DAY 1 -  The COMING JUDGEMENT and WRATH of GOD

In the last 50 years  from 1945 to 1990, there is only three weeks of
war free in the whole world.  In practically during that period of time,
some countries will be in war with some other countries.  We are not
living in a peaceful world or a world without any trouble.

If the World War III strikes, the following casualties are expected:
750 million to 1 billion people died, 300 million people injured, 33% of
the whole population will be incapacitated due to biological or nuclear
weapons, massive water contamination, toxic rain, uncontrollable fire
and land that can not grow food anymore.

Though this is not a pretty description of the world that we are living
in, the fact is the world will even be worst than that description
above.  God has said in the Bible that during the Great Tribulation, the
casualties is nothing like what we have seen or can imagine.  What kind
of "wrath" will God pour on earth?  Will God really pour judgment upon
earth?  When will this happen?  We will study this in the next couple of
days.

DAY 2 - The Seven Seals

There are three series of wrath (i.e., punishment, judgement) that will
be poured upon the nation during the Great Tribulation (i.e., Great
Suffering) Period:
a. The Seven Seals
b. The Seven Trumpets
c. The Seven Bowls

Today we will study the "SEVEN SEALS".   This is the first series of
wrath that will happen on earth.  The Seven Seals as recorded in the
Revelation 6 brings the following JUDGEMENT and SUFFERING:
1. ANTI-CHRIST:  verse 1-2 "...the Lamb opened the first of the seven
seals.  ... There was a white horse!  Its rider held a bow and he was
given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."
2. WAR:  verse 3-4 "...the Lamb opened the second seal ... There was a
fiery red horse!  Its rider was given power to take peach from the earth
and to make men slay each other.  To him was given a large sword."
3. FAMINE:  verse 5-6 "...the Lamb opened the third seal ... There was a
black horse!  Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ... A
quart of wheat for a day's wages and three quarts of barley for a day's wages"
4. CATASTROPHES:  verse 7-8 "...the Lamb opened the fourth seal ...
There 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 plaque and by the wild beasts of the earth."
5. MARTYRDOM:  verse 9-10 "...the Lamb opened the fifth seal ... Under
the altar was the souls of those who had been slain because of the word
of God and the testimony they had maintained.  They called out in a loud
voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the
inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"  Then each of them was
given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until
the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed
as they had been was completed."
6. EARTHQUAKE:  verse 12-13 "...the Lamb opened the sixth seal.  There
was a great earthquake.  The sun turned black like sackcloth made of
goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red and the stars in the sky fell
to earth as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong
wind.  The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and
island was removed from its place."

Finally, the last seal opens up the next seven suffering called the 7
TRUMPETS:
7. SEVEN TRUMPETS:  Rev 8:1.  The seventh seal opened up the second
series of wrath upon earth, which is called the seven trumpets.

The anti-Christ, war, famine, catastrophes, martyrdom and earthquake are
just the beginning of the Great Tribulation.  Will we have to face these
Tribulation?  If you are a believer, then you don't have to go through
these tribulation, because you will be raptured, where you will be
caught up in the air/cloud and be with the Lord there.  But, if you are
not a believer, then you will not be raptured and will go through these
sufferings on earth.  Some of the people become believers after the
rapture.  These believers will go through the tribulation.  In fact,
most of them will die during these time as martyrs.  Now, the question
is, will you go through these tribulation?

DAY 3 - The Seven Trumpets

Yesterday we have studied the first series of judgment.  Today we will
study the second series of judgment, the seven trumpets.  The seven
trumpets as recorded in Revelation 8 brings the following
judgment/punishment:
1. HAIL/FIRE/BLOOD:  verse 7 "The first angel sounded his trumpet, and
there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon
the earth.  A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees
were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up."
2. FLOOD:  verse 9 "The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something
like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea.  A third of
the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creature in the sea
died, and a third of the ships were destroyed."
3. STAR WORMWOOD:  verse 10 "The third angel sounded his trumpet, a a
great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on the third of the
rivers and on the springs of water.  The name of the start is Wormwood.
A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the
waters that had become bitter."
4. SUN DARKENED:  verse 12 "The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, a
third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the
stars, so that a third of them turned dark.  A third of the day was
without light, and also a third of the night.
5. LOCUST PLAGUE:  Rev 9:1-12 "The fifth angel sounded his trumpet,
...The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.  And out
of the smoke, locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like
that of scorpions of the earth.  They were told not to harm the grass of
the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have
the seal of God on their foreheads.  They were not given power to kill
them, but only to torture them for five months.  And the agony they
suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a
man.  During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they
will slung to die, but death will elude them.
6. HORSEMEN PLAGUE:  Rev 9:13-19 "The sixth angel sounded his trumpet,
... and the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and
day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.  The
number of the mounted troops was two hundred million....A third of
mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that
came out of their mouths. "

Yes, hail/fire/blood, flood, star falling from the sky, sun darkened,
locust plague and horsemen plague are judgements and punishments during
the Great Tribulation.   They kill one third of the earth, one third of
the sea, one third of the waters of the rivers, one third of the stars
and one third of mankind.

The seventh one opens the last series of judgement, the seven bowls.
We'll see this tomorrow.

But, before we end today, let us see what the Bible say in Rev 9:20-21,
"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not
repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons,
and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, idols that cannot see
or hear or walk.  Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic
arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts."  Yes, mankind is so
blind, that even after all of these judgement, they still did not stop
worshiping demons nor repent of their murders, magic arts and sexual
immorality.  How about us?  We have the opportunity to choose to believe
and not to believe.  We have the opportunity to repent from our behavior
and come to forgiveness and God's mercy.  Will we take the offer or will
we harden our hearts and keep rejecting Him?

DAY 4- The Seven Bowls
The last judgment, the seven bowls, is the most severe of all.  The
Seven Bowls as recorded in Revelation 16 brings the following
judgment/punishment:
1. BOILS:  Verse 2 "The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the
land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the
mark of the beast and worshiped his image."
2. SEA OF BLOOD:  Verse 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."
3. RIVERS OF BLOOD:  Verse 4 "The third angel poured out his bowl on the
rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. "
4. SCORCHING HEAT:  Verse 8 "The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the
sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire.  The were
seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had
control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify
him."

5. DARKNESS:  Verse 10 "The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the
throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.  Men
gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of
their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they
had done.
6. EUPHRATES DRIED:  Verse 12 "The sixth angel poured out his bowl on
the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way
for the kings from the East.  ... There are three evil spirits ... 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.

Boils, sea of blood, rivers of blood, scorching heat, darkness and the
river Euphrates dried are part of the last judgments.  What is the
final and ultimate judgment?  What is the seventh bowl?  We better be
ready for the seventh judgment.

The seventh bowl is THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST.  Verse 17 "The
seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple
came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!"  Then there
came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a severe
earthquake.  No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been
on earth, so tremendous was the quake.  ... Every island fled away and
the mountains could not be found.  From the sky huge hailstones of about
a hundred pounds each fell upon men.  They cursed God on account of the
plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible."

The seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls are concluded with
the second coming of Jesus Christ.  His second coming was accompanied
with earthquake that has never occurred since man has been on earth.
Every island fled away and mountains could not be found.  Hailstones of
a hundred pounds each fell upon men.  Even then, men did not repent.
They choose to reject God.  They cursed God for the terrible things, but
there is no repentance.  How about our hearts?  Do we choose to repent
and accept God?  Do we choose to reject God and keep rejecting God?
What are we waiting for?  What other proof is needed?  Finally, it is
only a question of accepting or rejecting God.

Now, let us review.  Two weeks ago, we have studied how we should live our lives here RIGHT now, at the present time.  We are called to BE READY and STAY READY.  Then, we learnt the HOPE and PROMISE for believers to be "raptured", to be caught up in the air to meet the Lord, so that the believers do not have to go through the tribulation that will be poured upon earth.  Then, we learnt that judgment would be brought upon earth and mankind.  This judgment is concluded with Christ's second coming.

The following are the order of things in God's Calendar:
a. Christ's First Coming (2000 years ago)
b. Christ's Crucifixion
c. Christ's Resurrection and Ascension Into Heaven
d. Christ's Coming in the Air (I Thes 4:13-18) - Also known as the RAPTURE of Believers
e. The Rapture marks the seven year period of the Great Tribulation.  Antichrist declares himself world ruler, abomination or desolation (Dan 9:27-11:36-39, Matt 24:15; Rev 13:7-8)
f. Christ's Second Coming (Rev 19: 11-16)
g. 1000 years of peace on Earth (The millennial kingdom (Rev 20:1-8)
h. The White Throne Judgment of the sinful dead and of Satan (Rev 20:10-15)
i. New Heaven and New Earth (Rev 21-22)

Now, how does this relate to us?  We will fall under one of the following categories:
a. If we are believers and we are still alive when the rapture happens, then we will be "raptured."  We are caught up to the air to meet the Lord.  Then, the Lord Jesus came down to earth (i.e., the Second Coming) and He brings all of the believers and the angels from heaven to the earth to share in His thousand-year reign on earth.
b. If we are believers, but we have died prior to the rapture, then we will be resurrected and then be "raptured."  This is recorded in 1 Thes 4:13-18:  "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever."
c. If we become believers after the rapture, then we will go through the Great Tribulation.  If we are still alive after the Great Tribulation, then we will reign with Him in the Millennial Kingdom.
d. If we become believers after the rapture and we die during the Great Tribulation, then we will be resurrected and reign with Him in the Millennial Kingdom.  Rev 20:4-6, "The souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God.  They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands.  They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

If we not believers and we are still alive when the rapture happens, then we will not be raptured and we will go through the Great Tribulation.   The Great Tribulation is not the end, it is ONLY the BEGINNING of the eternal judgment and punishment for those that decided to reject Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Those unbelievers that have died will be raised to face the White Throne Judgment.  Rev 20:15, "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

What will be your decision?  Will you accept Christ as your Savior?  Or will you keep finding justifications to keep postponing this decision?  Time may be running out.  "Rapture" can happen anytime, just like a thief in the night or accident that results in death can happen anytime too.  Now is the time, tomorrow might be too late.  What are you waiting for?
 
 

Disclaimer
This material is a summary of the message that was preached by Pastor
Chuck Swindoll at Prestonwood Baptist Church.  The writer of this EBS
(Electronic Bible Study) made some changes and added some personal notes
that is necessary to customize this material into an electronic media, a
daily reading material and to better fit the audience.  The Prestonwood
Baptist Church is not affiliated in anyway with the Indonesian Christian
Fellowship of Fort Worth.