TRIBULATION PERIOD | 7TH TRUMPET

1. The Events of the Tribulation Period

a) Revelation 11:15. The seventh trumpet judgment introduces the awesome events described in chapters 12-18 and the most severe set of judgments yet reported, the Vial Judgments. 

Revelation 11:15 New English Translation (NET Bible)

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, 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 for ever and ever.”

b) Revelation 17:1-18. Describes the destruction of the Babylonish, false religious system—the great harlot—which will merge all the religions of the world during the first part of the Tribulation (which will take place easily after the church is raptured). This system will be so powerful that it will dominate both the Antichrist (“the beast”) and the ten kings at that time. But because of their hatred for the harlot, at the midpoint of the Tribulation, they will make war on her and kill her. 

Revelation 17:1-18 New English Translation (NET Bible) 

¹⁵ Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. ¹⁶ The ten horns that you saw, and the beast—these will hate the prostitute and make her desolate and naked. They will consume her flesh and burn her up with fire. ¹⁷ For God has put into their minds to carry out his purpose by making a decision to give their royal power to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. ¹⁸ As for the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the kings of the earth.”

c) Revelation 13:1-3. In the process of killing the harlot Mystery Babylon, the false religious system, somehow the Antichrist is killed and gets “a deadly wound” that is healed. In chapter 12 Satan himself is cast out of heaven, where he has been “the accuser of our brethren,” and now he enters Antichrist’s body and resurrects him to a new and even more vicious life. 

Revelation 13:1-3 New English Translation (NET Bible)

13 Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, and on its heads a blasphemous name. ² Now the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. ³ One of the beast’s heads appeared to have been killed, but the lethal wound had been healed. And the whole world followed the beast in amazement;

d) Revelation 13:4-10. Antichrist, now incarnated, will force the remaining people of the earth to worship him, except those whose names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10). 

Revelation 13:4-10 New English Translation (NET Bible)

⁴ they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” ⁵ The beast was given a mouth speaking proud words and blasphemies, and he was permitted to exercise ruling authority for forty-two months. ⁶ So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God—to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ The beast was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. He was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation, ⁸ and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!

¹⁰ If anyone is meant for captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword,
then by the sword he must be killed.

This requires steadfast endurance and faith from the saints. 

2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 New English Translation (NET Bible)

⁸ and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival. ⁹ The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders, ¹⁰ and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved. 

e) Revelation 13:11-18. The False Prophet will replace the slain religious system, forcing people to worship Antichrist and his image, or be killed. Everyone will be compelled to display a 666 mark in order to hold a job and “buy and sell.” 

Revelation 13:11-18 New English Translation (NET Bible)

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but was speaking like a dragon. ¹² He exercised all the ruling authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. ¹³ He performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people ¹⁴ and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ He also caused everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. ¹⁷ Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast—that is, his name or his number. ¹⁸ This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the beast’s number, for it is man’s number, and his number is 666.

f) Plainly, if the church were to go through the Tribulation, she would not survive it. And we find no scriptural evidence that any believers will remain at the end of the Tribulation to be caught up (rapture) if that event is post-Tribulation. Remember, the worst half of the Tribulation period, which our Lord termed the Great Tribulation, has not yet begun! That last forty-two month period is covered by the Vial Judgments.