To the Reader
If separated from
the larger context of this study,
this study could make God appear
to be a very cruel and unfairly
harsh-so please read subsequent
studies as soon as possible! The
devil delights in distorting the
character of God whenever
possible. The devil wants people
to see God as a vengeful tyrant
or a divine Santa Claus that can
do no harm. Of course, both
extremes are false. The same God,
who destroyed the world in
Noah’s day and sent fiery
brimstone upon Sodom and
Gomorrah, also sent His Son to
die on the cross for our sins.
(John 3:16) In short, God reveals
His love for the human race in a
well-documented balance between
justice and mercy. Bible history
proves that God is longsuffering.
He extends mercy to sinners day
after day, year after year –
until the day comes when
extended, mercy no longer has any
redeeming effect. Then God
justifiably responds in wrath to
deal with defiant rebellion. I
offer this introductory statement
because the contents of this
study may seem overwhelming the
first time you read it, but
please press on and read Study 2
as soon as possible.
No Longer a Book
of Mystery
The book of
Revelation contains several
prophecies that integrate into
one big story. Some prophecies in
Revelation have been underway for
centuries and others are about to
begin. When we properly assemble
all of the prophecies, a mind
boggling drama unfolds.
God’s ways are wonderful to
understand and so thrilling to
discover. Some prophecies in
Revelation are easy to understand
and others are difficult at
first, but we can say the same of
God. Certain aspects about God
are easier to understand than
others. Ultimately, the book of
Revelation confirms the good news
that most people want to hear: A
world of eternal joy and endless
bliss is coming. The bad news is
that God is going to test the
inhabitants of Earth before He
sets up His kingdom. (Revelation
3:10) God will separate
‘the sheep from the
goats” before the Second
Coming. The separation of the
sheep from the goats is an
important process in God’s
plans because God will not permit
rebellious people (represented by
the goats) to enter His coming
kingdom. God’s kingdom is
reserved for people who love Him
and exalt His righteous ways. “Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they
will see God….Nothing impure
will ever enter it [the holy
city], nor will anyone who does
what is shameful or deceitful,
but only those whose names are
written in the Lambs book of
life….He will wipe every
tear from their eyes. There will
be no more death or mourning or
crying or pain, for the old order
of things has passed away.” (Matthew
5:8; Revelation 21:27, 4,
insertion mine)
The book of Revelation reveals
that God will soon inflict the
world with a series of 14
plagues. These events will not
occur in random order nor will
they be freak disasters caused by
nature. The seven first
plagues are called “seven
trumpets” in Revelation
because they serve the purpose of
warning or awakening the people
of Earth to the glorious arrival
of Jesus Christ. The seven last
plagues are called seven bowls
because they represent seven full
cups of God’s vengeance that
He will pour out upon His
enemies. Although the Bible
completely explains these events,
they will come as an overwhelming
surprise for most people. Our
Creator has carefully designed
these coming events to achieve
His goals, and He will carefully
execute these judgments so that
He can redeem the maximum number
of people, As you read this these
studies, periodically remind
yourself of two things: First,
God so loved this world that He
gave His only Son to die in our
place and second, God’s
patience with defiance and
rebellion is limited. During the
Great Tribulation, the people of
Earth will see God’s perfect
balance between justice and
mercy. Remember this balance as
you consider this study about the
Great Tribulation. The next few
pages give a brief overview of
coming events.
[continue to page 2]
