As the oceans belched ‘liquid gold’, death decimated thousands of marine creatures! Beautiful beaches became disfigured by a slow, hazardous advancement of black crude, and livelihoods were scuttled by gushing, black oil from the deep!

Without doubt, the BP oil spill was an environmental nightmare! But earth and its inhabitants have not remotely begun to confront environmental calamities – catastrophes of unimaginable proportion. God’s Divine Word forewarns of a seven-year tribulation that presents earth and its inhabitants with unfathomable judgments, which the Almighty Creator Himself unleashes. These judgments, The Seven Seals, The Seven Trumpets and Seven Vials, found in the Bible’s book of Revelation, chapters 6, 8, 9, 11 and 16, will be leveled on humanity during this seven-year period; meted out on a world of remorseless sinners!

The Seven Seals: Peace treaties will fall by the wayside, war will increase, famine will escalate food prices, death will lay claim to one quarter of the world’s existing population, and wild animals will ravage man. Those who turn to Jesus Christ during the tribulation period will face martyrdom (Revelation 6:9-11). Those who continue to reject The Lord will witness catastrophic devastation as solar and lunar volatility shakes both heaven and earth! “…a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood: And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth…” (Revelation 8:1)

The Seven Trumpets: God’s righteous wrath continues! Hail and fire mixed with blood pelt the earth and one-third of the trees and all green grass are consumed by fire. Something akin to a huge mountain falls into the sea, causing a third of the sea to become blood, bringing with it death for one-third of marine life. One-third of the ships will be destroyed. A giant star falls to earth, ruining one-third of all fresh water, and as the fourth trumpet sounds, the sun, moon and stars dim as the world’s light is reduced by one-third. Demons from a bottomless pit, and vicious locust, will yield great torment and unbearable pain on all unregenerate mankind. (Revelation 9:1-6)

As the sixth trumpet sounds, four demons kill one-third of all humanity, yet man still rebels! “And the rest of the en which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands…” (Revelation 9:20)

The Seven Vials: A pause comes, and then the seventh trumpet sounds, releasing the seven vials. Hideous and painful sores will plague man, and the sea becomes as red as the “blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea.” (Revelation 16:3) As the next three vials are poured out, the rivers and springs turn to blood, and the sun produces such heat as to “scorch men with fire.” (Revelation 16:8-9). A terrifying darkness will fill the land, and people will gnaw their tongues in fear (Revelation 16:10)! But the horrors aren’t over yet! The Euphrates River will dry up preparing the way for the Battle of Armageddon and an unparalleled, worldwide earthquake, accompanied with 114 pound hailstones, will fall upon man! (Revelation 16:12-21)

WARNING! Do not deny the inevitability of these prophesied events! God’s dealings with the sinners of Noah’s day, Egypt during Israel’s captivity and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are but sneak peeks into God’s wrath, and according to God’s Word, the worst is yet to come! “For then (second half of tribulation) there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21-22)

As humanity draws ever closer to God’s final retribution, are we looking for the Rapture (I Thessalonians 4:13-18), and eagerly anticipating His Second Coming (Matthew 24:299-31), knowing that we will spend eternity in His divine presence? Or are we foolishly standing in staunch rebellion, cursing God, denying His plan of salvation, and reveling in ungodliness, thus guaranteeing torment in the eternal Lake of Fire? (Revelation 21:8)

“The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1) and we are its stewards (Psalm 8:6-8), and, while “greening-out” is a worthy endeavor, it is utterly useless for those who continually reject Jesus Christ! Because as the seals open, the trumpets blow and the vials flow, an eternity of unending damnation is just beginning for the unbeliever! “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth…” (II Thessalonians 2:12a)

Nancy Hamilton