I will be alternating between Revelation and Romans. We are in Revelation 16:1-14, "festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast."

 We ended Revelation 15 with this,

Revelation 15:1 NASB Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last because in them the wrath of God is finished.

I saw another sign in heaven?

When we started analyzing the seven years of God's wrath, we were confronted with a string of riders with evil intent. One of those is found in Revelation 6:8 and he brings pestilence, which also means plagues.

Revelation 6:8 NASB I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Revelation 15:6 tells us that seven angels who had the seven plagues, present themselves and they are prepared to pour out these bowls upon the earth.

With that let's jump into Revelation 16.

Revelation 16:1 NASB Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."

The wrath of God?

I had an acquaintance that got visibly angry that I referred to the seven years as a time of wrath.

The word wrath is the Greek word thumos and means a strong passion or emotion of the mind; anger, wrath, fierceness, indignation.

The word indignation means anger or extreme anger, mingled with contempt, disgust or abhorrence.

How interesting that the sixth outpouring of God's wrath upon Egypt was a plague.

Exodus 9:8-9 NASB “Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. (9) "It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.”

Note how the plague of Revelation 16:2 is almost word for word the description of the plague on Egypt.

Revelation 16:2 NIV  The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

Watch and you begin to see a pattern. Remember, there is nothing new under the sun.

Revelation 16:3-4 NIV  The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.  (4)  The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

What did God do to Egypt?

Exodus 7:17-18 NIV  This is what the LORD says: By this, you will know that I am the LORD: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.  (18)  The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.'"

It does not require much thought to see that WE have polluted God's creation, and we did it in the name of greed. So, God does not need to explain himself, but He does.

Revelation 16:5-7 NASB “And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it." (7) And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Take a moment and see if you can answer this.

Who is He talking about when He says “they” poured out the blood and saints and prophets?

I could go several ways on this answer. First, there are the scribes and pharisees who did not seem to have a problem with killing those who went against the Jewish law, and I can include Saul the pharisee in that list. Note that I did not say God's law. Secondly, it was the Gentiles who physically killed Jesus, but Jesus does not seem to be the focus, does it? So, who else is killing the saints and the prophets? Islam and a few others. That leaves one last possibility for blame, and that would be the corporate world. If that does not make sense to you, then consider how corporate Babylon is shoving a “vaccine” into you, to “control” what? The Covid virus that is NOT a pandemic.

Moving on. When world leaders meet, as they are this November 1, 2021, they are discussing another created scenario based on their hope of controlling the populace; climate change.

Revelation 16:8-9 NASB The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. (9) Men were scorched with fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

I despise all this talk about climate change. It is especially grievous when I consider that it was corporate America that polluted this nation and changed our environment. 

Do I believe that there is a climate change coming?

Absolutely, because my Bible tells me about things like Revelation 16:8-9. Previously, in Revelation 8:12, and 9:2, we see the sun darkened. It is easy to make the assumption that the sun itself decreases in its intensity. In Revelation 8:12 we are not given an explanation as to how that comes to be, but in 9:2 we see smoke emerging from the bottomless pit – like a great furnace. This description makes me think of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island La Palma, which has for weeks pumped out smoke and ash, like a great furnace. With these associations it is easier to see how that an ice age might come; and yet, here in Revelation 16, we see humans getting burned by the Sun.

And then the fifth bowl gets poured out.

Revelation 16:10-11 NASB (10) Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, (11) and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.

It is clear that the fifth bowl brings darkness that people can feel. As children, our family visited the Carlsbad caverns in New Mexico. At one point on the tour, the guide warned us to maintain our positions as he turned out the lights, when that happened you could not see your hand in front of your face. I do not remember how long the lights stayed out, but it was long enough to get uncomfortable, even to the point that you began to doubt your footing and safety.

I have told you many times that prophecy for the Jew is a pattern, not some shotgun blast, or a one-time thing. So the pattern, once again, comes from Moses and Pharaoh.

Exodus 10:21-23 NASB Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt." (22) So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. (23) They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.

All these signs, much like here in the time of wrath, is meant to turn hearts toward God. (I get it, as many of you whine and say, punish me like this and then you foolishly expect me to love you, you are crazy.) You see, I have come to understand God's character and nature, and it is love, meant to guide you in love. For three days no one rose from their homes as the darkness permeated every inch of their homes, with the exception of the sons of Israel, for they had light in their dwellings. Interesting!

Notice something, the only place that this permeating darkness exists, is on the kingdom of the beast.

How do you define this statement?

This is especially difficult because we have so many religious voices trying to identify who the beast/antichrist will be. Many say the Pope and therefore the Roman Catholic church. So, if that was the case then we could all stare at the Italians and assume that the empire is nothing less than the Vatican. If God followed our foolish leads, then the Vatican would be in literal and complete darkness.

If you were to say, this beast is Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, then where would his empire be? All of France? If that was the case then all of France would be put in to complete and total darkness.

I happen to think that the beast/antichrist will be a Muslim that also has the trust and cooperation of something like the G20 nations. It is still hard to determine where this man's throne and the kingdom will be; however, that will all become clear moments after the church leaves the earth. Spending what seems like a futile amount of time looking at this has a purpose in that it is designed to make you think and possibly see that we are so much closer to Jesus catching his bride away.

How do the people on earth react to all these events of the Revelation?

Revelation 16:11 NASB “and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.

A friend of mine asked, how does anyone survive through all that God dishes out, in order to fight?

Honestly, I do not know. From Revelation six forward we see humans killing humans, God killing humans, a demonic Calvary killing humans, and the elements, such as the sun, the seas, and the wind turning against us.

Now we come to the sixth bowl.

Revelation 16:12 NASB “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.”

The terminology, “the great river” is all over the Old Testament. This tells me that every Jew should recognize the phrase and know where it is at. Iraq's former President, Saddam Hussein built one of his palaces along the Euphrates.

The east?

We are told that the river was dried up so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. Depending on how ancient the map is, you will get varying names, such as the Median empire, which is one of the empires that conquered the Babylonian empire. That entire region, on one map, was labeled as the Assyrians. The east now holds a portion of Turkey, Iran, some of the southern Russian states, Iraq, India, and, if you want to push it, China.

There would be only one reason to gather all these kings, and that would be for battle. This battle will be the one where they gather, in an effort to kill off Jesus who is coming back after the seven years of wrath has come to a close, right before the millennial kingdom is set up.

Revelation 16:13-14 NASB (13) And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; (14) for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.

“ And I saw coming out of:”

• “ the mouth of the dragon”

  Satan

• “ out of the mouth of the beast”

  Antichrist

• “ and out of the mouth of the false prophet”

  The man that has shown his true colors at the three-and-one-half year point into the reign of the antichrist.

Note that the antichrist performs signs; the false prophet performs signs, all of which are meant to cause people to follow mindlessly into the worship of the beast, worship of the image, and the taking of the mark. In this verse, the signs are meant to draw all these kings together to fight against God.

All across YouTube, people who call themselves Watchmen, have been trying to educate us about God's seasons. I am one as well, just not as vocal. The scriptures, if you are looking for them, spell out rather clearly about the season of the Lord's return for His church. One of the most dominant signs is the parable of the fig tree; Israel is that fig tree, and we are told that the generation which sees Israel becomes a nation would not pass away before Jesus returns for His church. 80 years is the maximum allotted time and Israel is currently 73. Add the seven years of wrath and Israel will be 80.

We are there, get ready. 

 

For the Lord, Himself will come down. My thoughts on a mid-tribulation rapture.

A brother in the Lord frequently argues that the church will go through the tribulation. I hate to admit it, but a book I am reading takes my brothers' side in this argument. It is written by Rabbi K. A. Schneider, a Jewish Christian, The book "The Book of Revelation Decoded," that what we see as the result of the seals being opened in Revelation 6, is divided into two parts, the judgments, and wrath. The wrath aspect, according to the Rabbi, is attributed to the bowls that the Revelation tells us are poured out.

I do not know if the Rabbi's perceptions are from personal study, or this comes from some traditional Jewish perspective of which I am not aware. I have an inquiring mind, and I need to know. Lacking sufficient evidence about ancestral beliefs, I will look into the Biblical wording about these events more closely. You see, I do not think that a reasonable man should argue with scripture, and that is what we may be seeing here. The result, this division of horrors that God is going to pour out upon the Earth may be the Rabbis attempt to avoid and work around New Testament passages such as Romans 5:8-10.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:8-10 NASB)

If I was the argumentative type, I could say, Romans 5:8-10 also speaks of eternity, as it too is salvation. The problem with that kind of thinking is that we are making God out to be very obscure, which I have come to understand that He is NOT. No, these passages are straightforward, and even more so when you look up in a concordance the meanings of the simplest of words, like saved.

Alright, what about this passage.

"For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 NASB)

Here, Paul speaks about how they turned to God; ceased to serve idols, and now serve a living and true God. But Paul is also addressing how they, too, know that there is a hope of a future with Christ in a peaceful eternity. And, because of that hope, they now wait (as if in intermission) for Jesus Christ, the Son; whom God raised from the dead, and who rescues us from the wrath to come.

This waiting is not one where you do nothing but lie around getting fat; we are proactive, encouraging others in the faith and hope. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 demonstrates that they comprehended how and why a person could have this kind of understanding. Lacking such information makes this life in Christ nothing more than a vague assumption.

In trying to argue against a mid-tribulation rapture of the church, here are some of the points I try to make.

• We, as a church, have created our own problems on this issue, and here is why.

We use the word tribulation as though it is trivial; and, we use it to describe everything – including God's wrath, the seven-year period we see in Revelation.
What do I mean by trivial? Some of us think it is tribulation if you have to put a new propeller on your ski boat to get more speed out of it. Try having your family blown up in front of you as you attempt to worship the Lord.
Jesus told us, in this world, you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. An understanding that griefs are going to come, on a daily basis, is necessary information; it is information that lets me know horrendous things have the potential of coming merely because I follow Christ (I suppose the reality of a statement like this means you are proactive in your beliefs and others know what you stand for. Note, most of the problems Jesus had while he walked this Earth, came from RELIGIOUS folk, but it does not exclude the random drive-by shooting that takes the life of a young science major and a young father to be.)


• We ignore passages, such as the ones I pointed out above. 1Thessalonians 1: 9-10; Romans 5:8-10.
  And, we ignore Jesus words when he says,
  What a terrible time it will be for pregnant women and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress in the Land and judgment on the people. (Luke 21:23 CJB)
  Here, in The Complete Jewish Bible, they use the word judgment and not wrath; however, the NASB uses the word wrath.
  Wrath/judgment is the Greek word orgē and means desire (as a reaching forth or the excitement of the mind), that is, (by analogy) violent passion (ire, or [justifiable] abhorrence); by implication punishment: - anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.
  If I am going to try to assess proper usage for one or more of the words that can be used to define orgē, then I have to look at the context. So let's use passion as a test. Passion is a feeling of warmth and emotion toward something or someone. We often associate passion with love; however, my college professor had a passion for plants and I could definitely tell that there were plants he dearly loved – like Japanese Maples. God, it would seem, has a passion for those He has chosen, even if means judging and punishing them for their refusal of Him and their choice to follow other gods.
  This judgment is also directed at the nations (those outside of Judaism) because the nations have done their fair share of killing God's people and ignoring God. So it is easy for me to see that God's orgē is certainly one of anger, indignation, vengeance, and wrath. In other words, a violent and justifiable passion, that looks a lot like wrath.
  What else did Jesus say about wrath and judgment?
  “Whoever trusts in the Son has eternal life. But whoever disobeys the Son will not see that life but remains subject to God's wrath.” (John 3:36 CJB)
  Jesus said these words while standing amid religious Jews – (Scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees.) These Jews, in general, did not trust the Son.
  Some might say, how do you know that?
  Matthew chapter two records that someone reported to King Herod, that a large caravan of Magi were coming from the East. Just the sight of these men and the potential message they could bring caused Herod grief, so when they arrived and began asking around, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Herod immediately summoned the Jewish elders and experts in the Torah and inquired who was this King of the Jews that had been born. The elders answered promptly, for they knew with precision what the scriptures said about Jesus being born in Bethlehem and when. But did they follow after Him, as these Magi did? Not a chance.
  John 3:36 states that,
  “Whoever trusts in the Son has eternal life.”
  Are there any assertions in the passage, as to what that eternal life encompasses? Not in this part and not at first glance. You have to pay attention to the context.
  “But whoever disobeys the Son will not see that life but remains subject to God's wrath.” In the second half of the verse, we have those who are disobeying the Son. This disobedience is a direct correlation to God's chosen people. Fortunately, we who are “in Him” through adoption, are also God's chosen. The difference is that we have put our trust in the Son, and therefore have this eternal life. Disobedience, it seems, subjects you to God's wrath. And, there is the implication that these disobedient ones never put their trust in Him.
  So I could say that trusting in Him eliminates the threat of wrath.

• And then, there is Paul's assertions in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

Now, brothers, we want you to know the truth about those who have died; otherwise, you might become sad the way other people do who have nothing to hope for. For since we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, we also believe that in the same way God, through Yeshua, will take with him those who have died. When we say this, we base it on the Lord's own word: we who remain alive when the Lord comes will certainly not take precedence over those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God's shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. (1Th_4:13-17 CJB)

There is an interesting statement in the middle of this paragraph, and it goes like this:

"When we say this, we base it on the Lord's own word: we who remain alive when the Lord comes will certainly not take precedence over those who have died."

Since Paul did not hang out with Christ he would, therefore, have to be trusting what at least one of the disciples told him; that, or we have to assume that Christ, perhaps on the Damascus road, explained in detail all the things He told the disciples. This idea of the Damascus road event plays into the descriptions from many who have died and come back from the dead; they explain how there was an immediate download of information.

Another possibility would be the descriptions from many who have died and come back; they explain how there was an immediate download of information. That's fascinating information, but scripture tells us that our testimony has to be at the hand of two or three witnesses. Do we get that? It would seem so. Does what they say align with scripture? Now that becomes a problem. Because much of what we understand comes from the mouth of Jesus, or we are merely accepting tradition. So, while it sounds good and reasonable, I can't make a doctrine out of a dead persons testimony.

So what did Jesus say, and how can we be sure? There are apparently, only two references in the NT, and John 11:25-26 is one of them.

Yeshua said to her, "I AM the Resurrection and the Life! Whoever puts his trust in me will live, even if he dies; and everyone living and trusting in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26 CJB)

In 1Thessalonians 4:13, there is a reference to the fact that anyone who puts their trust in Jesus, will live, even if they die. Jesus took it one step further when he said, as if from another angle, "everyone living and trusting in me, will never die."

Questions and answers:

What do I make of a statement like, everyone trusting in me, will never die? 

A believer never dies spiritually. Although, the reality is that no human ever really dies. Death then is merely a permanent separation from God and that is what we see in the final judgment. an intentional break in the relationship could easily be seen as a form of death (this break in the relationship is not on God's part and there is nothing set in stone until that final day, although the enemy would like you to believe that.)

This idea of spiritual death is another point that many would argue. Consider what Adam put himself through in the garden. Having heard and ignored God's directive about “that tree,” he watches the only woman he has ever known eat a fruit, that causes death. Rather blunt, but true. Adam, having listened to everything the serpent said to her, watches to see what would happen. For all he knows, death is immediate, but then, they had never experienced the death (as far as we know,) of anything. What Adam cannot see is what is going on inside her spirit; nor can he see the cellular effects on her body (this is not a movie where someone ancient has been kept alive and looking young through the “magic” of makeup. So that when death comes they disintegrate into a pile of ashes.)

Can the physical body die? 

Indeed, and many have, but many, having put their trust in Christ (we see this even in the OT,) will not be hindered by timing issues or the quantity of dirt piled above you, when the call comes. Perhaps because they have a few extra feet to travel, they will lift off first and we, who are alive, will rise with them.

Then where are these dead in Christ now? 

Paul did not tell us directly, but the credible argument is, that when you are absent from the body - dead, then you are present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8. Based on Paul's presentation, we can understand that physical death puts you immediately in the presence of the Lord.

Another thing to look at is the statement we find in 1Thessalonians 4:16.

“For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

It would be rare to find a reference to some aspect of the Lord's return, or, the Day of the Lord, without a corresponding scriptural background in the OT.Jesus, in Acts, chapter one told the disciples that He would come back again for them, just as He left. The correlation is found in Zechariah 14, where we see Jesus returning to the Mount of Olives and physically touching back down; this is dramatically different from the catching away of the church, for when He comes for His church He will not physically touch down, but we will be gathered to Him in the air, in the clouds.