The End of the World as We Know It 7
Last time, we looked at the sounding of Jehovah’s 7th trumpet, which heralded the coming victory of He and His Son, against Satan and his followers. And we examined the ‘7 signs’ – an overview of the latter half of the tribulations. Those signs were centered around Israel being hidden away from the onslaught of Satan and his two beasts: the Antichrist and the False Prophet (see The End of the World as We Know It 6).
We also witnessed a war in heaven, where the devil is thrown out of heaven, with him subsequently pursing the followers of Christ. Then we watched the unbelievers worship the Antichrist and his idol statute of himself, and witnessed miracles performed by the False Prophet, and the initiation of the ‘mark of the beast.’
Our study ended with the appearance of 3 angels: the first proclaiming that we must glorify God, the second to let us know that the world governmental system of the tribulation period was collapsing, and the third warning everyone to turn away from receiving the mark of the beast, or face eternal condemnation.
All of this leads us to embracing the urgency of persevering in our faith in Christ, no matter what befalls us:
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. Rv. 14:12 NLT
John’s visions in the mid-tribulations begins to end:
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” Rv. 14:13 NLT
God is calling upon His children who accepted Him, through Christ, during the first half of the tribulations – to stand firm in their faith, because their redemption is guaranteed.
He is also comforting those whose martyrdom is imminent, that they will be instantly translated into the arms of their Lord – delivered from the vast severity of Jehovah’s final judgments during the latter half of the tribulations.
The vision of John shifts both heavenward and forward in time, towards the end of the tribulation period, where we become privy to the ‘Great Harvest’:
Again I looked, and this is what I saw: a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, (see Dn. 7:13, 14.) with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle [of judgment] in His hand.
And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to Him who was sitting on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap [at once], for the hour to reap [in judgment] has arrived, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripened.” So He who was sitting on the cloud cast His sickle over the earth and the earth was reaped (judged). Rv. 14:14 – 16. AMP
After that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.”
So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath. The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and high as a horse’s bridle. Rv. 14:17 – 20. NLT
First, we see Christ (the Son of Man) coming in judgment. Some scholars, ascribe His coming to being a ‘mid-tribulation rapture’. However, this is a somber occasion. Jesus is coming to gather up those who are found wanting in God’s eyes (the rebellious). This is further confirmed by the advent of angels appearing to assist Him.
This is followed by the onslaught of Jehovah’s wrath (‘great winepress’) delivered outside of Jerusalem, through His Son – bringing destruction to rebellious armies (see Rv. 19:15 – 19.)
(This is a preview of the time that follows Armageddon – the last battle where Christ and His army will stand against the 2-million-man army from the ‘east’ + the army loyal to the Antichrist. There will be unprecedented destruction – creating a swath of blood from the vanquished that is 180 miles long and 4 feet in depth.)
Now, we get to look at John’s vision (heavenward and in the latter half of the tribulations) of all those who withstood Satan’s machinations in the mid-tribulations, and who came to Christ – many of whom were martyred. This is the 3rd interlude in heaven, in the book of Revelation:
Then I saw in heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion.
I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them. And they were singing the song of Moses (Ex. 15:1 – 18), the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.” Rv. 15:1 – 4. NLT
The last ‘7 plagues’ (bowl judgments), are the fullest expression of Jehovah’s wrath against the rebellious unbelievers. But before He thrusts them upon the earth, He saves (raptures up if you will) those believers in the tribulations who have clung to Him and His Son in the face of severe satanic opposition.
(The ‘song of Moses’ celebrated God’s deliverance through Moses for the Hebrews, after they crossed the Red Sea.)
John’s vision remains heavenward at the beginning of the latter half of the tribulations:
Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide open. The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple.
Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God…The Temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues. Rv. 15:5 – 8. NLT
Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowels containing God’s wrath.” Rv. 16:1 NLT
God is ready to strike the earth. This is setting the stage for the end of all that is familiar. John’s vision straddles both heaven and earth:
Bowl 1: So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue. Rv. 16:2 NLT
Bowl 2: Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died. Rv. 16:3 NLT
Bowl 3: Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood. And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying,
“You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was, because you have sent these judgments. Since they shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their just reward.” Rv. 16:4 – 6. NLT
Bowl 4: Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory. Rv. 16:8, 9. NLT
Bowl 5: Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. Rv. 16:10, 11. NLT
Bowl 6: Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.
And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.
“Look, I will come as unexpectantly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”
And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon. Rv. 12 – 16. NLT
Bowl 7: Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne [of God], saying, “It is done. [It is all over, it is all accomplished, it has come.]” And there were flashes of lightning and loud rumblings and peals of thunder; and there was a massive earthquake – nothing like it has ever occurred since mankind originated on the earth, so severe and far-reaching was that earthquake.
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And God kept in mind Babylon the great, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce and furious wrath. Then every island fled away, and no mountains could be found.
And giant hailstones, as heavy as a talent (~ 100 lbs) fell from the sky on the people; and people reviled and spoke abusively of God for the plague of hail, because the plague was so very great. Rv. 16:17 – 21. AMP
Wow! Jehovah is getting ready to bring total destruction upon the earth and the remnants of the rebellious. We have seen the complete annihilation of all aquatic life, no more potable water, tumors on those who took the mark of the beast, increased solar heat that burns everyone, God’s dominion is established over the throne of the Antichrist, the purposeful enabling of the gathering of the world’s armies for the battle of Armageddon, and unprecedented global geological devastation.
God is cleaning house. What happens next? Tune in next week!
Goodnight and God bless.
The End of the World as We Know It – 6
To understand what is going on in this post, you must begin by reading the first 5 posts sequentially, in this series: (see part 1; 2; 3; 4; 5.)
Last time, we observed the unleashing of 6 of the ‘7 trumpets’ (cataclysmic events which cause torture, death, and partial destruction of the earth), and observed the ‘second interlude’ in the book of Revelation – where we meet Christ’s ‘two witnesses.’
John’s vision now shifts heavenward and chronologically towards future events at the end of the tribulations:
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven:
“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”
The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshipped him. And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.
The nations were filled with wrath, but now your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.”
Then in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm. Rv. 11:15 – 19. NLT
Thus, the 7th trumpet heralds the coming victory of God and His Son (including Christ’s second advent), over Satan and his followers. This includes the judgments against the unrepentant unbelievers and the bestowing of heavenly gifts to those who embrace Jesus.
The fact that the Temple was opened, is symbolic for open doors to God for the Jewish believers. The Ark symbolizes forgiveness / redemption that will be theirs.
Next, John’s vision shifts to what is referred to by some biblical scholars as the ‘7 signs’ – beginning earthward in place, and backwards in time, offering in its content, an overview of the latter half of the tribulation period.
- And a great sign [warning of an ominous and frightening future event] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child (the Messiah) and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
Then another sign [of warning] was seen in heaven: behold, a great fiery dragon (Satan) with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns (diadems). And his tail swept [across the sky] and dragged away a third of the stars of heaven and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
And she gave birth to a Son, a male Child, who is destined to rule (shepherd) all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared from God, so that she would be nourished there for a thousand two hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years). Rv. 12:1 – 6. AMP
Some interpreters see the ‘woman’ as the Virgin Mary, others, as the country of Israel, with her crown of 12 stars representing the 12 tribes of Israel.
The 7 heads of Satan symbolize 7 world empires (see Rv. 17:10), the 10 horns signify a defiant human coalition in cahoots with the devil and his Antichrist. The royal crowns point to Satan’s political power. The stars flung to the earth signifies fallen angels who sided with the devil to rebel against God.
The woman fleeing into the wilderness depicts Israel being protected during the last half of the tribulations. Note that Satan did try to kill the Child Jesus, through King Herod, during the ‘massacre of the innocents’ (see Mt. 2:12 – 23.).
Lastly, we see that Jehovah gives His Son total reign over the entire world, who will rule it with a firm hand.
- And war broke out in heaven, Michael [the archangel] and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, but they were not strong enough and did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Rv. 12:7 – 9. AMP
Michael was a high-ranking angel, and a warrior and advocate for Israel (see Dn. 10:13).
We see that the Satan is tossed from heaven, after he loses his war – he and his fallen angels with him.
Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth — the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” Rv. 12:7 – 12. NLT
Heaven throws a party because the continual accuser of all saints, the devil, no longer has access to their home. The saints did suffer from Satan’s attacks, but in their zeal to prevail for Jesus, they would be victorious at His second coming.
However, now the devil has some nasty anger issues. He has failed to kill Christ or the remnant of Israel. He will now persecute Gentile believers with the assistance of his ‘beasts’. John’s vision shifts to the mid-tribulation period:
- And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male Child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time (three and one-half years), away from the presence of the serpent (Satan). And the serpent hurled water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had hurled out of his mouth. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went off to wage war on the rest of her children (seed), those who keep and obey the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus [holding firmly to it and bearing witness to Him].
And the dragon (Satan) stood on the sandy shore of the sea. Rv. 12:13 – 13:1 AMP
The ‘great eagle wings’ is allegorical for God’s deliverance. The flood for the satanically driven enemies of Israel, and the earth to indicate Jehovah’s deliverance again, and finally, the ‘rest of her children’ represent the Jews who embrace Jesus during the tribulations.
- And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed.
The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?”
The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authorityfor forty-two months. It began to speak[e] blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the bookof life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen. If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed.
This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints. Rv. 13:1 – 10. CSB
The devil calls forth the beast from the sea, and he empowers it with his own power and authority. You can see by its description that it is a mirror image of Satan. As for the ‘blasphemous names, read about the ‘little horn’ of the prophet Daniel’s vision about the Antichrist. (Dn. 7:7-8 & 20-25.)
The ‘fatal wound that was healed’ is a false death and resurrection that unbelievers will see as sign of the beast’s (Antichrist) divinity and worship both he and Satan. The Antichrist conquers the saints and rules over all people. Other than the saints, the whole world will hold up the Antichrist as their savior. Furthermore, those who worship the Antichrist will not find their names in book of life of the Lamb, i.e., they have no heavenly hope – ever.
- Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.
He required everyone—small and great, rich, and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. Rv. 13:11 – 18. NLT
This ‘beast of the earth’ (False Prophet) was similar to the Antichrist but subordinate to it. Coming from the earth suggests that it is worldly, thus sinful. Satan empowered the False Prophet to be able to work miracles in the presence of the Antichrist.
He even forced the people to make a statue of the Antichrist, and then made it talk, and it commanded all the people to worship it or die. Then, the False Prophet shackled the people economically by forcing them to tattoo / brand themselves with the mark of the Antichrist, either with his name or his number (666), which was required for any kind of commerce. (Some old manuscripts say 616 or 686). Many saints are martyred at this point. (See also 2 Thess. 2:9 – 12.)
(No one really knows what 666 means, except that it is the ‘number of humanity.’ Some have suggested that because it is not comprised of sevens, which suggests ‘completeness’ in the Bible, that the mark signifies ‘incompleteness’.)
- Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.
This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. They have kept themselves as pure as virgins following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. They have told no lies; they are without blame. Rv. 14:1 – 5. NLT
The ‘Lamb standing on Mount Zion’ is a depiction of His decisive victory in His second advent, when He joins the 144,000 Jewish believers who were given safe haven during the tribulations (see Rv. 7:3, 4), at the time when He begins His ‘millennial reign’ (see Rv. 20:4).
John heard the sound of Jehovah and of an angelic throng who sang before His throne, along with the 144,000. The fact that they are ‘pure virgins’ is interpreted by some as to be symbolic for having a ‘spiritual pureness’ in that they have walked with God.
- And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”
Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”
Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” Rv. 14:6 – 11. NLT
John’s vision is still in mid-tribulations in time but shifts earthward in focus. This is the last sign associated with the ‘trumpets’, focusing on both present-time and eternal judgment of unrepentant unbelievers, that begins with an angel’s announcement proclaiming the way to get right with God.
This is all happening before God delivers His final judgments (the ‘bowels’) upon the earth and its inhabitants. If you adhere to the ‘rapture’ concept, you’ll see that God is still reaching out to the recalcitrant to urge them to come to gain His salvation. How? Well, the church has risen to heaven, the believing remnant of Israel has done the same, yet Jehovah still pleads with the doubters…
A second angel is proclaiming that Babylon (the satanic world governmental system in place during the tribulation) is destroyed.
A third angel declares the dire consequences of worshiping the Antichrist, his statue, or having received his mark. That is, you are dipped in God’s eternal wrath, with no hope of rescue.
With that, we have finished with the signs. Get ready for the coming of Christ, and of the ‘great sifting’…
Goodnight and God bless.