THE SEVEN VIALS OF WRATH

As we explored in the previous chapter of this Revelation series, seven angels are given vials [bowls] of God’s wrath in preparation to be poured out upon the earth and its inhabitants who were left behind when the rapture occurred. In this chapter, the act is committed as they pour them out upon the world-wide kingdom of the Antichrist. Because of the severe nature of these judgments, it is likely that they occur very near the end of the seven years.

The Apostle John’s Sixth Vision – On Earth

This is the 6th and most important vision. John allots the largest space to its telling – chapters 16, 17 and 18. The term “great” is used eleven times in this chapter, more than any other chapter in the New Testament. Combine this with chapters 17 & 18 and their use of the term “great” another twelve times, and the awesomeness of God’s judgment becomes apparent. Indeed, it is the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31).

Thus far, John has seen six visions “in heaven” and six visions “on earth.” They are …

In Heaven – the throne, the book and the Lamb; On Earth – breaking six seals, sealing 144,000.
In Heaven – the great multitude, the seventh seal; On Earth – six trumpet judgments.
In Heaven – the seventh trumpet, the heavenly temple; On Earth – thundering, earthquake and great hail.
In Heaven – the woman, her child, the dragon war in Heaven; On Earth – the fall of the dragon, the rise of the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth.
In Heaven – the Lamb and the 144,000; On Earth – six angelic messengers, the Son of Man reaps the harvest.
In Heaven – the tribulation saints sing the song of Moses, seven angels are given vials of wrath. On Earth – the vials are poured out, the great harlot is described, the great city is destroyed, and the merchants lament.

In chapters 19 & 20, John will see a seventh vision “in heaven” as Christ returns in power and great glory; then a seventh vision “on earth” as Christ judges the nations and sets up his Kingdom.

One should think that seven visions should be the end of it. After all, seven is the number of perfection. However, God is not finished with Heaven and Earth. In chapter 21, he gives John an eighth vision, depicting a “new” beginning – the very meaning of the number eight. John is given the vision of a “new heaven” and a “new earth.”

Seven Plagues

These seven plagues are God’s ultimate judgment upon a defiant and unbelieving human race. Six of these judgments are remarkably similar to the plagues poured out upon Egypt in the days of Moses.

The first vial is similar to the sixth plague of boils.
The second and third vials are similar to the first plague, in which water turns to blood.
The fifth vial is similar to the ninth plague when darkness covered the land.
The sixth vial is similar to the second plague of frogs.
The seventh vial is similar to the seventh plague of hail.
The fourth vial is the only judgment that seems to be different from the plagues of Egypt. The fourth angel causes the sun to scorch men with extreme heat.

We should also be reminded that these seven plagues form a menorah design, with the fourth, or center lamp, offering the central theme.

In this case, the sun is ignited. In lighting the lamps of the temple menorah, the fire of the center lamp was always used to light the other lamps.

Dr. E.W. Bullinger (1837-1913) notes that the third and sixth vials are marked by additional characteristics: the third by things “heard” and the sixth by things “seen” (E.W. Bullinger, Commentary on Revelation, page 477). Therefore, as we observe these plagues, we should note that they are grouped in two sets of three judgments, followed by the seventh, in which the world participates in the great war of Armageddon.

The First Vial

“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. 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” (Revelation 6:1-2).

John hears a great voice from the heavenly temple telling all seven angels to pour out their vials of wrath. The first commences with a plague upon all who had received the mark of the beast. The language is neither symbolic or metaphoric. We can only assume that these plagues will be fulfilled literally, as they are described.

All worshippers of the beast will be stricken with sores, similar to the plague upon Egypt, wherein “boils” appeared, breaking forth with “blains” [sores] (Exodus 9:8-12).

In Deuteronomy 28, God promised blessings upon the righteous and plagues upon the wicked …

“The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed (Deuteronomy 28:27). “The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head” (verse 35).

Though this plague was never previously fulfilled, John sees it inflicted upon the kingdom of the Antichrist. Isaiah prophesied that God would gather the scattered tribes “in that day” and that the return would be “like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt” (Isaiah 11:10,16). John now records events surrounding the fulfillment of “that day.”

The Second Vial

“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” (Revelation 16:3).

We assume that all the oceans are affected because we are not told specifically to which “sea” John refers to. It staggers the imagination to think that all oceans will turn into a thick soup of rotting, stinking, congealed blood.

Such an infecting smell could permeate the entire atmosphere and make the planet nearly uninhabitable. Yet, it is not inconceivable to think that God’s final wrath upon the kingdom of the Antichrist should be just that intense. For this reason, it is assumed that the 42 months (the last three-and-a-half years) of the Great Tribulation is drawing toward its conclusion.

Psalm 104-107

As we progress through these judgments, we see an uncanny resemblance to Psalms 104-107. The refrain, “hallelujah,” is recited four times: in the closing verses of Psalms 104 and 105; and in the opening and closing verses of Psalm 106. Similarly, we find four “Alleluiah” refrains in Revelation 19 as John sees the return of Jesus Christ. In Psalm 104:26 we are told that the “leviathan” plays in the sea. This seems to correspond with the rise of the beast out of the sea in Revelation 13. In Psalms 105 and 106, the plagues of Egypt and Israel’s deliverance are reviewed. In the first plague upon Egypt, God “turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish” (Psalm 105:29).

In the Hebrew text of Psalm 107, there are seven designating Hebrew letter nuns נ‎, the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. But these nuns נ‎ are inverted – drawn like bowls tipped up on edge.

I’ll say more about these inverted nuns near the close of this study.

This second vial judgment is similar to the second trumpet judgment (Revelation 8:8-9). But there, “a great mountain burning with fire” causes the catastrophe. In the trumpet judgment, only a third of the sea creatures die. However, in this vial judgment, all sea life dies. We can only assume that these are not the same judgment.

They are similar in the same manner that every eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is similar in meaning; or that every eighth note on a piano is similar to its counterpart in an octave. In each case, we have a progression of sevens. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that the trumpets and vials are separate judgments – the trumpets occurring in the first half of the Tribulation Period (corresponding to the liturgy of Rosh Hashanah) and the vial judgments occurring in the last half (corresponding to the liturgy of Yom Kippur).

The Third Vial

“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” (Revelation 16:4-7).

The third angel turns the rest of the world’s acquifers into blood. This judgment is similar to the third trumpet judgment, though, in that case, we are told that the waters are contaminated with “wormwood” rather than blood. Though the end result is similar, two different methods of contamination are used.

At this point, John records things “heard.” When we get to the sixth plague, he will record things “seen.” Here, the “angel of the waters” is amazed at the greatness of the infliction, and declares that the wicked deserve their punishment. According to this scripture, there is an angel designated to care for Earth’s water. Heaven sees to its control for the benefit of mankind. Limits are imposed by divine decree. Science may think that our ecosystem evolved, but Earth’s laws of nature are divinely kept within the limits that allow for life on this planet. For example, life cannot exist on the planet Venus because of surface temperatures of over 600 degrees. Life cannot exist on Jupiter because of the enormous pull of gravity and its toxic atmosphere. Life is nurtured on Earth because divine care is taken to provide a perfect constant throughout nature. We live at just the right distance from the sun for amiable temperatures that allow for our existence. Just enough salt is kept in the oceans to keep our water purified. Earth’s cycles of seasons and rains provide innumerable amounts of necessary phenomenon to sustain life on the planet. Upon contemplation, one must agree that the laws of nature could not be left to blind chance.

The “angel of the waters” extols the righteousness of the Lord and his jurisdiction over the wicked unsaved. Those who live in the kingdom of the Antichrist can find only blood to drink. They deserve the judgment divinely cast at them because they have shed the blood of saints and prophets.

John hears another voice, this one coming from the altar under which were seen the souls of martyrs crying out for vengeance in Revelation 6:9-11. These are Tribulation martyrs. With the vial judgments, they recognize that God is avenging their blood. A voice from the altar declares the satisfaction that “true and righteous … judgments” (Revelation 16:7) are being carried out.

The Fourth Vial

“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” (Revelation 16:8-9).

As mentioned earlier, this fourth vial follows the theme of the menorah throughout scripture. Just as the light of the center lamp among the seven was used to ignite the others, this centerpiece of the vial judgments deals with the greater shemesh (servant lamp) – the sun. It should be noted that in the fourth trumpet judgment, a third of the sun is affected, thus dimming the light. But here, an apparent explosion on the sun creates great heat, igniting fires across the earth as the sun traverses its course.

Not only are men suffering under intense heat, but crops are burned up. Forests are decimated. Animals, both wild and domestic, die from exposure to unbearable heat. Earth’s food chain is depleted.

It is no wonder that Jesus said, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matthew 24:22).

Luke records Jesus telling us that there will be “signs in the sun” (Luke 21:25). This may be one of those signs. The prophet Isaiah writes of a time when “the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left” (Isaiah 24:6). Malachai concurs …

“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” (Malachi 4:1).

In spite of all of this, the wicked unsaved are too hardhearted to repent. They refuse to recognize the divine aspect of their dilemma.

The Fifth Vial

“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” (Revelation 16:10-11).

Following the explosion on the sun, darkness envelops the planet. Such an occurrence is similar to a nova, but on a much smaller scale. If our sun were to experience a genuine nova, there would be nothing left of our universe to salvage. In a nova, the star grows several times its normal size, then collapses into a smoldering cinder. Fortunately, Heaven is in control of this phenomenon. There is just enough heat to torment mankind, but not enough to evaporate the planet. That is followed by a collapse of our star, causing darkness so frightening that mankind will despair of hope.

The continuing sores from the first vial judgment cause the unsaved wicked to blaspheme God. There is no medical relief from the pain; no water to quench their thirst; and little food supply to satisfy their hunger. The food chain is being burned up – animals and vegetation alike.

There is nothing quite so frightening as utter darkness. Even brave men, who think they have no fear of the dark, find that they are overwhelmed by the immense horror. Knowing that the sun is causing this darkness, all who dwell on the earth will realize that life cannot be sustained without it. If the sun continues in that state, an ice age will quickly follow. That alone is cause for the most excruciating fear. It is no wonder that we read that all those who dwell upon the earth during this horrific time will gnaw their tongues for the utterly torturous pain that divine providence is inflicting upon them. The mental and emotional anguish that will be engulfing the unsaved wicked is quite indescribable and unimaginable.

The prophet Isaiah wrote of this time …

“For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee” (Isaiah 60:2).

The prophet Joel wrote of this time …

“The day of the Lord cometh” … “A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness” … “the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood” (Joel 2:1,2,31).

Joel’s description of thick darkness should cause one to consider that there will be much more to this darkness than just the horrific and incapaciting physical darkness. This description reminds us of what happened during the days of the Exodus when the Lord instructed Moses to stretch out his hand toward the heavens to induce an effect that would cause Pharaoh’s hardened heart to let the Israelites go …

“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 (Exodus 10:21).

A darkness that may be felt? This statement should give us pause to consider that this darkness may be something much deeper than just physical darkness, which in itself would be absolutely horrible and tormenting. We know that the Egyptians worshipped idols and false gods. As Christians we know that there is very obviously demonic entities/spirits involved in such activity. Egypt was known for it. We know that a horrible, spiritual darkness that may be felt into the very soul of a human being would be present if the Lord lifted the veil of protection and allowed their true presence and identity to manifest within or in the presence of a person. Given the connection between the plagues of Egypt and the vial judgments of Revelation, and the fact that the Tribulation will be rife with demonic activity, it is quite possible the darkness that shall strike the earth during the Revelation 16 darkness judgment upon the earth during the reign of the Antichrist will not only be a horrible physical darkness, but will also be a darkness that may be felt supernaturally. This is a horror we cannot possibly even fathom. We should also take note of the fact that Joel describes the darkness that shall come during the vial plague of the Tribulation as being “thick” darkness, just as the darkness of the Exodus Egypt plague is described as being a “thick” darkness … one which may be felt. When thinking upon the horrors of the Tribulation Period to come, we should contemplate the possibility of the Exodus 10:21 darkness narrative.

Jesus declared …

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken” (Mark 13:24-25).

In spite of these catastrophes, over which mankind has no control, and in which the unsaved wicked face certain annihilation, they still do not repent (see here).

The Sixth Vial

“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” (Revelation 16:12).

At the time of the sixth vial judgments, the Euphrates River will be dry. As early as the mid 1800s, theologians speculated that the Chinese would move multiplied millions of troops across the riverbed into the battle arena of Armageddon. Joseph Seiss (1823-1904) was one of those early ministers to suggest that the kings from the sun rising” would take advantage of an easy passage across the Euphrates. In his commentary on Revelation, Seiss wrote …

“The Euphrates River has always been a line of separation between the peoples living east of it and those living west of it. But in the time of the pouring out of the sixth bowl of judgment, this river is to be mysteriously smitten and dried up, that the kings from the sun rising may have an easy passage for their armies in coming, to join the great infernal crusade against the Lamb” (Joseph Seiss, The Apocalypse, page 377).

Dr. E.W. Bullinger (1837-1913) wrote:

“The kings from the East journey westward to Palestine … The Euphrates is indeed a great river, as here stated. It is 1,800 miles long, and from Mohammarah to the sea it is 3,600 feet wide and 30 feet deep. This river is to be dried up for the more easy gathering of this infernal crusade against the Lamb and his host (Bullinger, page 487).

These are just two of the hundreds of theologians whose thoughts turned toward China. However, had Seiss and Bullinger been alive to see U.S. troops cross the Euphrates on their way to Baghdad, they would have realized that there are many bridges across the river, and that is not necessary to dry up the river for the sole purpose of facilitating a crossing.

In Revelation 9:14-15, we are told that four “angels” are bound in the Euphrates, and that they are prepared to slay a “third part of men” We are not given the method of their destruction, only that an army of 200 million soldiers will follow them into battle. And who are those “kings of the East”? Will China and other Far East allies bring the world down to Armageddon? This has been the prevailing opinion for over a century. It is entirely possible that this is the case. However, any country located east of Israel could be in mind here – especially the Islamic countries. With a population of 1.5 billion people, the combined Moslem countries could easily field an army of 200 million (provided that is the number of the combatants in the war of Armageddon). When one considers that China is now making alliances with these kings of the east, it is not too difficult to see how it could be not only just China, but also their allies with them. In the past several years, the Luciferian globalists have saw to it that American and western military technology has found its way into the hands of China and other Eastern nations.

Aside from the demonic influence of Islam, there is another diabolical influence at work here. The following verse tells us about three “unclean spirits.” The Apostle John uses a symbol from the ancient Egyptian plague of frogs to introduce the subject …

“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” (Revelation 16:13-16).

After the third vial was poured out, John recorded things he “heard.” Likewise, following this sixth vial, John recorded things he “saw.” Three unclean spirits like frogs came out of the mouths of the infernal trinity. He uses the metaphor of “frogs” to remind us of the second Egyptian plague. In Egypt, the frogs were everywhere. They completely covered the land, from border to border. They got into the houses, the storage rooms, beds – everywhere. When Moses agreed with Pharaoh to relieve the plague, he said that the frogs would stay “in the river” (Exodus 8:9). The next day, the invading army of frogs died. The Egyptians piled them into huge piles and they stank. This experience must be somehow similar to the Tribulation Period. The earth will stink. The people will gnaw their tongues because of the darkness and boils. Frog-like spirits will lure the armies toward Israel with a vengeance.

Joseph Seiss reminds us of the allurement of a demonic spirit from the pages of the Old Testament …

“When the unexampled wickedness of Ahab was come to the full, and it was determined in heaven that an end should be made of him, ‘The Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead? And one said on this matter, and another said on that matter. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said: I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said: Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also; go forth and do so.’ So the Lord put a lying spirit in the mouth of all Ahab’s prophets; and he went up to Ramoth-Gilead, and was wounded between the joints of his harness, and was brought back a dead man, and the dogs licked up his blood‘ (1 Kings 22:19-38). A spirit of hell was allowed to go forth to inflame and deceive him to his ruin” (Seiss, The Apocalypse, pages 377-378).

Could it be that there is another explanation for these 200 million kings of the east? More recent biblical prophetic discoveries would suggest something entirely different. As mentioned in previous posts in this series, what is commonly surmised to be 200,000,000 million soldiers from the East (namely China and allies) that kill a third of mankind may be something entirely different in the supernatural realm. Although a vast army with human soldiers may be a part of this prophecy, there are some who point out that this may be a demonic manifestation of a 200 million chimeric horseman army i.e. the return of the Nephilim and has nothing to do with a human army. (see video below).

Amidst the clamor of armies gathering for the world’s greatest battle, John hears another voice …

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (Revelation 16:15).

This is the famous promise taught by Christ in Matthew’s Gospel:

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 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. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:42-44).

This became the watchword for immanency – the any-minute return of Christ, for which the Church has looked for twenty centuries. This was the major theme of the Apostle Paul’s first epistle, written before any other New Testament book – as early as A.D. 54 …

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2).

The Apostle Peter made it one of his major themes …

When Peter mentions the “day of the Lord” in the context of the earth being burned up and the elements within it being melted with fervent heat, he is speaking of that great day when the Lord shall recreate the earth at the end of the 1,000-year millennial reign of Christ. But this “day of the Lord” will begin when the Tribulation begins. Remembering that Peter explains that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, the day of the Lord will begin the Tribulation for seven years. When the seven years is through, the 1,000 year reign of Christ will commence, of which the ending of this period of time will see the recreation of the earth i.e. the works that are therein burned up, the heavens passing away and the elements melting with a fervent heat as the process of re-creation takes place.

Finally, the resurrected Christ mentioned it again in his letter to the church at Sardis …

“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Revelation 3:3).

Since this has been a hallmark doctrine throughout the Church Age, why did the Savior take this opportunity to repeat it as the battle of Armageddon develops? Are we not all in Heaven by then? For various and quite undeniable reasons, New Testament Christianity will be spirited away before the Tribulation Period sets in. The 144,000 are seen in Heaven two chapters back. The martyred Tribulation saints are seen in Heaven in chapter 15. So, to whom is this statement addressed? Is there still a remnant of believers left on Earth? Yes, these are those who were left behind at the rapture who were not “born again” in Christ and had not received Christ, but repented by receiving Christ during the Tribulation. Plus, all those who received Christ during the Tribulation have not all been martyred by then. Some have escaped.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel’s prophecy, implying that even when the sun was in the process of turning into “darkness, and the moon into blood … whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:20-21). Yes, salvation will still be available during the Battle of Armageddon. It is likely that millions of Israelis will call upon the the very Messiah their forefathers rejected, as Armageddon comes down upon them like a sledgehammer. When all allies have forsaken them and no weaponry is left with which to defend themselves, the Jews will pray to Jesus Christ for salvation.

Then John hears the voice of Christ say, “Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame (Revelation 16:15). John is reminded of an old Temple directive for those Levites who served as Temple guards at night. Alfred Edersheim (1825-1889), author of The Temple, explains …

“At night, guards were placed in twenty-four stations about the gates and courts. Of these, twenty-one were occupied by Levites alone; the other innermost three jointly by priests and Levites. Each guard consisted of ten men; so that in all two hundred and forty Levites and thirty priests were on duty every night. During the night, the ‘captain of the temple’ made his rounds. On his approach, the guards had to rise and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard found asleep when on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on fire – a punishment, as we know, actually awarded. Hence, the admonition … ‘Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments‘ (Revelation 16:15)” (Alfred Edersheim, The Temple, page 99).

Edersheim claimed that he had read an account of a sleeping Temple guard who had his clothes set on fire by the captain on his nightly rounds.

Here, Jesus admonishes the remaining Tribulation saints to keep a watchful eye as Armageddon develops. To me, the admonition to watch includes a study of biblical eschatology. Not only should the current age of saints keep up with news events, but should maintain a diligent study of scripture as well. Once the Tribulation sets in, prophetic signs of Christ’s Second Coming should become much clearer. For example, when the “abomination of desolation” is committed, and world government established, one should be able to count off the prophecy of the 42 months. And as these vial judgments occur, the believer who converts to (receives) Christ during the Tribulation (after having missed the rapture) should know that the return of Christ to Earth with the previously raptured saints is very near.

Armageddon

“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16).

Armageddon is a transliteration of har Megiddo, a Hebrew term meaning the “mount of Megiddo.” The hilltop community of Megiddo was a military outpost in the days of King Solomon (pictured below).

A military garrison was stationed there to watch for enemy armies that might be invading from the north. The wide valley below Megiddo (also called the valley of Jezreel, and the Plains of Esdraelon) stretched from the Mediterranean coast to the Jordon River. No army could pass down the coast or near the Jordon without being spotted. Megiddo had a large grain storage pit and a secret tunnel leading to an underground spring. With such provisions, the Israelite army could survive a prolonged siege and was, therefore, considered unconquerable.

Many battles were fought in that valley in Bible days. Barak and Deborah fought the mighty army of Sisera in that valley. Josiah withstood Pharaoh Necho in that valley. Gideon fought the Midianites near there. And King Saul visited the witch of Endor in that valley, on the night before his fatal war. It is said that throughout history, kings have sent there generals there to study the terrain and plan for battle tactics, just in case their country was called upon to join history’s last great battle.

The prophet Zechariah referred to the death of King Josiah and the great sorrow that befell the people as he wrote about the future coming of Messiah (Christ) to establish his kingdom …

“In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart” (Zechariah 12:11-12).

Zechariah said that the people would mourn over their past rejection of the Messiah and that the mourning would be comparable to the lament over Josiah’s death. It seems that a Jewish mercenary soldier who had hired out to Pharaoh unknowingly killed the Jewish king. Josiah had disguised himself and foolishly charged into battle against the Egyptians. The soldier did not know that he was killing his own king. In like manner, the Jews will ask the Messiah how he got the wounds in his hands. And he will reply that he was wounded by his own countrymen …

“And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6).

At the onset of Jesus’ ministry, he stood in the synagogue at Nazareth and read from Isaiah’s prophecy, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). …” (Luke 4:18-19).

He announced that the prophecy was fulfilled in him. Then he closed the book. Had he continued to read, he would have read the words “and the day of vengeance of our God.”

The people among whom he grew up were furious. They dragged the Savior out to the edge of the city, to a place today called the “Hill of Precipitation,” with the intent of casting Jesus over the cliff to his death. Beneath that cliff lies the Megiddo Valley. Rejected there, the Savior will return someday as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19).

The Seventh Vial

“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 the 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” (Revelation 16:17-21).

Imagine what it will be like in those days. A cancerous disease covers the bodies of all who worship the Antichrist through taking his mark. They can find no medical relief. This epidemic beggars the statistics of history. Its contagion affects all who receive the mark of the beast, but no one else. The agony is excruciating.

On top of this, Earth’s oceans and water aquifers are yielding a thick bloody stench, killing all fish and sea creatures. No one can find water to drink as humanity is attacked in judgment with a mind-bending thirst. The smell is unbearable. An explosion rocks the sun, and Earth’s temperature heats up as a result, exacerbating the purification of the oceans and rivers. Forest fires ignite throughout the world. The ecosystem suffers cataclysmic disasters on a scale never seen before. Crops burn up in the fields. Food is scarce as humanity is dealt a divine blow of hunger judgment. The darkness covers the earth as the sun appears to burn out. Will an ice age follow? Will the sun ever be restored? Must every man and woman now live in perpetual darkness? Temperatures plunge. Fear of the darkness drives every man and woman mad.

Finally, plunging temperatures create the most dreadful series of thunderstorms the world has ever seen. The lightning is intense. Hailstones of enormous sizes fall upon all cities and communities, crushing buildings, homes and vehicles. As seen in the above Revelation 16 prophecy, the hailstones that fall to the earth will weigh the weight of a “talent.”

Joseph Seiss once contemplated the weight of an ancient talent …

“The Jewish talent for silver-wight was about 115 pounds, and that for weighing other things was about 135 pounds. The Egyptian talent was about 86 pounds, as also the Greek. Some make the Attic-talent about 56 pounds, and a talent was used at Antioch, which weighed about 390 pounds” (The Apocalypse, page 382).

There is no refuge from this storm. No one can find a place to hide. The planet staggers under the gravitational pull of the exploded sun, creating worldwide earthquakes that level mountains and swallow islands. There are few caves or underground shelters left to harbor the clamoring, hurting, angry race of God haters. There are no safe places left for anyone to hide from the wrath of a God who has no choice but to bring this catastrophe upon Earth’s Christ-rejecting, unsaved inhabitants. They find themselves here in this position because they had the misfortune of missing the rapture because they rejected Christ in the present Age of Grace.

Then, the war explodes in the Middle East as Armageddon commences. So angry and enraged with blind hatred is mankind that, at this point in his/her reprobate mind, he/she can no longer repent and receive Christ. Finally, Jerusalem is overwhelmed and falls. And God says, “It is done!” Great Babylon is also destroyed in the course of these vials of wrath, but the details of it are given a special attention in chapters 17 and 18. As Jerusalem is overrun, and Israel turns to their rejected Messiah, the sky rolls back like a scroll. In the darkened heavens above the city, a light of exquisite beauty appears. But the details of it are given special attention in chapter 19. Yes, God says, at this point, “It is done.“

What Do The Prophets Say?

John is not alone in this divinely inspired prediction. Other divinely inspired prophets have written about this time as well. Beginning with the Psalms and moving through the prophets, we can catch only a glimpse of what John has seen. Asaph wrote …

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people” (Psalm 50:3-4).

Another Psalmist wrote …

“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed” (Psalm 102:25-26).

Isaiah wrote …

“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished” (Isaiah 51:6).

Jeremiah wrote …

“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger” (Jeremiah 4:23-26).

Haggai wrote …

“For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:6-7).

Matthew wrote …

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).

Peter wrote …

“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?” (2 Peter 3:10-12).

No Repentance

Why is there no repentance in the midst of God’s judgment? Joseph Seiss put it best …

“What is the moral effect? Do the people bend, and own their sins, and sue for Heaven’s pity and forgiveness? Alas for those in whom the spirit of hell has once taken firm root!

No one having the brand of Antichrist ever repents. John beheld: ‘And the men blasphemed God on account of the plague of the hail, because the plague thereof is exceedingly great.’ Such obstinacy in sin and guilt was unknown when the world was younger.

“When the hailstorm was heavy upon Egypt there was something of relenting. Pharaoh relented and asked Moses to intercede for him. For the moment, at least, he agreed to let Israel go. But here, transgressors have come to the full. They are dead-ripe for final judgment. Antichrist has taught them to curse God and die; and so they curse and blaspheme to the last, unsoftened and unchanged by all the terribleness of an oncoming perdition. It is by these plagues that their earthly existence ends, with the whole economy of things to which they cling; but their last words are curses, and their last breath is blasphemy” (Seiss, Apocalypse, page 383).

At this point in the Tribulation, the mind of man has descended into a hopeless state of blindness and darkness. They stand condemned to ultimate destruction, not only in their here and now, but their eternal future in the world to come.

The Inverted Nuns of the Bible

The nun נ is the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are nine nuns נ that are inverted ׆ in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. The first two appear in Numbers 10:35 and 11:1, while the remaining seven are markers for Psalm 107:23,24,25,26,27,28 and 40.

According to Hebrew scholarship, the inverted nun ׆ speaks of “downfall.” It stands for God pouring out his judgment upon the unsaved wicked.

The First Inverted Nun

Note the rendering of the verse identified with the first inverted nun ׆ highlighted in green below. It speaks of God scattering the enemy …

׆ “And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee” (Numbers 10:35).

That same verse is repeated in Psalm 68 …

“Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him (Psalm 68:1).

As the late J.R. Church discovered years ago in the 1980s, the psalms seem to have been encoded with allusions to modern events that happened in the specific year according to the number of the psalm. Going back through modern history, one can see that this is the case. Psalm 68 seems to allude to the twentieth year of Israel! And it opens with the same verse that sports the first of nine inverted nuns!

Psalms 73-89 represent a processional for bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem – just as Numbers 10:35 suggests, “… when the ark set forward.” Note what happens when the ark comes to rest in the book of Numbers …

“And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel” (Numbers 10:36).

That very statement is found in the psalm that follows Psalm 89. It is Psalm 90:13 …

“Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants” (Psalm 90:13).

We have a perfect fulfillment of the first inverted nun in Psalms 68-90!

The Second Inverted Nun

The second inverted nun ׆ concerns the complaining of the people in Numbers …

“And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled … (Numbers 11:1).

Since 1991, the world has observed a dearth of leadership in Israel. The nation is embroiled in continual bickering and feuding among themselves – to the extent that in 1995, one of their own people shot and killed their prime minister. Such bickering and infighting appears to be the fulfillment of the second inverted nun ׆.

The Last Seven Inverted Nuns

It all seems to start in Psalm 68. Interestingly enough, Jerusalem was re-established as the capital of Israel in the 1967 six-day war. Only months after the six-day war in 1968, a celebration took place in which the Israel Defense Forces marched proudly in Jerusalem with a display of power, including arms captured in battle (source).

Forty chapters later, in Psalm 107, we have the final seven inverted nuns ׆. They are juxtapositioned before the verses that describe the dissolution of the shipping empire that controls world commerce …

׆“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;

׆ “These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

׆ “For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.

^{׆ “}They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

^׆^“They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.

^׆^“Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses” (Psalm 107:23-28).

Given above are verses that allude to the destruction of “MYSTERY BABYLON.” Verse 28 points to the arrival of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) to rescue the world out of its distress and judge the nations.

The Final Inverted Nun

Now, we come to the final inverted ׆ nun – perhaps the greatest proof that this is the correct analysis. This ninth inverted nun ׆ is juxta-positioned at the beginning of verse 40! What verse? FORTY! Does that not speak volumes?

Israel had spent forty years in the wilderness. And there are forty psalms (68-107) that allude to these years. The placement of the final inverted nun ׆ before verse 40 emphasizes Israel’s final confrontation with their spiritual heritage. Observe the context of this verse …

׆ “He pours contempt upon princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way” (Psalm 107:40).

It is here that I would consider it most important to point out and highlight something of great prophetic significance written in a previous article on this site concerning Psalm 107 and its connection to the year 2007 (the year number according to the Psalm number) and what transpired in that year as it relates to the emergence of this Mystery Babylon beast system …

“Something of great biblical significance is now being acted out on the world stage. A treaty has been in the process of being ratified. It is called the “United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Once ratified, it will be able to rule on issues usually reserved for the local governments of each individual nation. It will effect national sovereignty, navigation rights, international taxation, the environment and energy production. The ancient Lex Mercatoria (Merchant Law) is being revised to prepare for the emergence of a world government, swallowing up the sovereignties of small nations and allowing for central control of all nations by an un-elected elite. In the hands of a powerful, un-elected few, it could threaten the long tradition of freedom on the high seas – A full 70 percent of the earth’s surface. This brings a familiar Bible theme to mind. It is one of the most familiar prophecies in the Bible, a powerful visual image seen and recorded by the Apostle John, as he wrote the book of Revelation. His vision expands upon the book of Daniel, and brings perspective and detail to Daniel’s “fourth beast,” which represents the final, global world empire. In Daniel, the beast is placed in the context of the three beasts that precede it. In Revelation, it is given a recognizable form and a source of origin:

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him” (Revelation 13:1-4).

Daniel describes four world empires as four beasts – the lion, the bear, the leopard and a fierce, unnamed beast with iron teeth. Clearly, the fourth beast is the great sea beast of Revelation 13. It reaches it’s peak of power during the approaching seven-year judgment upon earth known as the “Tribulation.

“Of significant and profound prophetic note to be observed is that the year 2007 saw the strong support of the Bush Administration and a receptive Democratic majority approve the Convention by the Committee on a 17-4 majority and “was primed for its first-ever Senate vote.” UNCLOS took a huge step forward, even though it is still delayed today. Stunningly, Psalm 107 contains a prophecy for this specific event in the year 2007 singling out those elite who are in power attempting to assemble a wicked system of global governance.

Back in the 1980s, J.R. Church discovered that the psalms seem to have been encoded with allusions to modern events that happened in the specific year according to the number of the psalm. Going back through modern history, one can see that this is the case. In looking at Psalm 107, one can see the clues that allude to the emerging world government that picked up steam in the year 2007, the year number of the psalm … and it just so “happens” that psalm 107 that describes the emerging world government beast, called Mystery Babylon, has seven reversed nuns, indicating it’s eventual judgment. Is it a coincidence that UNCLOS took a huge step forward in 2007, representing the Mystery Babylon system described in it’s Psalm year 107? The evidence says no.

Truly, God has pre-ordained his judgment upon the world system. The reversed nun is said to be a sign of exclusion or diminishment. Without a doubt, it has that meaning here. The merchant bankers are to be excluded from God’s Kingdom, their power totally removed. It is also quite significant that Psalm 107 was chosen to carry this mark of condemnation. It is the first of the Deuteronomy book of the Psalms. The Deuteronomy psalms declare the glory of God’s Kingdom and express the gratitude of those who were rescued from the Tribulation. In them, God is shown to be merciful toward his repentant people. Most important in this story is God’s judgment upon the nations, and especially upon their greedy, apostate leaders. What better way to begin the Deuteronomy Psalms than with the resounding seven-fold condemnation of Babylon. As “that great city” – megalopolis – and it’s enslaving merchant traffic is halted once and for all, we see a picture of global destruction. To live up to it’s biblical description, this city must be gigantic … a true megalopolis.

But must it be in one geographic location on planet Earth? Time will tell. Is it the megalopolis of our own east coast? Perhaps. Is it the megalopolis of Europe? Perhaps. But for now, it seems somehow more logical to think of it as a global city. It seems to be a global megalopolis, connected by electronic banking and global merchant trade. If any part of it were toppled, it could still survive and function presumably. But if all it’s major links were destroyed “in one hour” as Revelation 18 describes, the merchants would truly stay aboard their ships and weep. It’s destruction will be swift and complete. Psalm 107, Ezekiel 27 and Revelation 17 and 18 all agree on that. With all of that said, there is a strong mixture of evidence that could point to the city of Rome as being the headquarters from where this global, occultic and Satanic system is being ruled. The text and indication marks of Revelation 17 and 18 suggest this to be the case.

As just mentioned above, Psalm 107:40 (the number 40 originally associated with Israel’s wandering in the wilderness for 40 years), Jesus Christ will turn the earth into a proverbial “wilderness,” an Earth that the Luciferian globalists have turned into a wicked and evil global system of hellish rule over humanity that the Bible identifies as “Mystery Babylon.” Christ will judge the nations and establish his millennial kingdom as the following verses relate:

“Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth” (Psalm 107:41-42).

Just in case you think that this is a conjured up or contrived theological concept that you cannot accept, observe the next verse …

“Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord” (Psalm 107:43).

Here is one of several passages that promise a special revelation to those who are willing to look just beneath the surface text of scripture and ferret out the hidden treasures concealed within. The whole story is marvelous – and we are living right in the middle of its unfolding. To drive this point home even further, one only needs to take a look at the very peculiar prophetic cycle that ended in the very same year of 2007-2008 and the prophetic signs that accompanied it as seen in the American presidential administrations ending in administration number 43 and continuing on from there going forward to the present (see here and here).

These inverted nuns exhibit a remarkable appearance to bowls tipped up in order to pour out their contents. They correspond quite nicely to the seven vials of wrath recorded in Revelation 16, our current chapter of study in this Revelation series.

Revelation 16 and John 16

The conflict between good and evil commenced immediately after the fall of Adam. God cursed the serpent and predicted two phases in the conflict …

“And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:14-15).

In John’s Gospel, the seed of the serpent bruised the heel of the Seed of the woman. But, in the book of Revelation, the Seed of the woman will wound the head of the seed of the serpent. As we approach John 16, we learn that Christ is on his way to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, he will be betrayed and later tried, convicted and crucified. It appears that the seed of the serpent has won. Christ is about to suffer the metaphoric wound in the heel. On the way to the garden, Jesus referred to this conflict between the beguiled Eve and the subtle serpent, and compared his final judgment to a woman giving birth to a child …

“Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:19-22,33).

Though Christ is about to suffer the prophetic wound in the heel, he assures the disciples that he will ultimately win. As discussed in previous posts, when one has their spiritual eyes attuned while reading the books of John and Revelation, one will notice a very peculiar pattern and similarity of design that emerges. It becomes obvious to the spiritually attuned and observant believer that the Holy Spirit led John the apostle to follow the same literary design in writing both his Gospel (the book of John) and the book of Revelation. Though neither book originally had chapter divisions, both books follow an outline of subject matter in each chapter that correspond to each other. Both the Gospel of John and Revelation follow an identical outline for the chapters. The subject that Jesus addresses here links John 16 to Revelation 16. In John’s Gospel chapter 16, Jesus prepares to leave his disciples. In its corresponding chapter of Revelation 16, he prepares to return to Earth with those who have died in Christ and the previously raptured believers as we are introduced to those final birth pangs of travail. It will prove to be the most devastating time in history. No wonder Jesus said …

“… except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).

The Hebrew Letter Ayin

We cannot leave the study of Revelation 16 without reviewing the sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet – the letter ayin . It stands for “perception and insight.” Its very name ayin עין means “eye.” According to Michael Munk, author of The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, “Ayin” reveals for to man than any of the other four senses … the eye is the window of the brain, since it is through the sense of sight that man perceives external impressions that he then internalizes, enabling him to understand them more thoroughly” (page 171).

In order to see the connection of the ayin with this final book of the Bible, we should go back to the oldest book in the collection – the book of Job – written before Genesis was written. There, in the Hebrew text, God elevated the ayin above the line of letters in order to tell us about the time when God would shake the wicked unsaved out of the world …

“That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment. And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken” (Job 38:13-15).

יג לֶאֱחֹז, בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ; וְיִנָּעֲרוּ רְשָׁ^עִים מִמֶּנָּה.‏
טו וְיִמָּנַע מֵרְשָׁ^עִים אוֹרָם; וּזְרוֹעַ רָמָה, תִּשָּׁבֵר.‏
‏

The Hebrew text (pictured above) clearly shows an ayin lifted above the line of text twice within the Hebrew term for “wicked” – in verse 13 and again in verse 15. It looks as if they represent sunrise and may indicate that God’s judgment could occur in the dawning years of a new millennium – as in the seventh millennium (see here).

The ayin is also regarded as a symbol for the sun, and is depicted as an all-seeing eye above the modern symbol for the Great pyramid as depicted on the back of the American one-dollar bill and its declaration of a New World Order.

We should note that God remembers to judge the great city in the very chapter presently under consideration …

“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 (Revelation 16:19).

In the Genesis account of the Tower of Babel, God sees the significance of man’s wickedness, as the meaning of ayin implies …

“And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built” (Genesis 11:5).

By divine design and decree, the ayin , the sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, corresponds to the very chapter of Revelation (chapter 16) that commences the final judgment of God upon an unbelieving human race … a human race whose wickedness and depravity of mind reaches its pinnacle within a global system called “Mystery Babylon,” the great city. It is in the aforementioned Genesis 11:5 city and its “tower of Babel” that we can see the real identification of Mystery Babylon. It is no wonder that this great city, or global New World Order system, comes into remembrance before God in the chapter of Revelation that its very letter of the Hebrew represents. It is also no coincidence that we see the ayins reversed in Psalms 107:23-28, and then finally, verse 40 – indicating the destruction of the global system called Mystery Babylon, which is focused in upon in the very next chapter, but first splits into three parts and comes into God’s remembrance in this chapter – chapter 16.

GOD’S REQUIREMENT FOR YOUR INCLUSION IN THE RAPTURE AND ESCAPE FROM THE COMING WRATH

The demonstrably divinely inspired text that we call the Bible promises a coming horrendous seven-year Tribulation period of judgment upon Earth for all of mankind, no matter what your religion, belief or creed is, and even to those who don’t believe anything spiritual at all. We can now clearly see the signs of this approaching nightmare. However, as we’ve already seen, this same divinely inspired text that we call the Bible promises a dramatic escape from off the face of the earth before this horrendous time of judgment only to a certain category of people.

Put simply, an event is coming that will be so stupendous that it strains the mind to contemplate such an event happening. It is an event that will see millions upon millions of people across the globe suddenly disappear without warning. The millions of disappeared will have literally ascended into Heaven itself after instantaneously receiving a new glorified body fit for Heaven. A body that will be able to withstand the atmosphere and glory of Heaven. This event is known as the “Rapture.” But the promise of escape is only to those who are “born again” in Christ. This is why it is crucial to understand what Christ meant when he declared in no uncertain terms that only those who are “born again” in him will enter the Kingdom of God. For the explanation of this, keep reading below.

In order to accept the offer of God’s grace and his salvation, you must take the crucial three steps of …

1. Agreeing –A belief and agreeing with God in all that he says in his word, the Bible, about the fact that you are separated from God, as every man and woman on the face of the earth are before accepting his salvation. The Bible reveals that all are separated from him in a spiritual state of death, or said another way that the Bible reveals it, in a state of sin, that will result in damnation in the afterlife. Agreeing with God in your heart that you are in need of his salvation. The Bible reveals that God looks upon the heart of a man or woman, and thus, responds accordingly to the person who comes to him for salvation in recognition of his inability to save himself. The Bible makes these facts very clear – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The Bible describes these three kinds of death:

physical death (the state experienced when life leaves our bodies).

spiritual death (spiritual separation from God caused by our state of spiritual death inherited from the first man Adam – the state of sin that results in our daily outward acts of sin, whether deliberate or not, whether omissive or not; and finally …

the second death (the fixed state entered into by the individual who dies physically while he or she is dead spiritually). This state is entered into after the death of the body which results in punishment in the afterlife until the event of the Great White Throne Judgment occurs wherein the damned are resurrected from Hades, or Hell, and are judged according to their works and finally destroyed and cease to exist after being cast into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14 refers to this tragic end of the unsaved as the “Second Death” (verse 14). It is this state of suffering entered into after physical death and then final destruction at the Great White Throne Judgment in particular which is the horrible result of receiving the wages of sin (unforgiven due to unbelief and rejection of Christ). The Lord Jesus Christ frequently described such a death as being irrevocable in a destiny which he called Hell. He described Hell as a literal place of judgment (Matthew 13:42); a place of everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8); a place of torment (Luke 16:24,28); a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50); a place of remorse (Mark 9:44-48); of bitter memory (Luke 16:25), and a place originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). In fact, Jesus more often warned about Hell than he spoke about Heaven.

It is not God’s will or desire that any person should be consigned to perish in Hell (2 Peter 3:9), but rather that all should come to repentance of unbelief toward him and believe on him for the salvation of the individual’s soul. But God’s justice requires that the “soul who sins” (remains in it’s state of death or state of sin) is the one who will die a second time after a long period of torment (Ezekiel 18:4). So, agree with God, admitting that you are unable to save yourself and in a state of sin under God’s just condemnation for that sin and that you are in need of his salvation.

2. Believing – Then, believe that God does not want you to perish eternally in the torment of Hell because of your sin. Believe that God loves you so much that he provided a way whereby he could still be a just, holy and righteous God, and yet pardon you. Believe that God did not just overlook sin, but that he sent his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to provide salvation by personally paying the penalty for sin. Believe that Jesus Christ, whose life, death, burial and resurrection is the best-attested fact of antiquity, did come to earth to live, die, rise again and ascend to Heaven in order to provide justification and salvation for all who trust him. Believe that he, and he alone, can save you because he has fully satisfied the just demands of God. Believe that you can’t become righteous in God’s sight by your own effort. Believe that he wants to save you and that he will save you. The Bible provides a solid basis for such belief …

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

“But God demonstrates his love toward us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

God presented him (Jesus Christ) as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man or woman who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26).

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures … ” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

“Jesus answered, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out [drive away]” (John 6:37).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. Calling – It is not enough to agree with God, admit your need, and believe that Christ can and will save you. You must act upon those facts. God’s requirement is that you repent of your unbelief toward him and actively call upon him for the salvation of your soul based on the fact that you cannot save yourself. It is unbelief in particular that damns the soul to its horrible fate …

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

You must be willing to completely turn from your own efforts to save yourself or from any other hope. You must come to Christ, calling upon him for salvation and counting on the fact that he will do what he has promised. This means simply taking the gift of pardon and eternal life which he offers. Merely believing about Jesus Christ without coming to him makes as much sense and is as effective as believing that a medication can successfully treat a fatal disease, but failing to take it. Yet again, the Bible emphatically and authoritatively provides the basis for such statements.

The word translated “believe” here means to “rest one’s entire weight and trust on the object or person in which the belief is placed.” It requires action in keeping with the intellectual assent of that belief.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

” … but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The logical question you may be asking at this point is: “how do I come to Christ and call upon him?” The answer is that “calling upon the Lord” is just another term for praying, or talking to God. To talk to God is not a complicated process, dependent upon some special rituals. God has invited people to approach him through his Son in simple, straightforward terms. In fact, Jesus approved of the dishonest, despised tax collector who simply prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” While the exact words of your prayer to God are not of vital importance (since God sees and knows the attitude of your heart), the following is the kind of prayer that you could pray in calling upon God for salvation …

“Dear Lord Jesus: I realize that I need you. I admit that I have sinned and that I deserve your just, eternal punishment for that sin. But I am sorry for my sin and I am turning to you and asking for forgiveness. I believe that you died and rose again to pay sin’s penalty on my behalf. I come to you and open my heart to you. I ask you to come into my life, forgive me for all of my sin and make me your child. I invite you to take control of my life and to cause me to be the kind of person you would have me to be. I thank you for doing this because you have promised that whosoever calls upon you, as I am doing now, shall be saved. I pray this in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, I urge you to sincerely and genuinely express it to God as your prayer. The Bible makes clear that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in our heart, God forgives our sins and counts us righteous, and that when we openly confess with our mouth what we have done in our heart, God gives us assurance of that salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:3-7).

The next article in this Revelation series can be read in the link below.
MASS CORONAVIRUS OCCULT RITUAL AND THE RISE OF MYSTERY BABYLON (פ)