Events in the Middle of the Tribulation (Part One)

NOTE: The events in the middle of the tribulation are difficult to place and may not be chronological. We are sitting at the seventh trumpet, third woe. The trumpet judgment contains all the bowl judgments, just as the sixth scroll contained the seven trumpet judgments

Rev 10: 1-11 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."

5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."

9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." 10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings." NIV

• Who has been announcing the trumpet judgment? Angels
• Who is this story about? A mighty angel -- possibly the seventh angel
• Why do we know this is a long judgment (notwithstanding the fact that it also probably refers to the bowl judgments)? Verse 7 says, "in the days" -- so we know it occurs over a period of time
• We are not told everything, at least not what the seven thunders said
• Why does the scroll taste sweet then bitter?
  • Sweet -- people love to go to prophecy conferences or to buy books pertaining to the end times
  • Bitter -- we need to realize there is great and terrible pain coming unless a person comes to Christ for salvation. There is escape from the tribulation through the rapture. But there is no escape for believer or unbeliever once the days begin
• APPLICATION: Do we recognize the bitterness of the prophecies of Revelation? Or are they so unreal and far away as to not impact our hearts? We need to feel the pain, and the bitterness of the days to recognize our need to communicate truth with urgency

NOTE: Fruchtenbaum (2003) argues that at this point, the Antichrist enters into a war with the 10 Kings, killing three (Dan 11:40-45). The Antichrist is also killed during battle and comes back to life three days later.

NOTE: We have already discussed the ministry of the two witnesses which begins during the tribulation, and their death, resurrection, and disappearance into heaven which occurs during this time.

NOTE: We are going to skip ahead to other events in the middle and then pick up with the seventh trumpet, which is sounded in Revelation 11.

NOTE: The focus now shifts to Satan's persecution of the Jews.

Rev 12:1-6 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. NIV

• The metaphor of the sun, moon, and twelve stars should sound familiar, where have we seen this in scripture?
  • It is a reference to Jacob (Israel), Rachel, and the twelve sons (tribes) of Israel (Joseph's dream)
  • Normally, the stars would refer to angels, when used symbolically, but the addition of the other aspects of the picture, makes it clear that it is Israel
• The picture is set back in time, repeatedly back in time. What is happening in the birth?
  • It is referring to the birth of the Messiah in Israel (many years ago)
• The story of the dragon goes back even farther, and explains where the enemy of the Jews comes. Satan is the dragon, and the one-third stars (angels) follow him
• Satan is trying to destroy the baby, which he tried through Herod and others
• The child is Jesus, and is in Heaven now
• The woman, who gave birth is Israel, and she flees to the desert for three and half years. Many believe this is Petra and that the Jewish people will find protection there. At this point, symbolically, Satan has broken the peace treaty with Israel. It probably occurs during the War of the Antichrist against the World

Rev 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. NIV

• At the same time that war is happening on earth, what is happening in heaven? There is a battle and Satan is thrown out of heaven. Satan is now confined entirely to earth. This is not a good thing for those on earth
• We learn some characteristics of Satan in this passage, what are they?
• Ancient serpent -- reference to Adam and Eve
• He leads the world astray. He is the main force for deception in the world. He is very effective, but not all powerful

Rev 12:10-12Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, // and the authority of his Christ. // For the accuser of our brothers, // who accuses them before our God day and night, // has been hurled down. // 11 They overcame him // by the blood of the Lamb // and by the word of their testimony; // they did not love their lives so much // as to shrink from death. // 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens // and you who dwell in them! // But woe to the earth and the sea, // because the devil has gone down to you! // He is filled with fury, // because he knows that his time is short." NIV

• Satan is particularly angry at this point, why?
  • Maybe he finally recognizes the futility of his rebellion
  • He knows his time is short
• We learn another characteristic of Satan in his description, what is it?
• Accuser of believers

Rev 12:13-17 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring — those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. NIV

• In scripture, when used symbolically (not literally), a flood usually refers to an army. An army, probably the Antichrist's pursues the Jewish people into the desert. Somehow, the army is swallowed up by the earth and fails. Satan then pursues her offspring, Jewish and non-Jewish believers around the world
• APPLICATION: 1) Prophecy can be fun and exciting to look at, especially knowing that we will be raptured, but it should leave us with a bitter taste, because many who do not know Christ will suffer greatly during the time. 2) Satan is still the great deceiver who leads believer and unbeliever astray. His philosophies sound good on the surface, but they oppose God and his claim over our life. He is also a roaring lion, a liar from the beginning of times, and at times, an angel of light. If we do not build on a good foundation, when the storms of life hit us, our house will quickly fall