Message 82：THE TWO HOURS RECORDED IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION:1) THE HOUR OF TRIAL/TEMPTATION, 2) THE HOUR OF JUDGMENT.
— Mark Chen December 2, 2015
Dearest brothers and sisters,
The Holy Spirit is prompting me to share a brief explanation regarding the symmetrical pattern that God has ordained for the 7-year Great Tribulation period, based on the Holy Scriptures. As always, please seek the Lord in prayer regarding what I am sharing here, and practise 2 Timothy 2:15.
The Holy Scriptures reveal to us that the 7 year Great Tribulation comprises two hours: the HOUR OF TRIAL (Revelation 3:10) and the HOUR OF JUDGMENT (Revelation 14:7). The Greek word hóra (Strong's 5610) is the same word used in Scriptures to denote the two HOURs I have highlighted here.
Here is the relevant entry in Strong's Greek Concordance:
5610 hṓra – properly, an hour; (figuratively) a finite "season"; limited time or opportunity to reach a goal (fulfill a purpose); a divinely pre-set time-period; a limited period to accomplish the Lord's specific purpose, i.e. "the hour" in which specific characteristics prevail exactly like that for a limited time.
In the context of the book of Revelation, both HOURs refer to the same fixed period of time because the word of God is consistent in a specific context. Since we know that the time of Great Tribulation begins post-6th Seal and it will last for 7 years (Daniel 9:27), we know that each HOUR in the context of these 7 years represent an equal 3.5 years.
Those of you who have read my previous posts on the 3 Raptures/Harvests of the saints of Christ may remember that they are indicated as follows:
1) Barley Harvest (Bride of Christ and the Wedding Guests),
2) Wheat Harvest (Left behind saints),
3) Grape Harvest (Prodigal children of God).
Here's a quick reminder to refer to God's Word for an overview of the sequence of these 3 Soul Harvests, along with the two HOURs of Revelation.
1) Matthew 24:6-14, Luke 21:10-19
Birth Pains of The World (where we are now) -->
2) Revelation 6:12-17, Matthew 24:29
The Day of The Lord Begins (6th Seal Judgment) -->
(A) Isaiah 60:1-3, Isaiah 61:1-3, Matthew 24:14
3 Days of Darkness, Confirmation and Transfiguration of Christ's Chosen Bride, Training and Equipping, Great Soul Harvest
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(B) Revelation 7:9-17, 1 Thess 4:15-17
Barley Harvest (Bride of Christ: both living & deceased saints, and the Wedding Guests) -->
3) Revelation 3:10
The HOUR OF TRIAL/TEMPTATION -Refining of Lukewarm, Left Behind Believers
(first 3.5 years of the 7-year Great Tribulation: comprises the 7th Seal and the 7 Trumpet Judgments of God) -->
4) Revelation 14:14-16
Wheat Harvest (Left behind saints who rededicate themselves fully to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, both living and dead) -->
5) Revelation 14:7
The HOUR OF GOD'S JUDGMENT- Gleaning of Good Grapes Left On The Vine
(second 3.5 years of the 7-year Great Tribulation: comprises the 7 Bowls/Vials of God's Wrath) -->
6) Revelation 19:11- Revelation 20:3
End of Great Tribulation, Commencement of Christ's Millennial Kingdom -->
7) Revelation 20:4-6
Grape Harvest (Prodigal children of God who come to saving faith, repentance and obedience in Christ Jesus during the HOUR OF GOD'S JUDGMENT: only pertains to the resurrection of the dead Grape Christians; those alive will enter the Millennium of Christ as His sheep ~ see Matthew 25: 31-40) -->
8) Revelation 20:4, Isaiah 65:17-25
Miilennial Reign of King Jesus Christ and His Elect Saints In A Restored Earth (NOT the Post-Millenium New Jerusalem).
I had already pointed out that Revelation 14:14-16 describes the Wheat Harvest (Rev 7:9-14 is the Barley Harvest), and we see that it occurs after the 7th Trumpet (Revelation 11:15-19) and before the 1st Bowl (Revelation 16:1-2). This places the Wheat Harvest basically at the midpoint of the 7-year Great Tribulation, after the HOUR OF TRIAL ends, and before the HOUR OF JUDGMENT begins.
With regards to the two HOURs in the 7-year Great Tribulation I had mentioned earlier, let me elaborate further why it is biblical to say that the Wheat Harvest must come after the end of the first HOUR, ie. The HOUR OF TRIAL (Rev 3:10). Please permit me to refer to the agricultural cycles of ancient Israel, in order to elaborate on this. We all know that the crops in each cycle are harvested only at the end of the planting and growth cycle, and not during it.
Similarly, the Wheat Christians (ie. lukewarm believers who are left behind) can only be harvested at the END of the Wheat cycle of growth and sanctification in Christ Jesus through the HOUR OF TRIAL coming upon the earth (see Revelation 14:14-16 again). God isn't going to prematurely harvest these Wheat Christians based on some believers' mistaken assumption that He must do so shortly (50 days) after the Barley Harvest ( ie. entire Bridal group, including 144,000 and the Wedding Guests).
This mistaken notion is based on Leviticus 23:15-17, which indicates that the wheat is to be harvested 50 days after the presentation of the barley sheaf wave offering. However, we need to also consider the New Testament passages such as the two HOURs I have pointed to in the book of Revelation, which unlike the book of Leviticus, deals directly and completely only with the matter of the end times.
While we are guided by important revelations in the Old Testament, we must also remember to consider carefully the evidence presented in the New Testament, which in certain contexts (such as the timing of the Wheat Soul Harvest), can give us a clearer and more complete understanding of God's end-time plan.
May the Lord bless you with greater clarity in understanding the symmetry of His end-time plan, with 3 Raptures/Harvests of the saints to mark the beginning, middle and end of the 7-year Great Tribulation respectively, and with the first HOUR planted between the Barley and Wheat Harvests, and the second HOUR placed between the Wheat and Grape Harvests.
Certainly, our God is a God of order (1 Cor 14:33a), and that applies to the chronological sequence of events in the design of His end-time Judgments and the Rapture of His saints as well.
HALLELUJAH!
In Christ,
Mark Chen
Revelation 3:10 (NKJV)
10 "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth."
Revelation 14:6-7 (NKJV)
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”