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Pouring Out the Seven Vial Judgements Part 2

Pouring Out the Seven Vial Judgments 2

• "11 And blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." The impenitence of these Earth dwellers is not unexpected, i.e., they "repented not of their deeds" (Rev 16:11). They have the infamous distinction of being the most stubborn and defiant human beings still drawing breath, for of such "Beelzebub the prince of the devils" (Matthew 12:24) takes grudging delight. "29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 who knowing the Judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" (Romans 1:29-32). Being without remorse for all their wickedness, what more evidence could the Faithful Creator give of the stark reality of their need for repentance than the supernatural, miraculous Vial Judgments? "23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?... 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye" (Ezekiel 18:23, 32).

But, they "blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores" (Rev 16:11). If God cannot be magnified in their Salvation, He must "lay the land desolate" and "destroy the sinners thereof out of it" (Isaiah 13:9). So much of the message of the Old Testament prophets against faithless Israel and upon the Gentile nations, made such sweeping statements of Jehovah's worldwide judgment against sin, that the final scene of judgment seemed remote-- until the world sinned away the opportunity of Gospel repentance. "6 Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isa 55:6-7). Their blasphemy, from the Greek word blasphemeo (to speak evilly of God's divine majesty), only further hardens them, ensuring the rightness of their destruction and damnation. "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption" (2Peter 2:12). "Their pains and their sores" (Rev 16:11) have continued from at least the First Vial Judgment's malignant ulcers and certainly from gnawing their tongues for pain in the Fifth Vial Judgment. They are much like a repeatedly wounded animal, only looking for a way to die. "Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation" (Jeremiah 50:27).

• "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." Preparation of the Kings of the East for the Battle of Armageddon is the purpose for the Sixth Vial Judgment, i.e., "that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared" (Rev 16:12). In particular, the Omniscient God understands the necessity for the drying up of the Euphrates River-- to ensure the arrival of the Kings of the East for the slaughter of the Battle of Armageddon at the appointed time. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up" (Rev 16:12). The eastern boundary of the ancient Roman Empire was the Euphrates River. It was also the eastern extent of the land promised to the seed of Abraham. "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 unto the great river, the river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18). Flowing from the Armenian plateau in Turkey southeastward across Syria and southern Iraq, joining to the Tigris River to form the Shatt al-Arab, and emptying into the Persian Gulf, the Euphrates River is the largest river of western Asia, with a total length of about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometres). "And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden... And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads... And the fourth river is Euphrates" (Genesis 2:8, 10, 14).

It is fittingly poetic of God that the geographic area known as the Fertile Crescent (roughly extending from the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, arching northward to Assyria, westward over Syria to the Mediterranean, southward through Israel, and extending into the Nile valley of Egypt) would be both the location of the Garden of Eden and Armageddon-- the place of man's beginning and the area of the end of his rebellion against God. "I am Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The Ending, saith the LORD, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). The distance from Armageddon to the "great river Euphrates" (Rev16:12) is approximately 350 miles (560 kilometres) at its closest point and 700 miles (1,100 kilometres) at the convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In the beginning of the 21st century, the evident pattern is the rising military-industrial power of China, the technological ascendancy and prowess of Japan, and the continued growth in the population of India-- all guarantee sufficient capability and combatants to cross the dried Euphrates to keep an appointment at Armageddon. "Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and will gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable" (Luke 3:17).

• "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." The "three unclean spirits" (Rev 16:13) that "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" (Rev 16:13), indicate that the hellish influence of the devil and Satan possessed men alike is often disseminated by demons. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1John 4:1). That the demons are "like frogs" (Rev 16:13), signifies that they are representatively unclean, much as the superseded Old Testament Ceremonial Law used to specify. "5 I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from Heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: 6 upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw four-footed beasts of the Earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 7 And I heard a Voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. 8 But I said, Not so, LORD: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth" (Acts 11:5-8).

What Satan, demons, and evil men believe to be their own machinations against the Most High and His elect ones, is actually the supreme demonstration of the Omnipotent and Omniscient God in using their evil to perform His purpose. "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things" (Isaiah 45:7). Though God can never be the substance of evil, He does so thoroughly control His adversaries that the "wrath of man shall praise [Him]: the remainder of wrath [shall He] restrain" (Psalm 76:10). The slaughter of Armageddon will be promoted by the Antichrist as the final solution for eliminating the LORD Jesus Christ from contention to the ruler ship of the Kingdom of God, in particular, the Millennial Earth. "37 But last of all He sent unto them His Son, saying, They will reverence My Son. 38 But when the husbandmen saw the Son, they said among themselves, This is the Heir; come, let us kill Him, and let us seize on His inheritance" (Matthew 21:37-38). Armageddon will not be the revolt of the Kings of the East against the Antichrist, to be fought out in Israel. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the Beast" (Revelation 17:12). Rather, it will be the concerted effort of the Antichrist and the Kings of the East to finally defeat and destroy the LORD Jesus Christ, who is the Only Legitimate Heir to the Throne. "Until the appearing of our LORD Jesus Christ: which in His times He shall shew, who is the Blessed and Only Potentate, the KING of Kings, and LORD of Lords" (1Timothy 6:14-15).

• "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." It is a characteristic of ungodliness that both wicked men and evil angels are by nature unreasonable. "And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith" (2Thessalonians 3:2). These faithless "spirits of devils" (Rev 16:14) are the demons that possess those individuals who have refused obedience to Christ, i.e., "to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey" (Romans 6:16), because "God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient" (Rev 1:28). Why? Demoniacs (the demon possessed) are those who simply "did not like to retain God in their knowledge" (Rev 1:28), that have been allowed by God to be so inhabited by demons for the sake of punishment, judgment, and even reformation. "And [Christ's] fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them" (Matthew 4:24).

Christ's healings demonstrated that curable physical illnesses were often the manifestation of demon possession. "Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw" (Matthew 12:22). In addition, demons: (1) spoke through their host, i.e., "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out" (Mark 1:23),

(2) possessed knowledge beyond that of their host, i.e., "Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God" (Rev 1:24),

(3) preferred inhabiting a beast, if a human was not available, i.e., "So the devils besought Him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine" (Matthew 8:31),

(4) are allowed their habitation only by permission from God, i.e., "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, LORD, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy Name" (Luke 10:17),

(5) are cast out by the prayer and fasting of the Saints, i.e., "25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him... 28 And when [Jesus] was come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:25, 28-29), and

(6) comprehend that they are only biding their time until they will be finally and eternally judged, i.e., "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:29). The unreasonableness of these "spirits of devils" (Rev 16:14) is that though they know that the Almighty has ultimate control over them and will finally judge them, they persist in opposing the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ. But, why does God allow it? Because the Kingdom of God is a vast Moral Government-- not an autocratic rule over those who have no choice but to obey, praise, and worship the Almighty-- the King must demonstrate to the satisfaction of all His subjects that His judgment of the world that opposes Him at Armageddon, is a righteous and just execution. "9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God, the Faithful God, which keepeth Covenant and Mercy with them that love Him and keep His Commandments to a thousand generations; 10 and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the Commandments, and the Statutes, and the Judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them" (Deuteronomy 7:9-11). These demons are allowed to work miracles, i.e., "working miracles" (Rev 16:14), so that they may persuade the "kings of the Earth" and the "whole world" (Rev 16:14) that they can fight and win at Armageddon, the "battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev 16:14). "19 And [the good prophet Micaiah] said, Hear thou therefore the Word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His Throne, and all the host of Heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left. 20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so" (1Kings 22:19-22).

• "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." "Behold, I come as a thief" (Rev 16:15) is a warning, but this verse is also meant to be a promise to those who read it before Armageddon is fought. Only to the wicked, will He come as a thief; but, a receiver of this promise "watcheth" (16:15) and awaits his LORD's coming. "2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the LORD so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the Children of Light, and the Children of the Day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of Salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain Salvation by our LORD Jesus Christ" (1Thessalonians 5:2-9).

To keep one's garments, i.e., "keepeth his garments" (Rev 16:15), implies a carefulness to walk in holiness, for the first garments were given by the Creator to cover the nakedness of our first parents' sin. "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). But, in that act of covering is the lesson that our God has provided the shed blood of His Son in atonement for our sins. "And almost all things are by the Law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). The benefit of our Redeemer's covering extends beyond our initial Salvation, but it must encompass all subsequent cleansings for backslidings, when we "walked naked" and the world saw our "shame" (Rev 16:15). "If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and Just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1John 1:9). Only as we are taught our need of abiding in Christ, can we possibly find relief from sinning. "Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not" (1John 3:6). And, abiding in Christ is so understanding the "riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19) that conforms Christ as the answer to our every question and the provision for our every need, that we become the victor and not the vanquished. "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1John 5:4).

• "16 And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." The most advertised battle engagement of all time is Armageddon. "In the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (16:16) was probably Har Megiddo, which means mount or city of Megiddo. Armageddon, presently only a rich archaeological excavation and tourist site, lies about 18 miles (29 kilometers) southeast of the coastal city of Haifa, in northern Israel. Because Megiddo occupied a strategic military position on the Plain of Esdraelon-- which is the Greek derivation of the Hebrew, Yizre'el meaning God will sow, and is also identified with the Valley of Jezreel of Scripture-- it was the scene of numerous historic, Biblical battles and many conflicts more recent. Geographically, Armageddon's Plain of Esdraelon cuts Israel in half, affording clear passage from the Mediterranean Sea to the Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River. Economically, Megiddo controlled a chokepoint on the ancient Via Maris-- the "Way of the Sea" (Isaiah 9:1)-- making it of great importance along that international trade route connecting Egypt to Mesopotamia, i.e., Euphrates River. Located immediately above the Palestinian controlled West Bank area, the Plain of Esdraelon is a green, fertile valley about 25 miles long by 5 miles. Whoever maintained an army at Megiddo, controlled this essential international trade route, as did the Romans, when they came and fortified Legio, a mile farther south on the same ridge. "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:14).

Armageddon has been traditionally a symbol for a final and catastrophic conflict for the planet-- as the Judgment of God will be for the Wicked. "Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about" (Joel 3:12). From 1479 BC, when Thutmose III, king of Egypt, took the advice of his generals to enter Megiddo via the 'Aruna Pass to successfully defeat a coalition of Canaanite forces led by the Prince of Kadesh, to 1948, when Israeli forces used Megiddo as a base of operations against their Arab adversaries to successfully secure their statehood, the Plain of Esdraelon has witnessed innumerable battles of Armageddon.

Understanding that the Almighty is God alone, and "there is nothing too hard for [Him]" (Jeremiah 32:17), we must consider that the closing events of Armageddon are accomplished and revealed to us in this appointed fashion that the LORD, the Master Potter, may complete the fashioning of the clay pots of the moral agency of humanity that they "learn war [no] more" (Micah 4:3). "6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 if it do evil in My sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them" (Jeremiah 18:6-10).

The timing of the Apocalyptic Armageddon is at the End of the Tribulation Week, since the Vials are poured out at the close of the "Hour of Temptation" (3:10), at nearly the rate of one Vial Judgment per day, with the Sixth Vial Judgment specifically preparing the way for the "Kings of the East" (Rev 16:12). Since the Battle of Armageddon will be the final confrontation of the LORD Jesus Christ with the Antichrist, its climax must come when the Lamb of God casts the Antichrist and the False Prophet into the Lake of Fire. "19 And I saw the Beast [the Antichrist], and the Kings of the Earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Christ] that sat on the horse, and against His army. 20 And the Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the Mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh" ( Rev 19:19-21). The Battle of Armageddon will be conducted as a campaign over a period of a few days, before and after the End of the Tribulation Week, which most importantly marks the Second Advent of the LORD Jesus Christ. "29 Immediately after the Tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the Earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:29-30).

Participants in the Battle of Armageddon will be the "Beast" (Rev 19:19) in alliance with the "Kings of the Earth" (Rev 16:14), specifically with the "Kings of the East" (16:12), arrayed against the LORD Jesus Christ-- Who is the "LORD God Omnipotent" (Rev 19:6), the "Lamb" (Rev 19:7), "Faithful and True" (Rev 19:11), "The Word of God" (Rev 19:13), "Almighty God" ( Rev 19:15), "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (19:16), "The Great God" (Rev 19:17)-- and the Lamb's army of Angelic Hosts and Glorified Saints. "And the armies which were in Heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (Rev 19:14). Just as Hitler knew by 1943, after his troops were defeated in North Africa and Stalingrad, that he could not win, yet he did not sue for peace; just so, the Antichrist will unreasonably attempt to engage the LORD Jesus Christ in combat at Armageddon. "And out of [Christ's] mouth goeth a Sharp Sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (Rev 19:15). All of Antichrist's forces are bodily annihilated, i.e., the "remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh" (Rev 19:21). Instructive to the Saints is that our LORD battles and wins against the Enemy using solely His Word. How much more need we this Ultimate Weapon System? "4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2Corinthians 10:4-5).

Actual battlefield progress is limited to a description of the vast quantity of the enemies' blood that will flow at Armageddon, i.e., "And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs" (Revelation 14:20) "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great" (Joel 3:13). The towering centre of attention at Armageddon is the magnificence of the LORD Jesus Christ, who is the "LORD of Sabaoth" (James 5:4), literally, the LORD of Armies, whose garments are stained with the blood of His vanquished adversaries. "1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in His apparel, travelling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments like Him that treadeth in the wine fat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me: for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment" (Isaiah 63:1-3). Neither the Antichrist nor the False Prophet are killed during the engagement, but will be captured and given the ignominy of being the first two Eternal Prisoners of the Lake of Fire. "And the Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the Mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a Lake of Fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20). Thus, ends the Battle of Armageddon with the complete physical annihilation of the forces of the Antichrist, leaving the LORD Jesus Christ as the Victor. "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the Heaven and in the Earth is Thine; Thine is the Kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as Head Above All" (1Chronicles 29:11).

• "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." The Seventh Vial Judgment is the last recorded Apocalyptic Judgment. Since Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) and the "god of this world" (2Corinthians 4:4), then pouring out the Seventh Vial Judgment "into the air" (Rev 16:17), would be a frontal attack against Satan, so that all can see how Jehovah defeats, masters, and judges the Archenemy. Finite man finds it difficult to conceive of a supernatural Devil with vastly superior intelligence, superhuman power, commanding a host of demons, and evilly dedicated to himself, the destruction of the Almighty, and the ruination of mankind (a conspiracy)-- to whom even "Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The LORD rebuke thee" (Jude 9). But even, to the Saints: "Greater is He [the Spirit of God] that is in you, than He that is in the world [Satan]" (1John 4:4). It is to the glory of God that He has so fortified His Saints that simply standing in faith upon the promises and precepts of the Word of God defeats this mightiest of enemies. "Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world" (1Peter 5:9). "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

Again, the "Great Voice out of the Temple of Heaven" (Rev 16:17) is undoubtedly that of the LORD Jesus Christ (Rev 16:1). The declaration of our LORD, "It is done" (Rev 16:17), is an affirmation of mastery. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Daniel 2:44). Patience and long-suffering have been the very essence of the Creator's relationship to mankind. "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in Goodness and Truth" (Exodus 34:6). We have given the LORD every reason to destroy us, as we would put down a mad dog, for the totality of our conduct; but, He has responded with "Great Mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression" (Numbers 14:18)-- when we repented and believed-- through the Sacrificial Death of the Son of God. "But this Man [Christ Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). Jesus knew that the Enemy was defeated when He cried out, "It is finished" (John 19:30) on the Cross. "24 Then cometh the End, when He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. 26 The Last Enemy that shall be destroyed is Death" (1Corinthians 15:24-26).

• "18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning's; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the Earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." The Throne Presence of God is seen and felt throughout the world in the Seventh and Last Apocalyptic Judgment, i.e., "voices, and thunders, and lightning's" (Rev 16:18), leaving the planet with the certainty that God Himself has returned. "5 And out of the Throne proceeded lightning's and thunderings and voices... 19 And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His Testament: and there were lightning's, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail" (Revelation 4:5; 11:19). Just as secular writers identify Hell with misery, pain, and anguish, e.g., World War II, American infantryman Audie Murphy's description of combat in his memoir, "To Hell And Back" (1949), and Vietnam Era, American POW Jeremiah Denton's description of captivity in his book, "When Hell Was in Session" (1976), the inspired writers of Scripture characterize Heaven with victory, blessing, and overcoming. "In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11). The "voices"( Rev 16:18) of the Seventh Vial Judgment are most probably those of the Godhead commanding the Greatest Invasion Force the World Will Ever See-- the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ-- making the massive June 6th 1944 D-Day invasion of Nazi occupied Europe by Allied forces during World War II on the beaches of Normandy, France, only a significant footnote by comparison. "The LORD is a Man of War: the LORD is His Name" (Exodus 15:3). "Thunders" (16:18) and "lightning's" (Rev 16:18) would most appropriately represent the chain of command and the execution of the Divine Orders. "The voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightning's lightened the world: the Earth trembled and shook" (Psalm 77:18).

As indicated in this verse, the Greatest Earthquake of All Time occurs at this Seventh Vial Judgment, i.e., "there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the Earth" (Rev 16:18). Earthquakes are sudden movements of the Earth's crust caused by the release of stress accumulated along geologic faults (tectonic earthquakes) or by volcanic activity (volcanic earthquakes). Although 50,000 earthquakes each year may be felt without the aid of instruments, very great earthquakes only occur at the rate of about one per year. In the past, only a handful have been recorded as truly great earthquakes: (1) Lisbon, Portugal was heavily damaged by a temblor, whose epicentre was off the coast, on November 1st 1755 at 9:40 AM (All Saints Day), killing as many as 60,000 in Lisbon alone, while celebrating Mass;

(2) New Madrid, Missouri (USA) experienced a series of three earthquakes on December 16th 1811, January 23rd 1812, and February 7th 1812, felt as far away as Canada, the Gulf Coast, and Cincinnati, Ohio, affecting more than 1 million square miles, and where the Mississippi River was reported to have flowed temporarily backwards;

(3) San Francisco experienced a slip of the San Andreas fault that killed 700 people and destroyed its central business district on April 18th 1906 at 5:12 AM;

(4) Tokyo-Yokohoma, Japan on September 1st 1923 about noon was devastated by an earthquake that killed an estimated 140,000 people, destroying hundreds of thousands of homes, decimating fifty-four percent of its brick buildings, and collapsing ten percent of its reinforced concrete structures;

(5) T'ang-shan, China, a coal-mining and industrial city 68 miles (110 kilometres) east of Beijing, saw the death of 240,000 people from an earthquake, along with the injury of another 500,000 on July 28th 1976, due mainly to the collapse of unreinforced masonry homes, while they slept; and

(6) Mexico City on September 19th 1985 at 7:18 AM was shocked by a fault slip along the Benioff zone, killing 10,000 inhabitants and causing major building damage on this city founded on a former lake bed. But, none of these tremors combined approach the damage and destruction of the worldwide shaking that will be experienced with the Seventh Vial Judgment, i.e., "so mighty an earthquake, and so great" (Rev 16:18). "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8). "Safety is of the LORD" (Proverbs 21:31).

• "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" (Rev 16:19) refers to Jerusalem, i.e., the "great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our LORD was crucified" (Rev 11:8). Babylon the Great, which is the Harlot Rome, is not the "great city" (16:19) mentioned at the beginning of the verse, for Rome will be utterly destroyed in "one [literal] hour" (Rev 18:10, 17), i.e., "in one hour is she made desolate" (Rev 18:19). But, Jerusalem will not be completely destroyed, though it will be "divided into three parts" (Rev 16:19). " Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.... Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird" (Rev 17:5; 18:2). At the End of the Tribulation Week, during the Seventh Vial Judgment, time is left for the Almighty to complete the judgment of the "great city" (Rev 18:10, 16, 18, 19) of Rome, which is Babylon the Great, even before the battle is joined at Armageddon. "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all" (Rev 18:21).

Not only is Jerusalem specified as a target for tripartite division, but the "cities of the nations fell" (Rev 16:19), as well. This is a Global Earthquake. "17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols He shall utterly abolish. 19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the Earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the Earth" (Isaiah 2:17-19). "Great Babylon" (Rev 16:19) or "Babylon the Great" (Rev 18:2) will not be forgotten by the Omniscient God, i.e., "Great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath" (Rev 16:19). She must be made to pay for her sins. "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the LORD" (Romans 12:19). Finally impenitent Babylon must be judged, or God's Holy Law of Perfect Love toward God and man must be eternally ridiculed. The "soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4, 20). Christ's Atonement on the Cross, which rescues from Hell (if we repent}, must not be depreciated by allowing Babylon the Great's sin to go unrewarded. "5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine own arm brought Salvation unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me. 6 And I will tread down the people in Mine anger, and make them drunk in My fury, and I will bring down their strength to the Earth" (Isaiah 63:5-6).

• "20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found." It is apparent that the Global Earthquake of the Seventh Vial Judgment will cause the destruction of the islands throughout the world, i.e., "every island fled away" (Rev 16:20). This will occur through the action of tsunamis (seismic sea waves), as well as the earthquake itself. Fast moving tsunami waves moving through deep water will increase in amplitude as they approach the shallow waters near land. The onrush of water, especially around bays and inlets, will cause the greatest amount of immediate destruction around the low-lying ground of such inlets. Islands will not only be catastrophically damaged by the waves, but the volcanic earthquakes that initially formed some islands, e.g., the Hawaiian Islands, will permanently destroy them or alter their existence. "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places" (Revelation 6:14). Just as volcanoes and earthquakes were responsible for the formation of much of the world's mountains, they will now be responsible for their destruction, i.e.,"and the mountains were not found" (Rev 16:20). The noble mountains that ascribed glory to God through their creation, will bow themselves down to Him again, in performance of His judgment. "He stood, and measured the Earth: He beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the Everlasting Mountains were scattered, the Perpetual Hills did bow: His ways are everlasting" (Habakkuk 3:6). Though the New Heavens and New Earth will not occur until after the Millennium, the topography of the Millennial Earth will be greatly rearranged by the Global Earthquake of the Seventh Vial Judgment. "Bow Thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke" (Psalm 144:5).

• "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." As if to ensure that what the "exceeding great" (Rev 16:21) plague of the Global Earthquake does not sufficiently awaken or destroy, "there fell upon men a great hail out of Heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent" (Rev 16:21). Hail is the precipitation of balls or pieces of ice that often accompany thunderstorms. Ordinarily, hail may be about a quarter of an inch to 4 inches (5 millimetres to 10 centimetres) in diameter, but this hail will be "every stone about the weight of a talent" (Rev 16:21). The weight of a talent would be between 90 to 100 pounds (41 to 45 kilograms). Scripture indicates that there is sufficient humanity left to be cursed by the hail, for they "blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail" ( Rev 16:21). "To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7). Though judgment is the theme, repentance is still possible. "How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me?" (Exodus 10:3). The purpose of the Seventh Vial Judgment is to prepare for the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ, which follows soon thereafter. "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the Earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30).

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