When speculating on the event order of the book of Revelation the diversity of paradigms are legion. Strict chronological is problematic in that events seem to repeat and not all events are even future. In chapter 12 verse 5 we clearly have the birth of Christ. In chapter 6 at the 6th seal we have (6:14-KJV)
“And the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”
That sounds pretty final in terms of devastation, yet we something very similar presented in Rev 16:20 where we have:
“And every island fled away and the mountains were not found.”
Also, shortly after 6:14 we have in Rev 7:3 we have an angel proclaiming (KJV)
“Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in the foreheads.”
Okay!? Didn’t John just say that islands and mountain are being flung around and the earth is not yet hurt? John is sure exasperating to read!
Given the difficulties presented thus far, then to interpret the order of events then we are pushed into some overlapping or repeating of these events.
Before I get to far in the weeds of trying to order Revelation, I want to point out an observation on the scope of 7th trumpet events which from the core teaching is where the parousia happens that Jesus and Paul describe.
One little verse in chapter 10 gives us a clue of where the 7th trumpet events begin and that is 10:7 (KJV)
“But in the days of the of the voice of the 7th angel, when he shall begin to sound…”
Even though many Bible translations don’t have a group heading denoting chapter 10 as the 7 trumpet yet I assert, based on this verse is that the before unnamed angel at the beginning of chapter 10 is the angel that blows the 7 the trumpet. Yes, that’s also the same angel with the “face as it were the sun” that brings the 7 thunders and hands John the scroll.
So we have the events of the 7th trumpet start where the 6th trumpet ends off at the end of chapter 9 and I contend they continue all the way to the end of chapter 11. Then we have an insertion of history, setting the stage in chapters 12 and leading to the current state of affairs in Chapter 13. Then the 7th trumpet events pick back up and continue on in chapter 14 including the harvest at the end of chapter 14. That would put the Paul’s gathering and resurrection in 2 Thes 2:1 and 1 Cor 15:52 still within the “last trump”. Then in chapter 15 we have major shift and focus on God’s wrath coming with the introduction of the bowl of wrath carrying angels being introduced.
The forthcoming analysis of Chapter 14 is mine yet the elaboration on the day-year concept further in this section is largely based on someone else’s teaching that I though was intriguing because it handles much of the repeating of event issue. I won’t die one this hill but here it is. This paradigm draws the understanding of the crucifixion week having death occurring on day 4 given that Jesus spent a full 3 days and 3 nights (72+ hours) in the “belly of the earth” and superimpose that week on to the seven years of Daniel’s last week better known as the tribulation week.
Now, look at the seven seals and notice that at the rider of the 4th horse’s name is death. Hmm… The prophecy community generally accepts that the last seven years are the last “week” of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy described in Daniel 9:24-27. Given Daniel’s prophecy of “the confirmation of the covenant” starts the last 7 years and the last 3.5 years even more significant because that is the point where the “abomination of desolation” is spread. (Dan 9:27) Revelation also echoes the significance of the last 3.5 years after when Satan is thrown down to earth by Michael the archangel and targets the “woman” and the “remnant of her seed”. (Rev 12:13,17) For the seven years we have in Daniels final week if the first seal starts in the first year and the 4th seal is death then at the rate of approximately one seal per year then death to Israel would happen in the 4th year or about half way through the week. That would in a sense roughly mirror the crucifixion week.
The significance of the last 3.5 years is that is when Satan starts persecuting the woman then she flies and is nourished in the desert for “a time, times, and half a times (3.5 years). So, Satan is clearly on the earth for the whole last 3.5 years, yet, I don’t believe the “Mark of the Beast” (Rev 13:16) is enacted immediately but I believe it is later yet could be gradual as well.
Going on further to Rev 14:1 and we see the “Lamb”(Jesus) standing on mount Sion (looks like parousia) with his saints and 3 angels make proclamations (Rev 6-13) First one preaches the Gospel, Second one proclaims Babylon has fallen, and the third one warns people not to take the mark of the beast. He says in verse 9 to 10
“…If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, 10 the same shall drink the wine of the wrath of God…”
That sounds present or future tense to me! Shortly after a “voice from heaven” says in verse 13
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; Yes saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them”
Then in the verse 14 verse we have the start of the harvest. (KJV)
“And I looked and behold a while cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap”: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped”
Think of that! If we take chapter 14 as a whole chronologically then Jesus is standing on the Mount of Olives before we a forced to take the mark and then comes the harvest (gathering…rapture if you will)
Well, to me that sounds like we have ample warning and realize, Jesus is standing on the earth at that time. That should give us strength at our time of decision knowing he is physically near!
Going on further in that chapter 14 the next verses (17-20 ) describe the harvest of the unrighteous who are reaped and thrown into the winepress of the wrath of God elaborated on in the next chapters.
It appears like it’s not really a long time the mark goes on. But then again, this is John and don’t believe anybody is 100% certain of the order of Revelation.
Back to the overview of the seals with the day-year-seal concept. The 1st seal does not appear all that perilous and could very well be unnoticed by most people. The 2nd seal on the other hand I think is going to be a little more obvious when we are in it but most people won’t see beyond the man made destruction that has been building for the last century. The 3rd seal of economic collapse seems like a direct consequence of the 2nd seal. In the 4th seal not only do we have the continued death from the previous two seals but now we have Death personified in the advent of the man of sin. The 5th seal we see the consequence of all the previous seals. Also, now looking forward in the book of Revelation we see chapter 13 that just appears without a designated time frame just waiting to be plugged into a sequence. Chapter 13 could very well be describing the peril of some of the later seals showing more detail of the beast’s grip on the inhabitants of the earth.
Now the 6th seal appears to be showing the beginning of a turn of events were the emissaries of Satan that have been in the drivers seat start seeing celestial disturbances (which look like many of the trumpet judgments) happening. They see that God now is beginning to have his say and they are worried about impending wrath. Incidentally, the sun becoming black appears much like the darkness during the 5th bowl and stars falling from the sky is certainly mentioned in the trumpets judgments. One particular thing to note is that mention of the word wrath in the 6th seal is not mentioned again until there in the seventh trumpet. (Rev 11:18) The operative word that is used in the between section of scripture is “woe” which comes from a different Greek word than “wrath” which also labeled as plagues. I’m not forgetting 1 Thes 5:9 where Paul says “…we are not appointed to wrath but to attain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I’m not convinced that any of God’s wrath really does come before the bowls. Now the bowls are clear wrath of God and that appears to be indisputable. (Rev 15:1)
As for the 7th seal in the beginning of chapter 8 we have the half hour of silence then we go right into the trumpets sounding. The trumpets could be part of an extended 6th seal expanding it to 2 years making the whole 7 years of Daniel 9:27. Then again, Jesus said for the elect’s sake those days would cut short in Matt 24 possibly making it 6 years or less? Only the Father knows how shortened.
And what about those bowls? They don’t need to be in the 7 years and there are two reasons for that. For the first, look right after the 6th seal and we have an angel and seven thunders speaking. The angel lifted up his hand and swore in Rev 10:6 (KJV) “…by him that liveth forever…that there should be time(Chronos) no more“. (See footnote) The second reason is at the beginning of the 7th trumpet the seventh angel says in Rev 11:15 (KJV) ” The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever.” (I caught myself singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus) Other translations read “has become”. This is it! The end of the 7 years! Jesus has taken total reign of the kingdoms at the start of the millennium. Jesus now starts to quickly clean house by pouring out the bowls of wrath. This 7th trumpet was the “Last day” that Martha spoke of.
Another interesting thing to point out in this section is something that happens after the 6th trumpet Rev 10:7. I’ll wait to discuss that passage until section #7 — Thief in the night because it relates that subject directly.
The teaching that compared the tribulation week to the crucifixion didn’t stop there. He also saw the week of history also displaying that same pattern. (That works if you are a young earth-er like he and I both are)
The postulate goes like this and it all has to do with the ethnic people of Israel. History from creation to the new heavens and new earth of Revelation 21 consists of 7 thousand year “days”. (Remember this from section #7) Then, counting from Creation forward Israel was created as a nation on the second day and then Jewish nation was split and ultimately destroyed and then the diaspora of the nation on the late end of the fourth day. If Jesus was crucified on the fourth day of the week and then in less that 50 years from that point then the nation of Israel was “crucified” in the 4th week of history.
Currently during the end of the 6th week of history the ethnic nation has been formed but still there is no life in it until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in (Rom 11:25). Then in the 7th week of history we have Israel’s resurrection for the millennium. Again, I’m not sure if this is an intended pattern in scripture but it seems rather intriguing to me . This is certainly an interesting time to be alive. This whole world seems to be stirring up for something soon. Has the first seal been loosed? I don’t know but when we see world war happening that could very well show us we are in the second seal.
Footnote: A note on translation. This is circumstance where I do agree that the King James translates the Greek in Revelation 10:6 most accurately. My biggest disappointment with the King James is the rendering of Deut 32:8. I will cover that discussion in section #11 – Did we learn anything from the Tower of Babel.