Tribulation Insights

[RandyK]

.
● Rev 6:7-8 . .When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the
fourth living creature say: Come!

. . I looked, and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named Death, and
hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the
earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Those lethal sources are common throughout the world today; but never have they
harvested so many souls as they will in the future. For example:

The current global population is roughly +/- 8,089,368,164 souls. By the time Mr.
Death finishes his work, something like 2.022 billion of those people would be
rubbed out by war, hunger, disease, and the animal kingdom; which consists of a
fair number of poisonous species along with toxic critters like vampire bats and
mosquitoes.

* In perspective: 2.022 billion people adds up to nearly 6x the USA's current
population of 337,573,164 souls.

We don't usually notice someone's passing unless they're famous or one of our
friends, associates, and relatives. Well; when Mr. Death goes to work, the dead will
be all around and impossible to overlook. I rather suspect funeral homes will be
overwhelmed; if open for business at all.

And ER? Well, it's Mr. Death's intention that people die rather than survive, so I
should think that any and all medical attention the hospitals are able to provide will
be quite inadequate, viz: they'll likely serve as morgues instead of treatment
centers.
_

Yes, well put in graphic, and down to earth, facts. Well, none of us get out of here alive anyway. The important lesson is that God doesn't want anything but pure love in His eternal Kingdom. We need to be transformed. We can be so now, simply by accepting the sacrifice He made on our behalf. Merry Christmas, brother!

 

[Beetow]

If they were a Christian when the rapture happened then how would they miss it and be left
behind

In order to qualify for the rapture, folks have to be either 1) in Christ, or 2) in
Jesus. (1Thess 4:14-16)

I think it goes without saying that at present there are significant numbers of card
carrying, church-attending Christians who don't meet either one of those requirements.
_

 

[hawkman]

I think it goes without saying that at present there are significant numbers of card
carrying, church-attending Christians who don't meet either one of those requirements.

Then they are not Christians . Correct ?

What we have today are .
Not Christians.

Christian in name only they do not follow Jesus . So they are Not Christians either .

Christians .

 

[Beetow]

Then they are not Christians . Correct ?

That really depends upon one's definition of a Christian. For example Webster's
defines them as people who profess belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

There's quite a bit of latitude in that definition, to wit: it isn't necessary for people
to actually believe in Jesus' teachings: they need only say they do. Nor is it
necessary to practice his teachings when belief in them is all that's required. I
mean, most Christians approve the Sermon On The Mount but how many actually
try to live it?
_

 

[hawkman]

That really depends upon one's definition of a Christian. For example Webster's
defines them as people who profess belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

There's quite a bit of latitude in that definition, to wit: it isn't necessary for people
to actually believe in Jesus' teachings: they need only say they do. Nor is it
necessary to practice his teachings when belief in them is all that's required. I
mean, most Christians approve the Sermon On The Mount but how many actually
try to live it?
_

Can you offer your definition of a Christian that will be able to make the rapture trip ?

 

[Beetow]

Can you offer your definition of a Christian that will be able to make the rapture trip ?

In my opinion: a bona fides, rapture-worthy Christian is somebody in Christ Jesus.
(1Thess 4:14-16) In other words: they are joint principals with him in both his crucifixion
and in his resurrection. (Rom 6:3-11)

Plus: they have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. (Eph 1:13)

NOTE: The Greek word translated "sealed" pertains to devices like stamps and signet
rings. A cowboy branding iron would fall into that category because it serves the same
purpose.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 13:9b-10 . . If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if
anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the
perseverance and the faith of the saints.

I think that just might be a reiteration of the perseverance and the faith of Job;
where it's said:

"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." (Job 1:22)

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15

That of the prophet Habakkuk:

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor
of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off
from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in The Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation." (Hab 3:17-18)

And that of the apostle Paul:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your
sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
(Rom 8:35-36)

It's generally agreed among conventional Christians that no saved person will enter
the Tribulation; however there will be a large number of lost souls saved out of it;
though at great cost to their welfare. They mustn't allow their misfortunes during
that era to persuade them that they've bought into a fraud.

* Believers are not a protected species; nor are they insulated from the slings and
arrows of outrageous fortune.

When there's a pandemic, they get sick the same as everybody else. When there's
war, they get caught up in it. When there are economic catastrophes like the Great
Depression and the housing bubble of 2008, they lose their jobs and sometimes
their nest eggs. When there are shortages of goods and services, they have to
make do with what there is the same as everybody else. When the weather
becomes disagreeable with tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding, they lose their
homes right along with non believers. Wild fires in California burn the homes of
believers the same as everybody else's homes. Believers get cancer, they get in car
wrecks, they get taken by crime, nature drops tree limbs on them, and the
postman delivers their mail to the wrong address, etc. etc. etc.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say:
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
(Horatio P. Spafford, 1828-1888)
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 13:11 . . .Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two
horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.

This particular beast will be, from all appearances, a seemingly harmless individual,
viz: he won't have the look of a menace.

For example; German SS officer Heinrich Luitpold Himmler had the look of a classic
Mr. Milquetoast; but underneath that facade was an astonishing capacity for
cruelty, subterfuge, and murder on a grand scale. In other words: you couldn't tell
at first glance that Himmler was a monster in whose opinion human lives are
inconvenient.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 13:11-17 . . .Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth . . . and he
performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from
heaven to earth in full view of men . . . he deceived the inhabitants of the earth and
ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast . . . He was given power to
give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who
refused to worship the image to be executed.

The dimensions of the image aren't given but I should think it will be large enough
to be imposing.

For example: side by side statues of former North Korean leaders Kim IL Sung and
Kim Jong-IL, located on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, are 22 meters (72+ feet) tall. If
one of those statues ever came to life, it would make quite an impression because
something that big would be very difficult to fake for even a top-notch magician like
David Copperfield.

* The Greek word translated "beast" refers to dangerous animals as opposed to
peaceful critters like goats, sheep, prairie dogs, and squeaky little gerbils.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 14:6-7 . . And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, announcing with a loud voice: Fear
God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him
that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The everlasting gospel is a bounce from the very first chapter of Genesis; and
reiterated at Ps 19:1-4 and Rom 1:19-20. It's very elementary; pretty much all it
says is:

1) There's a supreme being.

2) People should not take Him lightly.

3) He deserves to be held in very high esteem.

4) There's a reckoning looming on the horizon.

5) The cosmos-- all of its forms of life, matter, and energy --is the result of
intelligent design.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 14:9-12 . . A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: If anyone
worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the
hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full
strength into the cup of his wrath.

. . He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and
of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no
rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who
receives the mark of his name.

The holy city depicted at Rev 21:9-27 will never experience nightfall nor darkness.
On the basis of that, some have proposed that Rev 14:9-12 is entirely symbolic
because it says that the folks assigned to the burning sulfur will be given no rest
day or night in a place where supposedly there will be no night.

However "in the presence of" doesn't necessarily mean the site of the burning
sulfur is located inside the city's walls, mostly because Rev 21:27 says: "Nothing
impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful,
but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." And also Rev
22:14-15 which says: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have
the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are
the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the
idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."

Though there will be neither day nor night inside the city that doesn't preclude the
possibility that there will be day and night outside its walls. At any rate; I think we
have to expect there will be no breaks in the torment but that it will be perpetual
24/7/365 with neither intermission, nor interruption, nor time off for good behavior.
That will be an awful scene; quite possibly the rather ghastly tourist attraction depicted
by Isa 66:23-24.

● Rev 14:12 . .This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey
God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

People will find themselves confronted with a sort of Catch 22, so to speak. If they
unify with the Beast, they'll be safe from execution and permitted the advantages of
commerce but end up in the sulfur. If they unify with God and His son Jesus, they'll
be safe from the sulfur but end up executed and prevented from shopping for even
the barest of necessities.

● Rev 14:13 . . .Then I heard a voice from heaven say: "Write: Blessed are the
dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their
labor, for their deeds will follow them."

One of the deeds sure to follow those folks is their decision to remain true to God
and His son Jesus in spite of the consequences for refusing to unify with the Beast.
(cf. Matt 10:22)
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 16:3 . .The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into
blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.

Fresh blood is tolerable as far as odor goes, whereas the blood of a dead man is in
a state of putrefaction; and then adding to that the carcasses and the stench of
dead fish, plus everything else, and we have the makings of quite a chowder to
behold.

The Mediterranean is notable in the Bible; but whether that's the sea spoken of
here is uncertain. However, in Gen 1:10 "sea" pertains to the entirety of Earth's
surface collections.

A rather curious sea is located at 1Kings 7:23-26 which suggests that any
accumulation of water, whether in an ocean or on land, can be called a sea, e.g.
ponds and lakes.

● Rev 16:4 . .The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of
water, and they became blood.

The two passages tell of water pollution on a scale quite a bit more severe than that
of the Exodus because this will be global rather than limited to one specific country.
Egypt's was pretty serious because there was no suitable water anywhere for either
cooking, drinking, laundry, hygiene, or sanitation. (Ex 7:19-20)

NOTE: "springs of water" speaks of subterranean sources, which tells me that it
won't do any good to dig for water because it'll all be bad. Whether this particular
calamity will effect bottled supplies remains to be seen.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 16:8-9 . .Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to
scorch everyone with its fire. Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they
cursed the name of God, who sent all of these plagues. They did not repent and
give him glory.

That's a pretty good description of a really strong Carrington Event.

"give Him glory" could be something as simple as expressions of admiration for
God's amazing abilities; especially those described in Revelation.

NOTE: From the very beginning, people have wanted God to treat them as equals.
(Gen 3:22) I think it really chafes some folks when God throws His weight around
and insists they regard Him as their superior.

● Rev 16:10-11 . .Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the
beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. And his subjects ground their
teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But
they refused to repent of all their evil deeds.

Pharaoh stiffened his resolve during the miracles that tested his sovereignty in the
book of Exodus, but to my knowledge he never once cursed God. Well these folks in
Revelation show just how hostile and militant the human heart can really be in its
resistance to God's urging to get them to straighten up and fly right.

Pretty amazing, but not all that surprising. Human nature is such that it doesn't like
to be coerced: it much prefers to comply peaceably and voluntarily no matter
who's in charge; either God or Man.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 16:12 . . And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the
east might be prepared.

That is curious because in modern warfare; rivers, and even oceans, present no
obstacle to military aircraft. But where are the airplanes in Revelation? and where
are all the mechanized conveyances? Well; I have yet to find any, and in point of fact,
war in Revelation is portrayed as fought on horseback, and armies move on foot.

I have an uneasy feeling that the way of life with which us modern folks are
accustomed is coming to an end primarily because oil isn't a renewable resource,
and the Earth's supply is being used up at an alarming rate; currently it's something
like +/- 95 million barrels every twenty-four hours, and the demand isn't static: it's
increasing.

For example: global demand for oil in 1960 was 21.4 million barrels per day while
projections indicate global demand will be 107 million barrels by 2035, which rounds
out to +/- 4.49 billion gallons every twenty-four hours @ 42 US gallons per barrel.

NOTE: A colloquial Olympic swimming pool contains +/- 660,000 US gallons of water. So
then, 4.9 billion gallons of oil would fill 6,803 pools of that size.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 16:13-15 . . Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came
out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth
of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and
they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the
great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who stays
awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be
shamefully exposed.

In other words: don't get caught with your pants down, so to speak.

● Matt 24:27 . . For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to
the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
Rev 16:17-18 predicts a global earthquake so overwhelming on the Richter scale
that cities all over the world will collapse at once.

Something like 2,829 lost their lives when the World Trade Center was demolished
by a suicide attack in 2001. Well that was only a few acres of New York City. Just
imagine the body count when all of Manhattan comes down at once. along with
other major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mexico City, Paris, Moscow,
Beijing, Tokyo, et al.

The carnage will be beyond belief; and a great many of the dead will be moms,
infants, senior citizens, and underage children regardless of age, race, sex, gender
identity, and/or religious preference.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 16:21 . . And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone
about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of
the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

* Talents were gross units of gold weighing from 75-100 pounds. That would be a
preposterous amount of gold to own in our day when it's current market value is
+/- $2,600 an ounce, but not so bad back when it was strictly money instead of
traded as a commodity. Gold coins were common back then, but try to find one in
somebody's pocket today.

Dropping lumps of ice that size from the sky all over the globe will be like a deadly
implosion smashing, bashing, and crushing most everything it touches: homes,
barns, super markets, strip malls, sports arenas, theaters, forests, pastures, crops,
vehicles, etc. Noah's rainfall was likely pretty destructive too, but not like this. That
was at least liquid; this will be solid.

The natural world will surely experience significant damage among the critters who
live above ground, e.g. hogs, deer, elk, ducks, geese, turkeys, cows, mustangs,
monkeys, gorillas, lions, tigers, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, butterflies, moths,
tortoises, etc.

Just imagine being caught out in the open when that hail starts. Finding adequate
shelter from such a bombardment of ice will be very difficult and no doubt
frightened people will be shrieking and screaming in mortal panic.

Curiously, numbers of people will know the hail is from God but it won't persuade
them to consider making peace with Him, instead; the hail will just make 'em
angry.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 19:11-16 . . I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who
sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages
war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and
He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is
clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.

. . And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were
following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that
with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He
treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and
on His thigh He has a name written, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."

* The wine press appears in Isa 63:1-6 & Rev 14:19-20.

The fierce wrath of God is interesting. For example:

● Isa 13:9 . . Behold, the day of The Lord comes-- cruel; with both wrath and fierce
anger

The Hebrew word for "wrath" in that statement pertains to an outburst of passion.
In other words: the rider on the white horse won't be weeping big wet crocodile
tears while it's slamming the world with the events depicted in Revelation; on the
contrary, the damages will be administered with extreme prejudice.

Webster's defines "fierce" as a behavior exhibited by humans and animals that
inspires terror because of the wild and menacing aspect of fury in attack. Ferocity is
an aspect commonly seen among carnivorous beasts savagely ripping prey. There's
neither sportsmanship nor sympathy in ferocity; only sheer terror, brutality, and
blood lust.

"cruel" is defined as: disposed to inflict pain or suffering; viz: devoid of humane
Feelings
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Rev 19:19-21 . .Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies
gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the
beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the
miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had
received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

. .The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest
of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the
horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

The potent weapon proceeding from that person's mouth is speech; which causes
me to wonder why more people weren't afraid of Jesus back in his day because if
by speech he could cure leprosy then by speech he could've caused someone to
come down with leprosy; and if by speech he could strengthen a crippled man's
legs, then by speech he could've put somebody in a wheel chair; and if by speech
he could restore someone's corpse to life, then by speech he could've made people
drop dead to the floor; and if by speech he could cure blindness, then by speech he
could've put people's eyes out, and if by speech he could calm a storm, then by
speech he could've electrocuted his enemies with lightning bolts from the clouds.

David's combat with Goliath was an encounter that was possible for David to win;
but I see no chance of anybody's success in a fight with Christ when he has at his
disposal all the miraculous abilities of the supreme being who, according to the
book of Genesis, created a fully functioning cosmos-- all its forms of life, matter,
and energy --by nothing more than His voice.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
God's patience is long-suffering. However, He's wise enough to know when to say
when and to stop throwing good money after bad, so to speak. For example:

● 2Thess 2:11-12 . . God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe
the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had3
pleasure in unrighteousness.

In other words: there's coming a time when God's patience will reach its reasonable
limits, and He will purposely, willfully, and deliberately make sure that a certain
category of people during the Tribulation have no chance whatsoever to be spared
the wrath of God.

Back when Noah was preparing the ark, no doubt his neighbors all mocked and
poked fun at him as if he were a deranged soul going around with a sandwich board
that reads: Repent; The End Is Near! But when the rain started, I bet those very
same neighbors panicked and tried to get Noah to open up and let them in. But
even had Noah wanted to; he couldn't. The hatch of the ark was sealed from the
outside: and God was the only one on earth who could open it-- He chose not to.

● Rev 1:18 . . I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive for
evermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

● Rev 3:7 . .These are the words of him who is holy and true: who holds the key of
David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
_