Hi Bible2+. I liked your post. I have a little different theory on the Tribulation timeline which I wanted to share. I think it's possible that the Divine Commander's battle plans at Jericho could be prescriptive of the battle plans at the end. The Bible doesn't say this of course, but it's my theory, and I'm going to stick with it unless I live long enough to see that doesn't match up with reality.
For seven days they circled Jericho, but on the seventh day, they circled the city seven times before the walls collapsed and Jericho was destroyed. So this is how I see the Tribulation:
Year 1 - Seal 1
Year 2 - Seal 2
Year 3 - Seal 3
Year 4 - Seal 4 (Beast assumes control at about the 3.5 year mark and begins to overcome the saints)
Year 5 - Seal 5 (The first martyrs are given their white robes and told to wait until the full number come in)
Year 6 - Seal 6
Year 7 - Seal 7 = {Trumpet 1/Bowl 1, Trumpet 2/Bowl 2, Trumpet 3/Bowl 3, Trumpet 4/Bowl 4, Trumpet 5/Bowl 5, Trumpet 6/Bowl 6, Trumpet 7/Bowl 7}
Jesus describes the beginning judgments as "the beginning of birth pains," which seem to correspond to the early seals. All these trumpets and bowls in one final year could be like the end of woman's labor--strong, nearly constant pain.
Regarding Revelation 6:17, note that the tribulation's 6th seal (Revelation 6:12-17) will happen sometime before the day of the Lord (Joel 2:31, Revelation 6:12), as in only a few years before.
Possibly just a year before?
After the tribulation's 6th seal will occur its 7th seal (Revelation 8:1), out of which will come its 7 trumpets (Revelation 8:1-2). Note that nothing requires that any of the first 6 trumpets' events in Revelation chapters 8 and 9 will be God's wrath.
Perhaps not, but the fifth trumpet affects everyone except those who have the special seal of God (the 144,000 Jewish believers in Jesus). Personally, I think the rest of the Christians will be dead already by this point.
So even though good angels of God will sound the first 6 trumpets, this could be announcing God's allowing the wrath of Satan to destroy 1/3 of different things (Revelation 8:7-12, Revelation 9:15,18), just as Satan will subsequently, mid-tribulation, be allowed by God to cause 1/3 of the angels (i.e. his fallen angels) to be cast down to the earth permanently (Revelation 12:4,9).
Satan's 3.5 years may start during the 4th seal.
Revelation chapters 8 and 9 will happen before the Antichrist's (the individual-man aspect of Revelation's beast's) future, literal 3.5-year worldwide Luciferian/Satanic reign (Revelation 13:4-18, Revelation 12:9).
I think Revelation 8 and 9 may happen in the last year of the 3.5 years when Antichrist prevails over the saints and has dominion over most everyone.
After the Antichrist's literal 3.5-year reign (Revelation 13:5-7) is declared legally over at the sounding of the tribulation's 7th trumpet (Revelation 11:15), the 7 plagues of the 7 vials of God's wrath will come out of the heavenly-temple opening of the 7th trumpet (Revelation 11:19, Revelation 15:5 to 16:1).
Personally, I believe the trumpets and vials are parallel not sequential. Again, I can't prove it, but it makes sense to me.
The second bowl:
Revelation 16:3: “Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.”
The second bowl, which affects the sea, seems to correspond with the second trumpet (Revelation 8:8-9: 1/3 sea turned to blood, 1/3 living creatures die…).
(Note: Every living creature in the affected area of sea could die and these are not inconsistent.)
The third bowl (Revelation 16:4-7) affects the rivers and springs of water, just as the third trumpet (Revelation 8:10-11).
Fourth bowl:
Revelation 16:8–9 (NKJV)
8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
If the cause of the fourth trumpet (Revelation 8:12-13, 1/3 sun, 1/3 moon, 1/3 stars struck, so 1/3 day and 1/3 night is dark) is a very large solar flare, it could also be cause for the scorching heat men experience in the fourth bowl.
Fifth bowl (Revelation 16:10–11)
10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and
his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the
pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their
pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.
Fifth trumpet (Revelation 9:2–5)
2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace.
So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit… 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but
to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
Sixth bowl (Revelation 16:12–16)
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl
on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
16
And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew,
Armageddon.
Sixth Trumpet (Revelation 9:13–19)
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound
at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of
the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
The description of the sixth bowl says the Euphrates was dried up, so that the way might be prepared for the kings of the east, perhaps for the army of two hundred million described in the sixth trumpet. Isaiah 11:15 also says, “The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; with His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River [
Euphrates], and strike it in the seven streams, and make men cross over dryshod.”
The Seventh Bowl (Revelation 16:17–21)
18 And there were
noises and
thunderings and
lightnings; and there was a
great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And
great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
The Seventh Trumpet (Revelation 11:19)
19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were
lightnings,
noises,
thunderings,
an earthquake, and
great hail.
So, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that the trumpets and bowls can occur in parallel.
Even when God's wrath comes in the 7 vials (Revelation 16), the tribulation's final stage, because the church isn't appointed to God's wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), none of the vials will be directed at any of those in the church who will still be alive on the earth at that time, still waiting for Jesus' coming as a thief (Revelation 16:15). Instead, they will go into protective chambers which they will have prepared for themselves on the earth (Isaiah 26:20), just as Noah and his family went into the protective ark which they had prepared for themselves on the earth (Genesis 7:11,13).
Yes, it is true that the church is protected, but how? By the seal of Revelation 7:
Revelation 7:2–4 (NKJV)
2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
Revelation 12:6 (NKJV)
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Since one thousand two hundred and sixty days is 3.5 years, probably the 144,000 are sealed before the Antichrist begins to have dominion over the saints. It continues:
Revelation 12:14–17 (NKJV)
14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
(This protection for the 144,000 is provided by God, but not necessarily something they created for themselves.)
What about the other believers (Jewish and Gentile), whom the dragon will persecute since he can't destroy these few God is protecting in the wilderness? I don't think they are alive anymore by the time of the fifth trumpet/bowl:
Revelation 9:4 (NKJV)
4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
BTW, I do believe Isaiah 26:20 applies to the time the wrath of God reigning down on the wicked. I believe the Christians will "hide" until it's passed, whether that's only the day Jesus returns, or also including the bowls.
But before that 2nd-coming wrath begins, the church will be caught up together/gathered together (raptured) (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Matthew 24:31) into the sky to hold a meeting in the air with the returned Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:17)... At Jesus' 2nd coming, before he goes to war (Revelation 19:11-21), he will rapture (gather together) the church (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Matthew 24:30-31), judge the church (Psalms 50:3-5, cf. Mark 13:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10, Luke 12:45-48, Matthew 25:14-30), and marry the obedient part of the church (Revelation 19:7-8, Matthew 25:1-13).
So you are saying the gathering comes first and then the wrath against the wicked. It doesn't specify in Revelation, but I think it's the opposite, on the basis of the parable of the wheat and the tares.
Parable of the Wheat and Tares
Matthew 13:24–30 (NKJV)
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “
First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
This would be an appropriate time for the remaining Christians to hide:
Isaiah 26:20–21 (NKJV)
20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood,
And will no more cover her slain.
