The Aaron Papers  www.the-aaron-papers.net 

A SYSTEMATIC STUDY IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY

CHAPTER VIII

-GOD'S JUDGMENTS AND WRATH-

(1) THE seventh seal contains the seven trumpets.

(2) The seventh trumpet contains the seven bowls: Which are the seven last plagues of God's wrath.  Rev.15:1

Then the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls may well be cumulative.  The seventh seal, the seventh trumpet [the third woe], and the seventh bowl, are all fulfilled at the Great White Throne.  This is determined by the elements present at the time that these events occur.

“And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were THUNDERS and LIGHTNINGS, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and THE VOICE of a TRUMPET exceedingly loud;” (Ex.19:16a)

It is within this Scripture, that we first learn the elements of the presence of Jehovah God: THUNDERS, LIGHTNINGS, and VOICE[S]. (Ex.19:16; Rev.4:5)

<SEVENTH SEAL>   <SEVENTH TRUMPET>   <SEVENTH BOWL>  

     (Rev.8:1)                (Rev.11:19)                (Rev.16:17)   

(1)  THUNDERS              THUNDERS                 THUNDERS         

(2) LIGHTNINGS            LIGHTNINGS               LIGHTNINGS       

(3)  VOICES                    VOICES                      VOICES           

(4) Earthquake             Earthquake                Earthquake

(5) Fire cast up-            Great Hail                  Great Hail

    on the earth                                                  

<GOD'S PRESENCE> 

“And out of the throne (God's throne) proceed LIGHTNINGS and VOICES and THUNDERS.” (Rev.4:5a)

As we study the parables of the SEALS, the TRUMPETS, and the BOWLS, the similarities that are occurring within these events becomes very evident to any reader.  So, we must not assume that each of these events is separate.  The apparent evidence should cause us to consider the TRUMPETS and the BOWLS as possibly the same event, only seen from different time perspectives [Cumulative].  That is, the effects of the trumpets appear to be only partial upon those elements toward which they are directed, while the effects of the bowls would appear to be more extensive toward those same elements.

“Render unto her even as she rendered, and double unto her the double according to her works: In the cup which she (mixed)-(mix) unto her double...  Therefore, in ONE DAY shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her.” (Rev.18:6 and 8)

*Trumpets / Bowls

*First:      

“There followed hail and fire, (mixed) with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: And a third part of the earth was burned up, a third part of the trees... and the third part of the grass was burned up.”

“(The bowl was poured out into the earth): And a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image.” (Rev.8:7; and 16:2)

*Second:

“As it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood; and there died the third part of the creatures that were in the sea... and a third part of the ships was destroyed.”

“The bowl was poured out into the sea; and (the sea) became blood as of a dead man; and every living soul died, even the things in the sea.” (Rev.8:8 and 9; and 16:3)

*Third:

“There fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell on a third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters; and the name of the star was called Wormwood: A third part of the waters became wormwood: And many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”

“(His bowl was poured out into the rivers and the fountains of the waters), and it became blood.  I heard the angel of the water saying: Righteous You are O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things.  For they poured out the blood of the saints and prophets, and blood You have given them to drink: They are worthy.  And I heard the alter saying, Even so, O Lord God the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” (Rev.8:10 and 11, and 16:4-7)

*Forth:

“The third part of the sun was struck, and a third part of the moon and... stars, that the third part of them should be darkened for the third part of the day and... night.  And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in the midst of heaven, saying with a great voice: Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpets of the three angels, who are yet to sound.”

“His bowl was poured out upon the sun, and it was given unto it to scorch men with fire, and men were scorched with great heat. (Ref. Zech.14:12; and Isa.30:26)  And they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they repented not to give Him glory.” (Rev.8:12 and 13; and 16:8 and 9)

*Fifth (The first woe):

“I saw a star from heaven fallen upon the earth, and there was given him the key to the pit, the abyss.  And he opened the pit of the abyss, and there went up smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun, and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (The lost are tormented for five months.)”

“He poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was darkened, and they gnawed their tongues for pain: And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores, and they repented not of their works.” (Rev.9:1-12; and 16:10)

*Sixth (The second woe):

“I heard a voice, a voice from the horns of the golden alter which is before God, saying to the sixth angel that had the trumpet: Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men.”

“He poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates; and the waters thereof (were) dried up, that the way might be made ready for the kings that come from the east.  (The three unclean spirits) For they are spirits of demons, working signs, which go forth unto the kings of the world, to gather them together unto THE WAR of the great day of God.” (Armageddon) (Rev.9:13-21; 11:14; and 16:12-16)

*Seventh (The third woe):

Note: <#>=sequence of events.   }-Scripture change is indicated-{

“The seventh angel sounded, and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ: And He shall reign for ever and ever. And the twenty-four elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is; because You have taken Your great power, and did reign.  And <1> the nations were angry, and <2> Your wrath came, and <3> the time for the dead to be judged, and <4> the time to give their reward to Your servants The prophets, and the saints, and to them that fear Your name... and <5> to destroy them that destroy the earth.  And the temple of God was opened in heaven; and there was seen in His temple the ark of the Covenant;}—{and there came forth a great voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying, IT IS DONE:}—{And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire from the alter, and cast it upon the earth:}—{And there were LIGHTNINGS, and VOICES, and THUNDERS; and there was A GREAT EARTHQUAKE, such as was not since there were men upon the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty... Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  And GREAT HAIL, every stone about the weight of a talent (about 60 lbs.), came down out of heaven upon men: And men blasphemed God because of the plagues of the hail; for the plagues thereof are exceedingly great.” (Rev.11:15-19; 8:5a; 16:17-21)

aaron - The seventh seal: The seventh seal contains all of God's judgments and wrath.  From the opening of the seventh seal (Rev.8:1) to the end of this world (Rev.20:15), many scriptural pictures are being given.  The main picture presented in these Scriptures, is the indignation of God that will be poured out upon an ungodly world in payment for their ungodly acts.  Judgments and destruction are determined.  Yet the pictures that we see presented are given at times from different perspectives.  In one account, it might depict an entire age: Such as—form the birth of Christ through the fearful days of destruction.  While in another, we may see a series of events pictured.  And yet again in others, we see the events themselves presented.  The one most important aspect of God's eternal program that appears to be missing throughout all of these prophetic Scriptures is that of salvation.  We read in Rev.11:15-18, that when the seventh trumpet sounds, the time has come for the saints to be rewarded and for the dead to be judged.  We know that this is also the prediction of Rev.20:11-15: The Great White Throne.  Then this scriptural prediction is completely consistent with Mat.25:31-45, and Dan.12:2 and 3, where the saints (sheep) of God are rewarded with eternal life before the lost (goats) are rewarded with eternal punishment. 

We must conclude that the picture given in Rev.11:15-18 is given as a prediction of reward, judgment, and destruction.  While the accounts given in Mat.25:31-45 and Rev.20:11-15, are pictures of the actual event itself.  The picture given in Rev.11:15-19 is that point in the future when God will pour out His final wrath upon this ungodly world.  When He will recompense to them again for their ungodly acts [Rev.16:1-17].  And double [Rev.18:6].  This scriptural picture that clearly takes us through the final judgment, also shows us God's set sequence for these events.

-The order of the final resurrection and judgment- Jn.5:28, 29; Acts.24:15

(1) Rev.20:11—“I saw a Great White Throne, and Him that sat thereon, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away;”

(1) Mat.25:31—“The Son of man... shall sit on the throne of His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all the nations:”

(1) “The dead, the great and small, standing before the throne... And the sea also gave up the dead that were in it.” [Rev.20:12-13]

The picture that is presented here in Mat.25:31, is a picture of all of the RIGHTEOUS DEAD who are raised up in the general resurrection.  These sheep that we see pictured here, would probably include all of God’s visible corporate peoples who were saved throughout the centuries through their institutional association with God’s Abrahamic Covenant of Grace.  All those who missed the pre-Armageddon resurrection which occurred early on, when the graves were opened—a type— Mat.27:52.  This is also inclusive of all of God’s covenant peoples who were saved before this dispensation of grace. 

It is clear that the DEAD who are first resurrected in Rev.20, are different from the dead who are resurrected from death and Hades.  But these two groups of dead that are pictured here in Rev.20, the DEAD and those from death and Hades, when they are combined at the initial point of the general resurrection, would essentially represent the same picture that we see in Mat.25’s sheep and goats.  I do not believe that Rev.20 is picturing multiple resurrections, but is defining the specific groups who are being resurrected in the one general resurrection of Mat.25.

(1) Rev.20:13—“And death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them...”

I believe that this group that was resurrected from "death and Hades", has been brought up from the mutual habitation of the damned: Where all of the lost from time and eternity, have been held in reserve for that final Day of Judgment.

(2) Mat.25:32—“And He shall separate them one from another.  Judge between them.” [Ezek.34:17]

Those who are raised in this final resurrection, would consist of all those who are resurrected from the realm of the DEAD: As well as all those who are resurrected from the place called death and Hades.  Now this separation may be of some natural order.  All of the resurrected dead (which includes the dead from the sea), the great and the small, would stand on His right hand.  Then we see all those resurrected from death and Hades would stand on His left hand.  This conclusion is reached only because of the projected destiny of all those who are resurrected from "death and Hades".

(2) Rev.20:12—“The dead were judged.”

[The saved are rewarded while the lost look on.]

(3) Mat.25:34—“The saved sheep are rewarded with eternal life and kingdom.” [Rev.21:1-7]

(3) Mat.25:41—“The lost goats are rewarded with eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels.” [Rev.21:8]

(3) Rev.20:14 and 15—“And Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.”

All those who are raised from Death and Hades, without exception, are destined to be cast into the lake of fire.

(3) Rev.21:8—“The lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” [Eternal fire.]

To qualify for the lake of fire and brimstone, an individual must already be dead—because it is the second death: The spiritual death where their worm does not die [Isa.66:24], and the fire is not quenched. [Mk.9:48]  The judgment of Mat.25:31-46 is final in every way.  Those from all of the nations will end up in one of two conditions: Eternal life; or Eternal punishment.

Because of the obscure nature of the text that we have covered in this study, and because of the lack of positive support Scripture for some areas in eschatology, we must understand that the conclusions reached are not necessarily as absolute as we would like them.  In working through this study, an attempt has been made to follow some simple rules:

1. We must always let the Bible interpret the Bible - Scriptural support and confirmation for our scriptural understandings.

2. All Scriptures must be taken at face value. [They mean what they say.] This does not suggest that some Scriptures are not symbolic.

3. Our scriptural understandings must be compatible with ALL of the other Scriptures.

4. We must re-examine any and all conflicts or contradictions we may encounter in our understanding. [Contradictions are never acceptable.]