The Tribulation Part 11: The Gloves are OFF

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The Tribulation Part 11: The Gloves are OFF​

When we last left off in Part 10, we saw alongside John a vision of God’s wine press of wrath, and the sanguine results of that pressing. Now we continue to bear witness with him, as he beholds the last and most terrifying of the 21 Judgments of the Tribulation:

The Bowl Judgments.

At this point, The Lord is ready to send the final series of judgments upon the Earth. Unlike the first two series of judgments, the last series is unlike anything the Earth has ever experienced. They happen like a line of trip hammers; no sooner is one delivered than the next strikes. We know this due to the fact that with each one, a crucial component that makes life possible on Earth is either removed, damaged or in some way negated, making living on the planet utterly impossible. As it is, mankind is barely clinging to existence, yet he refuses to repent of his wickedness and utter depravity.

Watching with John, we see seven angels emerge from the Temple in heaven:

"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. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. (Revelation 15: 1-2, NASB)

The first part of this passage sets the stage and tells us the purpose of these plagues: "because with them God's wrath is completed" indicates beyond a doubt that all the Tribulation is His wrath. The Sea of Glass is once again the sea (giant basin) that sits in the Throne room. Standing around this basin are all those that the Beast had hunted and murdered, in his mad campaign to stamp out the faithful.

They have no sadness or sorrow, but a song for the Lord:

“And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “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, NASB)

They confirm that what God is doing is not petty vengeance, but holy justice, well deserved by the people who inhabit the Earth. And as those on the Sea of Glass sing, we see the angels emerge for their part in delivering the last plagues upon the planet:

"After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished." (Revelation 15:5-8, NASB)

The bowls themselves are described as "filled"; these bowls are brimming with the wrath of God, which is full strength and not diluted by any mercy or grace. The fact that smoke fills the temple indicates God's anger. In Scripture, God's glory is displayed either with clouds (normal) or smoke (anger). That "no one could enter" means neither the angels nor those taken in the Rapture could enter due to the smoke. Hal Lindsey has postulated that this means the time of grace is over, and that from this point on, no one else in the Tribulation can be saved until the Lord Himself returns. While I can understand that and agree to it to an extent, I think its' best we simply allow Scritpure to speak for itself on this matter.

While this is happening, the angels that carry these bowls make their way out of the Temple. They are no ordinary angels; these have been hand-picked by the Lord for this moment, as they are dressed in linen that is almost reflective, and with gold sashes on their chests. The people of the Earth have blasphemed God repeatedly; judgment after judgment has fallen, and they did not repent. They murdered those He prepared and sent to witness to them; they cursed God, smeared His holy name, and they defiantly worshiped another 'god' that is in truth, the very one who first deceived man at the Garden of Eden.

From the Temple in heaven comes an announcement:

"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.” (Revelation 16:1, NASB)


The Bowl Judgments begin.

The First Bowl:

"So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image." (Revelation 16:2, NASB)

Those that had taken the Mark would not have to wait until their day of judgment before the Lord; since they chose to be marked, God would mark them with what He felt was appropriate for rebels who spit in the face of grace and mercy, and cursed His holy name. In the King James Version, the sores are "noisome and grievous". This says it all: that these sores are so bad, that they cause wailing and misery. Hideous to look at, there will be undoubtedly many who showed off their mark on their foreheads, now screaming as their face is marred by something disgusting and vile. Those with the mark on their hand would most likely not be able to use that hand, as the pain and loathsomeness of the sore would preclude much, if any, use of it.

Either way, sleep would be all but impossible, and many would despair over it.

The Second Bowl:

"The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.” (Revelation 16:3, NASB)

With the second bowl, all the water in the oceans of the world turns into a disgusting sight: the blood of a dead man. This is not just blood, but the thick, dark, disgusting-smelling sludge that a dead body exudes. It is almost gelatinous in nature, and the odor is putrid. All life in the sea dies because of this viscous mess, and the air quality, already foul and rendered practically unbreathable from 7 years of bombardment by plagues, reduced trees and plant life, and the smoke from volcanoes and other forms of ash, now becomes literally unbreathable. People by the millions are heaving and vomiting in nausea by this point, and undoubtedly, many will die from asphyxiation without heavy filtration to remove the noxious odor.

The Third Bowl:

“Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood." (Revelation 16:4, NASB)

The third bowl repeats the previous process for the remaining fresh water on the planet. Now, all water, save whatever has been stored (and even THAT may be affected) has become utterly gross and undrinkable. Any crops that were not destroyed in the previous judgments now have no water to be watered with, and hygiene is basically history (although most would probably not notice given the smell of the waters now). Any medical treatment available is now gone, as sterilization of equipment and cleaning of hands and wound sites is impossible.

"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.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” (Revelation 16:5-7, NASB)

Upon this plague's delivery, the angel in heaven who is in charge of the waters (angels are mentioned as having offices over the various functions of the planet in Scripture) declares that God is just for turning the water to blood, and gives the reason for it: The people of earth had shed the blood of the prophets and the Lord's servants for thousands of years. Since they desire blood so much, God has given them all the blood they could ever want. If it is blood they thirst for, then God gives them plenty to quench that thirst. And the altar itself confirms that God is right in doing this to man.

The Fourth Bowl:

"The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 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.” (Revelation 16:8-9, NASB)

The fourth angel pours his bowl into the sun instead of the earth, and the sun flares up intensely. The heat alone broils and fries the planet, and kills off whatever plant life was is left at that point. Ultraviolet radiation is now pouring through the atmosphere like water through a sieve; the ozone layer, having been ravaged by the previous plagues, now crumbles under the increased output of the sun. Extreme dehydration, skin cancer, radiation burns, blindness and a host of other diseases now run rampant, as any sort of medical care is simply not even possible.

By this point, the oceans, lakes and rivers have all boiled away to nothing.

The air had previously become a poisonous and deadly mixture of noxious fumes and horrific, nauseating odors. Now, anyone not using some form of breathing device is most likely dead. Asphyxiation alone would claim the lives of those already lung-damaged by the previous plagues, not to mention the hot air would scorch their lungs, causing further damage to their ability to breathe. While vehicles would overheat due to temperatures being too high for any cooling system to effectively work, other machinery (such as electronics) would simply short out from instant overheating. With the lack of potable water for cooling, any machine-based transportation that requires electronics or internal combustion is finished.

And yet...man STILL will not repent. Even in the face of these judgments, man holds his ground stubbornly, rigidly. He simply will NOT give up being his own “god.”

The Fifth Bowl:

"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, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds." (Revelation 16:10-11, NASB)

The next plague the Lord sends strikes the heart of the Beast's kingdom, and spreads from there: wherever the Beast holds dominion, darkness envelops. In horrific pain, thirsty, unable to breathe the foul air, hungry and burned badly, people now have to contend with utter darkness. But this darkness is more than mere physical darkness: the Greek word used here for “darkness” is skótos (Strongs 4655), which is defined as: “properly, darkness (obscurity); (figuratively) the principle of sin with its certain results.”. In other words: the physical darkness is the outer depiction of the sheer spiritual darkness that the Beast has led the world into.

This is Lord's way of saying to those that follow the Beast: “If your 'god' is so powerful, let him bring forth light!" And for all his trying, he cannot; against all of this, the Beast and his False Prophet have no sway, nor ability. They exist in a spiritual abyss that has no light whatsoever, and now all those who follow him and his evil kingdom are spiritually and physically in pitch blackness.

And yet still, mankind refuses to repent.

The Sixth Bowl:

"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. 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; 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. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”). And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon." (Revelation 16:12-16, NASB)

At this point, The Lord begins His "endgame":

First, He allows the Euphrates to dry up, so that the armies from the east have an "expressway" to the battlefield that the world will be coming to. They will make tremendous headway, believing that "fortune" or whatever they seek favor from is "on their side". And with that in mind, they set out on the road that the Lord has laid before them.

Second, three spirits come, one apiece from Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet and proceed to the world leaders that Satan seeks to draw to the Middle East. They entice the other world leaders to get their troops in order and proceed to the Middle East, to march on Israel. Satan and the rest of his "Unholy Trinity" think this is their own idea, but it is the Lord God who allows them to draw the remaining armies into the fray, and thus, gather everyone in one place.

At this point, the Lord takes the time to issue one last warning to those who are still alive that love and serve Him: to keep their "clothes with them". This hearkens back to Christ’s warning in the letters to the Seven Churches: do not be naked and ashamed, but to buy of Him gold tried in the fire.

The Seventh Bowl:

"Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe. (Revelation 16:17-21, NASB)

With this bowl, the Wrath of God is finished upon the earth. A light display of lightning, and thunder that echoes forever, cracks the sky as the mother of all earthquakes rocks the entire planet so violently, that islands and mountains vanish as they collapse back into the earth. Jerusalem splits into 3 sections and what is left of the other cities of the world simply collapse after all the quakes, bombardment and other catastrophes. Whatever "shell" is left of Babylon will be decimated by the earthquake; not even a "memory" will remain of her.

To close out the 21 judgments of the Tribulation, the Lord God finishes His wrath with a very biblical judgment that fits perfectly: hailstones weighing a talent (100 lbs). In Levitical law, the punishment for blasphemy was death by stoning; here, God stones the entire planet for it's’ blasphemy against Him. The massive hailstones smash whatever the earthquake did not level, utterly wiping away all testimony of man's "achievements". Essentially, God has demonstrated that whatever man can build, God can UNBUILD.

At this point, the Earth lies in utter ruins: nothing remains of man's world except whatever still stands in Jerusalem. Cities have been reduced to rubble, and human civilization has been wiped from the face of the Earth. The heavy, still air, thick with smoke and reeking of rotting blood, hangs over a barren wasteland that lies scorched, scarred, and nearly featureless. Formerly vibrant and teeming with animals and plants of every shape and size, all that remains of life upon the charred Earth are the sun-baked skeletal remains and charred ashes; they are the only evidence the Earth ever had any flora or fauna upon it. Water has become a distant memory, and the clouds have been replaced by a reddish-grey haze. There will be no more rain for mankind; no reprieve from the brutal heat that stifles the world.

The judgments of the Tribulation have left in its’ wake a dead, empty planet. All that allowed for life to function is utterly gone; most of the scant few that survived these plagues now face death within hours. All of this happened, because man refused to admit to his Creator that he was wrong to rebel against Him.

What is Man’s reply to this final judgment from the Lord?

He curses God even more.

In part 12, we will bear witness to the Destruction of the Whore of Revelation, Babylon.

I bid you all peace.

YBIC,

-Sojo414