The Tribulation

[B-A-C]

As mentioned earlier the last 3 trumpets are also called "woe's".

The fifth trumpet goes into more detail than many of the earlier ones.

Rev 9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.
Rev 9:2 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.
Rev 9:3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4 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.
Rev 9:5 And 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.
Rev 9:6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

Flying scorpion/locust creatures. The sting torments you for 5 months. It will hurt so bad that men will try to kill themselves. The locust creatures won't hurt the grass or trees as a normal locust would. The locust/scorpions won't sting you if you are a believer with the seal of God on your forehead.

Rev 9:7 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.
Rev 9:8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.
Rev 9:9 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.
Rev 9:10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months.
Rev 9:11 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.
Rev 9:12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

 

[B-A-C]

The sixth trumpet is also the second woe.

Rev 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Rev 9:14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
Rev 9:15 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.
Rev 9:16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
Rev 9:17 And this is how I 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.
Rev 9:18 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.
Rev 9:19 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.
Rev 9:20 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;
Rev 9:21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

Here we see 200 million horsemen. This is more than the population of many countries. Again we see yet another third of mankind killed (as opposed to the scorpion/locusts who did not kill) The population of the earth is starting to dwindle, as we see a third of the population that had already lost a third of it's previous number. Amazingly, despite all of this and all the death around them, people still will not repent.

Next.. the little book and the seven peals of thunder...

 

[B-A-C]

Chapter 10 is one of the shorter chapters of Revelation, yet one of the more controversial chapters.

Rev 10:1 I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;
Rev 10:2 and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land;
Rev 10:3 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.
Rev 10:4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; 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."

We don't really know what the seven peals of thunder are about or what they do. John was told not to write about whatever he saw here.

Rev 10:5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer,
Rev 10:7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.

"The mystery of God is finished". - another topic that may be more than the scope of this thread.

Rev 10:8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land."
Rev 10:9 So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he *said to me, "Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey."
Rev 10:10 I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.
Rev 10:11 And they *said to me, "You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."

 

[B-A-C]

Chapter 11 is one of the more often quoted chapters from Revelation. For the first time we see some time references to how long some things will last, also here we see the "two witnesses".

Rev 11:1 Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.
Rev 11:2 "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.

A whole lot of theology goes into those two verses. Here are a few thoughts.

By now the new Temple in Jerusalem has probably been built. If you believe this is where the abomination of desolation will take place (Daniel 11:21-35 and Daniel 12)
We get back to Antiochus Epiphanes and desecrating the temple in Jerusalem.

The book of Daniel is believed to be written in 537 BC. Nebuchadnezzar started his reign in Babylon in 605 BC. In Daniel 12:4 Daniel himself says he wrote the book of Daniel (not a maccabean as some believe, also not in 165 BC as certain references state.). Also Daniel was identified as a prophet of God by Jesus in Matt 24:15. Also in Mark 13:14 Jesus is quoting the book of Daniel.
Jesus speaks about the abomination of desolation in both of these verses.
Tradition says Antiochus sacrificed a swine of the temple in Jerusalem. This was the most unclean animal to the Jews, and the temple was the most Holy place. Jesus says this is going to happen again during the "end times" in the two verses above. Also many believe that Daniel 11:36-45 is talking about the anti-Christ (beast). In Daniel 12:11 we see that from the time the regular sacrifice is discontinued to the time the "abomination" sacrifice happens is 1,290 days. 1,290 divided by 365 = 3.5 or three and half years. In Daniel 12:12 we see another 1,335 days. This is slightly longer than 3 and half years (there are 75 extra days) , but we will get to that. In Daniel 12:7 we also see this called...

Dan 12:7 I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

1 + 2 + 1/2 = 3 1/2 years that these events last. This lines up with Revelation 11:2 above. 42 months divided by 12 months = 3.5 or 3 1/2 years.

If we continue on in Revelation 11, the next verse also says the two witnesses will prophesy for 1,260 days. This slightly less than the first time mentioned in Daniel, but there are events that happen in Revelation after the "death" of the two witnesses for approximately another 30 days or so. Some of these are mentioned in the next few verses.

Rev 11:3 "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.
Rev 11:6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
Rev 11:7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.
Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9 Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
Rev 11:10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
Rev 11:11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.

Some say these will be Moses and Elisha, I do not know for sure, but I tend to lean toward Elisha and Enoch because neither one of these men died in the tradition sense that the rest of us do. Besides if the two witnesses are killed in Revelation, that would mean they would be killed twice. We see that if anyone wants to harm them, they breath fire out of their mouths and kill whoever is trying to harm them. It says they MUST be killed this way. After 3 1/2 years, the beast will kill them, they will lie in the streets for 3 days and everyone will have a party. After this, they will come back to life and God takes them up to heaven.
It may be that Jerusalem is re-named Sodom (verse 8) and some have speculated that this part of Israel may be a part of Egypt at that time.

Rev 11:13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

We see a great earthquake is this city (thought to be Jerusalem, because that's where the "Lord was crucified" and it's also where the Solomon's temple of Jerusalem has always been). a tenth of the city falls, and 7,000 people are killed.

Finally the events of the sixth trumpet are completed...

 

[B-A-C]

At the end of Revelation 11, the seven trumpet finally sounds.

Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.
Rev 11:15 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 ever."
Rev 11:16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
Rev 11:17 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.
Rev 11:18 "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."
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

Finally Christ comes into power here. But the judgements of the tribulation aren't over yet as we will see in the next few chapters.
The temple of God in heaven is opened, it has "the ark of his covenant" inside it.
There has been much debate on who the twenty elders around the throne might be. Some speculate at least two of these could be James and John the sons of Zebedee because of (Matt 20:23-23) Tradition says they were both crucified as martyrs (thus they drank the same cup as Christ).
We also see more thunder, lightning, hail and another earthquake.

... next the dragon, the woman, and the war of the angels.