Tribulation Trivia

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● Rev 16:3 . .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.

Fresh blood is tolerable as far as odor goes, whereas the blood of a dead man is in
a state of putrefaction; and then adding to that the carcasses and the stench of
dead fish, and everything else, will make for quite a chowder to behold.

The Mediterranean is notable in the Bible; but whether that's the sea spoken of
here is uncertain. However, in Gen 1:10 "sea" pertains to the entirety of Earth's
oceans.

A rather curious sea is located at 1Kings 7:23-26 which suggests that any
accumulation of water, whether in an ocean or on land, can be called a sea, e.g.
ponds and lakes.

● Rev 16:4 . .The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of
water, and they became blood.

The two passages tell of water pollution on a scale quite a bit more severe than that
of Egypt because this is global rather than limited to one specific country. Even so;
Egypt's was pretty bad because there was no clean water anywhere for either
cooking, drinking, laundry, hygiene, or sanitation. (Ex 7:19-20)
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● Rev 16:13-15 . . Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came
out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth
of the false prophet. 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.

. . . Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his
clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.

There is much disagreement in our day as to signs indicating the extraction
described by 1Thess 4:16-17, but the events depicted in Revelation are neither
vague, typical, nor debatable. When all that stuff begins coming to pass, smart
ones will be on the lookout for a really big surprise.

● Matt 24:27 . . For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to
the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

WHAM; on scene, locked and loaded.
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● Rev 16:21 . . And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone
about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of
the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

* Talents were gross units of gold weighing from 75-100 pounds. That would be a
preposterous amount of gold to own in our day when it's current market value is
like $2,000 an ounce, but not so bad back there when it was strictly money instead
of traded as a commodity. Gold coins were common, but try to find one in somebody's
pocket today.

Dropping a hail of boulders that size from the sky all over the globe will be like a
deadly implosion smashing, bashing, and crushing most everything it touches:
homes, barns, super markets, strip malls, sports arenas, theaters, forests,
pastures, crops, vehicles, etc.

The natural world will surely experience significant damage among the critters who
live above ground, e.g. hogs, deer, elk, ducks, geese, turkeys, cows, mustangs,
monkeys, gorillas, lions, tigers, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, etc.

Just imagine being caught out in the open when that hail starts. Finding adequate
shelter from such a bombardment of ice will be very difficult and no doubt
frightened people will be shrieking and screaming in mortal panic.

Curiously, numbers of people will know the hail is from God but it won't persuade
them to consider making peace with Him, instead; the hail will just make 'em
angry.
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● Rev 19:19-21 . .Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies
gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the
beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the
miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had
received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

. . .The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest
of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the
horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

The potent weapon proceeding from that person's mouth is speech; which causes
me to wonder why more people weren't afraid of Jesus back in his day because if
by speech he could cure leprosy then by speech he could've caused someone to
come down with leprosy; and if by speech he could energize a crippled man's legs,
then by speech he could've put somebody in a wheel chair; and if by speech he
could restore someone's corpse to life, then by speech he could've made people
drop dead to the floor; and if by speech he could cure blindness, then by speech he
could've put people's eyes out; and if by speech he could multiply loaves and
fishes, then by speech he could've caused famine; and if by speech he could calm a
storm, then by speech he could've caused a hurricane, a typhoon, and/or a
tornado.

David's combat with Goliath was an encounter that was possible for David to win;
but I see no chance of anybody's success in a fight with Christ when he has at his
disposal all the miraculous abilities of the supreme being who, according to the
book of Genesis, created a fully functioning cosmos-- all its forms of life, matter,
and energy --by nothing more than His voice.
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● Rev 20:1-2 . . And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that
old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

● Rev 20:7-9 . . And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed
out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the
number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the
earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire
came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

The Old Testament describes the quality of the millennium as an era of unparalleled
justice, equity, peace, and prosperity. I really have to wonder exactly what it is
about Messiah's administration that will dissatisfy the Gogs and Magogs enough to
try and overthrow him. And how will the Devil manage to persuade them it's even
possible?

Back in my days as a kid, there was a saying going around that went like this:
"That man is so convincing he could sell refrigerators to the Eskimos". Well; I would
be very interested to know how the Devil is going to pull off something very similar
to that in his campaign to convince folks they'd be better off with their own selves
at the helm instead of Christ.

But you know, what it really all boils down to is control. There are folks who just
simply don't care to be governed by the likes of God; as it says in the 2nd Psalm:

"Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth
take their stand, and the rulers gather together against The Lord and against his
Anointed one. Let us break their chains-- they say --and throw off their fetters."
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● Rev 20:11 . .Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.

Him seated on the throne is of course Christ because God delegated His son to
handle Heaven's legal affairs.

● John 5:22-23 . . The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the
Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

● Acts 17:31 . . God has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the
man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from
the dead.

Christ's crucifixion factors into justice for believers so that they need not fear "the
man" especially since it was himself who endured the cross for their benefit.

● Rom 8:34-35 . . Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died? More than
that: who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for
us.

So then; were believers to stand before the great white throne, Jesus would be
conflicted because his obligation to them in a court of law is defense rather than
prosecution. Well; if he steps down to defend, then who's to preside on the bench?
No; I think we may safely assume that if believers come to that event at all, they
will come as spectators rather than defendants.

● John 5:24 . . I assure you: those who listen to my message, and believe in God
who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but
they have already passed from death into life.
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● Rev 20:13 . .The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave
up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he
had done.

Death and Hades are paired together in Rev 6:8 where death consists of folks
losing their lives by reason of war, starvation, fatal encounters with wild things,
plus other causes, e.g. accidents and common ailments, e.g. cancer, stroke, heart
attack, pneumonia, kidney failure, and diabetes, etc.

Hades is translated from a Hellenistic word for the afterlife where everybody goes
when they pass away regardless of age, race, gender and/or religious preference:
even Jesus spent some time there. (Ps 16:8-10, Acts 7:25-31)

In other words: folks in Hades are there in a non physical form for now but later
will be reunited with their bodies to face justice at the great white throne event.
This of course would include the folks whose bodies were claimed by water, viz: the
sea.

How many folks are we talking about? I don't really know because the numbers will
include everyone all the way back to Cain; and that was a pretty long time ago. But
just for fun; we'll say ten million.

Well, if each individual's judgment takes only thirty minutes each; we're looking at
570+/- years of time in court to complete; and that's for only ten million
defendants. I'm guessing there will be considerably more people than that seeing
as Christ said many are called but few are chosen. In other words: the majority.
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● Rev 20:14 . . Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

* When this comes to pass, Hades will be vacant seeing as how its contents were
all subpoenaed to face justice at the great white throne.

FAQ: How does one put Death to death?

REPLY: This may be accomplished ceremoniously seeing as Death is on track to be
abolished. (1Cor 15:26 and 2Tim 1:10)

FAQ: According to Jonah 2:2, Jonah 2:6, and Luke 16:19-31, Hades is a spirit world
located somewhere deep underground. How will it be taken out of the Earth and
moved to the lake?

REPLY: Hades may be included in the ceremony suggested above; indicating that
never again will anyone be incarcerated in a place like that even though a section of
Hades is paradise-- but it's not an ideal paradise; there's a better one.

● Rev 20:14-15 . .This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written
in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

There's no coming back from the lake. If it's meant to abolish Death and Hades,
then I think it's safe to assume it's meant to abolish everything and anybody else
sent there. And besides; according to Dan 12:2 and John 5:28-29, there is only one
resurrection allotted per person which the dead will use up in order to face justice
at the great white throne event. In other words: the second death is not only
second, but also conclusive, viz: the dead's names aren't in the book of life because
as far as God is concerned, they don't exist. I cannot imagine a worse situation in
darkness than this.
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After all is said and done-- the bowls, the seals, the trumpets, the great white
throne scene, and the new cosmos is ushered in after obliterating the old, etc.
--a couple of interesting announcements will be made.

1) "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away." (Rev 21:4)

That is very good news because it would be difficult, if not impossible, for folks in
Heaven to be happy while knowing some of their loved ones, their associates, and
their BFF didn't make the cut and instead ended up on the wrong side of things.

* I doubt the great white throne event will be a peaceful scene. I'd imagine that
people will be literally pale with terror, lips trembling, mouths too dry to speak;
screaming, shrieking, sobbing, bellowing and yelping like wounded dogs-- eyes
darting about looking for something, anything, to clutch and cling to as the awful
reality of their fate sinks in; and a powerful force they cannot resist drags them off
to a mode of death akin to a foundry worker falling into a kettle of molten iron. I
know of no one who would be happy with memories like that haunting them.

2) "Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to
be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy
continue to be holy." (Rev 22:11)

The people to whom those words pertain, will be stuck with who and what they are
with no chance of ever being any different.

That's good news for the righteous and/or holy because they'll never have worry
about doing something really stupid that results in their eviction from paradise;
whereas it's really bad news for folks who end up on the wrong side of things
because they will forever be unfit to be anywhere else except the lake of fire.
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● Rev 1:1 . .The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his
servants-- things which must shortly take place. And he sent and signified it by His
angel etc, etc.

The Greek word translated "shortly" tells us that the events depicted in the book of
Revelation will be completed within a relatively brief space of time.

The Greek word translated "signified" basically refers to indications: in this case, I'd
say they can be safely understood as a succession of red flags. In other words;
nobody knows the exact day nor hour of Jesus' return to rule the world, but the
events depicted in the book of Revelation will serve as early warnings to alert folks
that the time has come-- sort of like the act by act synopses used by folks
interested in operas like La Bohème, Hamlet, Madam Butterfly, Porgy and Bess,
South Pacific, and Don Giovanni.

If folks stuck in the Revelation era use John's letter like that; they'll have a pretty
good idea when to expect Jesus' arrival; and begin preparing themselves for it.
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God's patience is long-suffering. However, He's wise enough to know when to say
when and to stop throwing good money after bad, so to speak. For example:

● 2Thess 2:11-12 . . God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe
the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had
pleasure in unrighteousness.

In other words: there's coming a time when God's patience will reach its reasonable
limits, and He will purposely, willfully, and deliberately make sure that a certain
category of people during the Tribulation have no chance whatsoever to be spared
the wrath of God.

Back when Noah was preparing the ark, no doubt his neighbors all mocked and
poked fun at him as if he were a deranged soul going around with a sandwich board
that reads: Repent; The End Is Near! But when the rain started, I bet those very
same neighbors panicked and tried to get Noah to open up and let them in. But
even had Noah wanted to; he couldn't. The hatch of the ark was sealed from the
outside: and God was the only one on earth who could open it-- He chose not to.

● Rev 1:18 . . I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive
forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

● Rev 3:7 . .These are the words of him who is holy and true: who holds the key of
David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
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● Rev 19:11-16 . . I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who
sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages
war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and
He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is
clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.

. . . And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,
were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so
that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and
He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe
and on His thigh He has a name written, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."

* The wine press mentioned in that verse appears in Isa 63:1-6, and again in Rev
14:19-20.

The fierce wrath of God is interesting. For example:

● Isa 13:9 . . Behold, the day of The Lord comes-- cruel; with both wrath and fierce
anger

The Hebrew word for "wrath" in that statement is pertains to an outburst of
passion. In other words: the wrath of God won't be weeping big wet crocodile tears
while it's slamming the dead at the Great White Throne event depicted at Rev
20:11-15; no, they will be terminated with extreme prejudice; viz: their judgment
will be administered with choler.

Webster's defines "fierce" as a behavior exhibited by humans and animals that
inspires terror because of the wild and menacing aspect of fury in attack. Ferocity is
an aspect commonly seen among carnivorous beasts savagely attacking prey.
There's neither sportsmanship nor sympathy in ferocity; only sheer terror, brutality,
and blood lust.

"cruel" is defined as: disposed to inflict pain or suffering; viz: devoid of humane
feelings

● Heb 10:27 . . A certain fearful expectation of . . . fiery indignation

"fiery indignation" is quite a bit more severe than ordinary indignation. It speaks of
someone who is seriously ticked off; and so angry that they're actually red in the
face.

There are people out there in pews all around the world who have been so coddled
by sappy versions of Christianity that they have no concept of the magnitude of the
lethal tsunami of rage and violence coming their way to get them.
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● Luke 21:25 . .There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth,
nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

I'd imagine that folks obsessed with climate change would find the roaring and
tossing of the sea a useful political advantage. But of course down the road when
that actually takes place, climate change will likely lose much of the popularity it
currently enjoys as people will no doubt be far more interested in survival than
politics.

● Luke 21:25 . . Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the
world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

That will be a very dangerous time for elder citizens as anxiety attacks can be fatal
to folks in advanced age.
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● Rev 8:1 . .When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for
about half an hour.

A reason for the silence isn't given, but I suspect the one in charge will be thinking
about what he has to do next, and reluctant to bring it on; because the next round
will be devastating beyond belief-- and once started, won't be stopped.

● Ezek 18:23 . . Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die-- saith the
Lord God --and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
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