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7. The Seventh Bowl of Wrath: The great earthquake and the horrible hail (Revelation16:17-21)
REVELATION 16:17-21
17 The seventh poured out his bowl into the air. A loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 There were lightnings, sounds, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since there were men on the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty. 19 The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 Great hailstones, about the weight of a talent, came down out of the sky on people. People blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for this plague is exceedingly severe.
The Failure of the Anti-Christ: After their long-lasting blasphemy and the killing of innumerable Christians the anti-Christ and his prophet challenged Jesus, the little Lamb, God his Father, and the Holy Spirit, on behalf of Satan to the open battle. However, God and his Son will not be provoked by dilettantes, and they will not have dictated, when and where they are to appear so as to match with the godless ones. God will laugh at the rebels (Psalm 2:1-12). He has enthroned his meek Son as ruler over the world. Christ is reigning. He makes the son of the dragon foolish and reveals his ignorance and helplessness. The battle in the plain of Megiddo does not take place at the time desired by Satan. The kings and their armies are deploying and waiting in vain. The Son of Man does not appear; the Lord does not come in his glory together with his angles. He does not respond to and just let the hysteria of a planned battle against God and his Lamb run its course.
The Horrifying Earthquake: Instead the Lord Jesus makes our little globe a bit shake by the seventh judgment angel so that it trembles and quakes supremely. The greatest earthquake of all times will shake the fundament of mankind. The seer being horrified is stammering in reporting about this great earthquake which is beyond any perception of extend of destruction.
We may remember that our globe is like a big round “egg” with a diameter of 12,756 km. The thin, solidified and cooled down crust is like a hard eggshell, in the inner part of which movable layers change into red-hot magma in deeper regions. The atomic reactions in this magma core lead to volcanic eruptions or cause movements of the tectonic plates with the result of disastrous earthquakes. Our earth is extremely fragile and should therefore be handled with kid gloves.
The risen Lord now makes the earth quake because of the unlimited pride of men so that all mankind trembles in the depth of their existence: suddenly their sins stand before their very eyes, death and hell yawn towards them. The earth will open in Jerusalem as with Korah and his company (Numbers 16:1-35). Deep and wide chasms are opening. Houses, bridges, cathedrals and towers are tumbling down. Even the third temple with the throne of the anti-Christ will be razed to the ground. Of the remaining pieces of the walls of the first temple not a single stone will be left on its place (Matthew 24:2). The few survivors of the great city who unlearnt praying long ago and worshipped the son of perdition will be seized by desperation. They will fear that the earth will swallow them all likewise as once the rebels in the desert. The powerlessness of the anti-Christ will become obvious. He will be at a complete loss.
Jerusalem will get off comparatively lightly. Many towns of the nations will be completely collapse. All their guns, missiles, tanks and war planes will be of no avail for them. If the earth gets chapped in the last time, whole isles will sink and even mountains collapse. Of this inescapable fact even spoke in the last years soothsayers, who prophesied the destruction of Etna together with the Isle of Sicily and the cut-off of California and of Portugal and their sinking into the Oceans. They thought, however, that would still take place in the second millennium, and they erred. Yet the Lord warns all vacationists and all working people, the self-confident and the fearful people in advance! Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7). When in a town at the Etna on the Isle of Sicily in 1906 at the occasion of a parade a crucified swine was carried along, somewhat later a gas cloud came down from the Etna and gassed in a moment all inhabitants of this town. The mankind who follows the anti-Christ will in its proud challenge God and his Lamb at first, but afterwards will also has to pay the price for its blasphemy.
The Very Heavy Hail: When the seventh angel poured out the last bowl of wrath, there were thunders, lightnings and hail. Voices of wrath and horror could be heard in the universe. The book of Revelation speaks several times of such shocking phenomena (Revelation 4:5; 8:5; 10:3-4; 11:19; 16:18 and other verses). The prayers of the saints, their intercession for the persecuted and the cry for help of the tortured martyrs turn in the throne of God or already on the altar of incense into wrath and punishment of the rebels against God and of the teases of the body of Christ.
To such meteorological judgment phenomena belong also floodings, large-area forest fires caused by strokes of lightning and, as it is reported here, hail. Upon men who had run outside from their houses because of the earthquake suddenly a great hail storm is coming. Some hailstones weigh fifty kilograms or more. Thus this will be not common hail, but the wrath of God will be materialize in a huge hail bombardment, even more disastrous than the hail which fell upon in all the land of Egypt in the times of Moses on the occasion of the seventh plague (Exodus 9:13-35). This hail will strike dead many soldiers in Armageddon in their tents and destroy their mobile equipment. The hail bombs will strike through the house roofs and defoliate the trees. God will at first shake the ground beneath the feet of the rebels and then strike dead them with his hail from above.
Some expositors think of the hail as bomb carpets like those during the World War II suffered by the Germans or of a meteor rains falling down upon the rotating earth. In any case the civilization will break down. Banks, skyscrapers, plants, bridges and masterpieces will collapse at this terrible worldwide earthquake or destroyed by the very heavy hail bombs. All bank accounts will become worthless as the banks will not exist any longer. Then it becomes true what John writes, “Do not love the world, (...). And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
Grace in the Midst of Judgment: The seventh bowl of wrath brought the most incisive punishment of the Almighty. But he did not destroy the earth completely and did not eradicate its inhabitants. His patience does not come to an end. In the midst of his judgment he shows mercy (Romans 2:4). Yet the survivors did not repent, but kept blaspheming on in their powerlessness, as the plague of hail was very great. The masses have unlearnt praying long ago. Hardships teach the believers to pray more intensive but causes the hardened people to curse and blaspheme increasingly. The poisonous injections of the anti-Christ and of his false prophet continued to have an effect. Men did not understand the response of God to their hubris. There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked. (Isaiah 48:22; 57:21; 59:8)
The seventh angel informed his Lord: It is done! The pride of the son of the dragon and of his lying prophet was broken. The centers of the harlot of Babylon were shaken. Heir judgment began. She had made syncretism, honored the son of dragon, financed his adventures, and she sat on his lap. She was the great temptress who endowed pseudo legality to the beast of the sea, so that the nations believed that the anti-Christ be the true Christ. She who knew the teachings of Moses and Christ but perverted them, fell into a severer judgment than the son of the evil one because she darkened the truth and mixed it up with lies. The chapters 17-19 of the book of Revelation will explain, what it means: Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. (Revelation 16:19) The decisive blow has already been given! The wooer of Babylon was defeated and was made like a powerless being; his hysteric army was killed or destroyed. In doing this God did not lift a finger. The bowl of wrath judgments of his seven angels carried out his judgments unstoppably. He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
PRAYER: Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed. (Revelation 15: 3- 4)
QUESTIONS:
- What was the Holy God's answer to humanity's disobedience and revolution against the Merciful One?
- What is the significance of the horrifying earthquake that causes mountains to collapse, isles to sink and houses to fall?
QUIZ 5
Dear Reader,
If you have carefully studied this fifth booklet on the Book of Revelation, you will have gained an everlasting treasure. At the same time, you will be able to answer the following questions easily:
- What are the characteristics of the fourth beast in the Prophet Daniel's dream?
- Why did Christ use the essential name “Son of Man” to reveal Himself?
- How did the fourth beast have the authority and right to kill the saints, but authority and greatness are given to them forever?
- Why did Christ say in His speech on the last days, “See it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,'“ that they may let you fall?
- Who is saved during the last darkness? What is the only sign that confirms to us the expected second coming of Christ?
- What are the decisive proofs that the teachings of some speakers and the contents of some books are from the spirit of antichrist?
- Learn by heart and understand what John, the apostle, wrote in his first epistle (Chapter 2:22-23)!
- What are the indications of antichrist, if he came to us or walked among us?
- What are the characteristics of the beast out of the sea of the world? Compare them with the characteristics of the fourth beast in Daniel, chapter 13!
- Who gave this Evil One the destructive authority and the great pride?
- Why did the beast have to be killed and be raised alive by the strength of Satan, his spiritual father?
- Why will the majority of people worship the devil and his antichrist?
- What is meant by blaspheming against God and His Anointed One?
- What is the period given to the beast out of the sea to kill and to destroy?
- Why does not his killing harm those whose names are written in the Book of Everlasting Life?
- Why is there no fear in love?
- Why does the faith in Christ overcome the world?
- Why does Christ prevent us from becoming confused if we stood before His enemies and did not know how to speak before them?
- Is there a satanic trinity? How does it appear?
- What is the purpose the propaganda and tricks of the false prophet?
- Why did the healing of antichrist's wound become the main reason for worshipping him and his father the devil?
- Where does the false prophet take his talents from in order to control the minds of the multitudes?
- How do images of persons speak today in houses and in cars?
- What is the mark that identifies the followers of antichrist, which no one would be able to buy their family necessaries if they did not have it?
- What is the value and significance of the sign: “www"?
- What is written on the foreheads of the martyrs whom Christ will lead personally to His heavenly Father while they sing and praise?
- Why does antichrist not catch them and destroy them?
- What is the significance of the number 144000 with respect to those praising martyrs?
- What was the meaning of “gospel” during and after the times of Christ?
- Why did the angel warn all humanity before the coming of the last judgments?
- What touched you of the research on the great city “Babylon” and its falling?
- Why do some countries construct towers higher than those in other countries?
- Why will God's destructive wrath fall upon the worshipers of antichrist?
- Why will the followers of antichrist not find peace for themselves, but suffer everlasting torment?
- What is the power of faith in Christ Jesus and walking in the commandments of His love?
- Why does heaven bless those who die while firmly established in Christ?
- What is the remarkable sign that confirms to us the second coming of Christ?
- When will the world be ripe for the final reaping?
- What are the real reasons for God's strict judgment against humanity in general?
- Who are the singers in heaven, who praise the greatness and power of God?
- Why was the curtain of the temple opened?
- How is the anger of the Holy God connected with His eternal love?
- Why will all the fountains of water, rivers and streams become contaminated?
- To what extent will the leaders of nations succeed in putting an end to the global warming?
- Why will unbelievers blaspheme against the names of God after the judgments? Do they believe in the Lord's presence and do they hate Him?
- What are the reasons for the painful sufferings with the majority of the people in the last days?
- How did the unity of the satanic trinity appear in the Revelation of John, and what is its purpose?
- Where will the devil gather his armies for his battle against God?
- What was the Holy God's answer to humanity's disobedience and revolution against the Merciful One?
- What is the significance of the horrifying earthquake that causes mountains to collapse, isles to sink and houses to fall?
If you answer 75% of the above questions exactly and sufficiently, we will send you the next booklet of this series. Please write your full name and address clearly, and send your answers to the following address:
Waters of Life
P.O.Box 600 513
70305 Stuttgart
Germany
Internet: www.waters-of-life.net
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