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Let’s
summarize what has happened so far. The
Tribulation, the last 7 years of man’s history, began with the opening of the
first 5 judgment seals from God. The 1st
seal was the antichrist starting his military and political campaign to subjugate
the governments of the world under his authority. The 2nd seal was violence erupting
around the globe. The 3rd
seal was worldwide famine. The 4th was death around the earth at a
catastrophic scale. And the 5th
seal was the mass martyrdom of Christians.
And I suggested that these seal judgments are unleashed during the 1st
half of the Tribulation and that the remaining judgments don’t start until the
last 3 ½ years, called the “Great Tribulation.”
By the way,
I don’t know if you are aware of this, but some people believe that the rapture
of the church comes here in the order of events. In other words, they say that the 1st
5 seals are opened during the 1st 3 ½ years, then the Church is
removed, or raptured before the last 3 ½ years; the Great Tribulation. They believe in a mid-tribulation rapture. Why
do they think that? Well, there are
several reasons, but one is that as we study the book of Revelation, at this
point in the story, after the 144,000 are marked for protection, the following
scene is described in heaven.
Revelation 7: 9 After this
I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count,
from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the
throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were
holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they
cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our
God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 All
the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the
four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the
throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen!
Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and
strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” 13 Then
one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did
they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he
said, “These are they who
have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, “they
are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and
he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 ‘Never
again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat
down on them,’[a] nor any scorching heat. 17 For
the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them
to springs of living water.’[b] ‘And God will wipe away every
tear from their eyes.’[c]”
They say
that this great multitude of people are the raptured Church, pulled out of the
earth just before the last 3 ½ years.
Well, the
text doesn’t say they are raptured, or “caught away.” It says they “have come out of the great
tribulation.” I think that they are a
multitude of Christians who are martyred at the removing of the 5th
seal. Christian martyrdom on a worldwide
scale. That’s what concludes the first 3
½ years.
So, last
time I told you about certain things that happen at the start of the “Great
Tribulation;” The last 3 ½ years of the 7- year Tribulation.
The Rise of Babylonian
Religious System, God Marking the Saints for protection, The Abomination of
Desolation, Israel’s flight into the wilderness, Satan cast down to the earth,
2 witnesses sent by God to proclaim judgment
We won’t
revisit all of those. But once those
things happen, then another wave of God’s judgment comes against the world. And keep in mind that the nation of Israel,
and the city of Jerusalem is going to be the epicenter of activity. The antichrist’s image is there, and thus, it
is the hub of the new monetary system.
The Jewish people have escaped Jerusalem and fled to the wilderness. I think the two witnesses will be “stationed”
in Israel, so they can directly address the kingdom of the antichrist. Revelation tells us that at the end of the
Great Tribulation, the antichrist will succeed in killing these two witnesses,
and their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 days. So, their prophetic work seems to be centered
in Jerusalem.
So, now
starts the next wave of judgment, the 7 trumpets.
Now, I want
to warn you about something. We are
going into several chapters in Revelation describing judgment upon judgement
upon judgment. And it’s easy, at this
point to get lost in the details. You’ll
find yourself drifting, and then saying, “Hold on, which judgment are we
on?” But if that happens to you, just
remember, it’s all bad stuff. If you
lose track, say, “It’s all bad stuff. We
just talked about bad stuff, we are now describing bad stuff. What happens next? Bad stuff.” We don’t have to understand it all to
understand the whole thing.
7
TRUMPETS
Event: 1st trumpet
Scripture:
Revelation 8: And when he had opened
the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God;
and to them were given seven trumpets.
7 The
first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and
they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and
all green grass was burnt up.
This plague seems
self-explanatory. It is very similar
to the plague against Egypt. In Egypt
the plague was hail and fire, possibly meaning lightening.
Exodus 9: 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to
rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. 19 Therefore
send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in
the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which
is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”
20 He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his
servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21 But
he who did not regard the word of the Lord left
his servants and his livestock in the field.
22 Then the Lord said
to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail
in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field,
throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 And Moses
stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and
fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained
hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail,
and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in
all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And
the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in
the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field
and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the
land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was
no hail.
The difference with this Tribulation
plague is that it is hail and fire mingled with blood. And this is a worldwide event, it is not
confined to a single city. There is no specified announcement that the plague
is coming, so the blood may be all the death from the hail. And it also describes a third of trees
burned up, and all green grass burned up.
So, the fire, or lightening causes significant worldwide damage and
death.
Event: 2nd trumpet
Scripture:
Revelation 8: 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a
great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of
the sea became blood;
2nd
trumpet explained
If
we look for a natural explanation, this could describe an asteroid, or comet
striking in one of the earth’s oceans.
Now, it says that 1/3 of the oceans become blood. I think this could
be literal blood, but I have no problem with believing the sea will be
contaminated by debris from an asteroid that breaks apart and causes a third
of the oceans to take on a blood red appearance. The result of that catastrophe is the death
of 1/3 of sea life, the destruction of 1/3 of ocean vessels.
Event: 3rd
trumpet
Scripture:
Revelation 8: 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a
great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third
part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And
the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters
became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made
bitter.
3rd trumpet explained
This is another heavenly body, like an asteroid, that falls to
the earth. Why did John describe this
one as a star, and the last one as a burning mountain? It is probably as simple as its appearance
to him. The last one looked more like
a mountain on fire, and maybe this one was so engulfed in flame and magma,
that its brightness reminded John of a star.
Now this one doesn’t fall into the ocean, it falls on the rivers and
springs, or the surface of the land, and throws up dust that pollutes 1/3 of
the water supply. Now, we can imagine
polluting 1/3 of the ocean water with a single asteroid, but how does a
single asteroid pollute 1/3 of the rivers and springs?
Well, two things could be in play here; #1 This “asteroid” may
break apart as it enters the atmosphere, and thus impact a larger area. # 2 An asteroid hitting an area of land
would cause a crater unlike any we’ve seen, and would throw dirt and material
back into the atmosphere. Whatever
this “star” was made of would also break apart and be carried by the winds to
places around the world.
It tells us here that whatever effect this “star” had, it pollutes
the rivers and springs that poisons the water, and a great number of people
die from drinking them.
Event: 4th trumpet
Scripture:
Revelation 8: 12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third
part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third
part of the stars; so the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone
not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
4th trumpet
This is a judgment of darkness.
At first reading you may think that it is describing a reduction in
daylight hours. If the sun is normally out for 12 hours, during this time it
would be out for 9. But, with a closer look, it seems to be describing a
reduction in the brightness of the sun, moon and stars. I think it is caused
by dust thrown up into the atmosphere. This may be the result of the 2
asteroids of the 2nd and 3rd trumpet. They would throw a great deal of dust into
the atmosphere which would reduce the amount of sunshine and moonlight in
luminescence by 1/3. It may also be
that because that dust would affect the weather, that there would be
increased cloud cover around the world.
This again reminds me of how Jesus described this time in Luke
21:
25 There will be signs in the sun, moon, and
stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of
the sea and the waves; 26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of
the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will
be shaken.
Event: 5th trumpet
Scripture:
Revelation 9: And
the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth:
and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And
he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the
smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of
the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the
smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions
of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them
that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing,
neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their
foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should
not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their
torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it;
and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And
the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their
heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of
men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and
their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had
breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings
was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And
they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and
their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they
had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in
the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes
more hereafter.
5th trumpet
5th trumpet explained
Now, as we look at this interpretation, I need to explain again
how I approach the book of Revelation.
First, I take it as literally as is possible. That means that if John says there was
“smoke,” I believe that he sees what we know as “smoke.” I don’t spiritualize “smoke” to mean
spiritual darkness, or whatever comes out of my own mind.
But second, I try to imagine these things as natural
phenomenon. In other words, I imagine
them as things that actually happen.
Third, we have to also account for the supernatural world; that world
that we can’t see with our eyes.
That being said, when we get to this passage, it is more
difficult to imagine this as something we already know.
John is describing an angel that opens the abyss, the bottomless
pit, and releases monsters on the earth.
It even describes their appearance.
So, if I apply all three principles; taking things literally,
and as natural phenomenon, but understanding that there is a spiritual world
that we can’t see, this is how I would interpret this event.
This passage begins by saying that “a star” that had fallen to
earth, and that “he” opens the abyss. Now
remember that last time we talked about Satan being cast down to the earth. This kind of reminds me of passages
describing the fall of Satan.
Isaiah 14:12 12 How you have fallen from heaven, shining one, son of the
dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!
This could be Satan himself, when he is finally blasted to
the surface of the earth. I suggested last
time that at the middle point of the Tribulation, we have all God’s angels
assembled for the protection of the living saints, and all the demonic, or
fallen angels are assembled ready to destroy God’s people, and there is war
in the heavens.
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in
heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought and his angels,
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was
cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the
whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him.
Now this is not likely a war that we see happening. It is between spiritual beings. But it says that God’s angels win the war,
and the dragon is cast to the earth. By
the way, angels are sometimes called stars in Scripture.
Job 38:6-8 Whereupon are the foundations thereof
fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 Or
who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out
of the womb?
Isaiah
14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of
the congregation, in the sides of the north:
So, this star, or angel falls to the earth, and is given the key
to the abyss. This could be
Satan. 3 questions; What is the abyss,
where is the abyss, and why are there these monsters there?
What is the abyss? In the KJV and some translations it is called
the bottomless pit which is a good and bad translation all at once. “Bottomless” It is the place of
destruction.
From Biblegateway
ABYSS (ἄβυσσος, G12, originally an adjective meaning bottomless,
unfathomable, then a noun signifying a deep place). KJV trs.
it “the deep” in Luke 8:31 and Romans 10:7, “bottomless” in Revelation 9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17:8 and 20:1, 3. RSV transliterates it
as “abyss” in Luke and Romans, and trs. it “bottomless” [pit] throughout
Revelation.
Classical writers used the word to describe things so deep or
great as to be without measure, such as pools, fountains, and wealth. It
occurs frequently in the LXX, usually translating the Heb. תְּהﯴם, H9333, to
signify the great ocean depths (e.g. Ps 33:7; 107:26). In Genesis 1:2 it also
represents תְּהﯴם, H9333,
referring to the primeval sea.
In Hel. times the concept of the underworld was suitably
expressed by the same word. Its application in Luke 8:31 to the place to
which the demons are loath to go, is understandable. Some see a connection
with the spirit prison described in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, though the word
“abyss” is not used. Care is necessary, of course, lest non-Christian
concepts of the underworld govern the interpretation of the NT. It refers to
the state or place of Christ in death (Rom 10:7). (Deut 30:12 f., from which
the v. is adapted has the word יָם, H3542, “sea.”)
The passages in Revelation describe the abyss as an abode of
evil beings. In Revelation 9:1-12 evil creatures,
whose king is “Destroyer,” proceed from the pit. The abyss is also mentioned
in Revelation 17:8 as the place from
which the beast who bears the harlot Babylon arises. It is the location of
Satan’s confinement for one thousand years (20:1, 3). The varied uses of
the term in Jewish, pagan and Christian lit. have in common the idea of an
immense and terrifying place, though the specific applications differ
according to context.
In this context, the abyss seems to be the holding place for
fallen angels.
2nd question
Why are there “monsters” there?
You say, “Hold on, aren’t all the fallen angels roaming around
the world?” Well, there are some
verses that tell us otherwise.
Jude 1:6 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate,
but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Now, this is a huge subject/can of worms to
open. But suffice it to say this. Satan, and all of the angels who rebelled
against God thousands of years ago, were thrown out of heaven. They were confined to outer space, the
atmosphere around the earth, and on the earth’s surface. That’s where they’ve been since that
original fall.
But, some of the angels, did something more that was especially
sinful, so they were confined to the abyss.
They have been there since the time of Noah.
So, the abyss is a place of confinement for fallen angels.
By the way, Scripture tells us that Satan will be confined in
the abyss during the millennial reign of Christ, and then, after 1000 years,
he will be released again for a very short time.
Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel come
down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and
a great chain in his hand.
Revelation 20:3 And cast him into
the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Where is the abyss?
If we follow the description in Scripture, it seems to be opened
on the earth somewhere. But remember
that John is seeing all of this in a vision.
We know that scientifically speaking, you can’t have a “bottomless pit”
in the center of the earth. On the
other hand, God is not bound to the laws of nature like we are. He could create a space in another
dimension if He so chose. And if we
look at the definition I read you earlier, the ancients conceived the abyss
to, not bottomless, but so deep as to be beyond measure. It could be that God has confined some of
these angels to a place deep in the core of the earth.
So, “the star” or Satan is given the key to the bottomless
pit. He didn’t have it before. He is cast down to the earth, with all the other
demonic hordes, and given a key to unlock the prison door for those
especially evil demons who have been confined since the time of Noah.
Does that mean that if someone were able to watch that “star”
fall, that they would see a fallen angel rise up out of the ashes and do
something to open a vast pit in the earth?
Does it mean that they would see these “monsters” with their eyes?
No, I think that the “star” strikes the earth, as we described
earlier, but that no human eye would be able to see the fallen angel that
accompanies that “natural” phenomenon. And the creatures may also be
invisible to our eyes.
If anyone were actually seeing this, it would be like a scene
out of an apocalyptic horror movie.
And I not saying that it won’t happen that way.
I just believe that these beasts, are demons, and just as they
are invisible to us now, they will continue to be invisible to us then.
Now, do we have to interpret this passage this way? No, the
“star” could just be a physical phenomenon.
This “star” may be the describing the “asteroid” which fell in
the last, the 4th, trumpet.
It could be that when that asteroid fell, the impact opened up a
fissure in the earth. And out of that
fissure came smoke, and this dreadful, painful plague of monstrous
locust/scorpion creatures.
These creatures may be some sort of microscopic virus that is
released on the earth when the “star” falls and strikes the earth.
Regardless of which interpretation you believe, as a result of
this “star” and smoke, people on earth are physically tormented for 5 months. As far as the world is concerned, the
asteroid and resultant ash, when breathed in, cause some sort of respiratory
issue that doesn’t kill you, but cause excruciating pain for 5 months.
But it affects everyone except those who have refused to take
the mark of the beast, and are still living.
What I am saying is that the pain will seem to have a natural
explanation, but it will actually be caused by an invisible demonic horde who
have been locked up until this hour. Now the passage goes into great detail
describing what these demons look like.
I think John is given insight into things that the world won’t
actually see. He is seeing these
fallen angels in their corrupted form.
It will suffice our purposes just to repeat what John saw, and use our
own imaginations.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto
horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like
gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And
they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of
lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were
breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of
chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they
had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and
their power was to hurt men five months.
That brings
us to the 6th trumpet.
6th trumpet Revelation 9: 13 And the
sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden
altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel
which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river
Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which
were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the
third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the
horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17 And
thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having
breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the
horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and
smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was the third
part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which
issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in
their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and
had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 And the rest
of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works
of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and
silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor
walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of
their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
6th trumpet explained
This trumpet plague comes with two possible interpretations; a
simple one, and a more complicated one.
So, let’s look at the simple one first.
Things are getting more intense.
The previous plague had fallen angels released from the abyss to torment
men with pain for 5 months, now this one has 4 more fallen angels, plus 200
million of their associates, released who kill a third of mankind. We are at least in the last year of the 3 ½
years, because these angels are said to be “prepared for an hour, a month, a
day and a year.”
They are released from a bondage in the river Euphrates.
If we take that literally, then they will do their evil work for 13
months, plus 25 hours.
So, the judgment is the killing of 1/3 of mankind by fire, smoke
and brimstone. So, what do these demons
do? They do what all evil beings
do. They kill and destroy. They kill 1/3 of the people who are still
alive on earth. How do they kill
them?
Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 By
these three plagues were one third of mankind killed: by the fire, the smoke,
and the sulfur, which proceeded out of their mouths. 19 For
the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails
are like serpents, and have heads, and with them they harm.
This could be earthquake and volcanic
activity again that kills 1/3 of remaining humanity. The “sting” in their tails could be some sort
of skin issue/ lesion that is caused by the smoke, fire and sulfur. The source of this plague might be tied to
the Euphrates river region, just as Covid was tied to Wuhan China.
Now that’s the simple interpretation. But there is a very popular, more complicated
explanation.
Some people connect this army of 200 million to the gathering of
armies described as part of the 6th bowl judgment.
Revelation 16: 12 Then the
sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its
water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be
prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits
like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of
the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For
they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go
out to the kings [g]of the earth
and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great
day of God Almighty. 15 “Behold, I am coming as a
thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he
walk naked and they see his shame.” 16 And they
gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, [h]Armageddon.
And there is a loose connection here. You have two common factors; the Euphrates
river, and a massive army.
So, this is how this interpretation goes; The 6th
trumpet releases 4 fallen angels in the Euphrates region who go out to gather
the world’s armies in preparation for the Battle of Armageddon. The number of the armies is 200 million. That number takes in “the kings of the east,”
the army of China. In the 6th
bowl, the Euphrates river is dried up to allow these eastern armies to easily march
west across Europe, on their way to the Valley of Megiddo, where the Battle of
Armageddon will be fought. As these
armies move toward Israel, they kill and plunder. 1/3 of mankind is killed.
Now some of this interpretation hinges on how you order these
judgments. Some people teach that the
trumpets and bowls happen concurrently.
But, after much thought, I don’t think that this army in 6th
trumpet is the same as the army of the sixth bowl. I think that the 6th trumpet is a
separate judgment from the 6th bowl. And here’s why. There are
differences here that I have a hard time explaining. 1st, in the 6th
trumpet, the work of these 200 million takes place over 13 months. And that work is to kill a third of
mankind. But, when the 6th
bowl is poured out, it is simply the preparation for gathering the
armies of the east and the world to the Battle of Armageddon.
If this were the same army, we have a chronology problem. Here’s the problem, the 6th trumpet
tells us that 1/3 of mankind is killed by
this army over 13 months, while the 6th bowl tells us that
this army is gathering to go to the last battle in the last days of the last 3 ½
years.
And there is a second problem for me in making these two armies
the same. The army of the 6th
trumpet are described as doing supernatural acts.
17 And thus
I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates
of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the
heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 By
these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke,
and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For
their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like
unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
They are clearly killing a third of mankind by means other than
earthly weapons. They breathe fire, and
have snake tails. They are clearly demonic.
The army of the 6th bowl, on the other hand, are just
described as a regular gathering of a regular army.
12 Then the sixth angel poured
out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried
up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And
I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the
mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth
of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits
of demons, performing signs, which go out to the
kings [g]of the
earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that
great day of God Almighty. 15 “Behold, I
am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his
garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” 16 And they
gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, [h]Armageddon.
The 6th trumpet is a supernatural judgment, the 6th
bowl is a judgment carried out by normal human armies. So, I think it’s best to just read the 6th
trumpet as another supernatural judgment, that kills a third of mankind.
So, the 6th trumpet just sounded.
And let me ask you of something.
Where are the Christians?
Well, they are either dead, or in hiding. It reminds me of how persecuted Christians
were described in Hebrews.
Hebrews 11: 36 Others were
tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment. 37 They
were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with
the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being
destitute, afflicted, ill-treated— 38 of whom the
world was not worthy—wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of
the earth.
These Christians will be protected from the plagues, but that
doesn’t mean that they are protected from death or persecution. A Christian can die in an earthquake, flood,
by martyrdom or war. But I believe, by
this point in the Great Tribulation, God will be especially watching over these
believers, because some believers will be alive to be raptured when Jesus
returns. I also believe that some will
come to faith during the Tribulation. The
Church, in history, has always grown stronger during times of persecution. The strength of the Church today, is not in
America, or the Western world. The
strength of the Church today is in places where Christians are persecuted;
China and the former Soviet Union. And
people who come to faith during times of persecution are far stronger than
those who profess faith in the easy times.
Now comes
the 7th trumpet in the telling of the Revelation story. This is what it says,
Revelation
11:15 Then the seventh angel
sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The [a]kingdoms of this world have become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign
forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who
sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God,
Remember, I think that this announcement of our Lord’s victory comes at
the end of everything. I think that the
6th seal, 7th trumpet, and 7th bowl describe
the return and final victory of Christ.
Let me refresh your memory with this mini chart.
6th seal
7th trumpet
7th bowl
Revelation 6: 12 I looked when He opened the sixth
seal, and [g]behold, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the [h]moon became like
blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as
a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then
the sky [i]receded as a scroll when it
is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its
place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great
men, [j]the rich men, the
commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid
themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and
said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him
who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For
the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Revelation 11: 15 Then the seventh angel
sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The [f]kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
Revelation 16: 17 Then the seventh angel poured out his
bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from
the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there
were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake,
such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on
the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into
three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great
Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine
of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every
island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And
great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about
the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail,
since that plague was exceedingly great.
I think
the 7th trumpet occurs at the end.
But,
regardless of when the 7th trumpet occurs, we now move to the 7 bowl
judgments.
Remember
what I said about the chronology of events.
I think the 7 seals happen in the 1st 3 ½ years. The first 6 trumpets are spread over the last
3 ½ years. And the 7 bowls happen in a
matter of a few months, if not weeks, at the end of the last 3 ½ years. So, when we get to the 7 bowls, we are very
close to the 2nd coming of Christ.
Luke 21:28 And when these things
begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth
nigh.
Two intermission events before the 7 bowls; 7 thunders, and 3
angels
Event: 7
thunders
The next event in the order of events is the 7
thunders. You may say, “7 thunders? What are these?” Well let’s read,
Scripture:
Revelation 10: 3 And
cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven
thunders uttered their voices. 4 And when the seven
thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice
from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders
uttered, and write them not. 5 And the angel which I saw
stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And
sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things
that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea,
and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7 But
in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,
the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the
prophets.
So, what are
the 7 thunders? Here’s my best scholarly
answer. I don’t know. You say, “What do
you mean, you don’t know?” Well, did you
just read what I read?
4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about
to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things
which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
John was told
not to write them down. What are they?
Proclamations? More judgments? I don’t
know.
2nd
part of the intermission
3 angels
Event:
Angels with the gospel flying through heaven
Scripture:
Revelation 14:6 I saw an
angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal Good News to proclaim to those
who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He
said with a loud voice, “Fear the Lord, and give him glory; for the hour of his
judgment has come. Worship him who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the
springs of waters!”
8 Another, a second angel, followed, saying, “Babylon the great has
fallen, which has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her
sexual immorality.”
9 Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice,
“If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his
forehead, or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of
the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his
anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 The
smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and
night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark
of his name. 12 Here is the perseverance of the
saints, those who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Now, here’s
what is interesting here. At first
glance, you may think that this is just a heavenly event. Up in heaven, the angels are proclaiming
God’s victory, and the judgment of those who follow the beast. But take note of where the passage says that
these proclamations are made,
6 I saw an angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal Good News
to proclaim to those who
dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and
people.
8 Another, a second angel, followed, saying, “Babylon the great has
fallen, which has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her
sexual immorality.”
9 Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice,
“
The messages of these three angels are given on earth. This is remarkable. This could be the first time during the
Tribulation period that mankind sees the spiritual beings who are behind the
physical judgments that have been happening on earth. And do you know what else is great about
this? God is extending a hand of grace
again to the world. It says that the first
angel has the Good News to proclaim to all the earth. The Good News is the gospel. It is as though God is offering the message
of salvation to the world before the final 7 judgments come on the world. And He is giving the gospel in an undeniable
way; the appearance of angels proclaiming it.
Mankind will have no excuse. Just
as when Jesus came the first time, He did so many miracles, that those who saw
them had no excuse, now the entire world will have no excuse. That’s one of the
reasons I believe that people will be saved during the Tribulation. Many will reject that gospel, even though
they hear it from angels, but I believe some will repent.
Then comes the 7 bowls.
7 BOWL
JUDGMENTS
Event: 1st bowl
Scripture:
Revelation 16: And I heard a great
voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour
out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and
there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the
beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
1st Bowl explained
This is similar to the 6th plague against Egypt.
Exodus 9: 8 And the Lord said unto Moses and unto
Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle
it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it
shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil
breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land
of Egypt. 10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and
stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became
a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. 11 And
the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil
was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
It was a plague of painful boils on all Egyptians. The plague during the Great
Tribulation will be like that, and worse. The Greek term here
is helkos, which can refer to an ulcer or
abscess—this is not a minor rash. This is a open sore. It is described as harmful and evil. That may involve pain, infection, possibly
even death.
Event: 2nd bowl
Scripture:
Revelation 16: 3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon
the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died
in the sea.
2nd bowl explained
Now this is different than the previous plague that killed a
third of the ocean creatures. This
time the entire sea coagulates into a blood like substance, and every living thing in
the sea dies.
I hope you see what I mean that these last plagues have to
happen in months or even weeks. If all
the oceans of the world are destroyed along with the sea life, life on earth
will not last much longer. So,
this plague has to happen very close to the end.
Event: 3rd bowl
Scripture:
Revelation 16: 4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon
the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5 And
I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art,
and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 6 For
they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them
blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7 And I heard
another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous
are thy judgments.
3rd Bowl explained
Just as previously 1/3 of the rivers and springs are polluted,
now all of them become as blood. Now, what
does it mean that they become as blood, or as in the previous plague “blood
of a dead man?” I’ll let you know that
I have no problem with this literally being blood, or coagulated like that of
a dead man. If God chooses to do that,
I’m not going to question Him. But I also have no problem believing that John
is talking about the color of blood, not literal blood. If it is the color of blood, any number of
chemical reactions resulting from the asteroids, or volcanic activity could
cause that. But again, realize that
this plague has to happen toward the end of the 7 years. Mankind cannot survive long if all the
oceans, rivers, and springs are corrupted.
Event: 4th bowl- The sun scorches with great heat.
Scripture:
Revelation 16: 8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon
the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9 And
men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath
power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
This reminds
me of a passage of Scripture in Isaiah.
Isaiah 24:6 6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who
dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are
burned, and few men are left.
4th
bowl explained
Those still alive after all the previous plagues are now
scorched by the sun. It says they are
scorched “with fire.”
It may be that all the things that have happened in the
atmosphere, and the water becoming blood disrupting the hydrologic cycle,
cause conditions that heighten the effects of the sun’s rays.
Maybe the atmosphere will then allow more ultraviolet rays in,
and that is exacerbated by very limited rainfall.
Whatever the cause, it makes walking out into the sunlight
unbearable. And with the blighting of
water supplies and the other disasters that will likely cause power outages,
there may be no place to get relief from the heat.
Event: 5th bowl
Scripture:
Revelation 16: 10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon
the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed
their tongues for pain, 11 And blasphemed the God of
heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their
deeds.
You might notice, at this point, that I am not going into a
great deal of detail describing these plagues. That’s for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not really important that we
know exactly what is happening with each of these plagues. If you are a Christian at this time, you
are protected. And second, the more we
try to describe exactly what is happening with each plague, the more likely
that we will get something wrong. So,
there’s no point in propagating error.
5th bowl explained
This is very much like the plague of darkness against Egypt. The
darkness over Egypt could be felt. But
the Israelites had light in their homes.
Here the darkness actually causes pain, and it is over the
throne of the beast and his kingdom.
Now, does that mean that it is worldwide? The kingdom of the beast is worldwide, so I
would think that it is.
But I also believe that God will provide light to those who are
His.
Now, what is this darkness?
We can’t be sure. Maybe God
just supernaturally does this, or maybe He uses some “natural” conditions on
the earth to accomplish it.
It could be an atmospheric condition that not only stops the
light of the sun, but also is breathed into the lungs, or causes pain on the
skin.
Painful darkness
Isaiah 60:1-2 “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and
Yahweh’s glory has risen on you. 2 For, behold,
darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but Yahweh
will arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you.
Event: 6th bowl
Scripture:
6th bowl Revelation 16: 12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon
the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way
of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13 And I
saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and
out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For
they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the
kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of
that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a
thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk
naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them
together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
6th Bowl explained
As I said earlier, the
6th bowl is simply the preparation for the coming Battle of
Armageddon. It is a gathering of armies. The 6th bowl dries up
the Euphrates river enabling part of those
armies to move west toward that Battle.
Interestingly, I found
several articles on-line about the Euphrates river currently drying up. And apparently there is a prophecy in Islam
that the Euphrates will dry up and reveal a treasure that will lead to war in
the region.
Ezekial 39:1-2 “You, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘The Lord
Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and
Tubal. 2 I will turn you around, and will lead
you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north;
and I will bring you onto the mountains of Israel.
Zephaniah 3:8 “Therefore
wait for me”, says Yahweh, “until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my
determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to
pour on them my indignation, even all my fierce anger, for all the earth will
be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
Zechariah 12:2-3 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the
surrounding peoples, and it will also be on Judah in the siege against
Jerusalem. 3 It will happen in that day, that I
will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. All who burden
themselves with it will be severely wounded, and all the nations of the earth
will be gathered together against it.
Now this gathering of armies raises several questions for
me.
The first is, “Why would the armies of the nations do
this?”
Why would they come to a valley in Israel? By now the Jewish people are either
slaughtered, in hiding, or subservient to the government of the
antichrist. The antichrist has set up
an image of himself in Jerusalem. Why
do the armies of the east and north converge on Israel?
2 enemies
left to slaughter
Well, you must remember that there is a group of Jews who are in
the wilderness that Satan and the antichrist have been unable to
destroy. It tells us that Satan/the
dragon,
Revelation 12: 13 Now when
the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the
woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But
the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might
fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a
time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So
the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman,
that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But
the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up
the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And
the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest
of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of
Jesus [c]Christ.
So, God is protecting a great
number of Jewish people in the wilderness.
He is also protecting the two witnesses who are calling for all these
plagues against the earth, and they are in Jerusalem. And there are Jewish people who have made
an uneasy peace with the antichrist, still living in Israel.
You’ve got to remember that this
is not simply men fighting men. These
are the armies of men inspired and energized by Satan and his demonic
hordes. This is Satan’s attempt to
fight God. And so, during all of the
last 3 ½ years, he has been winning among the human population. But he is unable to defeat those that God
is protecting. So, he does what any
human madman would do, he gathers all of his forces together in an attempt to
destroy every last Jew from the face of the earth.
The antichrist has won at every
turn. Yet, the world is being pummeled
with plagues and death at an unprecedented level. The antichrist has
successfully brought all commerce under his control. Most of the world has bowed to him as god. But there’s still this remnant of Jews and
Christians who haven’t bowed. And he still has 2 witnesses who are calling
down plagues on the earth.
So, he gathers all his forces to
destroy these two prophets who have been plaguing his kingdom, and these Jews
hiding in the wilderness. The
antichrist is a megalomaniac, indwelt by Satan, who wants nothing short of
complete dominance.
And not only are these armies
gathering for these Satanic purposes, they are gathering because God is
drawing them to their own destruction.
That’s the 6th bowl; the gathering of the world’s armies to
Armageddon.