Daniel and Revelation

“Wrath” consistently refers to the final judicial sentence of God on His enemies in the Book of Revelation . The “ wrath of God ” is not synonymous with the plagues unleashed by the series of Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of Fury. Despite the devastation they inflict, impenitent men refuse to repent. The Greek term translated as “ wrath ” refers to the judicial sentence of God on His enemies on the day of judgment, the everlasting punishment men earn because of their sins, refusal to repent, and allegiance to the Beast.

Each of the three sevenfold series of Revelation concludes with a final judgment scene that transpires at the end of the age . Final judgment scenes occur several times in the  Book of Revelation . The sevenfold series of Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of Wrath all culminate in the final judgment, and each time, the end of the series is punctuated by the same terrestrial and celestial phenomena.

The Book of Revelation moves from the Death of Jesus to the final day when God judges the wicked and vindicates the righteous . At the end of his ‘ Olivet Discourse ,’ Jesus gave his parable of the Sheep and the Goats . On the day when the “ Son of Man arrives in glory ,” his angels will gather all nations before him for judgment, and he will divide them into two groups. The “ sheep ” will receive “ everlasting life ,” but the “ goats ,” “ everlasting destruction .”

The saints will be assembled before Jesus on the Last Day, and the wicked will be collected for judgment and cast from his presence . On the Last Day, the righteous and the unrighteous will be “ gathered ” before Jesus, the former for vindication and salvation, and the latter for judgment and condemnation. This event is linked in the New Testament to Christ’s “ arrival ” at the end of the age when he will resurrect the dead, judge the dead and living, terminate the “ Last Enemy, Death ,” and consummate the Kingdom of God.

Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion in the Thessalonian congregation – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. The Apostle Paul addressed rumors and false claims about the “ Day of the Lord " in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Incorrect information concerning Christ’s return had disrupted the congregation. The disinformation was attributed either to a “ spirit ,” word (' logos ' ), or a letter “ as if from ” Paul and his coworkers.

The arrival of Jesus will mean vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. The “ Revelation ” of Jesus from Heaven will mean vindication and reward to the faithful, but loss and punishment for men and women who reject the Gospel. This will be especially so for those who have persecuted the saints. Christ’s return will result in “ just judgment ” for the righteous and the unrighteous.

Jesus will return at the “ end ” of the present age with great power and glory. All the “ tribes of the Earth ” will see him when he appears on the “ clouds of Heaven ” and “ gathers his elect .” His “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ will be followed by the judgment of the ungodly, both celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the resurrection and vindication of the righteous, the New Creation, and the termination of death itself. Thus, it will be an event of GREAT FINALITY .

Paul warned of the coming Apostasy and linked it to the unveiling of the Man of Anarchy when he seats himself in the Assembly . Paul responded to false reports about the “ Day of the Lord ” by pointing to the expected Apostasy and the “ Man of Lawlessness .” Jesus will not “ arrive ” until the “ Apostasy ” occurs and the “ Lawless One ” is revealed. Rumors claiming that the “ Day of the Lord had set in ” were circulating in Thessalonica, disrupting the Assembly – (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Two events must occur before the Day of the Lord begins - The Apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness in God’s House . Men spreading rumors in the church of Thessalonica were raising false expectations about the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord ” and the “ arrival ” of Jesus. The Apostle Paul warned the Thessalonians not to be alarmed or deceived by such rumors since two key events must occur before that day comes.

Jesus will arrive and gather his people on the Day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ . In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul refutes claims that the “ Day of the Lord ” is imminent. That day will not arrive until the “ Apostasy ” and the “ revelation of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction .” Jesus will destroy this Master Deceiver at his “ Arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’, an event the Apostle links to this final great day.

When the seventh seal was opened, a half-hour of “silence” ensued before the seven angels began to sound their “trumpets.” During that interlude, the prayers of the “saints” were heard ascending to the throne of God. Now, when the “seventh trumpet” sounds, “loud voices” declare the triumph of the kingdom and the possession of the nations by the “Lamb” as promised in the second Psalm.

On the isle of Patmos, John found himself “in the Spirit” and projected to the “Day of the Lord” – Revelation 1:9-10 .  While exiled on  Patmos , John came to be “ in the spirit ” and found himself “ in the lordly day ” where he received visions about the churches of Asia. Though his visions concerned events that commenced in the first century, they also culminated in the final judgment, the “ Day of the Lord ” when the wicked are punished and the righteous vindicated.

In four separate passages,  Revelation  refers to a coming “ GREAT EARTHQUAKE ,” each time locating it on the day of “ wrath .” Chaos in the heavens and unimaginable seismic shifts on the earth will mark the arrival of the “ Day of the Lord ,” the Great Dénouement when God vindicates His people and punishes His enemies.