The Story Behind the Tribulation Panel of the Revelation of St. John

This is the Tribulation panel, the left panel of the Revelation of St. John tryptic, which depicts details of what is referred to as The Great Tribulation.

As I was studying to prepare for this composition, the troubling events listed one after the other seemed like a never-ending list of sadness. They were described without emotion, just a recounting of what St. John saw.

A book with seals in a hand extending from the throne of God is depicted in the Heavens, the far right panel of the Revelation painting. This left panel depicts what happens as those seals are opened, and the 4 horsemen coming down as they are described in Revelation Chapter 6. Each one of the horsemen had a particular kind of authority.

The first mentioned is the white horse, whose rider had a crown, and went out conquering. (6:2)

The second horse, the red horse is then mentioned after the breaking of the next seal. The rider of the red horse, shown to John with a great sword in his hand, was given authority to make war and take peace from the earth. (6:4)

The third seal was broken, and a black horse came with a rider who had a pair of scales in his hand, and famine broke out in the earth. (Rev. 6:5-6)

The fourth seal revealed an ashen horse, and the rider's name was Death (6:7-8). The fifth seal is described with martyrs, and the sixth, Terror, to complete the terrible sixth Chapter of the Book of Revelation.

There comes an Interlude after all this disaster, which is described in Chapter 7. Here St. John saw the 4 angels holding back the winds, so that no wind blew on the earth or the seas. This Tribulation panel has 1 of those 4 angels holding back the winds in the top left corner. He is darker than the "Wind Angels" on the other top corners, and has golden eyes. These 4 angels were instructed not to harm the earth until God's people were sealed.

Finally, the Seventh seal is opened to a half hour of total silence. (Rev. 8) Then seven trumpets were given to 7 angels, 6 of them depicted in this Tribulation panel. The angel with the 7th trumpet is on the center panel announcing the coming reign of Jesus Christ.

Each of the first 6 angels blew trumpets, resulting in terrifying periods of fire, plagues, and death for many of the the people of the earth. (Rev: 8-9)

As I was studying these difficult chapters, the question crossed my mind, why all this terror? Why all this loss of life? It was all so grievously sad for me to read.

Then I continued studying into Chapter 11 where Two Witnesses were given authority to preach God's word for 1260 days. It was at this point I understood. No one would listen to them. They were sent by God to give people a chance to turn their lives around. Instead, the Witnesses were killed while people celebrated. They didn't want God or His Word.

The Two Witnesses are mostly depicted in the center panel, and their figures continue to walk here where their feet can be seen beneath the bright Cadmium Red-colored clothing.

The goat is a depiction of people who are away from God. God's people are often depicted as sheep, yet God will declare His word to all in order that some might turn around and become part of His family, as I hope all who are reading are part of God's family, or willing to be.

There is a woman, Israel, described in the 12th chapter, who gave birth to a male child, Christ. She stands with a moon beneath her feet, and is described as being clothed with the sun (12:1). I used the purest Cadmium Yellow for her dress to depict being clothed with the sun.

The woman hid under Gods care for 1260 days, because the red dragon, Satan, sought to kill her Child. Below, the Archangel Michael is depicted warring with this red dragon, Satan, who has a frog in his mouth, one of 3, described as unclean spirits of demons performing signs. (Rev 16:13-14)

I have to say I enjoyed painting this dragon; particularly I enjoyed making the fangs and horns look like polished bone.

Chapter 13 describes these two beasts below, one coming up from the ground, and one from the sea. The Beast from the sea spoke blasphemies against God, and yet people worshiped him.

The second Beast, this one from the earth, directed people to worship the first one, and all people were given a mark on their hands and forehead, known commonly as "the Mark of the Beast."

Consider that Jesus, the One we know as having suffered for the sake of saving the world, is in Revelation Chapter 14 as a Reaper at the harvest of the whole earth. An angel gathered grapes with another sickle, grapes that are referred to as Grapes of Wrath.

The one thing that gives hope in the midst of all these visions of St. John is what is still coming after all this. The Beasts who misled the people of earth with false signs and lies were doomed to what is called The Lake of Fire. Satan, depicted as the red dragon with horns, will be bound for 1000 years where he can create no harm until he is finally, eternally, destroyed.

No matter what we now see, God, the King of the Universe, the Ruler of all, the Great Sovereign I Am, the One with all power, wins. There will be no more darkness nor tears, because He has ordained it from the beginning, thus we have hope, no matter what we see now. This celebration of the Heavens is described in my next blog coming soon.