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Revelation #33

       Have you all be peaceful in the Lord during the past week? We started our study with Revelation 16 last week. Let’s continue today from verse 10. The main text is a scene in which God pours out his wrath through the vial judgment near the end of the latter half of the tribulation, upon those who worshiped the Antichrist during his reign. Therefore, after the saints are raptured, no one on earth will believe in the Lord. Those who are martyred for rejecting the mark (666) come back to life and receive the Lord’s blessing as royal priests, but those who worship the antichrist and receive the mark of the beast suffer as we went over last episode. The wrath of God is terrible. However, the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was brutally killed. Of course, those who believe in this and are saved are blessed, but those who do not believe in this fact are cursed to face this wrath. Looking at this judgment itself, God appears to be quite terrifying, but considering the fact that God himself came to this earth as a man through his only begotten Son, and dying cruelly by receiving all our wrath which we deserve, the judgment of those who do not believe in Him is natural and fair. God is a God of justice. But at the same time he is also a very loving God. Therefore, we must receive God’s amazing grace in the current dispensation of grace. Now is the time to receive grace and the day to be saved (2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV). The Lord said when the Holy Spirit / the Comforter comes, he will reprove the world, first of sin. It’s not believing in our Lord. If you believe in the Lord, all sins are forgiven and cleared, but if you do not, It’s saying ‘I do no believe the word of God, and I am not a sinner. I am righteous. I live forever’. If many people think they are sinless, then they must show proof before God and people that they are righteous and can live forever. However, the Bible says: The days of our years are threescore years and ten (70); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years (80), yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10 KJV)  We must never forget For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23 KJV)

Today we are going to start from Revelation 16:10. This where the church of God, the bride will go up to heaven and see this scene. This testifies to the fact that Apostle John ascended to heaven in the Holy Spirit and saw this scene 2,000 years ago. So when Jesus Christ comes to the air, God’s born-again children will see the same scene from the air as Apostle John did. I hope we all get to understand the word as we read verse by verse together. (Revelation 16:10 KJV) 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, This is almost the end of the tribulation. About 6 months from the end. We saw this same phenomenon in Exodus 10:20-23. All regions were covered with darkness except for the region of Goshen, the dwelling place of Israel. It was one of the 10 plagues. In other words, it refers to the ministry of Moses who will return with Elijah. The very same Moses, who came down during the tribulation, just as God worked in Egypt, the same darkness will now descend not on Egypt, but on the kingdom of this world, on the throne of the Antichrist. The seat of the beast, this is where the antichrist will be sitting. The beast is the antichrist, and the antichrist is the incarnation of the devil in a human body. Our Lord Christ is God who came in human flesh. That is why the devil imitates our Christ. The Devil, Lucifer once covered the heavenly throne. Because he also is the anointed one, during the tribulation he will claim to be the Christ and he sit on the earthly throne and rule this world for three and a half years. We find related words to this in (Revelation 2:13 KJV) I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.  even where Satan’s seat is. The seat of the Antichrist is the seat of Satan. This is literally the seat of the pope who rules the world from St. Peter’s seat in Vatican. We can see that this vial is poured unto Rome and the Roman Empire where the seat of the beast is. Apostle John was quite surprised when he saw Babylon the Great. The main text (Revelation 16) is prophesied in advance through the work of Moses and Elijah in (Revelation 11:6 KJV) These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. Moses and Elijah are working against the antichrist. The plagues of darkness, blood, fire, no water. Therefore, there is nothing strange about biting one’s own tongue in 16:10. There is nothing to eat because of these plagues. People will gnaw on their own tongues out of thirst. People can survive without food but will die without water. People are under the shining sun seven times as bright for tens of months. Under it, people are afflicted with leprosy and have nothing to drink but blood. Even so, they do not repent and still blaspheme God’s name as in verse 11. It’s a gruesome scene. But it’s a matter of course. Jesus Christ was brutally nailed to the cross. But since the Lord forgave all sins, He said that if you just believe in Him, all sins will be forgiven, all will be removed, and you will be justified. Those who did not believe this, were not born again, and eventually remained on the earth, it is natural that they suffer all the insults and tribulation the Lord suffered because they disobeyed the word of God and did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as they ought to have. Therefore, believers are not judged, but unbelievers have already been judged. In the Old Testament days, everyone who looked upon the brass serpent hung on a pole was healed. As such, when the Lord was on the cross naked for six hours like the snake, the body of the Lord became completely red like he was barbecued. In this way, all sins were forgiven, but it is natural for those who do not believe in Jesus to suffer like this during tribulation. This is the justice of God. The Lord will come as the Lord of judgment at His Second Coming. He no longer will suffer like a lamb, being dumbfounded, beaten, spit on, having his beard plucked out, wearing a crown of thorns, having nails driven through his hands and feet, and spear pierced through his side and heart.

            (Revelation 16:11 KJV) And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. Ultimately, the problem is the heart.  (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Indeed, these words are proven conclusively. As the psalmist emphasized in (Psalm 39:5 KJV)… verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity… Those who do not believe in God and live proudly in the present age of grace. People who are highly respected. The wealthy and powerful. They are arrogant now, but they’ll be nothing before the Lord when He arrives during the Tribulation for they will all be destroyed. Therefore, ¶ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Peter 1:24-25 KJV) The truth that he died for all our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. In this simple gospel, there is the word of God that gives eternal life, the blessing that gives everlasting life. Not believing this is wickedness. Regardless of how good a person is, it will be in vain when the Lord comes. For He will blow them away like dry chaff. The Lord Himself said, Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. (Luke 3:17 KJV) We see that they do not repent even though God scours, punishes, and beats them to the point of death in tribulation. This shows how hard a person’s heart is. After the saints are raptured, earth will be an incredibly lawless world. The world will be unimaginably wicked because it will be completely controlled by the devil and his followers. Many crimes and criminals of modern times will be incomparable to the days of tribulation, as this very world will become hell run by nothing but wicked criminals.

            (Revelation 16:12 KJV) ¶ 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. The same can be seen in Revelation 9:13-14 when the sixth angel blows his trumpet. Therefore, this happens simultaneously. The trumpet judgment, the vial judgment. New characters appear here in the text. The kings of the East. The Bible says they will be coming from the east of the Euphrates, as the cavalry will attack the land of Palestine, towards Israel after the Euphrates will become dry. The kings of the East spoken of in the main text are Mongolian kings as they are gathering for an all-out attack before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This scene appears in the book of Zechariah and throughout the prophetic books of the Old Testament. If we look a little more closely, (Revelation 16:14 KJV) 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. What we can see here is, that the United Nations will definitely unite them. Between 1500 and 1900, people once said ‘All nations cannot come together, and the whole world cannot be connected.’ But today, everything is connected to the Internet every minute and second, and it has become possible for the whole world to come together at the same time. The fact that the entire world can come together in just a few hundred years has already been proven. We can realize through the Bible, what seemed impossible at the end of the 19th century has now become a reality where all nations around the world can unite through digital technology and the United Nations will greatly agree with it. The Bible says the kings of the earth and of the whole world gather. And they are literally kings as written. We know that the book of Ezekiel and many other prophets also say that all nations will unite to attack Israel. We often see the Vatican Council and the United Nations talk about bringing peace and security to mankind, without obeying and without the word of God. They are calling for world peace. However, we can know in advance that they will be used as Satan’s instruments at the end of the tribulation. This place is called Armageddon. The Bible says when the Lord comes to this place and destroy them all, their blood will flow a distance of 1,600 furlong (200 miles), at the height of horse reins. A 200 mile long blood river. Vultures and predatory birds come to eat the carcasses of unbelievers, and there are sightings of many birds gathering in Palestine.

            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. (Revelation 16:13 KJV) Matthew 3 says that the Holy Spirit descends like a dove. When Jesus Christ came up after being baptized in the Jordan River, he heard his Father’s voice from above. The Lord who comes up out of the water is God the Son, who came to this earth in the flesh. And the Holy Spirit descended like a dove. We can see that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were introduced to the world in voice, in the flesh and the form of dove at the same time. However, unclean spirits are like frogs, and you can see them always in damp places feeding on flying things. The nature and personality of Antichrist at once is shown in the text, and here we see the Satanic trinity. He imitates God the Father as the dragon, God the Son the Lamb as the beast, and God the Holy Spirit as the false prophet. We see the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet appear all at once in 16:13. Also, the Satanic trinity can be seen as three people in the Old Testament. Oddly enough their names start with the letter ‘B’. In Numbers 22:41, there is this word. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak (the Antichrist, the dragon) took Balaam (the false prophet, dragon), and brought him up into the high places of Baal (The false god, dragon, the devil), that thence he might see the utmost part of the people. (Numbers 22:41 KJV). However, we remember that Balaam tried to curse the Israelites, but God used his mouth to give a blessing message instead, and God rebuked him through the mouth of a donkey to block the path of this false prophet.

            Again (Revelation 16:14 KJV) 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. Those spirits are demonic spirits. Those spirits can sometimes heal the sick, speak in tongues diligently, and even raise the dead. They will make people to look upon the Virgin Mary adorned with rosaries and candles. (Revelation 13:3-4 KJV) says this: 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? Here it says his deadly wound was healed. After all, many healing works can be satanic. We must Be careful. It’s dangerous to follow gatherings that cures many diseases. We must come into the word of God… and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 KJV) Psalm 103 says God heals all our diseases. That is why when we confess before the Lord with faith, the Lord’s work of healing appears. As in 1 Corinthians 12, healings must be used and served for the children of God within the church through the gift of healing, otherwise, it can dangerously become the work of Satan outside the church. Shamans can also heal the sick. Buddhism also heals. Therefore, the Antichrist performs miracles to deceive people. The Lord said:…An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:39-40 KJV) What is the greatest miracle for us? God became a man and took on all our past, present and future sins and died on the cross. He resurrected and gave us the Holy Spirit. So whosoever receives Jesus Christ receives eternal healing. Passed from eternal death in hell to everlasting life. In this way, you may be transferred from death to life, and the Lord will heal your physical ailments as long as you pray. And even if he doesn’t heal us, it gives us faith through that thorn and enables us to look only unto the Lord. And when you leave it to the will of the Lord, everything will be resolved. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 2 KJV) It can be very dangerous if you follow based on only by visual miracles. The greatest miracle is the fact that I believed in Jesus Christ, who is God, and was saved as a sinner. However, those who do not realize that they have been saved are bound to follow the things of the world, and are destined to follow the things of the flesh. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22-23 KJV)  You can do these things without being saved. Apostle Paul said there is another spirit, and another Jesus and a different gospel. Other things that are enticing are rather attractive when people see them. So, never be fooled. When the apostle Paul was sick and asked the Lord three times, he replied, And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 KJV) He also said I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13 KJV)

Continuing with the main text,…to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Revelation 16:14 KJV) This is not the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire back in the day. It’s not even a military warfare like World War I or II. This is the battle of that great day of God Almighty, The battle of Armageddon. (Revelation 16:15 KJV) says: Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. This text is talking about the rapture after the tribulation that takes place before the battle of Armageddon. ‘I will come like a thief when the armies reach Armageddon as they will be trampled under the feet of Jesus Christ’. This will be fulfilled then. The Lord said in (Matthew 24:29-30 KJV)  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: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. This is the Rapture after the Tribulation before the Battle of Armageddon. Then in (Matthew 24:31 KJV) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. This is the gleaning. There is a rapture even at the end of tribulation. There’s also one at the end of the current Age of Grace. Also, the Bible says many of the Old Testament saints who were asleep rose from their graves when Jesus Christ shed his blood. In the text here, the Rapture will occur after the Tribulation before the Second Coming, and keepeth the garments. (Revelation 19:8 KJV) says the fine linen is the righteousness of saints, and this speaks of salvation related to works. Faith and works must be performed for salvation during the Tribulation. Keeping the commandments is mandatory. Therefore, if they receive the mark of the antichrist, they will lose their salvation even if they believe in Jesus. However, in the current Age of Grace, if you believe in Jesus Christ and are saved, you will never lose your salvation because of your works, because you will be sealed with the Holy Spirit. However, when we commit a sinful act, we receive discipline and suffer the whipping on this earth because of it. However, the Lord said if you repent, you will bear the fruit of righteousness and peace, and that having discipline rather proves that you are a child of God. He said there is no punishment for illegitimate children. It is never a good thing for people who are not God’s children to be on the up and up.

            (Revelation 16:16 KJV) And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. Armageddon literally means ‘the hill of the crowds.’ Originating from Har Megiddo, Har means mountain or range of hills as Megiddo means place of crowds. So Armageddon means hill of multitude in Hebrew. This means that an army of 200 million will be gathered to this particular area, and that area is also shown on the maps of the New Testament. We will look into Armageddon in more detail next time. Anyone in the audience who still do not have the assurance of salvation, today is the day to receive grace and the day of salvation. Receive Jesus Christ with all your heart and be born again by the Holy Spirit. Don’t fall into the tribulation age. And When the Lord comes back, be taken up into the air and participate in the heavenly wedding banquet. While living on earth, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you do many works of the Lord, receive rewards as much as you have worked, and receive the blessing of ruling with the Lord. Amen.