By the grace of God we are continuing with our study… May He bless us with understanding, letting the Holy Spirit guide us as promised. All through His mercy, love, and grace!
'Revelation 14
Work of the Two Horned Beast
by J.N.Andrews
CHAPTER VII
Page 101 Continued….
THE FINAL CONTEST
It may be proper that we should notice some of the most probable causes that will induce the two-horned beast to create the image, and to require the reception of the mark:-
1. The first which we should name is the work of the spirits in performing miracles, etc.
It is certain that this agency, as we have already seen, is to deceive the dwellers upon the earth, and to cause them to make the image which all must worship on pain of death. We may rest assured that this extraordinary development of Satanic power has been reserved by him to act an important part in preparing men for the seven last plagues. If our public men become mediums (and some of them are such already), and our citizens become believers in this new system of divinity, or government is hopelessly in the hands of the Devil. Such a result may be neither improbable nor distant.
2. A second cause, and one, too, which should not be lightly passed over, is this; The preaching of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
This is the cause of the conflict between the dragon and the last fragment of the church. We shall hereafter show that the commandments of God, as distinguished from the faith or testimony of Jesus, mean the ten commandments. The fourth of these commandments the dragon has attempted to change. It is because the saints are keeping all the commandments of God that the dragon makes war upon them. This prophecy (Rev. 12:17) doubtless refers to the scene described in the conclusion of Rev. 13.
Mr. Miller remarks respecting this prophecy:
"I am therefore constrained to believe this battle of the dragon's last power will be in America; and if so, it must be mainly in these United States. " (Lectures," p. 213)
It is because the commandments of God will be vindicated, and the unscriptural character of the Sunday-Sabbath exposed, that the two-horned beast will require all to receive the mark. The lack of scriptural argument has been the chief cause why men have resorted to the argument of fire and fagot to convince dissenters.
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Three Angels of Revelation 14:6-12
Chapter 8
by J.N.Andrews
The Penalty Threatened
A Fearful Penalty
The Seven Last Plagues
The Third Woe
The Lake of Fire
Limited Duration of Final Conflagration
New Heavens and New Earth
Recompense of the Righteous
Annihilation of the Wicked.
A FEARFUL PENALTY
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THE fearful penalty connected with the warning of the third angel now claims our attention. It consists of two things:
1. The wine of the wrath of God, poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;
2. The torment with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
Let us carefully consider each in order. What is the wine of the wrath of God?
The next chapter clearly explains this point:
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. " And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever. " Verses 15:1.
THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES
It follows, therefore, that the wine of the wrath of God is the seven last plagues. The fact will be further apparent as we proceed to show that these plagues are future, and that they do pertain to the future we think can be established beyond controversy.
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1. The wrath of God, as threatened by the third angel, is poured out in the seven last plagues; for the first plague is inflicted on the very class that the third angel threatens. Compare Rev. 14:9, 10; 16:1, 2. The fact proves that the plagues must be future when the Third Angel's Message is given; and it also proves the identity of the wrath of God without mixture with the seven last plagues.
(((Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. ))))
2. We have shown that the plagues and the wrath of God without mixture are the same. And wrath without mixture must be wrath with nothing else; that is, wrath without mercy. God has not yet visited the earth with unmixed wrath; nor can he while our great High Priest ministers in the heavenly Sanctuary, and stays the wrath of God by his intercession for sinful men. When the plagues are poured out, mercy has given place to vengeance.
3. Hence it is that the seven angels are represented as receiving the vials of the wrath of God--the seven last plagues--after the opening of the Temple of God in heaven. If we turn to Rev. 11:15-19, we shall find that the opening of the Temple in heaven is an event that transpires under the sounding of the seventh angel. And that account concludes with a brief statement of the events of the seventh vial, or last plague.
(((Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Rev 11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Rev 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Now if we turn to chap. 11:5-8, and 16:1-21, we shall read an expanded view of the facts stated in chap. 11:15-19, and we shall find that the two accounts conclude in the same manner, viz. , with the events of the last plague.
(((Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
Rev 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Rev 16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Rev 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
Rev 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Rev 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
Rev 16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Rev 16:13 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.
Rev 16:14 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.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Rev 16:17 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.
Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19 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.
Rev 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21 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. ))))
These scriptures show that the seven angels do not receive the vials of the wrath of God to pour out upon the earth until the Temple in heaven is opened.
That Temple is opened under the voice of the seventh angel.
The third woe is by reason of the voice of the seventh angel. Rev. 8:13; 9:12; 11:14.
(((Rev 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
Rev 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. ))))
The seven plagues are poured out under the sounding of that angel; hence the plagues are future, and constitute the third woe.
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The foregoing reasons establish the fact that the plagues are future. We see no reason why they will not be similar in character to those poured out on Egypt, while their consequence will be far more terrific and dreadful. We will now briefly compare the account of these plagues with other scriptures calculated to shed light upon the subject. The first vial is thus presented:
"And the first went and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image. " Rev. 16:2.
This may be best understood by referring to Ex. 9:8-11. "And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the furnace and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boil; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. "
Why will not the antitype be as real and literal? The wine of the wrath of God unmixed with mercy must be far more dreadful than the judgment inflicted on Egypt.
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The second and third vials are thus presented:
"And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus: for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. " Rev. 16:3- 7.
As an illustration of these plagues, read Ex. 7:17-21: "Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord; behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river. And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river: and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
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The third vial is a retribution for the blood of the saints. As the blood of all the righteous that had been slain upon the earth came upon that generation which rejected Christ at his first advent (Matt. 23:34-36), so also may it be now. It should be remembered that these fearful judgments are inflicted in consequence of the acts described in the conclusion of Rev. 13.
(((Mat 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. ))))
"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. " Rev. 16:8- 11.
The scorching of the fire in the midst of their trouble will be terrible in the extreme. Ex. 10:21-23 will illustrate the fifth vial: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. "
On this subject, Litch remarks:
"What a terrible scene! with all their grievous sores, blood to drink - stagnant blood - and putrid fish filling the waters, scorched with burning heat; and then, to crown the whole, the kingdom of Anti-christ is to be full of darkness. Oh, what a picture of woe! Reader, make haste to escape it! `Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and stand before the Son of man. ' "
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. 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. 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. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. " Rev. 16:12-16.
The effect of the sixth vial will be, first, to prepare the way for the kings of the East to come up to the great battle; and, secondly, to send forth the spirits of devils to deceive, by miracles, the kings of the whole earth, and their armies, and to gather them.
The battle of the great day of God Almighty is very fully described in Jer. 25:-
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" For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me, Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Then I took the cup at the Lord's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me. "
"And all the kings of the North, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. " Therefore, prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations; he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. " Verses 15-17, 26, 30-33.
The coming of Christ as a thief (see Matt. 24:42-44) does not take place until after the sixth vial is poured out.
(((Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh))))
The gathering of the nations to the great battle, which is accomplished by the spirits, is brought to view in many scriptures. Joel 3:1, 2, 9-16; Zeph. 3:8; Rev. 19:19-21.
(((Joe 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
Joe 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Joe 3:12 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.
Joe 3:13 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.
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Zep 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Rev 19:20 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.
Rev 19:21 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. ))))
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The present development of the spirits of devils in our land, we do not regard as anything but their preparatory work; for there is always a period in which Providence is preparing those agents which are to fulfill prophecy; but the fulfillment of prophecy begins at the point where the agents are prepared to act the predicted part. Thus Rome, though it constituted the fourth empire, was founded when Babylon, the first empire, was in the height of its glory. But when Greece, the third empire, had fulfilled its part, Rome was prepared to act the part assigned it in prophecy. It is thus that we understand the work of the spirits. Under the sixth plague, the spirits will be prepared to act the part predicted in verse 13.
"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. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 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 wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 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. " Verses 17-21.
The voice from the temple may be illustrated by the following texts: "The Lord, also, shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. " Joel 3:16.
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"Therefore, prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations; he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. " Jer. 25:30, 31.
The great earthquake may also be found spoken of in other scriptures:
"The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. " Isa. 24:19, 20.
"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. " Rev. 6:14; 11:19.
The great hail out of heaven is well illustrated by the following scriptures: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. " Ex. 9:22-25.
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"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" Job. 38:22, 23.
"Judgment, also, will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. " Isa. 28:17.
THE THIRD WOE
Such is a brief view of the dread realities of the seven last plagues, - the third woe! How fearful will be the events of that woe! May God count us worthy to escape the things coming on the earth, and to stand before the Son of man.
The seven last plagues are poured out on the living wicked; but the second part of the penalty affixed to the warning of the third angel, is not inflicted until the end of the thousand years, when all the wicked are raised and suffer together. This part of the penalty we will now consider.
"He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever," etc.
THE LAKE OF FIRE
The final perdition of ungoldly men in the lake of fire is without doubt the subject of these awful words. That we may rightly understand this text, we call attention to several important facts:-
1. The punishment of the wicked will be inflicted upon them on this earth; for the final conflagration of our globe is to constitute the lake of fire in which they are to be rewarded, each according to his works. "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner. " Prov. 11:31.
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"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men" 2 Peter 3:7.
"But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. " Rev. 21:8.
"For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, said the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. " Mal. 4:1.
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earthy, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of who is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. " Rev. 20:7-9.
2. The prophet Isaiah (chap. 34) describes the final conflagration of our globe in language which is a complete parallel to that of the third angel in describing the punishment of the wicked. Those who contend that Isaiah refers only to ancient Idumea, must admit that the period of time described in this strong language must finally come to an end. And those who admit that Isaiah, in the language we are about to quote, refers to the conflagration of our earth, will find in what follows, ample proof that that scene will finally close.
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"For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever; from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. " Isa. 34:8-10.
DURATION OF FINAL CONFLAGRATION
3. But this terrific scene of final conflagration is not to last throughout unlimited duration. For the earth having been burned, and all its elements melted, new heavens and a new earth are to follow, as the present earth succeeded to that which was destroyed by water. And in the earth thus made new the righteous are to be recompensed.
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also; and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. " 2 Pet. 3:10-13.
THE NEW EARTH, AND RECOMPENSE FOR THE RIGHTEOUS
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. " Rev. 21:1.
ANNIHILATION OF THE WICKED
4. Thus, however dreadful and long-continued the punishment of the wicked will be (for each is to be punished according to his deserts), that punishment will finally result in the utter destruction of all transgressors. All the wicked will God destroy. Ps. 145:20.
(((Psa 145:20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. ))))
They shall die the second death. Rev. 21:8; Rom. 6:23; Eze. 18:4, 20.
(((Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him))))
They shall perish, being consumed into smoke. Ps. 37:10, 20, 38.
(((Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
Psa 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
Psa 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. ))))
They shall be punished with everlasting destruction, being burned up in unquenchable fire. 2 Thes. 1:9; Matt. 3:12.
(((2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power
Mat 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. ))))
And thus, having been consumed, root and branch, they shall be as though they had not been. Mal. 4:1. Obadiah 16.
(((Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Oba 1:16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been))))
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This is so much to take in, isn't it? We don't like to imagine that there is an ending to our lives which isn't a good one. Even those who believe in an everlasting never ending eternal suffering don't imagine it's going to be all that bad. The fear of that isn't very real simply because there is an unknown aspect. There is a FAITH aspect. We have to have faith in what we choose to believe. Some choose to have faith that they are reincarnated upon death- transforming into another human being, a baby without any prior memories (except for a chosen few), and living out their lives again and they do this over and over and over endlessly- that is their belief. Others believe they go immediately to heaven or hell. Still others choose to believe that they go on to purgatory a place where they can redeem themselves and ultimately make it to a new tier- heaven. Then you have those who believe everything simply ends upon death and that's it, nothing more at all it's just over. I'm sure there are many other beliefs that I don't know of but whatever you can imagine is what you can choose to believe in. However, does it make it true?
Do you have anything to back up any of your claims to anything you believe? Any facts? You might say that no one has facts and it is all by faith and I'm going to differ just a bit here.
The Bible I believe in- a composite of the Old Hebrew writings prior to Christ's arrival and the New writings by Christ followers- has given me such things as prophecies. A prophecy being a the foretelling of a future event when you really have no way of knowing it other than it being a supernatural occurrence. These prophecies outline the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. These prophecies predict the overthrow of kingdoms and the rising of powers that would be dealt a death blow, only to live again thousands of years of prophecies that allow us to comprehend if nothing else can, that the Power behind the prophecies truly comprehends things as we cannot. This Power asks us to have faith, to believe in the Power and the Power doesn’t ask us to do this blindly, without any reason to believe. All too often people will shout that it's all just fables and fairy tales, make-believe that fools the ignorant masses. Yet these people cannot explain away the facts of the prophecies. They try to. They make up their own fables and fairy tales and call it science and facts, but they do it to their own detriment.
The truth is found in the Bible, the Word of God.
We have been allowed to read and study this truth so we will know all we need to know to belong to God.
Is it frightening to imagine all that is still to come; all the horrors of the end times before we are lifted up to heaven with our Savior? Yes, it's frightening but it should be. These prophetic plagues, the results for those who choose to believe in their own imaginings or false imaginings of others, are meant to make us realize that nothing good will come of believing in anything other than ALL the truth of our Savior, our God. They are WARNINGS! And unfortunately, they are warnings only a few will truly heed.
Living a life dedicated to God right now is a foreign concept for so many. Self is supreme to most people, not selflessness. Self - everything! Everything begins with an 'I' or a 'Me'. If we have to put 'I's' or 'Me's' in our thoughts and words what is that telling us? Where is our focus?
God would have a people left for Him upon this earth when He returns for us. He is going to call the dead that have died His to come out of their graves and they will! They will rise up in a new form clothed in immortality something they do not now possess as they sleep in their graves. Many more are going to rise up from the graves than will be alive when Christ returns. The number of those who are God's when He returns that are alive will be teeny tiny in comparison to the population of those dead and waiting for Christ's call to rise. They will be teeny tiny in comparison to those who are not God's. The wicked will vastly out number the righteous and this is cause for the righteous to mourn, not rejoice. The loss of even ONE person is cause for grieving, let alone the loss of billions, and trillions of people, or however many are lost going back to the beginning of our existence.
Our studying of the last days is necessary if we hope to be prepared. We can't blind our eyes to what's coming, but face it and pray like never before that we will be counted worthy through the righteousness, through the mercy, through the grace, through the love of our SAVIOR!
More tomorrow, God's will be done!
'Revelation 14
Work of the Two Horned Beast
by J.N.Andrews
CHAPTER VII
Page 101 Continued….
THE FINAL CONTEST
It may be proper that we should notice some of the most probable causes that will induce the two-horned beast to create the image, and to require the reception of the mark:-
1. The first which we should name is the work of the spirits in performing miracles, etc.
It is certain that this agency, as we have already seen, is to deceive the dwellers upon the earth, and to cause them to make the image which all must worship on pain of death. We may rest assured that this extraordinary development of Satanic power has been reserved by him to act an important part in preparing men for the seven last plagues. If our public men become mediums (and some of them are such already), and our citizens become believers in this new system of divinity, or government is hopelessly in the hands of the Devil. Such a result may be neither improbable nor distant.
2. A second cause, and one, too, which should not be lightly passed over, is this; The preaching of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
This is the cause of the conflict between the dragon and the last fragment of the church. We shall hereafter show that the commandments of God, as distinguished from the faith or testimony of Jesus, mean the ten commandments. The fourth of these commandments the dragon has attempted to change. It is because the saints are keeping all the commandments of God that the dragon makes war upon them. This prophecy (Rev. 12:17) doubtless refers to the scene described in the conclusion of Rev. 13.
Mr. Miller remarks respecting this prophecy:
"I am therefore constrained to believe this battle of the dragon's last power will be in America; and if so, it must be mainly in these United States. " (Lectures," p. 213)
It is because the commandments of God will be vindicated, and the unscriptural character of the Sunday-Sabbath exposed, that the two-horned beast will require all to receive the mark. The lack of scriptural argument has been the chief cause why men have resorted to the argument of fire and fagot to convince dissenters.
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Three Angels of Revelation 14:6-12
Chapter 8
by J.N.Andrews
The Penalty Threatened
A Fearful Penalty
The Seven Last Plagues
The Third Woe
The Lake of Fire
Limited Duration of Final Conflagration
New Heavens and New Earth
Recompense of the Righteous
Annihilation of the Wicked.
A FEARFUL PENALTY
Page 115
THE fearful penalty connected with the warning of the third angel now claims our attention. It consists of two things:
1. The wine of the wrath of God, poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;
2. The torment with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
Let us carefully consider each in order. What is the wine of the wrath of God?
The next chapter clearly explains this point:
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. " And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever. " Verses 15:1.
THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES
It follows, therefore, that the wine of the wrath of God is the seven last plagues. The fact will be further apparent as we proceed to show that these plagues are future, and that they do pertain to the future we think can be established beyond controversy.
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1. The wrath of God, as threatened by the third angel, is poured out in the seven last plagues; for the first plague is inflicted on the very class that the third angel threatens. Compare Rev. 14:9, 10; 16:1, 2. The fact proves that the plagues must be future when the Third Angel's Message is given; and it also proves the identity of the wrath of God without mixture with the seven last plagues.
(((Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. ))))
2. We have shown that the plagues and the wrath of God without mixture are the same. And wrath without mixture must be wrath with nothing else; that is, wrath without mercy. God has not yet visited the earth with unmixed wrath; nor can he while our great High Priest ministers in the heavenly Sanctuary, and stays the wrath of God by his intercession for sinful men. When the plagues are poured out, mercy has given place to vengeance.
3. Hence it is that the seven angels are represented as receiving the vials of the wrath of God--the seven last plagues--after the opening of the Temple of God in heaven. If we turn to Rev. 11:15-19, we shall find that the opening of the Temple in heaven is an event that transpires under the sounding of the seventh angel. And that account concludes with a brief statement of the events of the seventh vial, or last plague.
(((Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Rev 11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Rev 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Now if we turn to chap. 11:5-8, and 16:1-21, we shall read an expanded view of the facts stated in chap. 11:15-19, and we shall find that the two accounts conclude in the same manner, viz. , with the events of the last plague.
(((Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
Rev 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Rev 16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Rev 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
Rev 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Rev 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
Rev 16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Rev 16:13 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.
Rev 16:14 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.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Rev 16:17 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.
Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19 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.
Rev 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21 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. ))))
These scriptures show that the seven angels do not receive the vials of the wrath of God to pour out upon the earth until the Temple in heaven is opened.
That Temple is opened under the voice of the seventh angel.
The third woe is by reason of the voice of the seventh angel. Rev. 8:13; 9:12; 11:14.
(((Rev 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
Rev 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. ))))
The seven plagues are poured out under the sounding of that angel; hence the plagues are future, and constitute the third woe.
Page 117
The foregoing reasons establish the fact that the plagues are future. We see no reason why they will not be similar in character to those poured out on Egypt, while their consequence will be far more terrific and dreadful. We will now briefly compare the account of these plagues with other scriptures calculated to shed light upon the subject. The first vial is thus presented:
"And the first went and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image. " Rev. 16:2.
This may be best understood by referring to Ex. 9:8-11. "And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the furnace and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boil; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. "
Why will not the antitype be as real and literal? The wine of the wrath of God unmixed with mercy must be far more dreadful than the judgment inflicted on Egypt.
Page 116
The second and third vials are thus presented:
"And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus: for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. " Rev. 16:3- 7.
As an illustration of these plagues, read Ex. 7:17-21: "Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord; behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river. And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river: and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
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The third vial is a retribution for the blood of the saints. As the blood of all the righteous that had been slain upon the earth came upon that generation which rejected Christ at his first advent (Matt. 23:34-36), so also may it be now. It should be remembered that these fearful judgments are inflicted in consequence of the acts described in the conclusion of Rev. 13.
(((Mat 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. ))))
"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. " Rev. 16:8- 11.
The scorching of the fire in the midst of their trouble will be terrible in the extreme. Ex. 10:21-23 will illustrate the fifth vial: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. "
On this subject, Litch remarks:
"What a terrible scene! with all their grievous sores, blood to drink - stagnant blood - and putrid fish filling the waters, scorched with burning heat; and then, to crown the whole, the kingdom of Anti-christ is to be full of darkness. Oh, what a picture of woe! Reader, make haste to escape it! `Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and stand before the Son of man. ' "
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. 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. 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. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. " Rev. 16:12-16.
The effect of the sixth vial will be, first, to prepare the way for the kings of the East to come up to the great battle; and, secondly, to send forth the spirits of devils to deceive, by miracles, the kings of the whole earth, and their armies, and to gather them.
The battle of the great day of God Almighty is very fully described in Jer. 25:-
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" For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me, Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Then I took the cup at the Lord's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me. "
"And all the kings of the North, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. " Therefore, prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations; he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. " Verses 15-17, 26, 30-33.
The coming of Christ as a thief (see Matt. 24:42-44) does not take place until after the sixth vial is poured out.
(((Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh))))
The gathering of the nations to the great battle, which is accomplished by the spirits, is brought to view in many scriptures. Joel 3:1, 2, 9-16; Zeph. 3:8; Rev. 19:19-21.
(((Joe 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
Joe 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Joe 3:12 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.
Joe 3:13 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.
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Zep 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Rev 19:20 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.
Rev 19:21 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. ))))
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The present development of the spirits of devils in our land, we do not regard as anything but their preparatory work; for there is always a period in which Providence is preparing those agents which are to fulfill prophecy; but the fulfillment of prophecy begins at the point where the agents are prepared to act the predicted part. Thus Rome, though it constituted the fourth empire, was founded when Babylon, the first empire, was in the height of its glory. But when Greece, the third empire, had fulfilled its part, Rome was prepared to act the part assigned it in prophecy. It is thus that we understand the work of the spirits. Under the sixth plague, the spirits will be prepared to act the part predicted in verse 13.
"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. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 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 wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 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. " Verses 17-21.
The voice from the temple may be illustrated by the following texts: "The Lord, also, shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. " Joel 3:16.
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"Therefore, prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations; he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. " Jer. 25:30, 31.
The great earthquake may also be found spoken of in other scriptures:
"The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. " Isa. 24:19, 20.
"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. " Rev. 6:14; 11:19.
The great hail out of heaven is well illustrated by the following scriptures: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. " Ex. 9:22-25.
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"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" Job. 38:22, 23.
"Judgment, also, will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. " Isa. 28:17.
THE THIRD WOE
Such is a brief view of the dread realities of the seven last plagues, - the third woe! How fearful will be the events of that woe! May God count us worthy to escape the things coming on the earth, and to stand before the Son of man.
The seven last plagues are poured out on the living wicked; but the second part of the penalty affixed to the warning of the third angel, is not inflicted until the end of the thousand years, when all the wicked are raised and suffer together. This part of the penalty we will now consider.
"He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever," etc.
THE LAKE OF FIRE
The final perdition of ungoldly men in the lake of fire is without doubt the subject of these awful words. That we may rightly understand this text, we call attention to several important facts:-
1. The punishment of the wicked will be inflicted upon them on this earth; for the final conflagration of our globe is to constitute the lake of fire in which they are to be rewarded, each according to his works. "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner. " Prov. 11:31.
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"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men" 2 Peter 3:7.
"But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. " Rev. 21:8.
"For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, said the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. " Mal. 4:1.
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earthy, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of who is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. " Rev. 20:7-9.
2. The prophet Isaiah (chap. 34) describes the final conflagration of our globe in language which is a complete parallel to that of the third angel in describing the punishment of the wicked. Those who contend that Isaiah refers only to ancient Idumea, must admit that the period of time described in this strong language must finally come to an end. And those who admit that Isaiah, in the language we are about to quote, refers to the conflagration of our earth, will find in what follows, ample proof that that scene will finally close.
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"For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever; from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. " Isa. 34:8-10.
DURATION OF FINAL CONFLAGRATION
3. But this terrific scene of final conflagration is not to last throughout unlimited duration. For the earth having been burned, and all its elements melted, new heavens and a new earth are to follow, as the present earth succeeded to that which was destroyed by water. And in the earth thus made new the righteous are to be recompensed.
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also; and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. " 2 Pet. 3:10-13.
THE NEW EARTH, AND RECOMPENSE FOR THE RIGHTEOUS
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. " Rev. 21:1.
ANNIHILATION OF THE WICKED
4. Thus, however dreadful and long-continued the punishment of the wicked will be (for each is to be punished according to his deserts), that punishment will finally result in the utter destruction of all transgressors. All the wicked will God destroy. Ps. 145:20.
(((Psa 145:20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. ))))
They shall die the second death. Rev. 21:8; Rom. 6:23; Eze. 18:4, 20.
(((Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him))))
They shall perish, being consumed into smoke. Ps. 37:10, 20, 38.
(((Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
Psa 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
Psa 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. ))))
They shall be punished with everlasting destruction, being burned up in unquenchable fire. 2 Thes. 1:9; Matt. 3:12.
(((2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power
Mat 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. ))))
And thus, having been consumed, root and branch, they shall be as though they had not been. Mal. 4:1. Obadiah 16.
(((Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Oba 1:16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been))))
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This is so much to take in, isn't it? We don't like to imagine that there is an ending to our lives which isn't a good one. Even those who believe in an everlasting never ending eternal suffering don't imagine it's going to be all that bad. The fear of that isn't very real simply because there is an unknown aspect. There is a FAITH aspect. We have to have faith in what we choose to believe. Some choose to have faith that they are reincarnated upon death- transforming into another human being, a baby without any prior memories (except for a chosen few), and living out their lives again and they do this over and over and over endlessly- that is their belief. Others believe they go immediately to heaven or hell. Still others choose to believe that they go on to purgatory a place where they can redeem themselves and ultimately make it to a new tier- heaven. Then you have those who believe everything simply ends upon death and that's it, nothing more at all it's just over. I'm sure there are many other beliefs that I don't know of but whatever you can imagine is what you can choose to believe in. However, does it make it true?
Do you have anything to back up any of your claims to anything you believe? Any facts? You might say that no one has facts and it is all by faith and I'm going to differ just a bit here.
The Bible I believe in- a composite of the Old Hebrew writings prior to Christ's arrival and the New writings by Christ followers- has given me such things as prophecies. A prophecy being a the foretelling of a future event when you really have no way of knowing it other than it being a supernatural occurrence. These prophecies outline the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. These prophecies predict the overthrow of kingdoms and the rising of powers that would be dealt a death blow, only to live again thousands of years of prophecies that allow us to comprehend if nothing else can, that the Power behind the prophecies truly comprehends things as we cannot. This Power asks us to have faith, to believe in the Power and the Power doesn’t ask us to do this blindly, without any reason to believe. All too often people will shout that it's all just fables and fairy tales, make-believe that fools the ignorant masses. Yet these people cannot explain away the facts of the prophecies. They try to. They make up their own fables and fairy tales and call it science and facts, but they do it to their own detriment.
The truth is found in the Bible, the Word of God.
We have been allowed to read and study this truth so we will know all we need to know to belong to God.
Is it frightening to imagine all that is still to come; all the horrors of the end times before we are lifted up to heaven with our Savior? Yes, it's frightening but it should be. These prophetic plagues, the results for those who choose to believe in their own imaginings or false imaginings of others, are meant to make us realize that nothing good will come of believing in anything other than ALL the truth of our Savior, our God. They are WARNINGS! And unfortunately, they are warnings only a few will truly heed.
Living a life dedicated to God right now is a foreign concept for so many. Self is supreme to most people, not selflessness. Self - everything! Everything begins with an 'I' or a 'Me'. If we have to put 'I's' or 'Me's' in our thoughts and words what is that telling us? Where is our focus?
God would have a people left for Him upon this earth when He returns for us. He is going to call the dead that have died His to come out of their graves and they will! They will rise up in a new form clothed in immortality something they do not now possess as they sleep in their graves. Many more are going to rise up from the graves than will be alive when Christ returns. The number of those who are God's when He returns that are alive will be teeny tiny in comparison to the population of those dead and waiting for Christ's call to rise. They will be teeny tiny in comparison to those who are not God's. The wicked will vastly out number the righteous and this is cause for the righteous to mourn, not rejoice. The loss of even ONE person is cause for grieving, let alone the loss of billions, and trillions of people, or however many are lost going back to the beginning of our existence.
Our studying of the last days is necessary if we hope to be prepared. We can't blind our eyes to what's coming, but face it and pray like never before that we will be counted worthy through the righteousness, through the mercy, through the grace, through the love of our SAVIOR!
More tomorrow, God's will be done!
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