Major Events & Jewish Feasts in Revelation
There are ten major events in Revelation, the last book of the New Testament. They are related to the Jewish marriage analogy (as explained in another hub article) and all have a part in bringing the Lamb and His new wife, the bride of Christ, into a new eternal life together.
The major events of Revelation accomplish these things:
- The Lamb, having given His life, is given the contract enabling Him to fetch His bride.
- Christ's victorious bride and those who reject Him are harvested and earth is destroyed.
- Then there is the marriage feast.
- The Lamb as the King of all Kings having conquered the deceivers reigns with His saints, to then bring an end to Satan and all the unrepentant.
- A new heaven and earth is made for the King and His wife to finally dwell together in the eternal kingdom.
The ten major events that I identify in Revelation are listed as follows.
Major Events in Chronological Order
- The Lamb earns the contract (5:5-7)
- “birth pangs’ and Tribulation (6 and 8:1-6)
- “Day” of God’s wrath and reaping of earth's harvest (8:7-12; 16:1-9)
- God’s full anger at Armageddon (9:1-13; 16:10-21)
- Marriage feast of The Lamb and His bride (19:6-9)
- King of Kings with His army conquers the Beast nations and False Prophet (19:11-21)
- Messiah's Millennial reign co-ruled by His saints (20:4-6)
- Released Satan deceives nations then is thrown into Lake of Fire (20:7-10)
- The dead not in the book of life thrown in Lake of Fire with Death and Hades (20:11-15)
- New heaven and earth, and new Jerusalem descends from God like a bride (21:1-22:5)
The events numbered 2-4 represent the separate visions of the series of Seals, Trumpets and Vials. These events John sees in separate visions are foreshadowed by the traditional Jewish fall feasts, which I expand on in Jewish Fall Feasts Reflected in Revelation.
Connecting the many events in Revelation
The Seals
The series of seven Seals found in Revelation 6 and 8, rather than the exacting of judgment, are a category of events meant to awaken those yet unaware, like a warning. These are called "birth pangs" (event number 2 in the above list of ten major events.)
The Seals reflect Christ's message to the churches in Revelation chapters 2-3; to hold on during those 'birth pangs' with repentant hearts and remain faithful. This is like a Jewish bride keeping ready and watchful.
The Trumpets and Vials
The series of Trumpets and Vials in Revelation are referred to in the list of major events as "Day" of God's wrath and God's full anger; 3-4 in the above list of major events.
First Fall Feast
The Jewish Feast of Trumpets depicts a sequence of warnings that the last chance to repent has come. These warnings are given in the form of plagues affection 1/3 of the earth that gradually increase in severity. Full judgment is yet delayed to allow a chance for repentance.
Reaping Earth's Harvest
It is in these events where God's judgment is enacted. Once God's Trumpet judgments are poured out, earth's harvest is reaped, in Revelation 14. The reaping is is of two harvests, done by Christ seated on a cloud (14:14) and by the angel of fire (14:18). The reaping is that of "grain" (like the wheat in Matthew 13:30) , and the gathering of "grapes" which are thrown outside the city to receive the full anger of God's wrath, the Vials.
Second Fall Feast
The Jewish feasts of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, represents an offering by fire to find mercy and salvation. The remains of the offering is burned outside the city. This foreshadows a purging by fire; the fire of Christ's death providing salvation and the fire of God's wrath upon those who do not accept such salvation. "It is believed to be the last chance to change God’s judgement on your deeds."
Purging by tribulation
This indicates that in the midst of God's judgment, after the series of Trumpet judgments, there are both those being saved from final wrath (the grain harvest) and those who are not (the grape harvest.) This purging by tribulation allows for a change by anyone towards repentance and salvation, before God's full wrath is poured out—the Vials.
Throughout the series of seven Trumpets, there is still a chance to repent and not meet the fate of the grapes—the Vials of the full wrath of God.
God's full wrath on the unrepentant
After the 6th Trumpet, no one is else will repent (9:20). When the 7th Trumpet blows and the repentent are taken up (the grain harvest), the Vials of God's full anger are then poured out. By the time of the 4th Vial, in 16:11, it is clear that all who remain are unrepentant.
Third Fall Feast
The Feast of Tabernacles is the third of the traditional Jewish fall feasts. This feast foreshadows the final day when the saved will dwell with God himself, living eternally through His life-giving water.
Remainder of major events
After the three major events of the series of Seals, Trumpets and Vials come the majority of the other major events in Revelation. These events bring about the full reign of Christ as King, shared by His saints, and then the new earth, heaven and Jerusalem where they will eternally reside.
I look at other key events in Revelation in following hub articles. These build towards a one-page summary event-line of Revelation.
© 2011 Deidre Shelden