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Lesson Five -- The Seven Year Kingdom of Death
Death will certainly meet its end in the day of qiyamat, but
before that finally happens, death will seem to stand strong
for one last time. Just before returns to earth out
of the skies, there will be a seven-year period worse than any
other time in the history of mankind. During that time, death
will seem to reign supreme on this earth, so that it can be called
the "seven-year kingdom of death". In the holy
it is written,
For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the
beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again.
If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but
for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Holy
, Matthew 24:21,22)
Prophet Isa said that if this future time of great trouble
would be allowed to continue, not even one person would escape
the clutches of death; all would perish! For this reason, Allah
will limit it to seven years duration (see Daniel 7:25; 9:27;
12:7; Revelation 11:2,3; 12:6,14; 13:5).
But why will Allah allow this terrible time to happen on earth?
The holy Scriptures reveal two main purposes for this unprecedented
time of distress -- judgment and mercy. It is not difficult to
understand that the time of great trouble will be a judgment
from Allah on a sinful world. The holy says, "Fear
Allah, and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
come." (Revelation 14:7). But how can such terrible events
be described as mercy from Allah? Even in the midst of these
judgments, people will have opportunity to repent of their sins
and turn to the Lord. One particular instance shows how that
great catastrophe in that future time of trouble will encourage
people to turn to Allah,
At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth
of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the
earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to
the God of heaven. (Holy , Revelation 11:13)
This is a severe mercy, but mercy nonetheless if it results
in repentance. The holy scriptures often mention the seven year
period as two periods of three-and-one-half years. If you look
at the references given, sometimes they say "3 1/2 years",
sometimes "42 months", and sometimes "1,260 days".
These all mean the same length of time, that is, 3 1/2 years
according to a lunar calendar.
The great event marking the end of the Great Trouble will
be the return of to earth. But the time of Great Trouble
itself will be marked by death and destruction on this earth.
The Holy speaks of three series of terrible calamities
associated with the Great Trouble. These three series are known
as the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Bowls.
The last section of the , known as Revelation, speaks in
great detail concerning these things (see Revelation 6-16).
The Seven Seals - (Holy , Revelation 6:1-17; 8:1)
Beginning in Revelation chapter 6 of the Holy ,
called by the title of "the Lamb" (cf. Holy ,
John 1:36), opens a seven-sealed book. As he opens each successive
seal, something important happens relating to Allah's anger in
the end times. As Isa opens the fourth seal look at what happens:
I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was
named Death, and the Grave was following close behind him. They were
given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine
and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. (Holy ,
Revelation 6:8)
The judgment of the seven seals is the least severe of the
three series of seven judgments. Even still, it is so terrible
that one quarter of the world's population does not survive.
The other seals result in calamaties such as international aggression
and conquest, war, famine and rationing, religious persecution
and martyrdom, and physical disturbances on earth and in the
sky. Look at the sixth seal:
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake.
The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole
moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth,
as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain
and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the
earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every
slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of
the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall
on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne
and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath
has come, and who can stand?" (Holy , Revelation 6:12-17)
A terrifying scene is painted for us of heaven and earth being
shaken as a sign that the day of Allah's anger has arrived. Hundreds
of years before the holy was revealed, Allah spoke similar
words through the prophet Joel:
I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood
and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of Allah. And everyone who calls on the name of Allah will be saved...(Book of the Prophets, Joel 2:30-32)
It can be seen that the seven seals are only the beginning
of Allah's judgment in the seven years of great trouble. What
follows may be much worse. But notice that even in judgment Allah
shows mercy and calls us to repentance. He says, "everyone
who calls on the name of Allah will be saved". Allah
wants to save all men from their sins. Not only that, but he
promises to save anyone who calls on him as this verse states.
This means that it is possible to be sure of having all your
sins forgiven. This is not presumption or blasphemy. It is simply
believing Allah's promise.
The Seven Trumpets - (Holy , Revelation 8:2-9:21;
11:15-19)
The opening of the seventh seal issues ultimately in the blowing
of seven trumpets. As each trumpet is blown by a holy angel,
a new judgment falls upon the earth. Some of the events that
occur at that time include the following:
*destruction of 1/3 of all vegetation, trees, and farmland
*1/3 of all oceans turned to blood and 1/3 of sealife dies
*1/3 of all fresh water poisoned, many people die
*sunlight and moonlight diminished by 1/3
*plague of locusts to torture men for five months, people will
want to die and cannot
*earthquake and great hailstorm
Although all the judgments are severe, the blowing of the
sixth trumpet is especially bad:
The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming
from the horns of the golden altar that is before Allah. It said
to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four
angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And
the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and
day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.
The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard
their number. (Holy , Part 27, Revelation 9:13-16)
Just as in the judgment of the seven seals, much destruction
and death will take place. In the sixth trumpet judgment, 1/3
of all people will die! If you add up the number of deaths from
the fourth seal and the sixth trumpet you find that half of all
people on earth have died! The fourth seal takes one quarter.
The sixth trumpet takes one third of the three quarters which
remain. That leaves only two quarters or one half. If the world
population at the time will be eight billion, then four billion
will meet death as a result of those two judgments alone! Although
this particular judgment is the result of the release of four
evil angels, the actual killing will be accomplished by a huge
army of 200 million human soldiers! People who live during the
"seven-year kingdom of death" will be no strangers
to war.
The Seven Bowls - (Holy , Revelation 15:1-16:21)
With the series of judgments called the seven bowls, Allah's
anger against the people of the earth will be finished. The seven
bowls are much more severe than the judgments of the seals or
the trumpets. Some of the curses resulting from the seven bowls
are:
*ugly and painful sores on followers of
*intense heat and burning from the sun
*plague of darkness on kingdom of
*worst ever earthquake in history
*all mountains flattened
*every island submerged
*huge hailstones weighing more than one mon
The second and third bowls affect all water on the earth,
whether fresh or salt:
The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned
into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in
the sea died. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers
and springs of water, and they became blood. (Holy , Revelation
16:3-4)
Obviously, if no good drinking water is available, many people
will become ill or perish. But this is only preparatory to greater
trouble coming later. Look at the sixth bowl:
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates
and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from
the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs...They
are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go
out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle
on the great day of Allah Almighty. Then they gathered the kings
together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. (Holy
, Part 27, Revelation 16:12-14,16)
This refers to a terrible battle in the Middle East before
Prophet Isa will return from heaven. Armies will gather from
all over the world to fight. World War I and II will seem small
in comparison to this war. The Scriptures tell us that there
will be so much human blood spilled that it will be several feet
deep and extend to a distance of almost 200 miles (see Holy ,
Revelation 14:20)! We can only thank Allah that the words of
Prophet are true that "those days will be shortened".
Even in the midst of Allah's judgment of sin, he shows mercy
by not destroying mankind completely. When we consider how hard
Allah's judgment on sin will be, we should also consider how
terrible our sins are and how corrupt our hearts are. Then we
should cry out to Allah to guide us into the path by which we
may be made clean and holy in his sight. We have already learned
that Allah wants to save us from our sins, but we must truly
want to be saved from our sins as well. Like Prophet (pbuh)
before us, we can pray:
Have mercy on me, O Allah, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know
my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you,
you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when
you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time
my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner
parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with
hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than
snow. ( 51:1-7)
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QUESTIONS: -- Choose the most correct answers
1. Just before returns to earth
a. conditions will
be very good
b. there will be a time
of great trouble on the earth
c. most
people will want to become followers of Isa
2. The time of great trouble will be
a. seven years in
duration
b. seven hours
c. seven days
d. seven
months
3. The time of great trouble will come so that
a. people learn how
to live in times of trouble
b. Allah can judge sin
and extend mercy to all who turn to him
c. people
appreciate the good times
4. Many details about the future time of great trouble are
found in the
a. Zabur of Prophet
b. Taurat of
Prophet Musa
c. book of Revelation, found in the holy Injil
5. During the great trouble, the number of people killed due
to war, disease and natural disaster will be
a. everyone alive
at that time
b. not very many
c.
one quarter of mankind
d. over
one half of mankind
6. Knowing that Allah will judge sin should motivate us to
a. to wish we were
dead
b. hate Allah
c. hide our sin
d. cry out
to Allah for mercy
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