November 3rd

If the prophet Isaiah had owned a car, it would have been a 1969 Dodge Charger. the phrase “straightening the curves, flattening the hills,” occurs in the theme music to the iconic TV show from the 1980s, The Dukes of Hazard. The sentiment was applied to the car that Bo and Luke Duke drove on their many law-evading adventures.

The sentiment comes from one of Isaiah’s prophesies about the Millennial Kingdom. The events which lead up to the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom, the Tribulation, are recorded in several places in scripture. They are summarized in three different versions within the book of Revelation alone. These are not accounts of three separate events. We have to approach all Bible study with a reverential fear because the last thing we want to do is bend or distort the meaning to fit our agenda, and thereby possibly lead people astray. There are stern warnings about this.

As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

(2 Peter 3:16) KJV

We’ve been using deductive reasoning throughout the development of Matty’s Paradigm and allowing the scripture to teach us what it means, rather than attempting to make it mean what we want. This approach it’s how we can come to the conclusion that the book of Revelation has three overlapping accounts of the plagues of the tribulation.

The three accounts in Revelation are hierarchical in nature. Opening the 7 seals triggers specific events. Opening the sixth seal is what causes the 7 trumpets to be sounded. As each trumpet is sounded a vial, or bowl of wrath, is poured out. Sounding the first trumpet is the signal to pour out the first vial. Sounding the second trumpet is the signal to open the second vial, etc.

The Tribulation in Revelation

1. Revelation 6:12-17, the 6th seal, is a broad synopsis of what will take place.
2. Revelation 8-11, the 7 trumpets, is from a heavenly view point.
3. Revelation 16, the 7 bowls/vials of wrath, is from an earthly view point.

An account of these same events is given to us in several other places:

The Tribulation Elsewhere is Scripture

• Isaiah 2
• Isaiah 5
• Isaiah 11
• Isaiah 13
• Isaiah 18
• Isaiah 24
• Isaiah 25
• Isaiah 26
• Isaiah 27
• Isaiah 28
• Isaiah 30
• Isaiah 34
• Isaiah 40
• Isaiah 42
• Isaiah 54
• Isaiah 66
• Daniel 2
• Joel 2
• Joel 3
• Zechariah 14

Something that helps to understand this prophecy is the structure of Revelation chapter 8. It begins with the opening of the 7th seal (vs. 1-5). It is quite natural to assume that the next part of the chapter is what happened next. However, it is in fact a recounting of what has already taken place, but from a different point of view.

We began analyzing the accounts in Revelation in 2003. It’s a little surprising how far we got with it back then, and it’s been incredibly helpful as a starting point for the most recent version. This work is the present state of our understanding. Here’s our work so far summarizing the scripture which has to incorporated into our model.