In the past few blogs, I have told you about the Rapture
of all believers in Christ. For, Christ will come in a cloud in the air to take
all true Christians, whether living or dead, back to heaven with Him.
Unbelievers left on earth will have to face the Tribulation Period that was
prophesied about in both the Older Testament and the Newer Testament. I have
told you about both the Rapture and
the Tribulation Period so that you
can share this information and truth with both believers and unbelievers
whether you are engaging in Active
Relational Christian Mentoring or you are witnessing to those who are lost.
One of the reasons that you need to know as much as
you can about the Rapture and the Tribulation Period is that people have a
tendency to downplay both the Rapture and the Tribulation. In fact, if
you asked Christians about the Rapture and the Tribulation Period you would
probably get answers like “Yes, I have heard about it but I haven’t studied it”
or “That won’t happen in my lifetime”. Most unbelievers, though, will tell you
they have not heard of either the Rapture or the Tribulation Period unless they
have seen movies about them. How sad! We all must do a better job of telling
the world the Gospel Message of Christ’s love and salvation. Moreover, we can’t
be afraid to tell people what the repercussions are for not making a choice for
the Lord. So, today I will give you more
information about the Great Tribulation, i.e., the last three and one-half years
of the overall Tribulation, so that you can tell others and answer their questions
about the Tribulation Period.
(This
blog is a little longer than some of the others because there was so much
information that I wanted to share with you. However, I have divided the blog
into sections so that you can read one section at a time within your own time-frame. I hope you enjoy learning about the Great Tribulation Period).
The Antichrist
Down through the ages there have been many evil people
and many misguided individuals who have been hostile to Christ. There are still
evil people today who will do anything to keep people from knowing Christ and
who are fixated on living and gaining things for themselves no matter the
outcome for others. However, we need to understand that “even now many antichrists have
appeared. …” --
(I John 2: 18. NASB). They have been seen throughout the world
over the centuries instigating rebellion against Christ and setting up the conditions
for the Antichrist to appear someday. Who are these antichrists? The Apostle
John wrote, “Who is the great liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ.
Such people are antichrists for they have denied the Father and the Son.” -- (I John 2: 22, NLT).
In other words, anyone who denies that God exists and anyone who denies that
Christ is the Son of God who came to earth and died for our sins and then arose
from the grave, is an antichrist.
There are some antichrists who do not do much to share
their disbelief, and unfortunately there are even some antichrists within churches.
Still other antichrists are within our government, like the one who is running
for the highest office today, who really want to do away with all Christian religion
if given the chance. There are others who will do everything they can to
dissuade people from believing in Christ and are constantly working behind the
scenes to eliminate Christ and the Gospel message from our country. Many of
these antichrists are evil inspired and have agendas that create havoc and
chaos under the guise of political correctness. Still others don’t care what
the rest of the world thinks, they just want to eliminate all Christians and
Jews.
Today, those that are members of ISIS are antichrists as are the atheists and
others who are doing everything they can to destroy the Gospel message and the
truth of the Father and the Son. But the Holy Spirit has been holding back the
appearance of the Antichrist or the “man of lawlessness”. He
is the person who will embody all the traits of all antichrists within one
person. This one person will be the epitome of evil even though he will deceive
the world with his talk and ways. Once in power, the Antichrist will then lead
and foster a rebellion against Christ while trying to remove every mention of
Christ and salvation from the world.
Once all believers and the Holy Spirit are removed
from the earth, there will no longer be any personal or worldwide peace as love grows cold. People will easily kill
each other for even minor confrontations. (see Revelation 6:4). People living
during the Tribulation will be living like in the Days of Noah where
they will do whatever feels good, which will lead to a valueless society that
embraces great immorality and evil. Jesus’ disciples wanted to know when this
all would occur and when Jesus would come again. But, Jesus told His disciples
that no one would know the day or hour that He would come again. Then Christ
went on to say, “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did
not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming
of the Son of Man be.” --
(Matthew 24: 37-39. NASB).
We do not know when the Rapture and the Tribulation
will occur, but the stage is set for the arrival of the Antichrist on the scene.
He is the evil inspired person who can influence and rule all people through
his use of deceptive lies. Is he already on the scene? Is he out there
somewhere in the background of the political world? We don’t know, but we need to be ready for
the Rapture, and we need to tell others of the impending Tribulation Period so
people can make a choice. For, once the Rapture occurs, the Tribulation Period
with the Antichrist’s arrival will start.
The Holy scriptures tell us that at the beginning of
the Tribulation Period the Antichrist will come to the forefront on the
political scene. He may have already been working behind the scenes and working
to eliminate Christ and the Gospel message from the world, but it is with the
beginning of the Tribulation that He enters the world stage. (He is just
waiting for the Tribulation to start after all the believers in Christ have
been Raptured!). The Antichrist will have persuasive powers, as well as deceptive
but smooth and believable answers to solve the problems of the world. His
personality and charisma will have facilitated his rise to power and will now give
him great authority. This power and authority will then enable him to make a
covenant with Israel for peace. Sadly, the Jewish people, who have been
persecuted for so long, will believe that he is capable of giving them peace.
So, they will trust him and sign a covenant with the Antichrist and other
nations hoping to finally have peace for Israel.
At the end of the first three and one-half years,
though, the Antichrist who represents pure evil, will become even worse as he
is then indwelt by Satan. It is at this time that he will break his covenant
with Israel, and Israel will again be persecuted. Any people throughout the
world who have turned to Christ during the Tribulation period will be
persecuted as well and many will be martyred, for along with putting a mark on the
hands of every person in order to buy and sell food, those who have believed in
Christ and have become Christians as well as those who refuse to have the
Antichrist’s mark on them, will rounded up and their heads will be cut off.
The Apostle Paul tells us that the Antichrist “will exalt
himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and
worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he
himself is God. … This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with
counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked
deception to fool those that are on their way to destruction because they
refuse to believe the truth that would save them. So, God will send a great
deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies. Then they will be
condemned for not believing the truth and for enjoying the evil they do.” -- (II Thessalonians 2:
4, 9-12, NLT).
Jesus tells us that “the time will come when you will
see what Daniel the prophet spoke about; the sacrilegious object that causes
desecration standing in the Holy Place” – (Matthew 14: 15.
NLT).
What is that sacrilegious object? Well we don’t know, but it must be pretty bad.
We do know that it will be something detestable or deplorable to God;
dishonoring God and the temple. It could be a false idol, or something that God
has told His people is unclean. In centuries past, other antichrists desecrated
the Jewish temple by slaughtering a pig on the altar. A pig is both detestable
to God and unclean. One was the Roman General Antiochus IV in 168 – 167 B.C. At
another time, the Roman General, Titus, desecrated the Temple in 70 A.D before
he destroyed the Temple.
God and His Son, Jesus Christ, will not allow the
Antichrist to succeed in his devious plans to control the world. They will
shorten the time period of the Tribulation. In fact, Jesus told the disciples
that “unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved,
but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” -- (Matthew 24: 22. NASB).
Who are the elect? Well, they are the saints, or the people who have turned to
Christ and become new Christians during the Tribulation period. This includes
the 144,000 Jewish men who have believed in Christ and who are telling the
Jewish people and the world about Christ during the Tribulation. Many individuals will come to know Christ because
of their witness. (See Revelation 7: 1-8).
Part of the Great Tribulation, or the “Mega”
Tribulation, is the opening of the seven seals and the seven trumpets that will
bring devastation and judgment upon the world. Before the Tribulation Period is over and
probably during the Great Tribulation, Christ, the Lamb, will open the seven
seals in heaven releasing riders on horses and angels with trumpets to render judgment
devastation upon the earth. Let’s take a look at these seals and trumpets to
see what they will bring upon the Great Tribulation Period.
The Seven Seals
The book of Revelation is the written record of what
the Apostle John saw in his vision of Christ and heaven that God gave to him on the Isle of Patmos.
For, John was given a special look into the last days so that he could tell
people what was going to happen here on earth after the Rapture. In Chapter 6 the Apostle John saw in a vision,
the Lamb, i.e. Christ, break the “seals
of judgment” one at a time. With the breaking of each seal of judgment Christ
is setting in motion events that will bring an end to the world as we know it, as He and His angels open the seals and bowls of judgment (we will discuss the
bowls of judgments at a later date). Christ, the Lamb, is the One opening the
seals of judgment.
When the first
seal of judgment was broken, the Apostle John “looked and behold, a white horse,
and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out
conquering and to conquer.” --
(Revelation 6: 2. NASB). The rider of this white horse is not Christ. For, it is here that
the Antichrist appears on the scene. With power, authority and deception, he
influences the world against God. Why would God allow the Antichrist to enter
the scene? Well, it is through the Antichrist that the Lord tests what is in
the hearts of the people. God will see who is willing to follow the Antichrist
and who is willing to follow Christ? Moreover, the Antichrist will be deceiving
the world into thinking that he is good and true. In this image and symbol, he even looks
like a good and true man as he rides in on a white horse. However, the Antichrist hopes
to conquer the world through deception, and ultimately through war. He is neither good or true. But, God
has an ultimate and final surprise coming for him at a future date!
When Christ, i.e. the Lamb, breaks the second seal of judgment, another
being on a red horse comes to take all peace from the earth, which leads people
into killing each other. Meanness and chaos will be the norm, so “that
men would slay one another;” -- (Revelation 6: 4.
NASB).
Then Jesus Christ, the Lamb, breaks the third seal of judgment, which
brought forth a being on a black horse. He has scales in his hands to weigh food. He represents famine and poverty. At that time, world economies and food
crops will be destroyed. The Apostle John also heard a voice saying, “A
quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and
do not damage the oil and the wine.”
--
(Revelation 6: 6. NASB). A single denarius would be equal to a day’s
wages. So, there will be terrible hunger throughout the world. For, those that can
work will work all day to barely get enough to eat.
When the Lamb breaks the fourth seal of judgment, a being on an ashen horse
appears. His name is Death, and he is given the authority to kill one fourth
of all the people on the earth, “to kill with sword and with famine and with
pestilence and by the wild beast of the earth.” –
(Revelation 6: 8. NASB). So, now along with the famine is added pestilence,
wild rogue beasts and this rider’s sword. Hopefully the other three-fourths of
people left, will acknowledge their sinfulness and turn to Christ to repent and
be saved. Unfortunately, hardened hearts and deception keep most people from
doing so.
Now, the
fifth seal of judgment is opened. With the breaking open of this seal, John
beheld the souls of the martyred for Christ under the heavenly altar. These
souls are crying out for the evil people to be judged and their deaths avenged.
John tells us that he “saw underneath the altar the souls of those
who had been slain because of the Word of God and because of the testimony
which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying ‘How
long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our
blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ And there was given to each of them a
white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while
longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were
to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” -- (Revelation 6: 9-11.
NASB).
These are the Tribulation saints. They are the ones who, in going through the
Tribulation, turned to Christ and were slain for their belief in Him. They will
be honored when everything that Christ has promised has been fulfilled. Others
will join them, because there are still people who will turn to Christ through
the witnessing of the 144,000 Jewish men even as the Great Tribulation period
gets worse. So, these souls are told that there are to be more martyred souls that
will join those under the altar.
With the opening of the sixth seal of judgment, there was a great earthquake. At
the same time, “the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon
became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to earth as a fig tree casts
its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a
scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders
and the rich and the strong and every slave and freeman hid themselves in the caves
and among the rocks of the mountains.”
--
(Revelation 6: 12-15. NASB).
Sadly, these people begged for the mountains and rocks to fall on them
to kill them as they acknowledge the One who created the rocks and mountains
and his power and authority. Still, though, they refused to believe on Christ
or give God the honor He deserves. When people refuse to humble themselves,
judgment is the result, and these people were experiencing that judgment and
they would continue to experience even more judgments.
Have you humbled yourself before the Lord? Have you
asked Christ to forgive you and to cleanse you from your sins? If you haven’t
yet done so, you might want to think upon the people of the Great Tribulation
Period. Like them, has your heart become so hardened that you will not even
attempt to understand the truth of God’s Word? I pray that before it is too
late that you will think upon the Gospel message. Your pride can be overcome,
if you will humble yourself before the Lord and ask for His salvation. If you
are already saved, you have the humble responsibility of sharing your knowledge
of salvation, the Rapture, and the coming Tribulation with others. Time is
running out. But, no matter how hardened the person’s heart, we have the
responsibility and duty to tell that person about Christ. Perhaps you could
mentor someone through Active Relational Christian Mentoring.
When Christ broke open the seventh seal of judgment, there was silence in heaven
for about an hour. Then an angel took a censer “and filled it with the fire of
the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and
sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” -- (Revelation 8: 5.
NASB).
But worse things are to come with the opening of this judgment seal than just
thunder and lightning and an earthquake, for seven angels with seven trumpets appear
with the opening of this seventh seal. They would now announce even more escalating
judgments upon the earth.
God wants people to turn to Him. In fact, these
escalating judgments are being used to show people that God is indeed the God
over everything. Just like the ten plagues on the Egyptians before the
Israelites were allowed to leave Egypt, God employees escalating judgments during
the Great Tribulation to show people that He is God and there is no other. For,
God wants people to repent and turn to His Son, Jesus Christ, receiving the
gift of salvation, but He will not force anyone to come to Him.
The Seven Trumpets
With the breaking of the seventh seal of judgment,
there appeared seven angels each with a trumpet. They prepared themselves to
sound the trumpets. Then the first angel sounded his trumpet and “there
came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a
third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and
all the green grass was burned up.”
--
(Revelation 8: 6, 7. NASB). Over the years, we have experienced
forest fires and large areas of our forests have burned up, but never has a
third of the earth or all the green grass burned up. How devastating! But, the
judgments do not stop there, because people are still refusing to acknowledge
the salvation of Christ.
So, the second angel sounded the trumpet, and “something
like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of
the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and
had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.” -- (Revelation 8: 8, 9.
NASB).
The earth had already faced famine, pestilence, wild beasts, earthquakes, and
fires, just to mention a few of the things people were having to endure. Now
the nations and the people would not have the needed ships to bring goods to
nations, nor would they have catches of fish from the sea to supplement their
lacking food supplies, because the creatures in one third of the sea had died.
How would many survive without enough food and supplies, and if they did
survive would they turn to God and give Him the glory? Instead, many more died
and many people continued to refuse to ask Christ into their heart.
Then the third angel sounded his trumpet and “a
great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of
the rivers and on the springs of waters. The name of the star is called
Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the
waters, because they were made bitter.”
--
(Revelation 8: 10, 11. NASB). In these last two trumpet
judgments, only one-third of the earth is destroyed. But, God’s full wrath is
coming soon.
Shortly thereafter, the fourth angel sounded his
trumpet and “a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars
were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not
shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.” –
(Revelation 8: 12. NASB). Can
you imagine that instead of nearly 12 hours of daylight, there would only be eight
hours of daylight, and that for four hours of the night there would be little
light from the night sky either. Things are getting darker for those who refuse
to turn to Christ. Imagine, too, the Antichrist trying to explain to the world
what is going on, for he does not have the power or authority to correct the
situation. People have put their faith in the wrong being. Have you put your
faith in God and His Son, or have you put your faith in secular things or in
human beings or false idols that can do nothing for your eternal soul? If so,
you may want to re-evaluate your decisions. As long as you are breathing it is
never too late to ask Christ to come into your heart.
Through the Apostle John’s vision, Christ has allowed the
Apostle John and us to see some of what is going to happen during the Great Tribulation
Period. However, John was not given the timeline, but instead just the sequence
of certain events. This means that there can be a short amount of time between
each event or the time can be randomly spread out among all the events. But,
remember these events all happen within the total seven years of the
Tribulation and most probably happen during the last three and one-half years
of the Great Tribulation.
Having said that, it is now time to find out what the fifth angel and his
trumpet brought upon the earth.
When the fifth angel sounded the trumpet judgment,
John saw “a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the
bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went
up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air
were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the pit came locusts upon
the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any
tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They
were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and
their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.” -- (Revelation 9: 1-5.
NASB).
Notice that God puts His seal on the foreheads of
those who come to His Son for Salvation. Remember, that the Antichrist tries to
duplicate God in many different areas and this is one of them. The Antichrist has
made everyone who follows him and his right-hand man, the false prophet, to
have a number either on their right hand or forehead. For, the Bible says, “he required everyone –great and
small, rich and poor, slave and free – to be given a mark on the right hand or
on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which
was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.” -- (Revelation 13: 16,
17. NASB). We are told, though,
that those who have refused to get the number of the Antichrist, because they have
believed in Christ, will be sealed by God, and the seal is on their foreheads.
They will still have problems buying and selling things, and if they are caught
by the Antichrist and his minions, they will be put to death. But, God has sealed them for his eternal home. These are the
ones who are martyred for Christ, but who will be called saints.
So, let’s recap. First, John saw that a fallen star
had exposed a bottomless pit that had a lock on it that could only be opened by
the angel with the key. But when the angel unlocked the pit, terrible creatures
similar to locusts came out of the pit. That’s where the similarity to locusts ended
though. These creatures were more like scorpions, because they would sting
people and for five months the people would writhe in severe pain wishing they
could die. But death flees from them.
The Apostle John goes ahead and describes more about these
creatures who will cause so much trouble and pain. John says, “The
appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their
heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of
men. They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth
of lions. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of
their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.
They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power
to hurt men for five months. They have as king over them, the angel of the
abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.” -- (Revelation 9: 7-11.
NASB).
The angel that comes out of the abyss is not
one of God’s good angels. For, this is one of the angels that had rebelled
against God with Satan when Satan thought that he could take over the throne of
God thousands of years ago. God had cast both Satan and his traitorous angels to earth, for their
disobedience and pride which would not be tolerated. Some of these angels God
locked up in dungeons or bound up, because they were so evil. The Apostle Peter
wrote about these angels saying, “For if God did not spare angels when they
sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness,
reserved for judgment; … then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from
temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of
judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and
despise authority.” --
(II Peter 2: 4, 9. NASB).
The Scriptures tell us that the release of this bad
angel brings on the first woe, but two more woes are coming. I can’t imagine
having to live through such a painful ordeal of being stung by these
scorpion/locusts like creatures, and I certainly can’t imagine not recognizing
God Who is not only in complete control, but Who loves us so much that He gave
His Only Son so that we would not have to go through the Tribulation. Even yet,
these Tribulation people are told that they can turn to God if they so choose.
Would you turn to God in this situation, or would you allow your pride to keep
you in hell on earth and in hell in eternity? I hope that you would choose
Christ!
Next, the sixth angel sounded his judgment trumpet.
At the nearly the same time, John heard a voice in heaven telling the sixth
angel to “‘Release the four angels at the great river Euphrates.’ And the four
angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were
released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. The number of the armies
of the horsemen was two hundred million;” --
(Revelation 9: 14-16. NASB).
These angels led an enormous army of over 200 million troops on horses.
Notice again, that previously, these fallen angels had been bound, and now they
were released when they would be used to bring judgment on the people.
There is much chaos and pain on earth, but God is
still in control. In fact, God shows us that He prepared ahead of time for
these angels to lead an army of millions. These angels were prepared to do the
job that God wanted done. In my earlier blogs, I told you that God has prepared
each of us to do a job or ministry for Him. He has prepared each of us by
giving each person the specific talents, gifts, and ability to do the job that
only each one of us can do. However, we still have “free will”, so we can
ignore our gifts that were given to us to be used for the Lord, use our gifts
in negative ways, or we can step forward to use our gifts for the glory of God.
I don’t know about you, but I want to do whatever it is that God has prepared
for me to do. So, because God gave me the ability to write and mentor other
people, I am using those talents and gifts to do the work for God. That is why
I promote the ministry of Active
Relational Christian Mentoring in all my blogs. Now, more than any other time in history, we
need Christians sharing the Gospel message and mentoring both Christians and
non-Christians on the Rapture and the Tribulation. For, time is running out to
serve the Lord and to help people come to know Christ as their Savior.
The Apostle John didn’t just see the army of 200
million. He “saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them; the riders had
breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of
the horses are like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceed fire
and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues,
by the fire, and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their
mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for
their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. The rest of mankind, who were not killed by
these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship
demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of
wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their
murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”
–
(Revelation 9: 17-21. NASB). How sad!
The Apostle John writes that the seventh angel came
down from heaven and he had in his hand a little book that was open. John said: “He placed his right foot on the
sea and his left foot on land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a
lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their
voices…. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up the things which the
seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them down.’ Then the angel
whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to
heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, … that there will be
delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
is about to sound (his trumpet), then the mystery of God is finished, as He
preached to His servants the prophets.”
–
(Revelation 10: 1-7. NASB).
There are many other things that we will not know
about. Moreover, God does not plan to give us every detail of the Rapture or
the Tribulation. Instead He gives us just enough to show us that His words are
true and that these things will happen in the way that He has planned for it to
happen. Throughout history, we can see that God not only has moved heaven and
earth to show us Who He is and show us what He can do for us, but He has also
shown us His will throughout history. Now, in the book of Revelation God has
shown us His will for the future, as He has used His prophet to record His
words. We may not fully understand everything the Lord has told us, but we have
a responsibility to warn others of their impending doom if they do not repent
and ask Christ into their heart.
Many other things happen and are recorded within the
pages of the book of Revelation, but one of the most exciting things that
happens is the seventh angel’s sounding of the trumpet. For John tells us, “Then
the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The
Kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and
He will reign forever and forever.”
Then twenty-four elders at the throne of God fell before God worshipping
Him and saying, “‘We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were,
because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.’ And the
nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be
judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints
and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who
destroy the earth.” --
(Revelation 11: 15-18. NASB). When the
seventh trumpet is sounded, Christ the King is royally announced. Then Christ appears in the clouds with His army of saints and angels.
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