Tribulation – Page 4 – Insights into Bible Prophecy

ISLE OF PATMOS

May 13, 2020February 25, 2021 David R Maas

SYNOPSIS – John was exiled on Patmos for his testimony, therefore, he was a “fellow participant” in the Tribulation, Kingdom, and Perseverance “in Jesus” – Revelation 1:9.

Patmos is a small island in the Aegean Sea approximately ninety kilometers west of the city of Ephesus – Eleven kilometers long by seven kilometers wide. It is one of the smaller islands of the Sporades, an archipelago off the west coast of Asia Minor. Roman literature from the imperial period identifies this island chain as a place for the exile of political offenders – (Tacitus, Ann. iii. 68; iv. 30; v. 71).

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Patmos, Seven Churches, Tribulation

FELLOW-PARTICIPANT IN THE KINGDOM

December 12, 2019October 5, 2021 David R Maas

Exiled to the isle of Patmos, John was a “fellow-participant” in the tribulation and endurance with the churches of Asia – Revelation 1:9.

At the start of the first vision, Revelation introduces John, who was exiled to the isle of Patmos for the “testimony of Jesus.” Rather than point to his apostolic credentials, he identified himself with the plight of the “seven churches of Asia.” Although isolated on the small island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, he was a “fellow-participant” with the “churches” in the “tribulation and endurance in Jesus.”

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Babylon, Martyrs

GREAT HARLOT REVEALED

October 7, 2019December 20, 2021 David R Maas

Babylon is revealed as a bejeweled harlot dripping with the shed blood of martyred saints – Revelation 17:1-6.

In chapter 17, Revelation presents the impressive figure of “Babylon.” She is labeled “harlot” and identified as the “great city,” and she is responsible for the deaths of the martyrs. “Babylon” is also closely associated with the deceptions and economic power of the “Beast.” In her, the book’s first audience would see the city of Rome.

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Tribulation, Wrath

APPOINTED FOR TRIBULATION

October 5, 2019February 19, 2022 David R Maas

His disciples escape God’s “wrath” but endure “tribulation” to which they have been “appointed” – 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4.

In the New Testament, the terms “tribulation” and “wrath” are NOT synonymous. “Tribulation” is what disciples endure for the sake of Jesus, but “wrath” is the horrific fate awaiting the wicked at the “end of the age,” the “second death,” which unrepentant sinners and apostates endure on account of their iniquities and betrayals.

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Church, Tribulation

AN ABSENT CHURCH?

March 28, 2019November 26, 2021 David R Maas

In its entirety, Revelation is a message for, to, and about the church, the people of God, and concerns its situation on the earth – Revelation 4:1-3.

After Jesus finished dictating his letters to the “seven churches,” John saw an “open door in heaven” and heard the trumpet-like voice from his first vision summoning him to “come up here.” Next, he found himself standing before the “throne set in heaven.” Does this image symbolize the physical removal of the church from the earth prior to the rest of the remaining visions of the book?

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