The Wrath of God

2021-12-12

After the rapture of the saints, God immediately pours out His wrath on the earth: “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (Revelation 8:1).

At the showing of the sixth seal, the people left behind are hiding in caves and underground. They are afraid of what is to come. They know the Lord is coming in wrath (Revelation 6:15-17). “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17).

Comparisons are made with the days of Noah and Lot to show how quick the wrath comes after the rapture. Life went on like normal for the unsaved “until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27) and “the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:29).

A series of events ensues where terrifying supernatural events signified by the seven trumpets and the seven vials occur. The events of these trumpets and vials are often seemingly related.

1. The first trumpet is a storm of hail, fire, and blood, destroying trees and grass (Revelation 8:7).
   
   The first vial places sores on those who worshipped the Antichrist (Revelation 16:2).
2. The second trumpet is something like a giant mountain from space that made part of the sea blood (Revelation 8:8-9).
   
   The second vial made the entire sea blood, killing everything in it (Revelation 16:3).
3. The third trumpet is something like a star from heaven that fell, and the fresh water was made bitter, killing people (Revelation 8:10-11).
   
   The third vial is the fresh water becoming blood (Revelation 16:4-7).
4. The fourth trumpet is a third part of the sun, moon, and stars darkened, affecting the light of day and night (Revelation 8:12).
   
   The fourth vial affected the sun, scorching people (Revelation 16:8-9).
5. The fifth trumpet is an angel opening the bottomless pit, releasing locusts that sting the people of the earth, tormenting them five months (Revelation 9:1-12).
   
   The fifth vial puts darkness on the Antichrist’s kingdom (Revelation 16:12-11).
6. The sixth trumpet is an amassing of a huge army of 200 million soldiers led by angels from the Euphrates River (Revelation 9:14-21).
   
   The sixth vial is the drying up of the Euphrates River, and the armies of the earth gather for the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:12-16).
7. The seventh trumpet is the establishment of Christ’s kingdom (Revelation 11:15-19).
   
   The seventh vial is the declaration of the end of God’s wrath with severe earthquakes and a reordering of the earth’s topography (Revelation 16:17-21).

With this comparison, one can tell that each trumpet and its corresponding vial seem to be related in many cases. Sometimes it seems that the vial often finishes up what the trumpet started. The people are generally seen as not repenting but hardening themselves more than they were before (Revelation 9:20-21; 16:9-11).