One Third Devastation:
As you have noticed, during the entire time that we have been in this book there has not been any mention of a rapture and the only time that the great tribulation is mentioned is when the great multitude comes out of the great tribulation, three sentences. No timeline has been set. Please be patient in this study. That doesn’t mean that these things do not take place. What I want to focus on now is the difference between man-made catastrophes and the wrath of God. People get very confused when it comes to the two. I know I have.
I do not see the wrath of God in the seals. We were told that, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” That is what we contend with when it comes to the first 4 seals. Men do evil things because they succumb to the “wickedness in the heavenly places.” The extremely wealthy are the most susceptible. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” And as we all know, the extremely rich always get the most powerful toys when it comes to technology.
The trumpets are different. They are reverberated sound which is the cause and then they have an effect. Since we have not experienced this, I will not speculate. Let’s just see what it is without trying to guess at what it will be.
Trumpet 1: Cause: “The first angel sounded:” Effect: “And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.”
Trumpet 2: Cause: “Then the second angel sounded:” Effect: “And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”
Trumpet 3: Cause: “Then the third angel sounded:” Effect: “And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.”
Trumpet 4: Cause: “Then the fourth angel sounded.” Effect: “And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.”
The cause is the sounding off of an angel of whom our God equipped the instrument. This is what is inside of the scroll. Have a great day.
