God’s Judgment Before Christ Returns

Transcript

GRM 833
1/26/2003
God’s Judgment before Christ Returns
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

We’ve been talking about the subject of Biblical prophecy together and we are going to be doing that one more week after this morning, then we’ll be returning to our study of the book of Acts. A large portion of the Bible was prophetic when it was written, and a large portion of it continues to be prophetic. Some of the prophecies have been fulfilled, a large section of the prophecies dealt with the first coming of Jesus Christ to earth. Those prophecies were fulfilled exactly as the prophets had spoken to them, and we assume and know from a careful study of scripture that the prophecies yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled in a like manner. All of us ought to be interested in Biblical prophecy, because what Biblical prophecy is doing is telling us what the future has in store. In effect, what will our tomorrows be like, what will we be doing in a hundred years, in a thousand years, in a million years, what is the course and direction of the world. Ultimately the picture is glorious. Jesus Christ will rule and reign eternally. There’ll come a day when there’ll be no more pain and sorrow, no more suffering, no more heartache.

The Bible also is very clear and just as true when it says that picture is not true for everyone. There are some that the picture of the future is very beautiful, but for some it is very bleak. For some this is as good as it will ever be, and the future is more awful than we can even grasp. We’re talking about the difference, the contrast between heaven and hell. We sometimes like to live in a pretend world and pretend the future is glorious for everyone. The future is glorious for everyone who has received the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. For the rest the future is bleak.

As far as the course of the world, we hear sometimes preachers preaching we’re going to have revival, things are going to get better, I can see on the horizon good things for us. Well, they’re reading a different Bible. The future is always glorious for believers, but you understand for this earth the immediate future is terribly bleak. We are moving toward the most awful time the world has ever seen. We’re moving toward a time when billions of people on this earth are going to die horrible deaths. We’re moving toward a time that is going to be so awful, the pain will be so great, that people are going to long for death and not be able to die. We want to have a true picture and understand reality. The future is glorious for the people of God, it’s very terrible for those who don’t know Jesus Christ. The course of this world ultimately will be glorious, but what lies ahead is a time of terrible suffering and difficulty.

Turn in your Bible to Matthew chapter 24. One of the reasons we have a difficult time grasping terrible things, seeing that the earth is in store for the worst of times and being willing to accept the concept of an eternal hell is because we have totally ignored what God says about our sin and guilt before Him. If you don’t have a proper perspective on sin, on guilt, then it’s impossible to grasp what the Bible says about judgment. But that doesn’t make it any less true. As Jesus comes to the end of His earthy ministry He talks to His disciples quite a bit about the future, and Matthew chapter 24 is one of those chapters. They are in the presence of the temple buildings in Matthew chapter 24 verse 1. They’ve just come out of the temple, had been impacted with the magnificence of what is known as Herod’s temple. We are told that Herod’s temple probably rivaled Solomon’s temple in its glory and beauty. In many ways Herod the Great was a vile and wicked man, but Herod the Great was also a brilliant and capable builder. One of the things he built was the temple for the Jews, and it was a magnificent structure. As they are leaving and the disciples are again awed by the splendor of the temple, Jesus says to them in verse 2, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you not one stone here shall be left upon another which will not be torn down.” Shocking concept. Here they are in the presence of the one whom they have come to believe is the Messiah of Israel, the one who will bring glory and restore the nation, restore the ministry that the Jews have had. Now He says that this glorious temple is doomed to destruction, and that was fulfilled in 70 A.D. If you go and visit Jerusalem today, you can go and walk around the ruins and you can see the huge stones from Herod’s temple that were pushed down by the Romans, and they lay where they were pushed. Huge masses of stones and that temple has been all but totally destroyed.

They walk over to the Mount of Olives and there the disciples ask Him “Tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age.” He’s already told them previously in Matthew chapter 16 of His coming suffering and death to Jerusalem. This is a hard concept for them to grasp. Remember Peter rebuked Him and said, “Lord this will not happen to you.” But it would. He told them of His suffering and death at Jerusalem, His coming resurrection. He tells them about the coming destruction of the temple. They are interested to know, tell us more about these things. What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? If you’re leaving, if you’re not going to establish the Kingdom at this time, when are you coming? What will be the sign of your coming to be the King of Israel? When will this age end? For the Jews the age that we lived in was the age they’re talking about. The end of the age will be the coming of the Messiah and the establishing of the Kingdom. We want to know when are we going to have the Kingdom, when are you going to rule and reign?

Jesus said let me tell you about my coming, my return to earth. Verse 5, “For many will come in my name saying I am Christ and will mislead many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened for those things must take place. But that is not yet the end.” So now we get the idea that there is going to be a break here, there is going to be a time when He is gone, and it will be a long enough time there’ll be people talking about the fact that He has come back. There’ll be counterfeit Christs who will come. He says don’t be upset by these things.

“Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. In various places there’ll be famines and earthquakes, but all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” You remember in Old Testament prophecy the prophets wrote about the first coming of Christ and they wrote about the second coming of Christ, and they often wrote about them right together. It was not revealed to them there would be a gap of some 2000 years between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ. Christ is immediately moved. They’d asked Him about His coming, the sign of His coming and the end of the age. In His discussion with them He’s carried them, if you will, to that seven-year period that the Old Testament prophesied, the 70th week of Daniel that will culminate with the return of Christ to the earth. To tell them what will take place in those days.

He says in verse 8, “these are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” Then verse 9 says, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you.” Now we know from passages we’ve already considered, Daniel 9:27 from the Old Testament, and we’ll look at some other passages in a moment again. In the middle of that seven-year period persecution against Israel will break out. The first 3 ½ years were a time of peace, prosperity for the nation Israel, a rebuilt temple and so on. During that first 3 ½ years they’re what are called the beginnings of birth pangs. “There’ll be trouble and turmoil in the world, wars, rumors of wars, battles among nations, earthquakes and famines.” We’ll see more of that in a moment. “But then they will deliver you up to tribulation, will kill you, you will be hated by all nations on account of my name.” Betrayal going on, lawlessness will increase, verse 12. Verse 13-14 “the one who endures to the end it is he who will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations and then the end shall come.”

Now we have to be careful, and in our next study next week we’ll talk about the second coming of Christ and the rapture of the Church. We get into difficulty when we aren’t careful in our handling of scripture, and we don’t make a clear distinction when we are talking about the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ to earth. Verse 14 is talking about the second coming of Christ to earth to establish a kingdom for Israel. Sometimes the verse is used, as this verse, “the gospel of the kingdom be preached to the whole world, then the end will come.” That’s why we have to get the gospel out today so Christ can come. Well, I think we ought to get the gospel out today, but this will not be fulfilled in our day. This will be fulfilled after the rapture of the Church and during the 70th week of Daniel. That’s the period of time we’re talking about.

What Christ does is, down to verse 7 He talks about the first 3 ½ years of the 70th week of Daniel, and that’s just the beginning of birth pangs. Then with verse 9 through 14 He gives an overview of the last 3 ½ years, a time of terrible suffering and persecution for the nation Israel. Now after that overview, if you’re there as a Jew listening to Him, what part are you most interested in? The last 3 ½ years and that’s what He does. Verse 15 He goes back and picks up with verse 9. Verse 15 tells you about what He said in verse 9. In verse 9, “they’ll deliver you up to tribulation, kill you.” Verse 15, “therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand.” There’ll come a time in that future 70th week of Daniel there will be Jews reading this and they’ll know exactly what is happening.

“Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, don’t back into the housetop to pack a bag. Woe to those who are pregnant, those who have small babies. Pray your flight won’t be winter or on a sabbath day for then there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor every shall.” The worst is yet to come. There is coming a great tribulation like the world has never seen, suffering like the nation Israel has never experienced ever. That’s the clear statement of Christ. In fact, in verse 22 if Christ did not intervene and bring that period to an end no one would survive. We’re going to look at some of the evidences of that in a moment. Don’t believe again the message about false Christs and so on, because when Christ comes everyone will know it. Verse 26 and verse 27, verse 27, “as the lightning flashes across the sky, that’s how the coming of the Son of Man will be.” All the peoples of the earth, in verse 30, will see Him coming in glory. All these ideas about the Messiah and several years ago somebody is taking out full-page newspaper articles that tell us Christ was here I could just write over that Matthew 24. Don’t believe it. People call me up and say do you think there’s any truth to that? Absolutely not. Why? I read Matthew 24. It says don’t believe it. You know sometimes we could simplify our lives and clear out the clutter by just looking at the scripture.

No doubt about these things. In verse 32 He tells a parable of the fig tree; you can tell the seasons by the changing of the leaves and so on. We do that today. We look at leaves coming out on the tree and say spring is here, look at the trees. It won’t be long until summer and we can tell the seasons. So, Christ says to them, verse 33, “Even so when you see these things recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” What’s He saying? When the things that I’ve just told you about are taking place know that you’re almost there. He’s not talking to us, the Church, today in anticipation of the rapture. He’s talking about the Jews who will be going through these things in anticipation of the second coming of their Messiah.

“This generation,” verse 34, “will not pass away until all these things take place.” What generation? Well read the previous verse, the generation that sees all these things. In other words, the generation living in the 70th week of Daniel are not going to pass away, it’s not going to be their children or grandchildren, it’s going to be them who will experience the coming of the Messiah. That’s the point.

So that’s an overview of the tribulation. We’ve looked at some of these matters and some of the details of the coming tribulation. Turn over to John’s writing in Revelation, the book of Revelation chapter 12. Jesus talked about the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. The holy place is the holy of holies in the reconstructed temple. The abomination of desolation was spoken of by Daniel the prophet in Daniel 9. Now in connection with what goes on in the middle of that seven-year period, 3 ½ years into it, Revelation 12 gives an overview of the devil and his opposition to God and His work, his attempt to prevent God from establishing His kingdom on the earth whereas satan desires to establish his own kingdom. He starts out by talking about the nation Israel and the Messiah, the Savior of the world was born from the woman Israel. You have the woman appears in verses 1 and 2, then you have the great red dragon in verse 3. You’ll note he has seven heads and ten horns, and on the heads were seven diadems. Remember they are the seven earthly empires, then you have that final ten-nation confederacy that will ultimately be dominated and will have world rule by the antichrist. You see here you have satan and his counterfeit kingdom in opposition to God and His planned rule of this creation.

Verse 5, referring to Israel, “The woman gave birth to a Son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” The first coming of Christ, then Christ was crucified, Acts 1, “He ascended back to heaven to the throne of God.” Verse 6, “and the woman fled into the wilderness.” Now consistent with Old Testament prophecy, remember Old Testament prophets saw the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ. They did not see what we call the Church Age in between. So, between verses 5 and 6 of Revelation 12 you have a 2000-year period. He’s just giving prophecy relating to the nation Israel and God’s program for them. Beginning with Revelation 6 we are talking about events within that last seven-year period of God’s program for Israel. So where did that break off? It broke off with the crucifixion and ascension of Christ and the establishing of the Church in Acts 2. So, verse 5 breaks off there.

Now we pick up God’s program in the 70th week of Daniel, and we’re particularly interested in the last 3 ½ years, because the first 3 ½ Israel has been living in an artificial world, so to speak. They have a protector, a false Messiah, the ruler of the western world has set them free. They have their temple and their worship, and everything is glorious. But in verse 6, the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God. There she was nourished for 1260 days, or 3 ½ years. There was war in heaven, we’re getting more details here. Now why did the woman have to flee into the wilderness? Well, let’s go to heaven. There was war in heaven, Michael the archangel fighting with the devil. Verse 9, “the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old”, he’s thrown down to earth, his angels are thrown down with him. They’re celebrating in heaven because the angels recognize we are now near the end of this phase of God’s program. We are near the return of Christ to earth. There’s celebration in heaven because satan no longer is there to accuse believers on earth.

But there is, verse 12, “woe to the earth. The devil has come down to you knowing he has a short time.” Verse 13, “when the devil saw he was thrown to the earth he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.” The woman who gave birth to the male child is the nation, Israel. The picture, we had that, and it is supported with Old Testament picture of Israel in verse 1 with the woman clothed in the sun and the moon under her feet and the crown with 12 stars and so on. This persecution will go on and Israel will be preserved, the end of verse 14, for a time, times and a half-time, a period of 3 ½ years or 1260 days. You see the picture you get. Satan’s desire has always been to replace God. He hates Israel because God’s purposes and plans in connection with the kingdom on this earth with His Son ruling centers in the nation Israel. Satan began his Babylonian system in Genesis 10 and 11, trying to create a kingdom that could replace and prevent the kingdom God had promised.

You come into chapter 13, and you have the western world ruler, the antichrist, who will come to power during this seven-year period, rise to power during the first 3 ½ years in connection with the ten-nation confederacy and the revived Roman Empire. Then in the middle of that seven-year period, we see so much happening in the middle. In fact, chapters 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of the book of Revelation deal with events that center in the middle of that seven-year period. You have the first part of Revelation chapters 6 to 9 talking about the first part of the tribulation, then you have the middle, and then you have chapters 15-19 talking about the last part of the tribulation.

The antichrist in the middle of the tribulation gets a death wound, evidently killed in battle, he’s miraculously revived, the whole world falls in worship of him. You see it’s a counterfeit Christ. Messiah of Israel came, was crucified, was raised. Satan’s counterfeit came, died, was raised. He’ll have authority and great power even over believers on the earth for 42 months, verse 5 at the end of the verse. Authority to act for 42 months was given to him. There is no doubt about the period of time we’re talking about. It’s 1260 days, it’s a time, two times and a half-time, it is 42 months, it’s 3 ½ years. We are preparing the way for the last half of what we call the 70th week of Daniel. “He’ll have power,” verse 7, “to make war,” he’ll even have power to defeat those who become believers during that seven-year period. Those who dwell on the earth, verse 8, will worship him, not the elect whose names are in the book of life, but all unbelievers will worship him.

Verses 11 and following talk about another person. You’ll note God exists eternally as one God in three persons, a trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There’s a satanic trinity. Satan, desiring to replace God the Father, we have the antichrist who is a counterfeit Christ who comes to offer kingdom and take control of the world as Christ some day will. Then there is a counterfeit Holy Spirit, the false prophet, in verses 11 and following. The man comes on the scene and his purpose is to direct all worship of the world to the antichrist, even as the Holy Spirit directs all worship to Christ today. Does mighty miracles, in verse 12, causes the earth to worship the first beast, the antichrist whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, even makes fire come down from heaven. He deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform. Those who dwell on the earth causes them to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.” Note this, verse 15, “there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast that the image might even speak, and he causes as many who won’t worship the image to be killed.” This is pretty striking. You call down fire from heaven, has to be an act of God. Elijah could do it; he can do it; it’s got to be a man of God. Now let’s make an image of the beast as we’ve talked about. Then he gives it a spirit, maybe a demon takes control, he comes to life. Who but God can give life? The deception is complete.

Then he causes everyone to get a mark. You’re going to get a mark on your forehead or the back of your hand. If you don’t get the mark, you won’t buy an item of food, you won’t shop in any store, you won’t show your face anyplace because you’re an enemy. That comes to the number 666, the end of verse 16, he causes everyone, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, whether you’re a mighty person or an insignificant person. Everyone has to get a mark either on their right hand or on their forehead. You can’t buy or sell without the mark. Now here’s the wisdom so you can calculate the number of the beast. His number is 666, that infamous number. You know people don’t know anything about the Bible know certain things. They know the name Armageddon, they know 666. They know 666, that is the number that will have particular significance during the 70th week of Daniel, particularly the last 3 ½ years. Because there will be believers in that period who are going to read this and they’re going to know he’s the antichrist. His number, the most common explanation is that the number is associated with letters. If you use Roman numerals each letter has a numerical significance and evidently his name will be associated with 666. We’ve had people who have figured out how Nero, the Roman Emperor, that was his number, and how Hitler was it. The fact is we won’t know. Why did He put it here? Because there is coming a group of people that will know during the 70th week of Daniel. They’ll be able to calculate, figure it out and know who it is. I take it probably this image set up in the temple is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet the more information on that week in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel.

Now we’ve talked about some of the major events, Israel, the revived Roman Empire, the antichrist. But in all of this what the book of Revelation during this period unfolds is there is a series of judgments going on from God during this time that are bringing almost total devastation to the world. This is when billions, literally billions of people are going to die on the earth in a series of natural and supernatural catastrophes, if I can say that. They are all supernatural in that God is causing them, things like earthquakes and so on, supernatural demons coming and directly causing problems. It’s a mixture of the natural and supernatural as God pours out His wrath upon the earth. That’s why the Bible refers to this tribulation as a time of wrath, a time of judgment. God is pouring out His wrath in judgment on the world. He’s pouring out His wrath in judgment on the nation Israel for their sin. It’s also a process of refining and salvation to bring Israel to their knees because by the time we get to the end of this seven-year period the nation Israel as a nation is going to bow before God and call upon Jesus as their Christ, their Messiah to rescue them. All Israel will be saved.

Back up to Revelation chapter 6. We’ve studied in detail these matters in Revelation, some of you are studying the book of Revelation now and will be going through the details. I just want to highlight some of the matters in this series of judgments, so we have some sense of the impact of these, so we appreciate it when we talk about the rapture of the Church why it is a deliverance from wrath to come. God promises the Church that they will be delivered from the wrath that He describes in chapters 6-19 in Revelation. There’s a series of judgments, there’s a seven-seal scroll that encompasses all of Revelation from chapter 6 to the end, given to Christ in chapter 5. He’s the only one qualified to open it, it’s the title deed to creation and as the redeemer He can open it and it will culminate with His rule and reign on the earth. Every time a seal is broken a judgment comes out and they are sequential. They will follow but obviously they are building an impact as you continue.

When you get to the seventh seal and it is opened, out of it come seven trumpet judgments. They are contained within the seals. When the seventh trumpet is sounded seven bowls come out. When you get to the seventh bowl you have come to the return of Christ to the establishment of His kingdom. Note chapter 6 verse 1, “the Lamb broke one of the seals.” You’ll note, He is in charge here. This is a time of God’s wrath and judgment and ultimately salvation from the first seal. This is important because there are some within evangelicals who have come up with some alternative ideas. Well, it’s not God’s wrath until you’re about two-thirds of the way through and so on. Just not true.

Well, He opens it. The first four seals were called the horsemen of the apocalypse. I heard someone on the news in the last couple of months, secular news, and they were talking about something in the world. They said it’s like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I wonder how many of his listeners even know what the four horsemen of the apocalypse are. It’s one of those things like Armageddon. There’s a general enough familiarity with it. The four horsemen of the apocalypse are the first four judgments God pours out on the world as the 70th week of Daniel begins. We’re just beginning, but by the time you get through the first four judgments, by the time you get through the first four horsemen, over one-quarter of the earth’s population will have been killed. If the earth’s population were six billion, you’d be talking about 1 ½ billion people, 1-1 ½ billion people. You’re talking large numbers here.

The first seal a white horse comes out, verse 2. The man riding on it has a bow but there’s no mention of arrows, and it seems this probably refers to the antichrist, the counterfeit Christ, who comes on the scene in such a prominent way. He will be the key figure, and he signs the agreement with Israel, he brings peace to Israel and a relative peace to a significant portion of the world and the revived Roman Empire. But he is a counterfeit Christ. You have the second horse, a red horse and its war in verses 3-4. Verse 4, “a red horse, him who sat on it take peace from the earth and that men should slay one another.” Then you have a third horse, a black horse, and famine comes. There are scales, and someone calculated that things cost eight times what they cost. That’s immediate inflation. People trying to get food and famine spreads in the world. Then you have the fourth seal in verses 7-8, which is the fourth horse. It’s an ashen horse, a pale horse, and we’re told that “death and Hades was following with him. An authority was given to them over one-fourth of the earth to kill with sword, famine, pestilence, wild beasts of the earth.” So here we have the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and under the fourth horseman one-fourth of the earth is killed and you add in the other judgments here and we’re just starting.

Now let me say I don’t know how this all will come out. It’s like we talked about eternity and the New Jerusalem and heaven. We see the description, we believe it, but to actually see in detail how it all will be can go beyond what we can do. But devastation like this is happening, how does any part of the world go on normal, and we’ve just started. We just have four judgments. We have seven seals and then seven trumpets and then seven bowls. We just got the four horsemen in and we’re already over a quarter of the earth’s population is dead. Now another way to look at it, this might be spread throughout the world, I don’t know. Another way to look at it is it may be one portion of the world. One writer speculated that perhaps it’s the North American continent that they had figured was about a quarter of the world. Maybe these first judgments of the tribulation devastate North America. Well, you know if judgments happen like that where God progressively destroys portions of the world, let’s face it, it makes little difference to those who aren’t affected. There are people ravaged by war today, won’t keep me from going and getting lunch and whatever else I do today. There are people starving, I feel bad for that. We all watch TV and see these starving babies and children and we say this is horrible. Then we get on the scale and we’re overweight. Its impact on me is minimal. Now let’s face it if they’re starving in Ethiopia today, I feel bad about that, but I can’t do anything about it. Now where are we going for lunch? We go on living. You can understand why Matthew 24 also says that in the days leading up to the coming of Christ people are going to be marrying and giving in marriage. Sometimes you wonder how could that happen with this going on, but if it’s happening in somebody else’s part of the world it’s not going to change us that much.

In fact, if certain portions of the world got destroyed this week it would make our life a little nicer. Let’s be honest. We might not have to talk about sending our young men to war and other things like that. It might relieve any concerns about terrorism in our own country. I might look at it and say I’m sorry that all those people had to die, but I’m sure glad that country is no longer an influence. One person suggested maybe this is why the United States of America does not fit in the prophetic picture anywhere. They have been destroyed by the opening judgments of the tribulation, they’re just not a factor. The people there are just scratching and groping to try to find some bread to live for today, they’re not an influence in the world. I don’t know, I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen, but I am saying the judgments here are devastating and we do know from verse 8 when you get to the fourth horse, under the fourth horse one-fourth of the earth is going to be killed.

Then you go to the fifth horse and verses 9-11 talk about martyrs in heaven and it indicates there’s going to be strong persecution of believers break out during even the beginning of the tribulation. Because one thing the world can agree on, they don’t like Christians. We talk about the first 3 ½ years being a time of relative peace and prosperity for the western world and the Jews and we have the apostate church we’ve looked at in Revelation 17, but you understand there’s no love lost between members of the apostate Church and true believers. It won’t be people saved in large numbers in the seven-year tribulation, but multitudes of those are going to give their lives. You see the martyrs here and the judgment here is there is going to be vast persecution of believers.

The sixth seal is in verses 12-17. You have this devastation on earth and in the heavens, a great earthquake in verse 12, changes in the heavenly bodies, the sun becomes like sackcloth, the moon like blood. Some have compared this to what happens in some of the major volcanoes and the changes in appearance. We don’t know, maybe it’s part of the earthquake, maybe in connection with this there are volcanoes. Stars of the sky fall, the skies split apart. People are terrorized. We saw this as just a minor catastrophe, not to minimize it, but on the scale, we’re talking about, two planes hitting the Trade Center towers in New York are minor. You saw people what? Running in terror, absolute terror. People who had seemed so brave in that reduced to total fear, running for their lives, not thinking about anything but trying to escape. Here you have the picture, they mighty of the people of the earth crying let the rocks fall on us, this has got to be God’s wrath and the wrath of the Lamb.

You have a break in chapter 7 and here you have the 144,000. You know it’s amazing to me how many people know something about the Bible, particularly the book of Revelation, and understand nothing--the 144,000. Of course, the cults pick up on these things. I don’t know, I read it and it tells me the 144,000, verse 4, are from every tribe of the sons of Israel. That would make me think they’re Jews, but if I am a little slow, I can read the next verses. You know what it tells me? Twelve thousand from each of the different tribes. So, these are 144,000 Jews, they are men who are specially preserved by God, I take it they’ll serve as evangelists in the tribulation time like this. God is guaranteeing they will survive the tribulation. They’ll be testimonies for Him and when Christ returns, they will be there. They won’t die under persecution; they won’t die in any of the judgments. That’s the 144,000 Jews.

When you come to chapter 8 you have the seventh seal in verses 1-2. When the seventh seal is broken out of it come seven trumpets. “And the first trumpet,” verse 7, “it sounds and there came hail and fire mixed with blood. They were thrown to the earth and a third of the earth was burnt up, a third of the trees were burnt up, a third of the green grass was burnt up.” Now again maybe that’s spread throughout the world, or maybe it’s one section of the world that has an overwhelming catastrophe there. At any rate one-third of the earth’s surface undergoes destruction. The second trumpet sounded, “and a great burning mountain is thrown into the sea and a third of the sea became blood.” The third trumpet sounds in verses 10-11 “and a third of the fresh waters are polluted,” verse 10, 11, and you can’t drink the water. What happens when people can’t drink the water? They die. They drink water that’s poison, they die. Can you imagine the level of catastrophe here? We’ve already seen one-quarter of the earth die under the fourth horsemen. Now you’ve got one-third of the earth that’s become unlivable. People in other parts of the world are dying, those that survive the destruction of vegetation and that can’t find any water to drink. The fourth trumpet sounds and “a third of the heavenly bodies are darkened,” verse 12.

You come down to chapter 9 and for the first 12 verses you have a discussion of the fifth trumpet. This is a serious judgment. An angel comes from heaven and unlocks the bottomless pit where demons who are of such character they are restrained by God and not free to go about, but now they’re loosed. They came out on the earth as a plague. They don’t hurt anything on the earth except the people, verse 5, “they were not permitted to kill anyone but to torment for 5 months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it, they’ll long to die and death flees from them.” The pain is going to be so great they’ll want to die, but they can’t die. You have a description of these creatures. That judgment is so bad verse 12 calls it the first woe. You see things are getting worse. Now you tell me about a judgment that would kill a quarter of the earth’s population, I’d say that’s worthy of being called a woe. But everything is relative. In the tribulation that doesn’t even get the title woe. The first woe is the fifth trumpet.

The sixth trumpet sounds and you know what’s going to happen under the sixth trumpet? A demoniac army is turned loose and one-third of the earth’s population is destroyed. Now you add the one-quarter under the fourth horseman and the one-third under the sixth trumpet and you have about half of the earth destroyed under those two judgments. Go back and read the other judgments, seals and trumpets we’ve read so far, and you get the idea people are dying at massive rates. You talk about overwhelming the healthcare system, and who can even help from another country that might not be so devastated. It totally consumed us for a period of time trying to help people in one city that had a small accident that only entailed two buildings, and in another building in another city further south. Can you imagine devastation at this level? Not possible to cope with it. Again, I don’t know whether this one-third is another portion of the world, or it’s spread throughout the world, but I know it’s massive and people are dying at tremendous rates.

That’s the sixth trumpet and verse 18, “A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, the fire, the smoke, the brimstone which came out of the mouth of these demoniac beings.” Some take these to be a symbol of modern-day warfare. We’re not going into that right now but either way they are demonically driven, is the point. The rest of mankind, you think people are falling on their knees all over repenting of their sins asking God for mercy, but read verse 20, “the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent.” Verse 21, “they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their immoralities or their thefts.” You know the problem is the sinful heart of man. We say how could God do this? But how can men be so sinfully stubborn that they see the wrath of God, they said that at the end of chapter 6, the wrath of the Lamb being poured out. But they won’t repent. This is a battle to the death, and we won’t give in.

You come to chapter 10, and like I said chapters 10-14 give you the middle of the tribulation. In chapter 11 verses 15-19 you have that interlude there that the sounding of the seventh trumpet. “And there’s rejoicing in heaven because the sounding of the seventh trumpet means the seven bowls will be poured out.” When the seven bowls will be poured out, we come to the return of Christ, so heaven is rejoicing. Verse 14 told us the second woe is past, the third woe is coming. The trumpet judgments here, the fifth, sixth and seventh, come to the three woes.

You come over to chapter 16 now for what is the judgment of the seventh trumpet, and you have the six bowls. The six bowls are in many ways parallel to the six trumpets because they deal with the same areas, the oceans, the fresh water, and the vegetation and so on. You’ll note these judgments are very much like the judgments God brought on Egypt when He was going to deliver the nation Israel and you see similarities there. Now God is going to finally deliver His people from earthly empires, domination of the Gentiles, and that will happen in connection with this seventh trumpet.

Just let me note what they are. The first bowl is in verse 2. When that bowl is turned over and dumped on the earth “it became a loathsome and malignant sore upon men who had the mark of the beast and his image.” The second angel poured out his bowl “on the sea and it became like blood.” You see we saw a third of the seas destroyed, now we see the sea itself destroyed, it becomes blood. “The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers, they became blood, and the response of heaven is, it is fitting.” They’ve been bloodthirsty in destroying the people of God, give them blood to drink. “God is righteous in His judgments,” verse 7, “and anybody who doesn’t agree with that shows that they are the enemy of God.” What is heaven declaring and the inhabitants of heaven in light of these awful judgments? Verse 7, “yes oh Lord the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.” There are people who read this and say I wouldn’t believe in a God like that. They are like those who won’t repent in the face of the judgments of the tribulation. “The fourth angel pours out his bowl upon the sun and it was given to scorch men.” All of a sudden, we’re having a heat wave, but a heat wave like has not been had before. You know it’s not 101, 105, it’s 110, 120, 125, and people and being burned up. Now they’re repenting because this is a reminder of the fires of hell? Well then read verse 9, “men were scorched with fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues. They did not repent so as to give Him glory.” Verse 11, “they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores. They did not repent of their deeds.”

We are at the brink of the return of Christ, you know what? Men have suffered greatly, but they will not bow the knee. They blaspheme God. They are right, God has brought this on them, and they curse Him for it. The sixth angel pours out his bowl, the River Euphrates dries up and this prepares the way for the arrival of the armies of the East for the final battle of history, the final campaign of history, the campaign of Armageddon, climaxing with the return of Christ. The seventh angel, verse 17, pours out his bowl and the cry from the temple is, it is done. This is it. The seventh bowl, you know what it is? Armageddon, the destruction of Babylon and its religious form in chapter 17 and its political and commercial form in chapter 18, the return of Christ with the destruction of all of His enemies in chapter 19. It is done. Verse 19, Babylon the great was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. Look at verse 21, here we are at the brink of the return of Christ now. Heaven is about to open. What’s going on? Huge hailstones, about 100 pounds each, came down from heaven upon men. Now they repented. They blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail. Isn’t that amazing? Man expects God owes him something, will deliver him, will not bring wrath upon him, will not bring judgment upon him. When He does, he curses Him.

You know there is not going to be anyone in hell that wants to be in heaven. There’ll be people in hell who don’t want to be in hell, but the people in hell are those who are adamantly opposed to the living God. Even the judgments of the tribulation do not change their mind. It’s the grace of God in reaching down into sinful hearts that results in people being changed. Multitudes of people will be saved in the tribulation and at this point the whole nation Israel falls on its knees, cries blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Their Redeemer comes from heaven to deliver them. But that’s an act of the grace of God. Why else would people sit and hear the message of Christ and get up and walk out and not believe? It’s the stubbornness of the sinful heart. God’s grace and God’s mercy, He tells them, He warns them, He invites them. The closing invitation of the book of Revelation is come. If you’re thirsty come partake of the water of life without cost, it’s free. Men and women don’t come. You tell them, they get angry then they think God should just not do anything. What kind of place would heaven be if the devil and the people that we see on the earth so vile and so hateful were part of it? Here you see what happens in satan’s kingdom. Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen. You know what’s happened? The kingdom of satan who is the god of this world is now being brought to destruction. The pain, the suffering, the ruined will be over, but all those who follow him will be destroyed with him.

The future is bleak, the future is beautiful. Now I’m not looking forward to this seven-year period. You know what I’m looking forward to? The coming of Christ to take me to glory, to deliver me from wrath to come so that seven years later I can return with Him in the glorious return to establish His kingdom. That’s what those who have Jesus Christ as their Savior have to look forward to. Only one question, where are you? You are either friend or foe, he who is not with Me is against Me, Jesus said. Have you ever bowed the knee before Jesus Christ and say God, I am a wretched, guilty, hell-deserving sinner and I am casting myself on your mercy, not my works, your mercy. Be merciful to me, the sinner. I believe Christ died for me, that’s my only hope. At that moment you partake of the water of life, you become the child of God, you have been brought from hell to heaven by the graciousness of God’s salvation.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, that you are a great and might God, a God of holiness and righteousness, a God who will not tolerate sin, who will not overlook sin, who will not forget. But a God who will forgive, who will cleanse, who will make new. Lord it’s a truth that goes beyond what we can fully grasp. Thank you for your unfolding of the future, the horror of what awaits this earth, the awfulness of the hell that awaits those who do not believe. Thank you, Lord, for the glorious, sure promises of deliverance for those who place their faith in your Son who is the only Savior. We pray in His name. Amen.