In thinking about the tribulation, the nation of Joel 1, the army of Joel 2 along with the army of Ezekiel 38-39, and Revelation, I studied this for some time and in my opinion, found some things of interest.
In going over the gospels, Matt 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, some things are telling us the same things while others are different. Some things are in one or two of the gospels and missing in the other. Some things also relate to other books etc.
Some verses stuck out to me as dogmatic, meaning, the timing of them are so clear, at least to me, there is no other way to discern them.
Starting with Matthew 24:29, this mirrors the 6th seal. Most agree on this. It also mirrors Joel 2:10, 31, and Isaiah 13:9-10. The same event. It is also said that the 6th seal relates to the 6th trump happening around the same time frame.
One view on these verses is it is the arrival of Satan and his angels.
When we look at this verse in Matthew, Christ makes a very clear statement as to when this happens. It clearly says, “Immediately after the tribulation.” These events happen after the tribulation.
I do not see any way around this unless we ignore what it clearly says in the first 4 words. No matter what scripture says elsewhere, this time frame is dogmatic.
This means the 6th seal can not be the arrival of Satan and his angels. Nor the 6th trump the arrival of them either. Anything prior to the 6th seal is in the time frame of the tribulation. Anything past the 6th seal is after the tribulation.
Another key verse that stuck out was Joel 2:31. This verse says the events of the 6th seal happen before the great and terrible day of the Lord.
This means the 6th seal is between the tribulation and the terrible day of the Lord. We also know that Christ comes back after all the events of the tribulation and God’s wrath of the trumps and vials.
I ask myself what really is the “terrible day of the Lord.” We know from the 6th seal time frame; it can not be the tribulation. Also, Satan goes after the righteous, not the Lord. The Lord sends wrath against the unrepentant, Satan does not.
Logically putting this into the time frame, this tells us that the terrible day of the Lord is the trumps and vials.
If we know according to Christ’s statement that the 6th seal is after the tribulation, the only other thing that happens before judgement day, being wrath, is the trumps and vials.
At the end of the 6th seal the whole world is so scared knowing the wrath of the Lamb is coming they all want to hide in caves and would rather die than face it.
Since Satan comes in peacefully and with flatteries, plus the whole world celebrates sending each other gifts after Satan kills the 2 witnesses: does this sound like the arrival of the Satan event? Are they all terrified through the tribulation up to the gift giving event? Does sending gifts to each other at the end sound like his army has been running around killing men before the gift event?
The 2 Witnesses
We know the 2 witnesses are here for the last half of the tribulation. We are given the exact number of days they are here along with the exact number of days the tribulation will last.
This tells me that after they are killed and resurrected, the tribulation is over. After they are gone, there is an earthquake that destroys part of the city. When the 6th seal is opened the first thing that happens is an earthquake. I surmise this is the same one.
The killing of the 2 witnesses is the last straw. Their prophecy is over; everyone had a chance to hear the truth and most refuse it. Now comes their wrath along with the beast of Babylon. (Rev 6:17)
The sealing of protection comes first, not for knowing the truth, those who wanted it already know from the 2 witnesses, it is protection from the trumps and vials, the wrath, the terrible day of the Lord. (After the 6th seal events)
The Army
Rev 9 tells of the 6th trump army. The “horses” have horseman, riders.
We are given the description on the horseman’s breastplates and the description of the horses themselves, the “beings” that are being ridden.
The horse’s heads were like lion’s heads. The horse’s mouths issued (to break forth) fire, smoke, and brimstone, called plagues. The horse’s tails had heads too. The tails were like serpents. With them they do “injure.”
The men that were not killed by the 3 plagues still refused to repent of their sins listed.
One view of this “woe,” is that this is a deception, a flood of lies by this army. The result of this is that the men that are killed, is a spiritual death.
One problem with this view is that the horses do the issuing of these plagues, not the riders. Whatever these horses represent, they are being rode. If this is a verbal deception out of the horse’s mouths that would mean that they talk. The only time this happened historically, his name was Wilber.
Smoke, fire, and brimstone is biblically used for God’s judgement.
Another problem with this view is, can you spiritually kill an unrepentant person? They are already spiritually dead if they do not repent.
When the antichrist comes here, he is not going after the unrepentant. He already has them in his camp. We are told he goes after the woman, true Israel, (protected) and then her seed, the true church.
The trumps and vials from God are ushered in for those who refuse to repent along with the antichrist and his cohorts. Verse 19 tells us they were demon worshippers.
The 3rd problem is, if the 6th trump is the arrival of Satan and his angels, when he comes, it is peaceful with flatteries as stated before. (Daniel 11:21)
We can see the 6th trump just does not line up with his arrival. This army is told of in Joel 2, also in Ezekiel 38-39 where the players are mentioned. We know Satan is running it but God is in control of it. He “turns it,” “drive it on,” “bring it up,” and “leads it in.” Eventually it appears it is joined by the “kings of the rising sun.” (Rev 16:14)
We know the 6th seal and Matthew 24:29 are the same event and the view is they are of the arrival of Satan and his angels. From Christ’s mouth in Matthew 24:29, these events of the 6th seal are after the tribulation showing the 6th trump army is too.
Another dogmatic, time frame statement, “before all these,” made by Christ is that of Luke 21:12. The army talked about comes before the events listed in verse 8-11.