (6:2)3. Famine and inflated currencies (6:5)4. Plague and pestilence (6:7)5. Persecution of the Church, martyrdom (6:9)6. Great earthquake, blackened heavens, sky split

apart and mountains and islands ‘flee’ at the presence of the Lamb! (Odd phrase!) Great day of His wrath has come! (6:12)

7. Silence in heaven for an hour (8:1)

Characteristics of the SealsFamiliar, historical human woes writ large by

the Hand and Will of God1. Roots in the past-these miseries, in part, have always been our lot (but for

#6 + 7). Humans cause or exacerbate the first five Seals!2. One may assume a near global deployment of these judgments (not #7!)3. Seemingly persist throughout the entirety of the 70th Week as a set of

background conditions? Or are they merely preludes to Trumpet Judgments?4. Represent catastrophic global consequences for familiar afflictions.5. Highlight and declare man’s pivotal role in crafting his own misery!!!6. Only Seals 6 + 7 have purely supernatural aspects, pointed durations and

climactic finality to them.7. Seals progress from the general and naturally familiar to the specific and

spiritual/supernatural (Seals 1-4 ‘natural’; Seal 5 features the Church’s experience while 6 +7 focus us on the Return of Christ and the final, awe-filled reaction of Heaven to the completion of all these things.)

Trumpet Judgments: Revelation Chapters 8-11 Trumpets in Succession:

1. 1/3 of earth burned up! (8:7)2. 1/3 of sea turned to blood, 1/3 of its ships sunk and

1/3 sea life killed. (8:8)3. 1/3 of fresh water turned bitter; many die. (8:10)4. 1/3 of sun, moon and stars darkened (8:12)5. Smoke from bottomless abyss darkens sun, pollutes

air (9:1-12)6. 1/3 population killed (9:13-21)7. Thunder, lightening, earthquake and hail attend the

God’s wrath, reign, reward and resurrection (9:15-19)

Supernatural, staccato and severe1. Exceptional, unexpected and thoroughly supernatural in content2. One may assume a near global deployment of these Trumpets3. They deploy as discrete, abrupt blows with lasting effects4. Catastrophic consequences beyond any historical parallel5. Focus mankind on God’s power, wrath and judgment,

highlighting Satan’s impotence6. Trumpet 5+6 have seemingly tight time frames7. Trumpet 7 climactic and final in substance-God’s reign begins,

His judgment of the dead begins (implying a necessarily previous resurrection)

Characteristics of Trumpets

The Bowls: Rev 16

The Bowls in Succession1. Boils cover worshippers of the AntiChrist.2. Entire sea turned to blood; rest of its life dies.3. Rest of fresh water becomes blood.4. Sun scorches men with fire.5. Beast’s kingdom is darkened.6. Euphrates dries up, preparing the way for invasion

of the Holy Land.7. Thunder, lightening, earthquake and 100-pound

hailstones attend the final bowl’s outpouring. Every island flees and mountains disappear! (Where have I seen this phrase before? Hmmmm . . . .)

Characteristics of the Bowls Climactic and supernatural throughout

1. Exceptional, unexpected and thoroughly supernatural in content2. Mixture of global and local effects (#’s 5+6 targeted to Middle East)3. Often complete process of destruction begun earlier by Trumpet blasts4. Catastrophic effects with severities beyond reckoning5. Focus mankind on God’s power, wrath and judgment; spotlight AntiChrist’s

relative powerlessness6. Appear as a series of exclamation marks to the earlier plagues of Revelation7. Only time elements given are those necessary for the “kings of the

east” (16:12) to mobilize their attack and for the “unclean spirits like frogs” (16:13) to do their work of gathering armies in response.

8. Bowl 7 climactic and final in substance-mirrors 6th Seal and 7th Trumpet’s content: It is done! (16:17) The Lord Returneth!!

9. Bowls progress from finishing the work of the Trumpets on a global scale to initiating the gathering of armies for Armageddon (16:12-16) and the subsequent display of effects that everywhere are said to accompany the Return of Christ the Lord! (See also Matthew 24:29-31)

SEQUENCE OF THE JUDGMENTS

Sequence of Judgments: Option 1

Order of Telling = Order of Deployment

Each judgment deploys in succession

PRO:

1. Well, that’s how the text of Revelation reads! First the Seals and then the

Trumpets, then the Bowls and, with Chapter 19, the Return of Christ.

2. ‘Birth Pangs’ metaphor well served–after all, Trumpet woes sharper, worse

than Seal’s sorrows; Bowl plagues sharper and worse than Trumpet woes.

3. Doesn’t the first Trumpet blow at the Seventh Seal? (Rev 8:1+2) That

passage carries the implication of succession so easily it’s hard not to be

influenced by it!

4. We easily and traditionally apply the as-written succession of Seals,

Trumpets and Bowls to the order of the individual judgment’s deployment:

Seal 1 starts . . . stops . . . Seal 2 starts . . . stops . . . Seal 3 starts and so

forth to the 7th Bowl and the Return of Christ.

Order of Telling = Order of DeploymentEach judgment deploys in succession

CON:

1. Applying the logic of As-Written Option, the operation of Seal 1 must END before Seal 2 BEGINS and so forth. Nobody thinks about THAT and when they do, such a scheme suddenly feels awkward and unlikely.

2. Seals 6 + 7 naturally suggest events of shortened and limited duration; the substances of Seals 1-5 have already infected human history CONCURRENTLY and easily seem likely to continue that way through the 70th Week, only with heightened intensity and scope.

3. The logic of the As-Written Option further suggests that the deployment of the Trumpets ENDS the operation of all the Seals. What? Suddenly there’s an end to war, famine and martyrdom part way through the 70th Week? No way!

Sequence of Seals: Option 1Sequence of Judgments: Option 1

Sequential Starts; Simultaneous OperationPRO:

1. Allows order of telling a legitimate but not solitary role to play in our

understanding

2. Allows Seals 1-5 a steady background influence upon which the later Seals

and Trumpets and Bowls display themselves to chilling effect

3. Fits the Birth Pangs metaphor–each new judgment piles onto the others

adding its intensity to previous woes, not replacing them.

4. Avoids the picture one individual Seal, Trumpet or Bowl judgment being

replaced in lock step with the next and solitary judgment.

5. Gives context and substance a legitimate role to play in our understanding

6. Suggests a logical and workable scheme for the succession of Seals,

Trumpets and Bowls: sequential starts, joint and ongoing operation!

Sequence of Judgments: Option 2

Sequence of Seals: Option 2

Sequential Starts; Simultaneous OperationCON:

1. It’s not what I’ve been taught! 2. This scheme violates . . . well, it doesn’t seem . . . IT’S NOT WHAT I WAS TAUGHT AND IT TAKES TOO MUCH THOUGHT!!!

OK, so we get to make a choice. What pithy observation might tip the balance in favor of

one or the other?

A Comparison Chart:I notice that the three Judgmental sets all endwith common themes/elements!Let me show you what I mean.

6th Seal 1. Divine

A. God’s wrath

appears2. Celestial

A. Sun blackened

B. Moon like blood

C. Stars fallD. Sky split

2. TerrestrialA. Mountains move

B. Islands move

3. PoliticalA. Everybody hides

from God’s wrath

B. Pray for death

7th Trumpet1. Divine

A. Mystery of God Finished

B. God’s wrath has come

C. God reignsD. Time to judge

dead, reward servants

2. CelestialA. Temple OpenedB. Ark appears in

temple of heaven3. Terrestrial

A. Thunder and Lightening

B. Great hailstormC. Earthquake

4. PoliticalA. Nations enragedB. Destroyers

destroyed

7th Bowl1. Divine

A. “It is done” declared from throne of heaven

2. Celestial3. Terrestrial

A. Thunder/Lightening

B. 100# hailC. EarthquakeD. Islands, moun-

tains flee4. Political

A. Babylon destroyed

B. Men blaspheme God

C. Cities of nations fall

Items of Note1. COMMONALITIES: Even in this listed format, the commonalities at the

end of the three judgmental series speak strongly to their being descriptions of the same event: The Return of ChristA. Each final event declares the time for God’s wrath to come/appearB. “It is done” (16:17) matches with ‘The Mystery of God is

finished” (10:7)C. Full climactic display of common terrestrial upheavals depicted by

each-hail, lightening, thunder, earthquakes, islands fleeing and mountains disappearing

D. The final and judgmental fate of the rebellious announced in each

2. DISTINCTIVES: Each majors in areas that another lightly touches. Note how the 6th Seal majors in the celestial while the 7th Trumpet majors on the Divine. The 7th Bowl labors on the judgmental and retributive aspects of Christ’s Return.

3. Together, the three give a full orbed picture of the power and energy involved in Christ’s Return!

POWERFUL COMMONALITIES:The commonalities at the end of the three judgmental series speak strongly to the three

end judgments being descriptions of the same event: The Return of Christ.

POWERFUL COMMONALITIES ACROSS DISTANT PASSAGESEach of the final three judgmental series shares substantive commonalities with the

Olivet Discourse and Revelation 19’s colorful description of The Return of Christ.

Mark 13:24-27 1. Divine2. Celestial

A. Sign of Son of Man appears in sky

B. Sun blackenedC. Moon darkenedD. Stars fall from

heavenE. Powers of heavens

shakenF. Great trumpet

blown (Matt 24:31)G. Jesus returns

2. Terrestrial3. Political

A. All tribes of earth mourn

B. Elect gathered from earth AND heaven

Rev 19-201. Divine

A. God’s reign declared (19:6)

B. Marriage Supper of Lamb (19:7)

C. Armies of heaven launched (19:11)

D. Thrones for judgment set up (20:4)

E. First resurrection (20:1-5)

2. CelestialA. Christ descends

with heavenly armies (19:11-19)

B. Sun blackened, sky splits, stars fall, moon like blood

3. TerrestrialA. Armageddon

(19:11-19)4. Political

A. Slaughter of earthly armies (19:17-19)

B. Everyone hides from God’s wrath

Notice the many points of similarity between the elements

in these Return of Christ passages and the elements in the final Seals-Trumpets-

Bowls listings.

Mark 13:24-27 1. Divine2. Celestial

A. Sign of Son of Man appears in sky

B. Sun blackenedC. Moon darkenedD. Stars fall from

heavenE. Powers of heavens

shakenF. Great trumpet

blown (Matt 24:31)G. Jesus returns

2. Terrestrial3. Political

A. All tribes of earth mourn

B. Elect gathered from earth AND heaven

Rev 19-201. Divine

A. God’s reign declared (19:6)

B. Marriage Supper of Lamb (19:7)

C. Armies of heaven launched (19:11)

D. Thrones for judgment set up (20:4)

E. First resurrection (20:1-5)

2. CelestialA. Christ descends

with heavenly armies (19:11-19)

B. Sun blackened, sky splits, stars fall, moon like blood

3. TerrestrialA. Armageddon

(19:11-19)4. Political

A. Slaughter of earthly armies (19:17-19)

B. Everyone hides from God’s wrath

Notice the many points of similarity between the elements

in these Return of Christ passages and the elements in the final Seals-Trumpets-

Bowls listings.

MULTIPLE COMMONALITIES AT THE ENDThis pattern, along with the As-Written

options logical drawbacks, encourages me to see the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls having a) staggered starts, b) concurrent runs and c) simultaneous ends. A graph would look like this:

70th Week

Seals

Trumpets

Bowls

6th Seal

7th Trumpet

7th BowlOverall Arrangement of Seals,

Trumpets and Bowls

Items of Note1. Thicker lines indicate general duration period for the deployment of some

item.2. SEALS: Thin lines leading into the time of the Seals indicate prior operation

of that Seal’s content in our own historical times.3. TRUMPETS: Thin line leading away from a Trumpet’s deployment line

indicates lingering effect of that Trumpet’s deployment.4. Seal 6, Trumpet and Bowl 7 are all simultaneous, each in its way narratively

announcing the return of Christ, each in its way depicting an element of that return. (See following slides for fuller explanation.)

5. Seal 7 hangs out past the 70th Week: All heaven stands in silent, slack-jawed amazement at the scope and intensity of God’s judgmental wrath and gracious provision. (Hab 2:13, Zech 2:20)

6. I placed the Trumpets generally after the mid-point of the 70th Week, that crisis point that starts the Great Tribulation, to use Jesus’ phrasing in the Olivet Discourse. Just a hunch.

7. The staggered start/simultaneous operation implications of this graph represent the graph’s single true significance; do not get too focused on details of a line’s duration or relative stopping point. (See #6 above as example.)

70th Week

Seals

Trumpets

Bowls

6th Seal

7th Trumpet

7th BowlOverall Arrangement of Seals, Trumpets and Bowls

Conclusion on Matters of Sequence1. I trust I have made a clear (even if not quite convincing) case for

my arrangement of Revelation’s Seals, Trumpets and Bowls.

2. I maintain a faithfulness to the metaphor of the Birth Pangs from the Olivet Discourse.

3. I make use of the seemingly identical content of the 6th Seal, 7th Trumpet and 7th Bowl to place them with one another at the end of the 70th Week, declaring them to be, in fact, different depictions of the very same event, the Return of Christ.

4. I make faithful and full use of the content and context of the 21 events in configuring their interrelationships.

OUR NEXT FOCUS . . .

Satan. The Adversary. Behind all that flows from the Pit lies the fount of all

murder and hatred. What he does in the Revelation bears some striking

parallels in terms of motivation and method to what the Adversary did in

the time of Job, the Patriarch. Job and the Saints of the End Times face a

similar challenge. In both cases, God makes their faithfulness under duress

the test of His worthiness to be worshipped.

No wonder Satan thinks he can win!

Next: XXXI: Satan

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