The fifth chapter of Revelation needs to be closely studied. It is of great importance to those who shall act a part in the work of God for these last days. There are some who are deceived. They do not realize what is coming on the earth. . . Unless they make a decided change they will be found wanting when God pronounces judgment upon the children of men. They have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant, and they will receive according to their works. {9T 267.1}
According to Ellen White, the judgment day of Revelation 5 is an impending event and she implies it is the judgment of the living. Recall that in this scene, the Father is seated on His throne with a seven sealed scroll in His right hand and, for a time, no one is found worthy to open or even look on it. But finally the Lion-Lamb from the tribe of Judah comes forward, takes the book and, one by one, breaks open its seals. It’s worth noting that the first four seals, the four horsemen, are summoned by each one of the four archangels who make up the throne of God. If chapter 5 describes the time when “God pronounces judgment on the children of men” then the breaking of the seals is a window into what that will look like.
I made the case in Part I that the 1260 days are literal and future and that they will begin in the fall, on the Day of Atonement, judgment day, and end 3.5 years later in the spring at Passover. What about the scene in Revelation 5? If it is judgment day, the judgment of the living, then again, the best fit is the fall: Just as the judgment of the dead began in the fall of 1844 on the Day of Atonement, we should expect the judgment of the living to begin on the same day and mark the start of the 1260 days.
The 1260 days are not only a time of persecution by the beast from the bottomless pit (Rev 11:7), they are also the time of the powerful testimony of the two witnesses, (Rev 11:3) a symbol not only of the Old and New Testaments, but also of the latter rain church which is symbolized in Revelation 5 by the seven torches that are all ablaze directly before the throne.
Speaking of the scenes in Revelation 5 and 6, White makes some additional prophetic statements. Here are two:
When Pilate washed his hands, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person," the priests joined with the ignorant mob in declaring passionately, "His blood be on us, and on our children." Matthew 27:24, 25. Thus the Jewish leaders made their choice. Their decision was registered in the book which John saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, the book which no man could open. In all its vindictiveness this decision will appear before them in the day when this book is unsealed by the Lion of the tribe of Judah. {COL 293.3 and 4}
The light that we have upon the third angel's message is the true light. The mark of the beast is exactly what it has been proclaimed to be. Not all in regard to this matter is yet understood, and will not be understood until the unrolling of the scroll; but a most solemn work is to be accomplished in our world. {8T 159.3}
Ellen White makes a number of other statements, equally clear, that not only the breaking of the seven seals is future, but also the sounding of the seven trumpets. At this point you may be wondering, “Don't many Christians, including Adventists, teach that the scroll was unsealed and the trumpets sounded centuries ago?” Yes, Protestants have taught that for centuries. But God, through the prophets, would like to expand our view. He tells us that this book that is in His right hand applies primarily to the end and that it contains information about earth’s final events, the mark, 666, and the seal of God that we need to understand. The question of Sabbath vs. Sunday sacredness is a central part of the issue, but there is more to it. The remnant people of God keep not only the Sabbath, they keep all the provisions of the Covenant; they are, in fact, sealed in the New Covenant by the final, latter rain ministry of Christ.
The apostle tells us that “judgment begins with the household of God”, I Peter 4:17, and the Lord through Ellen White confirms that He is measuring us.
The grand judgment is taking place and has been going on for some time. Now the Lord says, Measure the temple and the worshippers thereof. [Revelation 11:1.] Remember when you are walking the streets about your business, God is measuring you; when you are attending your household duties, when you engage in conversation, God is measuring you. Remember that your words and actions are being daguerreotyped [photographed] in the books of heaven, as the face is reproduced by the artist on the polished plate. {Ms4-1888.21}
If we put these statements together, the apostle’s and White’s, they teach that the judgment of spiritual Israel, the church, is an ongoing reality. But at a certain divinely appointed time that process expands to include the world and, like the cross, this transition marks a new era in human history. Just as the crucifixion was a watershed event, plainly foretold by the prophets, especially in Daniel 9, we might expect that an event of this magnitude - all the world being arraigned before the bar of God – has been revealed in prophecy with equal clarity.
White strongly implies that the unrolling of the scroll in Revelation 5 is a description of that event. Please read her statement again, contemplating it for more than a moment:
The fifth chapter of Revelation needs to be closely studied. It is of great importance to those who shall act a part in the work of God for these last days. There are some who are deceived. They do not realize what is coming on the earth. . . Unless they make a decided change they will be found wanting when God pronounces judgment upon the children of men. They have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant, and they will receive according to their works. {9T 267.1}
In my last article, (in the original version before I revised it), I suggested that we are living in the fifth seal and some readers, probably the majority, took that to mean I placed the first four seals in the past. Not so, according to Ellen White. I apologize for leaving the wrong impression on that point. It is important to know where we stand relative to the breaking of the seals.
How then will we know when the Lamb takes the book? By the fulfillment of the seven seals, trumpets, and plagues. We’ll look now at the relationship between these and the 1260 days.
Concurrent or Consecutive?
More than forty years ago, I became convinced, through personal study, that the seals and trumpets apply primarily to the end-times. But until recently, I’ve struggled to understand whether the seals and trumpets are concurrent or consecutive and how they fit with the 1260, 1290 and 1335 days. By comparing scripture with the following statements from Ellen White, I’m persuaded now that not only are the seals and trumpets concurrent but so are the thunders and plagues. That may sound impossible but please, friends, reserve judgment until you have reviewed the evidence. Here are two statements by Ellen White that shed light on the issue:
The Battle of Armageddon will be fought. And that day must find none of us sleeping. Wide awake we must be, as wise virgins having oil in our vessels with our lamps. The power of the Holy Ghost must be upon us and the Captain of the Lord's host will stand at the head of the angels of heaven to direct the battle. Solemn events before us are yet to transpire. Trumpet after trumpet is to be sounded; vial after vial poured out one after another upon the inhabitants of the earth. Scenes of stupendous interest are right upon us and these things will be sure indications of the presence of Him who has directed in every aggressive movement, who has accompanied the march of His cause through all the ages, and who has graciously pledged Himself to be with His people in all their conflicts to the end of the world. He will vindicate His truth. He will cause it to triumph. He is ready to supply His faithful ones with motives and power of purpose, inspiring them with hope and courage and valor in increased activity as the time is at hand. {3SM 426.1}
The power of the Holy Ghost must be upon us, and the Captain of the Lord's host will stand at the head of the angels of heaven to direct the battle. Solemn events before us are yet to transpire. Trumpet after trumpet is to be sounded, vial after vial poured out one after another upon the inhabitants of the earth. {14MR 287.1}
Notice the connection she makes above between the plagues and the trumpets. If she had stopped at her statement that "trumpet after trumpet" will sound, we might be justified in questioning whether she was referring to the seven trumpets of Revelation 8 to 11. But since she links the trumpets and the plagues together, it is evident that she does mean what she seems to be saying - that all seven trumpets and plagues apply to the end-times.
But the part that troubles Adventists the most (and it shouldn’t) is the direct connection she makes between the latter rain and the Battle of Armageddon which takes place during the sixth and seventh plagues, a clear indication that the door of mercy is open for some during this great final battle. I’ll come back to this.
Below is another quote along the same lines but in this one she links the seals as well as the trumpets and plagues together and again places all three in the future. The context of this statement is that she and some co-workers were caught in a severe thunderstorm in Australia and the experience gave her forebodings of what end-time events will be like:
My imagination anticipated what it must be in that period when the Lord's mighty voice shall give commission to His angels, "Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth" (Rev. 16:1). Thy right hand, O God, shall dash in pieces Thine enemies. Revelation 6 and 7 are full of meaning. Terrible are the judgments of God revealed. The seven angels stood before God to receive their commission. To them were given seven trumpets. The Lord was going forth to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth was to disclose her blood and no more cover her slain. Give the description in chapter 6. {15MR 219.2 – 220.1}
This paragraph ends with a direction to her secretary or to herself to “give the description in chapter 6.” What is in chapter 6 of Revelation? The first six of the seven seals. Notice above how she links the seals, trumpets and plagues together implying that all three are concurrent.
Uriah Smith, in his book, Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, although placing the seals and trumpets in the past, also made them concurrent. The seals, according to Smith, describe the journey of the church down the ages from the early rain depicted by the white horse and rider to the events of the sixth seal – the Great Lisbon earthquake, the dark day and falling of the stars in the 18th and 19th centuries. Smith made the trumpets concurrent with the seals, the trumpets describing the judgments of God on the Roman Empire and apostate Christendom over the same period.
This approach is also valid for their primary, future application: The seals apply to the church under the latter rain, the times of refreshing when, by the final atonement of Christ, our sins are blotted out and we are sealed into our New Covenant inheritance. This is the picture we have in the interlude between the sixth and seventh seals where we find two groups that are sealed - the first fruits of the 144,000 and the great multitude. Both are the fruits of the seven fold sealing of Christ.
In contrast to the seals, the seven trumpets are the final warning to humanity over the same period. They call out the remnant that are still in Babylon.
But what about the plagues? How can they possibly be concurrent with the sealing? For a long time I hesitated to give Ellen White’s statements quoted above their plain meaning on that point because it seemed to contradict scripture and several of her other statements. But recently I’ve seen the underlying harmony; how the Battle of Armageddon of the sixth plague is actually the conquest of the church led by Christ under the latter rain. To those with seared consciences, the trumpets will be plagues and the door of mercy will already be shut. But to those who still have tender consciences and who are in the valley of decision, the trumpets warn and invite them to flee Babylon, to be liberated by Christ and restored to His image.
That is not to say that the plagues and trumpets are the same events, but only to observe that to the wicked the trumpets are harbingers of their doom. Their fate is further confirmed by the plagues.
It may be difficult for us to imagine all three series – seals, trumpets and plagues - packed into the short space of 3.5 years but we should bear in mind that God is known for His efficiency. This is the same period of time covered by the action-packed ministry of Christ. It’s not possible to know in advance all the details of how this will work, but I’ll give one possible scenario of concurrent fulfillment, applying the prophetic template of the feasts:
Like the ministry of Christ, the seven trumpets begin in the fall at the Feast of Trumpets on the first day of the seventh month, the start of the biblical year. The trumpets are preceded by supernatural “voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” Rev 8:5. These divine omens are given to prepare humanity for what immediately follows – the sounding of the first trumpet. Notice the three identifiers of the first trumpet are 1) that it is preceded by “voices, thunderings, lightening and an earthquake” and 2) that it occurs on the Feast of Trumpets and 3) it fulfills the description of the first trumpet given in Revelation 8: “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” Rev 8:7.
Although there are elements in the trumpets that are clearly symbolic, a primary rule for the interpretation of scripture is that it should be read literally unless it is clearly not intended as literal. The “hail” of this trumpet therefore should be understood as real hail. But notice it is not ordinary hail because it is co-mingled with fire and blood. This “hail” is hot, not cold, because it burns up a third of the trees. It is brimstone, possibly the by-product of the earthquake and seismic activity that precedes the first trumpet and triggers major eruptions in different locations.
Ten days after the Feast of Trumpets is the Day of Atonement, when Christ takes the scroll in hand and the 1260 days and the judgment of the living both begin.
Five days later, the Feast of Harvest begins. During this feast, Christ breaks the first seal and one of the four archangels summons the white horseman who goes forth conquering and to conquer under the power of the latter rain. This marks the start of the final gospel harvest. I believe this seal will be broken on the eighth day of the feast, the “great day,” which was the day that Christ proclaimed the promise of the Holy Spirit.
At some point soon after this the seven thunders and the seven plagues begin. The thunders start to utter their voices at this time because they occur during the 1260 day testimony of the two witnesses. The plagues may start some months later because they are judgments on those who mandate the mark of the beast. Personally, I think the plagues will start at or near the fifth trumpet which is the first woe, because this is when the beast ascends out of the bottomless pit and is given license by God to darken the intellectual sky and thereby rule the minds and consciences of humanity.
But again, we can’t know all the details in advance because we walk by faith. I have to leave it here and refer you, my friends, to the scriptures for further study, especially the ones below. I read and consider all comments and feedback. Thank you!
Thrones Placed in Heaven
Dan 7:9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.
Dan 7:10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. [The parallel scene is in Revelation 4 and 5. See below.]
Dan 7:11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. [This is the final destruction of the beast at the end of time in the lake of fire. See Rev 19:19 and 20 verses 25 and 26 below.]
Dan 7:12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
The Son of Man Is Given Dominion
Dan 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. [This scene parallels the Lion-Lamb approaching the throne in Revelation 5]
Dan 7:14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
The Beast Wages War on the Saints for 3.5 Years
Dan 7:21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them,
Dan 7:22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
Dan 7:23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
Dan 7:24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.
Dan 7:25 He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Dan 7:26 But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
The Throne in Heaven
Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” [“After this” refers to the period of the seven churches, the seven candlesticks. In verse 5 below, notice they are replaced by “seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,” the empowered church.]
Rev 4:2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
Rev 4:3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
Rev 4:4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.
Rev 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, [Again, the seven torches of fire are a figure of the latter rain church. Unlike the seven golden candlesticks which are on the right side of the sanctuary, these are in the center of it, directly before the throne.]
Rev 4:6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:
Rev 4:7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.
Rev 4:8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
Rev 4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
The Scroll and the Lamb
Rev 5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
Rev 5:2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
Rev 5:3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,
Rev 5:4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Rev 5:6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
Rev 5:10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
Rev 5:12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
Rev 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
Rev 5:14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
The First Six of the Seven Seals
Rev 6:1 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”
Rev 6:2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. [Adventists have applied this to the early church under the early rain. The primary application is to the end-time latter rain church which appears at the judgment of the living.]
Rev 6:3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”
Rev 6:4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
Rev 6:5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.
Rev 6:6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”
Rev 6:7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. [Notice that each of the four angels who make up the throne of God summon one of the four horses. This shows that all of these events, including the most terrible, are divinely supervised and permitted.]
Rev 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.
Rev 6:10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Rev 6:11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
Rev 6:12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,
Rev 6:13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.
Rev 6:14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
Rev 6:15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
Rev 6:16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
Rev 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
The Outpouring of the Spirit
Joe 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Joe 2:29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. [The Apostle Peter, at Pentecost applied this prophecy to the early rain, but since the following signs were not present then, it applies primarily to the latter rain.]
Joe 2:30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.
Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.
Signs that appear during the final gospel harvest
Joe 3:12 Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
Joe 3:13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
Joe 3:16 The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.
The Glorious Future of Judah
Joe 3:17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.
Judgment day in the vision of Habakkuk
Hab 3:3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
Hab 3:4 His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power.
Hab 3:5 Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels.
Hab 3:6 He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways.
Hab 3:7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
Hab 3:8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O LORD? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation?
Hab 3:9 You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah. You split the earth with rivers.
Hab 3:10 The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high.
Hab 3:11 The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear.
Hab 3:12 You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger.
Hab 3:13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah
Hab 3:14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.
Hab 3:15 You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters.
Hab 3:16 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.
Judgment day revealed to Jeremiah
Jer 4:19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
Jer 4:20 Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment.
Jer 4:21 How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?
Jer 4:22 “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”
Jer 4:23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light.
Jer 4:24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro.
Jer 4:25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled.
Jer 4:26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger.
Jer 4:27 For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.
Jer 4:28 “For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be dark; for I have spoken; I have purposed; I have not relented, nor will I turn back.”
Jer 4:29 At the noise of horseman and archer every city takes to flight; they enter thickets; they climb among rocks; all the cities are forsaken, and no man dwells in them.
Judgment day revealed to Isaiah
Isa 34:1 Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it.
Isa 34:2 For the LORD is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.
Isa 34:3 Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood.
Isa 34:4 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.
Isa 34:5 For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
Isa 34:6 The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
Isa 34:7 Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat.
Isa 34:8 For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
Isa 34:9 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch.
Isa 34:10 Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever.
Hag 2:6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”
I always was puzzled about why the wicked “repented not” in Rev 16:9, 11 if there was no chance at repentance. By this point I see the Elijah messengers beheaded and Christianity sealed in the judgement.