God is not willing that any should perish. God takes a moment of silence before making an end of earth, before causing the greatest death and destruction.

And how does it start? With the prayers of the saints. He’s not getting revenge for Himself. He’s not angry at how He’s been treated. God takes up the prayers of the saints and that’s how He’s stirred to begin.

The martyrs, in chapter 6, were pleading with the Lord. “How long until we are avenged?”

He does it for them. He does it because sin has to be wiped out before we can live in the fullness of His goodness. This is not yet the full end of sin, but we’re working our way there.

The final seal has been opened and it sets off a series of destructions.

Those destructions and desolations were sent from God. They were against the earth and sea.

Then demons are released to harm the people, those not sealed. God doesn’t plot evil against people, but He removes His protection and ordains boundaries for evil to do its work. It’s only ever serving His purposes.

There will be pain. There will be death.

The church doesn’t exist during this time. There is no one repenting. This isn’t those “left behind” who will then come to Christ. No one is coming to Christ. There is no repentance at this point. The last chance for repentance is during the “Days of Awe” between Christ’s return at the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement when fates are sealed.

This will all be happening, as planned, on God’s calendar.

The people suffering this wrath are those who have chosen to love their sin. They worship their idols. They have rejected the God who so loved them.

That’s not our future.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.