Rev.#54~16:12-21~pt-4~ ~ FINAL PLAGUE~ 5-15-10
Let me say just another word are two about the Great Euphrates river.
12And 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.
The Euphrates was the eastern border of the land God promised to Abraham.
Gen. 15:18 “In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt- [ NILE ] unto the great river, the river Euphrates”
It also became the eastern border of the Roman Empire.
The Euphrates River will be miraculously dried up, erasing the border between East and West, so that the kings of the EAST might come to the Battle of Armageddon.
They are coming, so they think, to battle the great political leader, the Antichrist and his armies that have become so powerful.
Lets keep in mind that the “battle of Gog and Magog” { Ezk. 38-39} has just ended with 5/6th of that coalition being destroyed, “GOD remember is the ONE that destroyed it no military was involved”, this is when the Antichrist realizes Russia, that’s heads up the coalition with Iran and other countries of that neighborhood are no longer a threat, he sees an opportunity to destroy the Jews, and invades Israel.
These “kings of the east” has formed a coalition of their own and is coming to battle the Antichrist and his armies of the 10-confederated nation of Europe, and as they make their way across the Euphrates the Lord suddenly appears with His armies in the air.
And then the armies of Antichrist and the armies of the kings of the east band together to make war with Him, and of course we know what happens.—Mankind’s wickedness gets him destroyed.
We read about that in chapter 19:
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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.
Here is the Satanic trinity.
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.
These demons go forth to all the “leaders of the world” and put these thoughts into their minds and hearts of these rulers, but what is really under way is, GOD IS GATHERING THEM ALL TOGETHER FOR DESTRUCTION, all of this will coincide with the gathering of the “kings of the east”
It is God’s purpose to deal with the nations in judgment in the land of Palestine. Knowing Satan’s purpose and objectives, God will use him and his demonic activity to inspire the nations to move into Palestine.
Gods great plan is to get rid of sin and sinners at this time.
---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. ----
This verse is a parenthesis written to the faithful remnant of the Tribulation to give them comfort & hope, as well as a warning lest they become discouraged and lose their testimony. These plagues are to them a proof that the Lord’s return is near. –Again verse 16--
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
We’ll have much more to say about Armageddon when we get to chapter 19: where it actually takes place.
We can see events which are unfolding today that could very well be in preparation to the Tribulation—politically, spiritually, morally and in other ways.
Ø LISTEN--I just want to remind every body that most American are unhappy and dissatisfied with the actions of President Obama and his administration, but God uses all kinds of different people to cause His plan to get on track and stay on His foreordained schedule. He puts up kings and takes down kings for His NAMES sake; nothing can change or alter it in any way.
Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings:--this applies to all world government heads, Presidents, Prim ministers or what every.
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Since the Lord returns for the church before the Tribulation, it surely must be drawing near.
Ø The Seventh Bowl: tells of Widespread Destruction
This is the 7th and final “bowl plague
16:17-21 17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city**{Jerusalem} was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
The seventh bowl, the final judgment of the Tribulation is actually a series of judgments that will be poured out upon the whole earth.
The seventh bowl is the most severe and totally devastating judgment of the entire Tribulation, ending with the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth.
His personal return is not mentioned in these verses or this chapter, but from the circumstances of these plagues, the return of Christ has to be a part of this judgment.
In gathering this information I found that the Greek word megas is repeated seven times in these verses. 17-21 –7 remember is the number of completion and perfection.
This emphasizes the unprecedented nature and finality of this series of judgments.
It also stresses how this series of judgments perfectly accomplishes and brings to an end God’s program of judgment.
~Of the eleven times the Greek word megas is used in this chapter, seven are in relation to this last bowl. Or vial-~~
Megas - fear) exceedingly, great - high, large, loud, mighty, + (be) sore (afraid), strong, and we see all these applications in this 7th plague.
Ø Lets read the 7th plague together:
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
This bowl is poured out upon the air. “Air” refers to our atmosphere, the air we breathe.
Remember that according to Ephesians 2:2 Satan is called “the prince of the power of the air” (aer).
This is the domain of operation for Satan and his demonic spirits and their strategies. Satan dear heart is not in hell, he never has been.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:---he’s in the world, he’s over the other fallen angels that we some times call demons.
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This series of judgments, has a final effect on the earth, it is also a final judgment upon Satan as for as his domain is concerned.—the air---
As John saw this bowl poured out, a voice is heard. It is describe as “loud” or “great.” It is the voice of God, perhaps that of the Son Himself to whom all judgment has been given.
John 5:27 And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
The voice comes “out of the temple (naos) from the throne.” This is the smoke-filled temple into which no one was able to enter because of the absolute and undiluted wrath of God being poured out in these seven bowls.
Ø There’s a difference in “smoke” and “clouds” in the Bible.
SMOKE IS MOST OF THE TIME TO DO WITH GOD’S wrath, His judgment.
Exodus 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
On the third day, as the people anxiously waited in clean clothes, there came a tremendous voice of the trumpet from heaven, accompanied by thunders and lightnings.
The top of Sinai was ablaze with fire and smoke. God descended upon it in fire, and great earthquakes rocked the mountain. God spoke, calling Moses to climb Sinai a third time, while the people below waited, practically scared to death.
SO SMOKE INVOLVES GODS JUDGMENT.
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Ø CLOUDS:--are usually to do with “the GLORY of God.
Acts 1: 9And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
This was not a rain cloud, it was not a moisture cloud, this was the same Shekinah glory cloud that had filled the tabernacle. In Jesus high priestly prayer He had prayed:
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
When He was born into this world, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. When He left this earth, He was wrapped in glory clouds. This is the way He returned to the Father’s right hand.
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So with the pouring out of the seventh bowl, John hears “it is done.” That refers to action not just ended, but which was brought to its appropriate end and with results that continued as so He had willed it.
At this point, God’s purposes of judgment in the Tribulation will be accomplished by this final series of divine wrath.
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18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Before the mention of the great earthquake, John sees “flashes of lightning” and hears “sounds and peals of thunder” (vs. 18a).
This is coming forth as a solemn warning of the extreme judgment that is about to fall.
Then we read “and there was a great earthquake.”
This earthquake is unprecedented in history, of all the earthquakes the world has had before, never has there been one like the earthquake that’s about to fall. “Such as” meaning “of such a nature or kind.”
“So great, so mighty.”
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Verses 19-20 gives the extent and effect of this earthquake.
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
--the great city—we believe this to Jerusalem because we’re told in
chapter 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city-[MOSES AND ELIJAH} and their in Jerusalem.
Zec.14: 4And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Ø We believe that this is when this Great Earth quake takes place.
--and great Babylon came in remembrance before God –
“Babylon” was mentioned in chapter 14, verse 8, which says, “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The next two chapters give us the details concerning Babylon. Religious Babylon and political or commercial Babylon.
Two chapters (17–18) are all about Babylon and her fate.
The fact that the judgment is an earthquake seems to indicate that a literal city is in view, either Rome or rebuilt Babylon, and that the judgment results in its physical destruction, and I personally don’t believe there’s enough time left to rebuild a city such as Babylon. The time is just prior to the second coming of Christ.
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20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
This mighty earthquake will be like none ever before, it is the world over; the cities of the nations fell.
And Jesus touching down on the Mt Of Olives brings it about.
The MT of Olives is where He ascended back to heaven and the MT of Olives is where He will decent back to earth when He returns, I believe it will be the exact same spot.
LK.24:50-51 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven
Acts 1:9-12 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye-- --gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
12Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,
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20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
As a result of the great faults in the earth breaking open and shifting about, the mountains will break up and fall into the cracks of the earth.
Zechariah 14:4 tells us that at Christ’s return to earth the Mount of Olives will split or crack open and form a great valley. It is at this point, at Christ’s return to earth, that this great earthquake occurs.
The world will be left in shambles. -All man’s monuments and his great buildings will literally crumble before their very eyes.
This judgment will drastically change how the surface of the earth will look.
Finally, these events will cause a tremendous loss of life on a worldwide scale that is impossible to calculate or imagine.
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21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: [ 75-100 lbs.] and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
These hopelessly lost sinners {what’s left of them} will still not fall on their knees and cry out to God for mercy, but when they find them selves in hell they change their tune according to LK.16: and other places they be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Some people today want to boast and brag about how tough they are, but they see.
