I know your mileage may vary but upon re-reading the Book of Revelation, I think this would be more or less the sequence of events:

1. Rapture
2. First Seal - Antichrist revealed
3. Second Seal - War (Ezekiel and Psalm war)
4. Third Seal - Global inflation and scarcity
5. Fourth Seal - Death by sword, famine, and wild beasts of the earth
6. Fifth Seal - Souls crying out to God.
7. Sixth Seal - The supernatural happens. Earthquake, sun turned black, moon to blood red, asteroids falling to earth.

And then the first half of the tribulation begins. The AC makes a treaty with Israel. 144,000 Jewish evangelists begin their mission. One-world government with 10 districts is set up. The post-rapture, pre-trib souls aka the Great Multitude are complete in heaven.

8. 7 Trumpets and 7 Bows of Wrath are all completed during the last half of the tribulation

The reason why I believe the first 6 seals occur before the trib is because of Revelation 6:17 where it is said that the "Great day of wrath has come". The day of wrath, of course, is the 7-day tribulation. Add to that the 30 minutes of silence between the 6th and 7th seal and we have a strong case for this scenario.

Yes, Sammy, I agree with you. I think this is a good timeline. We need to be out of here before the anti-christ is revealed before the 1st seal judgement according to 2 Thressalonians 2:7,8. I always thought that there was no gap between the rapture and the starting of the tribulation. I am start to re-think my position. It will take time to reveal the anti-christ after the rapture happens. I have heard Perry Stone say that he thinks there is going to be an EMP effect at the rapture, causing all communication to be down for awhile. I believe during that time of chaos, the world will be in a panic and will be looking for someone for answers, especially after millions of people disappear off the earth, which is a perfect time for the anti-christ to step in.

The question that I have is this: Revelation 7 (after the first 6 seal judgements) shows the multitude of those who were maryred during the "great tribulation...which, of course, is after the 7 trumpet and bowl judgements that occur during the last half of the tribualation, known as the "great tribulation." Is the Book of Revelation in sequence? Because if it is, then Revelation 7 should be AFTER the last 7 bowl judgments which is in Revelation 16.

Thanks for such a good post, Sammy. Makes perfect sense to me.

Hey Sammy, I agree with your timeline except for one thing: 2-8 is the beginning part of the Tribulation. Revelation 6:17 is talking about a continuous event, as in it has already come and started, not that it is at that moment beginning. The first seal is the start of the Tribulation, 1260+1260= 7 year covenant. God is a God of order. Check out this link from Jack Kelley on the subject!:

http://gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiach/have-the-seal-judgments-begun/


Lisa, as for your question,

The great multitude in Revelation 7 are different from the group in Revelation 20. The group in 7 come into heaven before the great Tribulation starts, and those who are in 20 are those who were beheaded/martyred in the great tribulation. And yes, Revelation is in chronological order, it's like it's own timeline. We don't really have to speculate on it, we only get confused if we start twisting it out of place.
Another great link from Jack on this subject!:

http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/confused-about-rev-7/

Thanks for answering my question! Are you talking about the martyrs over the 2,000 year period since Christ died? Makes perfect sense to me. The last thing I want to do is to twist the scriptures out of place, I was just trying to understand about the martyrs.

Making these links clickable, then I will go back and read them.

http://gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiach/have-the-seal-judgments-begun/

http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/confused-about-rev-7/

Thanks for the articles!

Edit to add: Bygrace96: I just read Jack Kelly's article about the martyrs in Revelation 7. He explains that these are the martyrs that were martyred during the seal judgements. I had thought you had meant the ones who were martyred during the 2,000 years since Christ died.

Yes im wondering too about the gap between the rapture and the tribulation period.

Hi Bygrace96. I checked the link and I pretty much agree with Jack Kelley. However, I think the 6 seals occur before the tribulation but after the rapture.

As described in Revelation 7:15, the great multitude are described as "Those who have come out of the tribulation." I think this could mean that they died before the tribulation but have suffered through the seals.

These souls are not the church because the church at this point is represented by the 24 elders which were raptured earlier.

Also, I wouldn't call the seals "judgments". They're simply "seals", something that unlocks the scroll of God's judgment and restores God's ownership of the earth. The actual judgment are the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls and the Second Coming where Jesus will destroy the enemy and sinners by His brightness.

It also makes sense that God would be silent through the first half of the tribulation because it is at this point that evil will flourish and men will kill and terrorize each other.

You're right, there is another group of people that arrives in heaven in Revelation 14 and 15. They are those who are victorious over the beast and were harvested before the 7 bowls of wrath.

Another thing I find quite intriguing is the parallels between Jesus' crucifixion and the end times. Please let me know what you think of the following:

6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (Seals)

- Jesus stood trial before Pilate
- Barabbas released (AC revealed?)

9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Heaven was silent. Crucifixion was instigated by man)

- Death sentence was handed down to Jesus (Tribulation begins)
- Jesus crucified on the cross

12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (7 Trumpets and 7 Bowls of Wrath)

- Darkness over the land (Suddenly, heaven made its presence known)
- Jesus cried out that God has forsaken Him.
- Death of Jesus
- Earthquake

Also, please don't think I'm trying to twist the Scriptures. We're here to discuss these things as we wait for our Lord to snatch us away. What I've presented is still pre-trib rapture. :)

I agree with almost everything Sammy.

I do believe that the Seals are opened before the tribulation begins and that the TRUE Church is in Heaven watching Jesus open the Seals, and it's only when they are all open that the tribulation starts with the Trumpets.

The only bit that I disagree is that the Bowls are in the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation.

I probably should have used a better word guys, I didn't mean you guys were twisting scripture around, just that most theologians agree, Revelation is a chronological ordered book. Sorry for the confusion.

As for the the martyr's for the past 2000 years, they are apart of the Bride of Christ, no different, no less; however, they will receive the crown of life. "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." - James 1:12

As for the seals not being judgements, have you read Revelation 6? Just on Revelation 6:7-8 for the numbers it does give has 1/4 of Earth's population dying (possibly), not including the other untold numbers of deaths from the other seals, such as the second seal which is war, world war. Did you know that during world war 2, close to 85 million people were killed in total, at a time when the world only had 2.3 Billion people alive.

Thanks for the explanation! I was wondering what you meant.

Bygrace96, I see the seals as a natural progression to judgment, a transition from man-made disasters (inflation, wars, etc) to supernatural disasters (asteroids falling). So in a way, they can also be considered a kind of judgment if you will. No argument here. :)

I see where you're coming from Sammy, and just so we are clear, no argument ever here Just a polite discussion Don't ever want my brother's or sisters to be upset, what's the point in that?

I think the biggest problem I see with the seals being man made problems is this: they are supernatural creatures given power by God to do things to it. For instance,

"I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." -Revelation 6:1-8

The riders are all given power to do the things described, not people, even though the people are perhaps the ones doing part of the killing, so it's the supernatural riders, given supernatural means who take peace from the earth through the use of humanity.

Then in the fifth seal, it is those Christians who have been slain after the Rapture up to this point under the altar crying out: “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been." - Revelation 6:10-11

The sixth seal is nothing but supernatural means here, God himself,

"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." - Revelation 6:12-14

Tying it all together here:

"Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

They are stating here that it has already come, not that it is about to begin. The Wrath of the Lamb

Alright. Let me revise that. The seals are a transition from a seemingly natural, man-made disasters to supernatural disasters. The seals are sort of a "go signal" of the coming wrath.

To me, the cries of the kings and princes seem to announce that the tribulation has come. And the sudden cosmic upheaval in the 6th seal sounds like a proclamation that the countdown for the tribulation has begun.

Additionally, the seal martyrs in the 5th seal are imploring God to "avenge their blood". This could mean that the avenging of their blood is a future event that will be fulfilled at the tribulation.

Like I said, your mileage may vary and I'm not really being dogmatic about this. As long as we agree that the rapture takes place before the seals, then all's well in the world. :)