THE SEVENTH TRUMPET
and the bowl judgments
"And the 7th angel sounded, and there arose loud
voices in heaven,"
The 7th trumpet sounds at Revelation 11:15 and serves
as an "announcement" of the final stage of God's wrath on the
kingdom of the beast and the unbelievers of the world.
The section, 11:14-19 picks up from chapter 9:21 which
is the 6th trumpet.
Revelation chapter 10 is a parenthetical section that
reaffirms John's commission to proclaim truth throughout the remainder
of his life. But in the middle (at verse 7) there is a reference to the
7th trumpet and the fact that when it sounds, "the mystery of God
is finished."
The mystery of God is that which was proclaimed by the
prophets. The fact that this revelation is assigned specifically to "the
prophets" and not the "apostles and prophets," as at Ephesians
3:5, strongly suggests that Old Testament revelation is in view. In that
case, "the mystery of God" refers to God's 6-point plan for the
nation of Israel as outlined at Daniel 9:24.
The completion of that plan revolves around the final
7 years of Daniel's 70th week and the end of that 7 year period. It is
at that time that the last 3 points of God's plan for Israel will be carried
out as the Messiah begins -
(1) His righteous reign and "brings in everlasting
righteousness."
(2) Fulfills the Old Testament "vision and prophet."
(3) And "anoints the most holy" in the Millennial
temple which temple is described in Ezekiel chapters 40 through 43.
(Refer to discussion on Daniel's 70 weeks in the PROPHECY
PERSPECTIVE index.)
Since Rev. 10:7 introduces the end of the week, the vision
of John next records that end by focusing on the specific 1260 day ministry
of the 2 witnesses who prophesy from the mid-point of the week until its
end.
The passage in view (Revelation 11:1-13) is thus, parenthetical
as it "back-tracks" to the mid-point of the week and moves to
the end, at which time (actually 3 1/2 days later) the 7th trumpet will
sound (Revelation 11:15).
The ministry of these two witnesses begins at the 2nd
half when the beast begins his reign and they minister for the duration
of the 2nd half of the week, exactly 1260 days. The end of the ministry
of the witnesses and the "mystery of God being finished" is the
same point in time, ie, the end of the 70th week.
Chapter 12 and 13 are also parenthetical and cover the
persecution activity of Satan from the midpoint of the week, when he is
physically kicked out of heaven and down to the earth. Chapter 12 introduces
the two objects of his attack during the great tribulation.
1. The Jewish race as the Messianic people.
In order to identify this "victim" of Satan's
oppression, the vision gives us a history lesson in v. 1-5. The lesson
covers the history of Israel from the creation of the 12 tribes until the
resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Messiah in 30 AD.
Then at v. 6, it reveals the final period of persecution
which is the last half of Daniel's 70th week, during which time the "orthodox"
Jews in the land, who refuse to take the mark of the beast, flee into the
mountainous wilderness for protection. This corresponds with the warning
that Jesus gave to "THOSE (not 'you') who are in Judea" to flee
into the mountains at Matthew 24:16.
2. At verses 7-17, the vision relates the reason for the
more intensive persecution that takes place at this time. It results when
Satan is physically defeated and kicked out of heaven by God's angels.
Therefore, "knowing that he has only a short time," he intensifies
his aggressions not only against the "orthodox" of Israel (verses
13-15) but also with any church age believers he can "get his hands
on" as indicated at verse 17, those "who keep the commandments
of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus."
This refers to the persecution against the church "before"
the rapture and not against the 144,000 after the rapture. The main reason
is that the 144,000 are clearly identified as Jewish and that identifying
factor is significantly NOT used in Revelation 12:17 in reference to those
who trust in Jesus.
The two groups in view are the "physical" nation
of Israel and a body of believers known as those who "hold to the
testimony of Jesus."
Since the "woman" is clearly contrasted with
those who trust in Jesus, she represents the nation of Israel in unbelief, and
not the 144,000 Jewish converts of Revelation 7.
Furthermore, the activity of the beast is unrestricted
which is characteristic of his reign "before" the Day of the
Lord. Whereas, after the Day of the Lord, the activity of the beast will
be much hindered by the administration of the Day of the Lord judgments.
Chapter 13 refers to the same period of time as that which
is in view at chapter 11:6-17 but amplifies the persecution by telling
of the religious and economic controls the beast seeks to institute. It
also provides insight about the beast's "right hand man," the
false prophet or "beast out of the land." This "2nd beast"
is a Jew ("out from the land") and represents and promotes the
policies of the 1st beast, basically testifying with words and miracles
that the 1st beast is indeed the promised Messiah and should be worshiped
as God.
Chapter 14, then gives us a summary of the high points
of the 2nd half of the week beginning with the "sealing" of the
144,000 Jewish "servants" of the Lord after the rapture and concluding
with the gathering of the nations to Armageddon which is the 6th bowl.
Chapter 14 does not begin with the mid-point of the week,
but later, after the tribulation has been cut short and the 144,000 "servants,"
begin their evangelistic function as representatives of the nation of Israel.
However, this chapter concludes just beyond the end of the 70th week, at
the end of the 30 day time of "final" wrath which immediately
follows the end of the week. Ie, the battle of Armageddon (Verse 14:20).
THE LAST TRUMPET
The 7th trumpet is not the "last trumpet" spoken
of by Paul.
They should not be equated but are separate and distinct.
Paul's use of "last trumpet" refers to the call to assembly in
the context of the Roman games; or even in a military context. Either of
these would be Paul's frame of reference. In both of these cases there
was a preliminary trumpet (sometimes 2) and then the last one which was
a call to assembly. This is the call to assembly for the gathering of the
saints.
He would have no knowledge of John's vision and the 7
trumpets.
Even though the Holy Spirit "melds" all of scripture, it is not
advisable to interpret Paul's use in any other way than the cultural context
of the day which speaks of the "call to assembly."
That is what will occur at the rapture. It is called THE
trumpet of God at 1 Thessalonians 4:16, because it is at this time that
he will "call" for the gathering of his people to meet Him in
the clouds of the sky. Nor does it require the "actual" occurrence
of one or two trumpet blasts before it, for the image in Paul's mind is
simply focusing on the final blast which is the "call to assembly."
The 7th trumpet, on the other hand, is an announcement
of judgment and not a call to assembly.
DETAILS concerning the 7th trumpet:
FACTOR #1: The Mystery of God is finished. Revelation
10:7
As previously discussed, this refers to the fulfillment
of the Old Testament revelation about God's plan for the nation of Israel
before Messiah's kingdom is established. The mystery of God in this case
is the restoration of Israel to the place of "true" evangelistic
activity as the 144,000 Jews trust in Messiah and become "servants
of God."
This is the mystery that Paul mentioned at Romans 11:25-29
which relates two primary issues:
(1) a "partial" hardening of Israel
(2) "all Israel will be saved"
This begins with the conversion of the 144,000 Jews immediately
after the rapture of the church which is when "the fullness of the
Gentiles" comes in.
FACTOR #2: the announcement of Messiah's reign. (Revelation
11:15-17)
Revelation 11:15, "The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and
ever."
This indicates that the reign of the beast has come to
an end and that the Messiah is about to set up His own earthly reign.
However, that "official" kingdom does not occur
for at least 30 days. It is preceded by the 7 bowl judgments recorded at
Revelation 16:1-21.
According to Daniel 12:11, it will not be until 30 days
later that the "defilement" of the temple is cleansed.
"And from the time that the regular sacrifice is
abolished (at the mid-point of the week) and the abomination of desolation
is set up (at the same time), there will be 1290 days."
This is 30 days more than the designated 1260 days (3
1/2 years, 42 months) of the 2nd half mentioned at Daniel 12:6-7.
We must not be confused by the praise-language at Revelation
11:16-17,
For indeed, He "begins" to reign at this time since the reign
of the beast is over and God's power now pours out the final judgments
upon the unbelieving world which will culminate in the battle at Armageddon.
But His earthly kingdom is not "established" until 30 days later,
after the victory at Armageddon.
"And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones
before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God saying, "We give
you thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who is and was, because you have
taken your great power and have begun to reign."
The 24 elders are responding to the future vision that
John is seeing rather than this being part of that future vision.
Through the Spirit, John is having a vision of heaven
(Revelation 4-5) in which he sees what is actually IN heaven at the time
of the vision in 96 AD. Then, from the "vision" location in heaven,
he is shown a series of "future" visions (like on a movie screen)
and those beings who are in heaven are observing them as well.
The "future" visions begin in chapter 6 and
when the 24 elders and the living creatures are mentioned again (Revelation
11:16-17 and 19:4) they are shown to be giving a response to the same thing
that John is seeing.
My point is that the 24 elders and the living creatures
are not part of the "future" visions but are in the audience
with John as the future is previewed before them.
FACTOR #3: Your wrath (orge) came. Revelation 11:18
Since chapters 12, 13, and 14 are parenthetical, we do
not see any discussion of the chronological progress of "your wrath
came" until the beginning of chapter 15, where it is designated as,
"seven plagues which are the last, because in them the wrath (thumos) of God
is finished."
Chapter 14, the parenthetical chapter which gives a summary
of events from the rapture until the end of this 30 day period of "final
wrath," does indeed end with the final military confrontation between
the world's forces and Christ at Armageddon. But it should be viewed as
a "summary" of events rather than the chronological development
that chapter 16 presents.
Chapter 14 ends (verses17-20) with the "reaping"
of those world forces as Christ wields the sword of His mouth and destroys
them all as described at Revelation 19:11-20, and it is the 6th bowl which
describes the "gathering" of these forces to Armageddon for this
final confrontation.
FACTOR #4: Judgment of the dead
"And the time came for the dead to be judged,"
What is clearly evident is the fact that "the dead"
are not "judged" until after the 1000 year reign of the Messiah
which is mentioned at Revelation 20:4. The judgment of the dead is described
later at 20:11-15.
Thus, although "the time came," it does not
actually take place for 1000 more years. The reason the 7th trumpet is
viewed as "the time" is because the judgment of the dead is "based"
on Messiah's reign which does not "officially" begin until the
beast is removed from his "throne." And it is the 7th trumpet
which basically "announces" that the beast's reign has come to
an end and he is about to be judged.
FACTOR #5: Saints receive rewards
"And the time to give their reward to Your bond servants
the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Your Name, the small
and the great,"
This refers to the evaluation of the believer's works
which were done here on earth as is described at 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
and 2 Corinthians 5:10.
(See Doctrinal Archives R, for Rewards
and J, for judgment seat of Christ)
It is possible that these "personal" rewards
are meted out as soon as the church gets to heaven at the time of the rapture.
However, it is also possible, and more likely, that there is a delay of
the "evaluation of works" until just before Christ's descent
at Armageddon. I do not think that such a "delay" of the Justice
seat of Christ violates the language which indicates that the church receives
her rewards at the arrival of Jesus.
The reason is, that there are many things that are initiated
at the "Day of the Lord" arrival of Jesus which do not take place
until some time later. And yet they are certainly described as taking place
upon His arrival. Furthermore, the language here, at Revelation 11:18,
indicates that the reward will not be meted out until after the 7th trumpet
sounds.
The recipients of this reward are mentioned in three categories.
The intent seems to be to include believers from Adam until Armageddon.
Accordingly, I suggest that the first two words refers
to the body of Christ, known as the bride, and would include all believers
from Adam until the rapture. The word prophets refers to all of God's communicators
from both the Old Testament times and the church age.
The word, saints, probably refers to everyone else who
is a believer from all PAST generations. This division between the communicators
and the "saints" is not foreign to Scripture, as we see such
a division at Philippians 1:1, "to all the saints . . . including
the overseers and the deacons."
The phrase, "those who fear your name," would
refer to the believers from the time period between the rapture and the
battle of Armageddon. This third group falls into two categories; (1) those
who die between the rapture and armageddon, who are raised up at Revelation
20:4, at the beginning of the kingdom; and (2) the living believers still
on the earth from both Israel and the Gentiles, who go alive into the physical
kingdom as subjects to King Messiah as He reigns on His earthly throne
in Jerusalem. The designation of these believers, using this phrase is
based on Revelation 14:7, where the mandate of the everlasting gospel revolves
around, "fear God and give Him glory."
Regarding the actual evaluation and rewarding of believers,
there will be 3 separate administrations of the judgment of God on their
behalf. But those three events do not correspond with this 3-fold division
of the believers.
First, there will be the evaluation of the body of Christ
which is His bride. This takes place between the sounding of the 7th trumpet
and the announcement of the marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-8), for it
is there that we see her "ready" by being clothed with the righteousness
of good deeds. That is, deeds that have been evaluated and recognized as
honoring to God because they were accomplished according to His standards.
The Greek word, dikaiōma , in the plural should be translated
as righteous acts or deeds and not as "righteousness," which
the KJV does. This body of believers includes people from all generations
prior to the rapture and is broken down into the "prophets" and
the "saints."
The second group of believers who need to be evaluated
and rewarded are those who are martyred between the rapture and the end
of Armageddon. These are mentioned at Revelation 20:4, as being resurrected
after Armageddon and reigning with Christ during His 1000 year reign on
the earth. These are in view with the phrase, "those who fear your
name."
The third group will be all the believers of the 1000
year kingdom. This group includes those believers who will be alive on
the earth after Armageddon, and who go into the kingdom to be subjects of
Jesus. From this group, many children will be born, so that by the end
of the kingdom, there will be a massive population of both believers and
unbelievers. The resurrection and evaluation of this group of "millennial"
believers are not mentioned in scripture, but it is certain that such an
evaluation must take place in view of what scripture teaches concerning
the activities of people during the kingdom.
It is possible since Revelation 11:18 uses "reward"
in the singular, that it refers to the ONE reward that they all share in
common. That ONE reward is to reign with Christ during His 1000 year reign
on the earth and for all eternity after that. In the book of Revelation,
this is the "one" reward that has primary emphasis (Revelation
3:21; 5:10; 20:4).
And yet, the mention of the bride "having made herself
ready," indicates a "cleansing" through evaluation so that
all that remains of one's earthly production will be a "pure"
garment of good works shared in common by all who are in the body of Christ.
This, I would think could qualify as "reward" in the singular.
However, perhaps it is adequate to simply associate the
"reward" of reigning with the other rewards. Reigning with Christ
must be viewed from 2 aspects.
1. The "status" of reigning with Christ because
of salvation relationship and positional union with Him.
2. The "function" of reigning which is based
on faithfulness here on earth and will vary from believer to believer.
It is this "function" of reigning that will
be determined based on the evaluation of the believer's works. Accordingly,
it is best to include the evaluation of one's works for crowns with the
evaluation of one's works for reigning at the reward seat of Christ which
apparently occurs shortly before the the Lord's descent to the earth at
Armageddon.
FACTOR #6: Destroy the destroyers
". . and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
There is only ONE "destruction" of people by
God that takes place in the context of this end times scenario and that
is at Armageddon.
Revelation 19:19-21, And I saw the beast and the kings
of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat
upon the horse, and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with
him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which
he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who
worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire
which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which
came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were
filled with their flesh.
The "destroyers" represented in this passage
are,
1. The beast: A human who is empowered by Satan.
2. The false prophet: A human who also has Satanic powers.
3. The armies of the world: represented by the kings of
the West, East, South and North.
4. All of these participate in "destroying"
the earth because of their moral and physical oppression of others.
5. This could include Satan, indirectly, but he is only
chained in the abyss for 1000 years and is not thrown into the lake of
fire until after the 1000 year reign of Jesus on the earth. (Revelation
20:1-3, 7-10)
The details of this judgment on mankind awaits analysis
of the 6th bowl judgment where we find the movement of the world's military
forces into the land of Palestine and specifically to Armageddon. (Revelation
16:12-16)
Immediately after the sounding of the 7th trumpet and
this "announcement" of Divine intent, God's final wrath upon
the kingdom of the beast is initiated by the opening of the temple of God
which is in heaven. Revelation 11:19,
"And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened;
and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes
of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great
hailstorm."
1. "And the temple of God which is in heaven was
opened;"
This is the first mention of the temple of God in HEAVEN.
The temple speaks of God's presence with man with the point of contact
being the character of God as He reaches out to man through the Messianic
promise.
2. "Opened," indicates a view inside. This of
course is symbolic. Once the "top" of the temple is removed,
the ark of the covenant is visible.
3. "and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple:"
the appearance of the ark speaks directly of divine righteousness and justice
as the key factors for God's interaction with man.
A. Righteousness: speaks of the fact that man is at enmity
with God and comes short of God's righteousness.
B. Justice: speaks of the penalty for coming short and
at the same time, speaks of the Divine payment of that penalty through
the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
C. The consequences for rejecting the divine provision
for salvation as represented by the ark of the covenant is judgment from
God.
D. Thus, we have the "storm" to portend the
administration of God's final judgment upon the physical earth and those
unbelievers who reside there.
4. "and there were flashes of lightning and sounds
and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm."
This speaks of the administration of justice on the earth
upon those who have rejected the grace provision from God for adjustment
to God, ie, salvation through faith in Christ.
The specifics of this administration will be given through
the 7 bowls of the "final wrath" of God which are discussed in
chapters 15 and 16
Chapter 15:1-8, picks up from this point in the narrative,
making chapters 12-14 parenthetical. The chronology is interrupted in this
parenthesis and actually "backtracks" to the mid-point of the
week and moves forward to the end of the week and to the 30 days of judgment
which follows it.
11:1-13 - begins at the mid-point and ends at the end,
1260 days later.
11:14-19 - continues from the end of the 2nd half and
introduces the final wrath of God via the 3rd woe.
12-13 - begins at the mid-point and ends at the end, 42
months; 1260 days later.
Chapter 14, begins during the 2nd half of the week (after
the rapture) and ends with the 30 days which follow the 1260 days of the
2nd half.
Chapters 15-16 then picks up at the end of the 2nd half
(at the last trumpet) and the administration of the final wrath of God
for 30 days.
Revelation 15 begins with the 3rd sign of the book of
Revelation.
The first sign is at Revelation 12:1 and pictures the
nation of Israel as the chosen, Messianic people of God. That is, those
whom God chose to be the source and herald of Messiah's arrival on the
earth.
This sign is called, "great" (megas) and speaks
of the character of the sign in the context of human perceptions.
The 2nd sign occurs at Revelation 12:3 and is simply called,
"another sign."
This sign pictures the great adversary of God, Satan,
who has always been active in seeking the destruction of the Messianic
people. If Satan can succeed in destroying those upon whom God has set
His seal, then he would actually accomplish a spiritual victory over God
and prove Him to be imperfect. If God is imperfect, then He has no business
placing an eternal judgment upon an imperfect creature. Satan would thus
acquire a reprieve from his appointment to the lake of fire.
The 3rd sign is called, "great and marvelous,"
(thaumastos). This word speaks of the effect the sign has on John as a
humble recipient of divine revelation. It causes wonderment and awe. The
sign pictures the angelic administrators of the final stage of God's wrath
upon the kingdom of the beast. "Because in them the wrath (thumos) of God is
finished."
This idea of "the wrath of God is finished,"
refers only to the context of judgment on the earth prior to Messiah's
1000 year earthly reign. After that 1000 years, there will be another expression
of God's wrath at Revelation 20:7-10. Then after that, at the great white
throne judgment of Revelation 20:11-15, God's wrath will be expressed toward
all spiritual rebels by assigning them to the lake of fire for all eternity.
It is only then that God's wrath will once and for all be complete for
the entire universe, although the "effects" of that wrath (existence
in the lake of fire) will continue for all eternity (Revelation14:11).
Verse one simply gives the "title" for this
3rd sign. The details are given in verses 2-8. (In v. 1 they are said
to have the 7 plagues but they are not "given" the bowls that
contain the plagues until verse 7.)
Before the 7 angels begin to pour out the bowls, we are
shown a group of saints in heaven who praise God for the expression of
His power, righteousness and truth.
At verse 2, we see a sea of glass and upon it, the same
group of saints who were seen at Revelation 7:9-17 who were delivered from
the great tribulation through the rapture.
1. These have come off victorious from the beast.
2. At Revelation 7:14, they came out of the great tribulation.
3. At Matthew 24:15-21, Jesus tells us that the great
tribulation begins when the abomination of desolation is set up in the
holy place of the temple.
4. It is the beast who sets himself up as God and places
his image in the temple (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). This correlates with the
activity of the beast described at Revelation 13:11-15 and Daniel 7:25;
8:23-25; 9:27
5. Thus the ones who are victorious over the beast are
delivered at the end of the great tribulation and taken to heaven where
they are seen at both Revelation 7:9-17 and 15:2-4.
6. This group is different from the group
that we see later at Revelation 20:4. Although
BOTH groups face the persecution from the beast, the ones HERE, come out of
the tribulation, which will end at the 6th seal. The ones at Revelation 20:4
are those who became believers AFTER the rapture, that is, after the 6th
seal. They were converted during the time between the 6th seal and
Armageddon; during the time of the trumpet and bowl judgments.
Even though the tribulation will end when Jesus returns at the 6th seal, the
ability of the beast to persecute will not end. It will be greatly impeded
because of the trumpet and bowl judgments, but will not be completely
prevented.
Revelation 15:2 does not tell us "when" they
got there, but their presence in resurrection body is indicated by two
factors.
1. When first we saw the sea of glass at Revelation 4:8,
it was empty.
2. Now it is occupied and the ones there are "standing,"
which would suggest resurrection body as it does at Revelation 7:9.
3. The sea of glass is "before" the throne and
at Revelation 7:9, the saints are standing "before" the throne.
Revelation 15:3-4 tells us that these saints sing two
songs. The song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb. And yet it appears to
be one song which embraces both titles.
The significance of the song of Moses might simply be
that they sing "about" what Moses song about as recorded at Deuteronomy
32. Ie, the character and deeds of God, The Rock (Deuteronomy 32:4) who
was actually the Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).
And the significance of the song of the Lamb is to make
the correlation between the Rock, The God of Israel and the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29) and will reign as king
over the nations (Revelation 1:5; 19:16).
So this is a song of praise in anticipation of the righteous
reign of Messiah after the final wrath of God is poured out on the earth.
Revelation 15:5-8 is preparation for the final outpouring
of God's wrath.
"The temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven
was opened."
1. actually, this is the temple (which has) the tabernacle,
etc.
2. Thus, in actuality, we have the same visual as at verse
11:19, when "the temple of God which is in heaven was opened."
3. Here, it is the same "heavenly" temple, still
opened, but now with emphasis on the tabernacle of testimony.
4. There, John saw the ark of the covenant in the temple.
5. The tabernacle of testimony refers to the heavenly
pattern God used for the physical sanctuary given to Israel as is described
at Exodus 37 and 38.
The purpose of the symbols was to portray the divine plan
of redemption for the human race.
The ark of the covenant was the most important item in
the tabernacle and symbolized specifically the sacrifice of the Messiah
in dying for the sins of all the world.
The divine character that is emphasized in this structure
is righteousness and justice. Justice is not only the basis for "blessing"
through salvation relationship with God, but justice is also the basis
for judgment upon those who reject Jesus as savior.
That is the significance of this vision where John sees
the tabernacle of testimony and the ark of the covenant "before"
the final expression of God's wrath upon the unbelievers alive on the earth.
The same Jesus who died for the sins of the world is the
one who judges, for "He gave him authority to execute judgment, because
He is the Son of Man" (John 5:22-27).
The point of contact between Revelation 11:18-19 and 15:1-8
is two-fold.
1. The issue of the final expression of God's wrath:
11:18, "Your wrath (orge) came"
15:1, "seven angels who had the seven plagues which
are the last, because in them the wrath (thumos) of God is finished."
2. And the temple in heaven as the location from which
this final wrath is administrated.
Revelation 16:1, "And I heard a loud voice from the
temple, saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out the seven bowls of
the wrath of God into the earth.'"
11:19, "the temple of God which is in heaven was
opened and the ark of His covenant appeared"
15:5, "And the temple of the tabernacle of testimony
in heaven was opened."
15:6, "and the 7 angels who had the 7 plagues came
out of the temple"
Notice that at verse 6, we see the angels clothed in linen
clean and bright.
This is proof that the "armies" who come with
the Lord Jesus to "mop up" at Armageddon (Revelation 19:14),
do not need to refer to believers, but can easily and in fact, more reasonably,
refer to angels.
15: 7, "And one of the four living creatures gave
to the seven angels, seven golden bowls full of the wrath (thumos) of God, who lives
forever and ever."
Revelation 15:8 tells us that the administration of this
wrath of God, as an expression of His power, causes smoke to fill the temple.
This EVIDENCE of God's GLORY is so great that none of the creatures in heaven
are able to enter into the temple until the final judgments are completed.
Revelation 16:1 is the command to begin the administration
of the judgments:
"And I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying
to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath
(thumos) of God into the earth."
And verses 2-21 gives the details of these 7 last plagues
of divine wrath upon the kingdom of the beast and the unbelieving world.
These 7 judgments all take place within a 26 day period
as they begin some time after the ascension of the two witnesses. Their
ascension takes place on day 4 of the 30 day period which follows immediately
upon the 1260 days of the last half of the week. By the end of these 30
days, the kingdom of the beast will be totally destroyed and the 45 days
of preparation for the kingdom of Messiah will begin. Daniel 12:11-12.
Some believe that the 7 bowls are simply a
RE-STATEMENT of the trumpet judgments. This theory ignores the evidence that
there is no similarity between the trumpets and the respective bowls. For a
comparison of the trumpets with the bowls see the chapter -
THE 7TH SEAL AND SIX TRUMPETS.
Bowl #1, Revelation 16:2: massive skin cancer develops
upon all who have the mark of the beast.
"And the first one went and poured out his bowl into
the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore upon the men who
had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image."
Bowl #2, Revelation 16:3: Salt water pollution that kills
EVERY living thing in the sea.
"And the second one poured out his bowl into the
sea, and it became blood like {that} of a dead man; and every living thing
in the sea died."
I have come to realize through dialog with many different
people that nothing should be taken for granted and that every point needs
to be clarified. The "became blood," here and in other places
where the image occurs, does NOT mean to literally become blood. It refers
to the appearance of blood and communicates the severe pollution that discolors
both water resources so that they are totally unusable.
Bowl #3, Revelation 16:4: Fresh water pollution which
appears to extend to the entire fresh water supply in the world.
"And the third {angel} poured out his bowl into the
rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood."
Bowl #4, Revelation 16:8-9: Intensification of the sun's
rays so that people are severely scorched.
"And the fourth one poured out his bowl upon the
sun; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. (v.9) And men were
scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has
the power over these plagues; and they did not repent, so as to give Him
glory."
NOTICE that at verse 9, those who are the recipients of
the plagues do NOT change their minds (repent) about their rebellion against
God and continue to reject any expression of thanks and praise.
Bowl #5, Revelation 16:10-11: This is an opposite effect
on the sun which diminishes its light and heat so that there is extreme
cold and even artificial heating techniques will provide no help.
(The reason for that is that both electricity and fossil
fuels will be in very short supply.)
"And the fifth one poured out his bowl upon the throne
of the beast; and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues
because of pain, (v.11) and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of
their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds."
NOTICE again that the spiritual rebels continue to blaspheme
God and continue in their deeds of lawlessness.
In fact, not only do these peoples of the world continue
to blaspheme God, but they have also become quite dissatisfied with the
beast's ineffectiveness in providing necessary resources to those who have
sworn allegiance to him. The result is a massive troop movement against
the kingdom of the beast and specifically into the land of Palestine where
there exists a large supply of natural resources under the control of the
beast and his armies.
Bowl #6, Revelation 16:12-16: The assembly of troops to
Armageddon.
This takes place in two stages.
Stage one is the arrival of the kings of the East, verse
12:
Verse 12, "And the sixth one poured out his bowl
upon the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the
way might be prepared for the kings from the east."
This is specific reference to the movement of the kings
of the East as they attack the king of the West (the beast) and his troops
which are stationed in Palestine.
This incident is just briefly mentioned at Daniel 11:44
in the phrase, "rumors from the East . . . will disturb him."
The details of this maneuvering of troops before and at
Armageddon are not directly pertinent to the "PreWrath" position
so I will discuss them in a future article.
But as in the case of the other bowl judgments, this movement
of the kings of the East is a direct assault on the kingdom of the beast.
The significance of the Euphrates River in this scenario
is that, historically, it has stood as a barrier to the advance of the
Far Eastern societies into the Middle East.
Today, the existence of the river does nothing to hinder
the advance of armies. However, in a typical sense, it represents a deterrent
to such advances and therefore when it is "dried up," we see
the deterrent removed and the subsequent movement of Eastern troops into
Palestine.
Stage two of this 6th bowl judgment is the movement of
troops other than the kings of the East, verses 13-14, 16.
(verse 13) And I saw {coming} out of the mouth of the
dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false
prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; (verse14) for they are spirits
of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world,
to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
(verse 16) And they gathered them together to the place
which in Hebrew is called Harmagedon.
This movement corresponds with the development discussed
at Zechariah 12:1-3 and 14:2.
Zechariah 12:1-3
"The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
{Thus} declares the LORD who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation
of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him,
Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes
reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem,
it will also be against Judah.
And it will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem
a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured.
And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. "
Zechariah 14:2,
"For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem
to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women
ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will
not be cut off from the city."
Prior to this, the king of the North has been pushing
against the King of the West at geographical locations all over the world
as is referenced at the 6th trumpet (Revelation 9:13-19) and Daniel 11:44,
"and the king of the North will storm against him."
Now at this time, the king of the North as well as other
world powers are motivated by demon influence to move into the Middle East.
The "practical" reason for such movement would
be the severe economic conditions which exist worldwide. The movement into
the Middle East is an attempt to alleviate those conditions by physically
confronting the King of the West (the beast) and taking possession of the
natural resources which are controlled by him.
But the possession and control of resources that the world
believes the beast possesses, is simply an illusion. Remember that the
bowl judgments have almost totally depleted those resources:
Bowl #2: All sea life is dead.
Bowl #3: All fresh water is polluted.
Bowl #5: Heating resources are depleted (gas, oil, coal,
wood)
The kingdom of the beast is in chaos and his reign has
for all practical purposes, come to an end as was indicated at the announcement
from the 7th trumpet.
Now, right in the middle of describing this
troop movement, we find an exhortation from Jesus as a reminder of personal
accountability. This is addressed to the readers of the book of Revelation,
both believers and unbelievers, to warn them of the event of the 6th seal that
will begin the "end-times" judgments of the Day of the Lord.
Revelation 16:15
("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed
is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked
and men see his shame.")
The phrase, "come like a thief," occurs only
5 times and always refers to the return of Jesus at the arrival of the Day of
the Lord (1Thessalonians 5:2, 4; 2Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3;
Revelation 16:15). The use of this term originated based on the parable Jesus
taught at Matthew 24:43-44
"But be sure of this, that if the head of
the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would
have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken
into.
"For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
when you do not expect it."
Believers will thus, be reminded of the
urgency for testimonial consistency throughout their lives that they might not
"be ashamed, and shrink away from him in fear at His presence," 1 John 2:28.
Unbelievers will once again be reminded that
if they are not spiritually prepared through salvation relationship with God,
they will be left behind at the rapture and many of the men and women, if not
killed by one plague or another, will end up as part of this troop movement
into the Valley of Megiddo where they will face the sword of Jesus.
At all times throughout history, God has been
faithful to provide the information people need to enter into relationship
with Himself. This time of great judgment from God is no exception. The
144,000 "servants" of God are still present on the earth representing the
truth of God to all who will hear. The message of these "servants" is found at
Revelation 14:6-7 and is called, "an everlasting gospel."
The quote from God at this point in the
scenario, indicates not only, God's concern for His own people, that they be
"prepared" through fellowship abiding with Him, but that He is still concerned
for all who are willing to come so that all who "call upon the name of the
Lord will be saved."
When Jesus descends to the earth to face the
nations at Armageddon, He will already have been present in the clouds for over
five months, having come "in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory
(Mat. 24:29-31; Rev. 6:12-14). AT this physical descent TO the earth, He will
not come like a thief. It is true, that no one will know EXACTLY what hour or
even day He will descend, but the judgments will have been on-going for over
FIVE MONTHS already (Rev. 9:5), and an "any time" arrival is really not an
issue at this point. The world will have ALREADY experienced the "signs in the
sun, moon and stars," and SEEN the arrival of Jesus in the clouds. At that
event of the 6th seal, the world will know that judgment is impending.
Revelation 6:15-17
"And they said to the mountains and to the
rocks, fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and
who is able to stand?"
However, prior to the arrival of Jesus in the
clouds of the sky at the 6th seal, when many unbelievers will NOT be
experiencing judgment, but instead will be facing the "peace and security"
issues of association with the beast (1Thes. 5:3: Mat. 24:38-39), there will
be no thought of the second coming of Jesus or of judgment.
That is why this warning is placed here. It
is given just before the vision tells about the FINAL judgment that comes in
the Valley of Megiddo, and warns all who will listen that it is the second
coming that will initiate the events leading up to it. Of course, for the
beast-worshippers, who will already have taken the mark of the beast, their
destiny in the lake of fire is irreversible. But for the many who will be
experiencing only a TASTE of the benefits of beast worship, there is still a
chance to trust in Christ and be saved.
Jesus gives the same warning at the close of
the book of Revelation.
Revelation 22:12, 17
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward
is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done . . . And the
Spirit and the Bride say, COME. And let the one who hears say COME. And let
the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants to, take the water of life
freely."
The 7th bowl judgment takes place just before Jesus descends
to confront the armies of the world in Jerusalem and at Armageddon. While
armies are maneuvering in and around Jerusalem, being gathered to the valley
of Meggido, the rest of the world is being destroyed by earthquakes and
hail stones.
Bowl #7, Revelation 16:17-21,
(verse17) And the seventh one poured out his bowl upon
the air; and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying,
"It is done."
(verse 18) And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of
thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since
man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake {was it, and} so
mighty.
The result is that cities are destroyed, Islands sink
and mountains crumble. Attendant with this will be huge blocks of ice falling
upon the earth causing more death and destruction.
(verse 19) And the great city was split into three parts,
and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered
before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
(verse 20) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
(verse 21) And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down
from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the
hail, because its plague was extremely severe.
This is a judgment upon the people of the nations, whereas
the "armies" of the nations will be judged separately as they
are gathered at Armageddon.
Notice that there is still time for people to continue in their blaspheming
of God and in their rejection of His salvation provision.
This is probably what Ezekiel described at Ezekiel 38:18-19,
"And it will come about on that day, when Gog comes
against the land of Israel," declares the Lord GOD, "that My
fury will mount up in My anger. "And in My zeal and in My blazing wrath
I declare {that} on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in
the land of Israel.
and 39:6,
"And I shall send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit
the coastlands in safety;
and they will know that I am the LORD.
This is probably what Jeremiah spoke about at Jeremiah
25:32-37, which has a worldwide focus as judgment upon the "peaceful
folds" of these nations.
And even Isaiah seems to mention this particular occurrence
in a Day of the Lord context at Isaiah 13:13,
"Therefore, I shall make the heavens tremble
and the earth will be shaken from its place
at the fury of the Lord of Hosts."
Notice also that there are two cities which are signaled
out as receiving special judgment.
1. The great city: Verse 19, "And the great city
was split into three parts," This refers to Jerusalem as seen at Revelation
11:8,
". . .the street of the great city which spiritually
is called Sodom and Egypt,
where also our Lord was crucified."
2. Babylon: Verse 19, "And Babylon the great was
remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath."
This refers to the great influence of Babylonian evil
as perpetuated throughout history and ultimately centered in the Roman
Empire where it has wielded its perversion of Christianity to this very
day.
The details of its history, character and identification
are found in Revelation 17 and 18.
The chronology of events picks up again at chapter 19.
To restate:
Chapter 16 ends with a worldwide earthquake and hailstones,
with special focus on Babylon.
Chapter 17 and 18 backtracks and reviews the history and
character of Babylon.
Chapter 18 ends with the destruction of Babylon.
There has been much discussion as to the identification
of this city of "Babylon." Two views have the greatest feasibility.
1. The city refers to an actual "restored" city
of Babylon which the king of the west (the beast) possesses for his headquarters.
2. The city which carries all the "characteristics"
of ancient Babylon and the "mysteries" of Babylonian evil, which
would be Rome.
But the details of this issue have no direct bearing on
the PreWrath position and will be discussed in a future article.
Now, even though there has been world-wide physical destruction
from the earthquake and hailstones, still the spiritual rebels continue
in their blasphemy and lawlessness. Later they will all be evaluated and
the righteous will enter the kingdom while the unrighteous go to the place
of torments in Hades.
Chapter 19 picks up from where both chapter 16 and 18
leave off.
We again have the response from the heavenly observers
to the "vision" which they have all been watching. Revelation
19:1-5.
Verses 6-11 returns to the vision "screen" as
we are told that the marriage of the Lamb has arrived. The use of the word,
"arrived" indicates that it has not as yet taken place, but is
now ready to be completed. Accordingly, "His bride has made herself
ready" through the evaluation that takes place at the justice seat
of Christ.
The "betrothal" period began for each individual
believer at the moment of his salvation through personal trust in Jesus
as the Messiah (2Corinthians 11:2).
During the time of the believer's stay here on earth,
he is to cultivate God's righteousness in His life through growth and the
filling of the Holy Spirit. It is fulfillment of this purpose which produces
good works which are acceptable to God (Romans 14:17-18) and which will
be rewarded at the Justice Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). The
positive result of the evaluation of all believers at this time will collectively
constitute the wedding garment of the bride as "fine linen, bright
and clean" which is "the righteous deeds of the saints,"
(Revelation 19:8).
Individually, of course, each believer will be personally
rewarded according to the quality of his works as a Christian, whether
they be good (agathos) or useless (phaulos), (2 Corinthians 5:10).
It is for this reason that Paul writes at 2 Corinthians
11:2, "that I might present you a pure virgin," and mentions
his concern about their unfaithfulness at verse 3.
According to Revelation 19:9, there will be a marriage
supper of the Lamb, which would obviously take place AFTER the wedding
itself.
Now whether the marriage and/or supper take place before
Revelation 19:11, is not clearly stated, but the implication is that Christ
will first "destroy those who destroy the earth" at the battle
of Armageddon and then participate in both the marriage and the supper
at the beginning of His 1000 year earthly reign. There is no clear evidence
that the marriage takes place in heaven and the supper, upon the earth.
I suggest that both take place AFTER Christ's victory at Armageddon and
at the beginning of the kingdom. Those who are invited to the supper will
be those who are left alive after Armageddon (Zechariah 14:16-21) and who
survive the evaluation of the nations of Matthew 25:31-46 as believers
in Christ.
Accordingly, Revelation 19:11-21 now describes the actual
physical descent of Jesus to the battle at Armageddon as also mentioned
at Zechariah 14:3-4.
"Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those
nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in
front of Jerusalem on the east;
and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by
a very large valley,
so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half
toward the south."
See the article, WHEN ARMIES
MOVE for details on the Armageddon campaign.
