“Tribulation” Headlines

I’m using the word “tribulation” as it is commonly understood in the eschatosphere, but I want to to be clear that what’s coming following the death/rapture/resurrection of all believers is NOT tribulation. It will be wrath – God displaying His fierce anger against those who are in rebellion against Him and have refused to repent and be reconciled. (An explanation of the distinction between tribulation and wrath appears below.) What I’m presenting here is what may be the lead stories or current events during the 42 months that The Dragon rules the planet (see Rev. 13:5).

So imagine these are the headline stories for the next few years; a disaster every two months, and none of these problems can be fixed. They compound and are simply moved back in the news cycle because a fresh catastrophe replaces the last one. Imagine each of these on the Six O’Clock News … until those TV sets flicker off forever:

1. Dramatic increase in civil violence. We are seeing this now, but scripture indicates it will get worse. In addition to war, people are simply killing other people. School shootings are overshadowed by gangs of hungry, sociopathic thugs moving through suburban neighborhoods, killing randomly and stealing. (Rev. 6:4)
2. Supply chains broken. Stores empty or nearly so. Merchants can’t do business because of armed thieves. Few groceries. (Rev. 6:6)
3. Banking collapse. Small banks absorbed by bigger ones, small business loans, home loans, car loans all discontinued. End of current money system; “Social credit” banking is mandatory (Rev. 13:17) though some barter may be possible … temporarily. All “life savings” and retirement accounts are wiped out.
4. Diseases rampant. Health Care System is compromised – Most “cures” offered are drugs/pharmakaia/sorcery. (Rev. 18:23) “Big Pharma” may be the deceiving merchants in view. Foods and other consumables may be laced with fentanyl or other toxic substances.
5. Societal and cultural collapse – local communities and even families will break down (Matthew 10:21) because nobody knows the truth and nobody can trust anyone. (Rev. 6:2)
6. There are not enough people or resources to bury the dead – both people and animals. Two billion casualties worldwide – one in four people die from disease, violence, famine, or wild animals (Rev. 6:8)
7. A third of the trees and all green grass is burned up (Rev. 8:7). This is an ecological nightmare with long-lasting consequences. This will crush the food supply even more. This also affects the air they will breathe, as trees reduce airborne pollutants and produce oxygen. The smells of smoke and decaying flesh will be pervasive, and anyone with respiratory problems will find those problems getting much worse. It may become painful to breathe.
8. A third of sea life dies. Another hammer-blow to the food supply. (Rev. 8:9)
9. A third of ships destroyed. Any idea how many essentials are transported by water?
10. A third of the rivers and springs of water become toxic. Some folks may have water treatment units, and maybe those filters will work. But a man lives 3-4 days without water. (Rev. 8:11) Entire communities will become uninhabitable because there is simply no water.
11. The sun goes dim. Less energy, less heat = “global cooling”?? ANY change is adverse; opinions today offer a range of dire possibilities. Like the ten previous events, this is “permanent disaster” – not something that can be fixed, nor can the damage be undone. (Rev. 8:12)
12. Invasion of the Locust-scorpions. (Rev. 9:1-11) – This is a specific 5-month period of misery. The long-term effects are unknown. These creatures – and my guess is this is GMO weaponized animals, perhaps released intentionally by the miscreants running the planet – will have no permanent effect on the planet, but will certainly traumatize everyone stung by one. No one dies, no apparent damage to the planet or ecology. No recorded remedy – no place to run, no place to hide.
13. Plague of fire, smoke and brimstone (Rev. 9:18) – this kills a third of remaining mankind.
14. No rain (Rev. 11:6), portion of remaining potable water turned to blood, various undefined “plagues” of unrecorded impact, scope and severity. But these events are controlled by the two witnesses, are apparently global in scope, and generate so much misery that the deaths of these two men trigger global celebration. (Note: these men confront the “god of the earth” much as Moses and Aaron withstood Pharaoh.)
15. Malignant sores. The banking credential received (Rev. 13:7) becomes a “foul and loathsome sore” (Rev. 16:2). This misery will be, for all intents and purposes, universal – everyone who refused the mark will have been killed.
16. All the remaining creatures in the sea die. (Rev. 16:3) This could be the oceans of the world, or it could be just the Mediterranean Sea. It’s reasonable to assume that as civilizations collapse, the resources would be kept closer to the seat of government in Jerusalem, so the destruction of the Mediterranean would effectively impact everyone left living. At this late point, most of the distant lands would be desolate or nearly so.
17. All remaining rivers and springs of water become toxic (Rev. 16:4)
18. Solar power surges (Rev. 16:8-9) – People are scorched by the sun. Not hard to imagine that the “grid” is gone … a faint memory. No air-conditioning, no escape, no relief.
19. Massive earthquakes. (Rev. 6:12, 8:5, 11:13,19 and 16:18) These are the seismic events specifically mentioned, but it’s reasonable to believe there will be more, of varying magnitude. Once again, these won’t be local events where relief from unaffected outside resources can be expected. There will most probably be NO outside help or humanitarian relief resources available.
20. Unprecedented hailstorms pound the planet. (Rev. 8:7, 11:19, 16:21) – Most probably not the hailstorms we’ve occasionally heard of or experienced. This is at least three episodes of unknown scope and intensity. In the final hail storm, each stone weighs about a talent. (Note: a “talent” is between 100 and 200 lbs. depending on the substance being weighed.)

This is not gloom-and-doom or pessimism run rampant. Rather, it’s simply a catalog, based on explicit scripture, of the escalating miseries on the planet and what God says will take place at the time of the end: an average of one MAJOR and irreversible catastrophic event with global impact every two months for over three years. This is NOT what we see as fulfillment of John 16:33 or Acts 14:22, what we experience and understand to be the difficult but refining adversities of life. This is not a “field ripe unto harvest” (John 4:35). Rather, Satan is granted authority over the planet, and he has as his followers all those who have rejected Christ. This is not an arena for us “ambassadors for Christ” to diplomatically extend God’s offer of reconciliation. The Four Horsemen are not on a goodwill mission. It will be “kingdoms in conflict” and it won’t be pretty.

This is war.

The Distinction between Tribulation and Wrath

The Pre-Tribulation Equivocation – Summary: The word tribulation comes from the Latin word “tribulum” which was an agricultural implement used to remove husks from wheat kernels.  Tribulation makes the wheat fit for use.  Similarly, God uses tribulation on those He has chosen, to make them fit for His use.  We are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). 

Tribulation is also separation.  It separates the useful from the useless.  It separates the kernel from the husk.  It separates what will be kept and enjoyed from what will be discarded and destroyed. In the lives of believers, tribulation is the often unpleasant burdens and challenges of life, but it is managed by God and it leads to hope, patience, and completeness.  It includes harassment and persecution (see Acts 14:22).  For the elect, tribulation is essentially and intentionally redemptive.

Tribulation is NOT wrath. Wrath is the manifestation of God’s hatred of sin and sinners. It is punitive, and never redemptive. God hates sin with a holy hatred. God does not use wrath to correct His children.