The Seals and Trumpets of the Book of Revelation

So in Leviticus 23, we want to get our spiritual bearings here. Verse 24 and 25, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. You shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

So here we see the date, the first day of the seventh month. It says, Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets. We'll get into that in a little bit. A holy convocation. This is a summons by God. This is not something that we can opt out of. This is something God says, You will be there, much like if you got a summons from a judge to appear for jury duty, you would appear. That doesn't mean you have to be a part of the jury if you don't want to. That's another whole subject. But you know, you respond to the summons that a judge would give. You certainly would respond to the summons God Almighty gives. It's a holy convocation. We don't go to work. We don't do our own pleasure. We do meet and have a special service on this day. The blowing of trumpets, as I made mention earlier, is a sign and a warning of war. The day of trumpets, brethren, as we take a look at what will happen in world news, the day of trumpets is a turning point in world history. It's a turning point because now God says, you know, I've given you 6,000 years.

6,000 years, you know, with Adam and Eve, you decided to hide from me. And so we had an experiment that lasted 6,000 years. I'm going to let you to your own devices for 6,000 years. I want you to learn what it's like to walk away from me, to hide from me, and learn some very painful lessons. But now, on the day of trumpets, this pictures a time when Jesus Christ returns. It pictures a time when Jesus Christ, God the Father, intervened in world events. Now, looking at your chart, you've got side one and side two of your chart. Side one, just to give you, again, an overview of the context for what we'll be covering today. The book of Revelation, the whole book, is covered by seven seals. Okay? As you look at that seventh seal, the seventh seal is broken down into seven trumpets. You see that on the second level there. And then the seventh trumpet is broken down, as you see in the third level, into the seven last plagues. So, if you understand that, where people simply don't understand the book of Revelation, you understand a great deal right there. So, let's begin by turning over to Revelation chapter 6. And what I would recommend you do, I made a point to make sure your chart is blank in terms of scriptural references. As we go through the chart, I will give you references to put in each little box. Of course, there'll be more than I'm going to give you, and that's where you can have your own independent study. But let's take a look. Again, we're going to cover this relatively briefly, because we want to get to the seventh seal or the seventh trumpet.

So, these first six, I'm going to cover, again, broad brush. So, on side one, where it says flow chart of the book of Revelation, you've got first seal, false religion. Let's go to Revelation chapter 6, verses 1 and 2. You can put that in your little box.

Revelation chapter 6, verses 1 and 2.

And let's read this. Revelation chapter 6, verse 1 and 2. Now I saw when the lamb had opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, come and see. And I looked, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on the head of a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Now, some people mistakenly think this is talking about Jesus Christ. This is not talking about Jesus Christ. This is talking about false religion, false Christs. And we've had this ever since Jesus Christ walked the earth. You know, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, what we're looking at here. But at the end of the age, we will have somebody who will claim to be Jesus Christ, claim to be God in the flesh, and he'll be able to make it a statement. By the miracles he performs, so much so people will believe it.

The Bible says so much so that even maybe the elect can believe.

Of course, you won't because you'll be well informed. But you've got here false Christs, people who use Christ's authority, people who speak with deceptive words, deceptive doctrine, and so forth. So this first seal are false Christs, false religion. You also, in that first box under first seal, can put Matthew chapter 24 verses 4 and 5. Matthew 24 verses 4 and 5. Under the first seal there. Now we come to the second seal in your chart. And there I put the word war.

And we've got Revelation chapter 6 verses 3 and 4. Let's look at Revelation chapter 6 verse 3 and 4. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see. And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat in it, Take peace from the earth, and the people should kill one another. And there was given to him a great sword. So the second seal, the second horseman of the, four horsemen of the apocalypse, represents warfare. And again, we've had warfare all throughout the history of mankind.

Some people would say the very first war that broke out is when Cain killed his brother Abel. It was a religious war.

In your notes, in that second box where it's second seal, you might also jot down Matthew chapter 24 verses 6 and 7. Matthew 24 is 6 and 7. Now we come to the third seal. We've got this in Revelation chapter 6 verses 5 and 6. You can put that down in your third box there under the third seal. Revelation chapter 6 verses 5 and 6. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come and see, and I looked, and behold, a black horse. And he who sat and had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine. So here we've got grain, wine, oil. These are the staples of life.

And this is showing a time where the basic necessities of life are scarce and very costly.

A denarius was basically a day's wage. And they're saying here, you know, a quart of wheat for a day's wage. A very little amount of wheat for a whole day's wage. If you can get it. If you can get it.

So here we see the result of what happens when you have war. Famine will take place as people and armies are thrashing about murdering one another. The result is famine. Now we come to the fourth seal. Again, we're covering this rather quickly, just for matter of context. The fourth seal is disease. And here you can look at Revelation 6, verses 7 and 8.

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, come and see. And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat in him was death. And Hades followed him, followed with him. And power is given to them over a fourth of the earth to kill with the sword and with hunger and with death and with the beasts of the earth.

Here we're looking at disease epidemics. Now, we understand COVID to some degree. We understand what's happened on this planet with COVID. We understand that perhaps, depending upon who you're looking at for numbers, as the deaths, millions of people have died. And that has been true through world history. The Black Death in Europe killed roughly, in the 14th century, killed roughly one third of the people living in Europe. One person out of three in the 14th century. The 1918 flu epidemic worldwide killed over 20 million people. 20 million people.

Here we're looking at... look what it says in verse 8.

Power, middle of the verse, power is given to him over a fourth of the earth.

So yes, there's been disease epidemics, but again, these four horsemen of the apocalypse are greatly intensified just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Just prior to that, seventh Trump being blown. And one quarter of the earth's population at this point is killed.

One person in four is killed. Brethren, I don't know how people are going to even be able to respond to this. The funeral homes won't be able to respond to this. What are they going to be... are people going to do have mass graves, I guess? I mean, they've done that in certain parts of the world today. Over in India, they were having mass graves in India because so many people were dying of the COVID. This brings us now to the fifth seal. The fifth seal. In your notes, you see on the chart there, it says, the Great Tribulation. You see this in Revelation chapter 6 verses 9 through 11. By the way, I don't know if I said, for the fourth seal, diseases, you can also put Matthew 24-7. Matthew 24-7 on the fourth seal. Now, we're at the fifth seal.

We'll look at here at Revelation chapter 6 starting here in verse 9, going through verse 11. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. So here we see martyrdom of the saints being talked about, and we know that's taken place in world history over the years. But at the end of the age, in this particular seal, we see where this is going to happen to modern-day Christians.

Verse 10, and they cried with a loud voice, saying, Oh, how long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood and those who dwell on the earth. And a white robe was given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

This fifth seal, this great tribulation, is also found in Matthew chapter 24. You can put in your little box there, Matthew 24, verses 8 through 12, and also 20 verses 21 and 22.

The great tribulation, also known as a time of Jacob's trouble, is a time upon Jacob.

Who is Jacob prophetically? Jacob prophetically would include the United States of America, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, that these are the people who are going to have tremendous warfare brought upon them. People in our country, we think that there will always be America. Well, I'm sure people in Macedonia felt that way. I'm sure people in Babylon felt that way. People in Greece felt that way. People in Rome felt that way.

All those, the Aztecs, the Mayas, they all felt that way. Every great empire has fallen. The American empire is going to fall. Our nation is going to fall. That's something that's a distinctive feature of what we discuss in prophecy, but we back that up by what the Bible has to say.

So not only is it a time horribly bad for us as a nation, it's also bad for individual Christians. Satan is going to wage war on the people of God physically, but also the people of God spiritually.

And this is why, brethren, we need to make sure we are awake. This is why we need to make sure we have a relationship with God that is unshakable, that no matter what happens in your life, the various trials that you face, that I would face, we've got to have that unshakable faith and walk with God because the times are coming. We move on now to the sixth seal on your chart. We see this in Revelation 6, verses 12 through 17. You can place that in your chart. Revelation chapter 6, verses 12 through 17. These are the heavenly signs. In your chart, you can also put down Matthew chapter 24, verse 29. Matthew 24, verse 29, for the sixth seal. Let's take a look at this in Revelation chapter 6, starting in verse 12. I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. So, coming after the great tribulation, and before the day of the Lord, you've got these heavenly signs taking place. God is getting people's attention. Not that what happened in the fifth seal didn't get people's attention, the dismantling of the United States of America, Canada, Britain, and so forth. This truly gets people's attention as well.

At verse 13, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it's shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it's rolled up, and every mountain and every island was moved out of its place. You know, we had this happen several years ago in Japan, where the large island of Japan was moved something like four feet or six feet off its foundation because of the earthquake that took place then. Verse 15, and the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave, and every freeman hid themselves in the caves and the rocks and the mountains. And as the saying goes in our day to day, you can run, but you can't hide. These things are going to take place. Verse 16, and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand? That brings us now to, in your chart, the seventh seal. The seventh seal is composed of the seven trumpets. Today is the day, the Feast of Trumpets, also known, as you see in your chart, as the day of the Lord. And this is going to be the main focus of the day. Now, let's take a look over here at Isaiah chapter 34.

I said something earlier today. I want to back that up with Scripture. Isaiah chapter 34 and verse 8. Isaiah 34 verse 8. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of recompense, for the cause of Zion, the day of the Lord's vengeance, the year. So this is why we say these seven trumpet plagues take place in a one-year period. Now, we know from other prophecies, the prophecy talks about, for example, the two witnesses at the end of age. They'll prophecy for time, times, and half a time. In Bible terms, time, times, and half a time is three and a half years.

So the Great Tribulation will last three and a half years. It begins and it goes all the way to the time when Jesus Christ returns. But also, overlapping in that three and a half years is the very last year before Christ returns, which is the day of the Lord.

Now, I don't know about you, but if I'm the kind of person who's wanting to run away from God, and I've got Satan trying to beat me down for three and a half years, and then last year, in addition to Satan trying to get at me, you've got God the Father and Jesus Christ punishing the world of sinners because of their sin, that's pretty severe. That's not a state you and I want to be in. So there's a number of things here we can discuss, but one of the things I want to bring in at this point is, why is God doing this?

Why is God doing this? What is the purpose of Bible prophecy?

I'll be going through this at the Feast of Tabernacles in Piwaukee.

You will have heard this because I've given these to you in the past, but we're going to talk about what's the purpose of prophecy for one Bible study and the other Bible study. I'm going to go through Isaiah 7, that so much speaks to our day-to-day.

But prophecy, brethren, has not been given to us to give us a head start on other people, or so that we can know more than other people. The whole point of prophecy is so people repent and turn from their wicked way. All of us in this room, we've got things that we need to repent of. None of us in this room can walk on water, at least not that I'm aware of.

We all have our issues. We all have native repentance.

Let's take a look, as an example, over here in Revelation 9.

I don't have the time to walk through all of this at this point, but as we go through the book of Revelation, we already saw where with the four horsemen of the apocalypse, one quarter of mankind was killed. We see here in chapter 9, verse 18, by these three plagues, a third of mankind was killed. So you've got 25 percent of mankind being killed. Then you've got what's left of mankind, and then again another third of that perished from the earth because of all that was taking place. This is a tremendous...this is what? Half the earth's population at this point are being killed. You would think that would cause man to think, to repent. But notice what it says here, Revelation 9, verse 20. But the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should worship demons and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood, which you need to see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. This just shows how hard human nature is.

Of course, brethren, we've got to realize we still have human nature, each and every one of us. And we've got to make sure that we allow God to soften our hearts, to help us to repent of the things we need to repent of in life. Let's go to Revelation chapter 16. Revelation chapter 16.

And again, as you go through and you work your way through to this point and part in the book of Revelation, more and more people have died. But again, notice Revelation chapter 16 verse 9. Verse 11.

The God that could have stopped this on them, who could have said, okay, you've repented, I'm going to make sure now that these things don't come your way.

No, they're hard-hearted. Verse 21.

Now, I don't know how many hailstorms you've been a part of. I've been a part of a few over the years.

I think the largest hail I've ever seen was maybe about the size of a dime. And I know that there was one time where one of my cars was out there and it looked like somebody took a ball peen hammer and just dented the thing all over the place. Maybe that's happened to you. But can you imagine a hailstone that is 75 pounds? What would that do? That would basically destroy most of the buildings you can think of. 75 pound ice balls crashing here and there. So this is taking place. And notice this at the end of verse 21.

Well, of course it was exceedingly great. It was awful. It was awful. So now we come to the seven trumpets.

Okay, the seven trumpets.

Let's look over here at Revelation chapter 8, and we'll go through these. Revelation chapter 8.

Let's start here in verse 1. When he opened the seventh seal, now we've already gone through the first six, now we're open to seventh. Remember, the seventh seal is composed of the seven trumpets. When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour.

Silence in heaven for a half an hour. God here is making a statement. What is about to happen, the judgments to fall on earth, are so shocking that there's a, you know, people talk about a moment of silence. This is a half hour worth of silence. Verse 2, and I saw the seven angels who stand before God and unto them were given the seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar, and he was given much incense that he should offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne, and a smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it into the earth. And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake. So the world here is trembling at what is about to take place. God, again, is telegraphing to everybody. This is really bad news coming in terms of if you are an unrepentant sinner. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound. Okay, here we have now first trumpet. You can put in your little box their revelation. This is on side two now of your notes. Side two, flow chart of the day of the Lord. Under first trumpet, you've got I've got injuring the earth. Revelation chapter 8 verse 7. Let's take a look at that. Revelation 8, 7. The first angel sounded and hail and fire followed, mangled the blood, and they were thrown into the earth. A third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. A third of the trees were burned. Even here, brethren, we see an ecological catastrophe of global proportion. An ecological catastrophe of global proportion.

This is a warning, a continued warning, from God to repent, to go the way of God and not go the way of man. Notice a third of the trees were burned up. Not all the trees, a third of the trees.

So God is saying he's doing this in portion. Not all the trees are burned up, but only a third of the trees are burned up. If you want to, in your notes, you can put it on down. Exodus chapter 9 verses 13 through 35, showing what God did when he was releasing Israel from Egypt.

Second trumpet. In your notes, you have Revelation chapter 8, verse 8 and 9.

Revelation chapter 8, verse 8 and 9. Then the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. And a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

So notice here, in Revelation chapter 8 verses 8 and 9, you've got, again, this third being mentioned. It's not 100%. Again, God is dealing here in degree to get people's attention and to allow people to realize you've got to repent of what you're doing. Now, what are we seeing here? Something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. We've wondered, what is this? Is this a meteor? Is this something that's radioactive? You know, we don't know.

Possibly so. Third trumpet. Third trumpet is injuring the fresh waters. We see this in Revelation chapter 8 verses 10 and 11. Revelation chapter 8 verse 10 and 11.

Then the third angel sounded, and the great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell in the third of the rivers and the springs of water. So the second trumpet struck the ocean. Salt water. This third trumpet is striking fresh water.

Fresh water. And notice, again, a third of the rivers and the springs of water were affected. And the name of the star is wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water because it was made bitter. Wormwood in the scripture is symbolic of something that brings sorrow and bitter judgment. Wormwood itself is a bitter desert plant. A bitter desert plant. And God says, you know, what's happening here is bitter. And again, this might also be a meteor that comes to earth. The fourth trumpet we see in Revelation chapter 8 and verse 12.

Then the fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars. So a third of them were darkened, and a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. So here in verse 12 we see where the sun and the moon and the stars are being injured. And you know what you can put down in Exodus chapter 10 verses 21 through 29.

Again, these plagues that take place at the end of the age are very similar to the plagues that took place when God was releasing Israel out of Egypt. Though at the fourth trumpet we're seeing God telegraphing the mankind, that you are living in spiritual darkness. And I'm going to give you physical darkness to represent where you are at spiritually. Where you are at spiritually.

Chapter 8 of Revelation verse 13. And I looked, and as I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blast of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound. Now, these three woes represent the last three trumpet plagues. Each of these last three woes, the fifth trumpet, the sixth trumpet, and the last trumpet, are phases of World War Three.

Each of these last three woes are phases of World War Three. So, with the first of these woes, in your notes, fifth trumpet or first woe, I've got down there at World War Phase One. You can look at Revelation chapter 9 verses 1-12.

Revelation chapter 9 verses 1-12. Let's take a look at this. Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star falling from heaven. Now, that star falling from heaven is Satan. Satan comes to earth, and him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Now, here in this section, you might jot down Revelation chapter 17 verses 8-14. Under this first woe, Revelation chapter 17 verses 8-14. What comes out of this bottomless pit? A united Europe comes out of this bottomless pit.

And let me just pause here for a second, brethren. And let me just pause here for a second, brethren. You are seeing right now in what's happening in our nation with what happened recently in Afghanistan. You are seeing the British people who basically are saying, we don't know that we can trust America as an ally anymore. You're seeing the European people saying the same thing. Can we trust backing of the United States? You see people, the nations of NATO, saying, can we trust America as an ally? What you're seeing is people moving away from this country, all throughout Europe.

This is not the beginning. It's been taking place for some time. But these are more and more steps where Europe says, you know what?

If America is going to be like this to its friends in Afghanistan, we don't need friends like the United States. We will go it alone. We will develop our own army. They've already got an army if they combine all their national armies.

We will combine. And that can happen so very quickly.

So we see that taking place right now today.

The characters, I believe, are on the stage. We've not seen the man of sin yet.

For all we know, he is walking the earth these days and will become known to us as time goes along. But here in his fifth trumpet, we see the emergence of a united Europe.

And as we know from what we saw in the fifth seal, there is no America at this point.

And now there's two power blocks in the world.

And these two power blocks are going to fight for world domination.

You've got the Europeans and you've got the Eurasians.

Verse 3, Revelation 9-3. Then out of the smoke, locusts came upon the earth, and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth had power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth or any green thing or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

So here we've got divine protection given to God's people. And notice, the earth's ecosystem is so fragile.

In verse 4 it says, they were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth or any green thing. If these that were harmed any more, people on earth simply would not be able to breathe.

And God is saying, I've got to at least spare my beloved saints from what is happening.

Verse 5, and they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months.

So God here is fully in charge, has a timeline that he's working with, and you've got this five-month period here.

And these days men will seek death, will not find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

So what do we have here? Do we have chemical and biological warfare?

For people are just so sick they can't hardly function.

Verse 11, and they had a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek is the name Apollyon. So the leader of this army is none other than Satan the Devil.

So this is the first woe.

The first woe takes place because this power is going to attack the Eurasians.

This all takes place under the first woe.

Now we come to the second woe, or the sixth trumpet. Again, this is the second phase of World War 3.

We see this in Revelation 9, verses 13-19. If you want to put this in your little chart.

Revelation 9, verses 13-19, where you have the Eurasians counter-attacking the Europeans.

In your notes on that particular box, you can also jot down Jeremiah chapter 50, verses 9-16, and Jeremiah chapter 51, verses 7-11.

That was Jeremiah chapter 50, verses 9-16, and chapter 51 of Jeremiah verses 7-11. Let's take a look at this, the second woe. Revelation chapter 9, verse 13.

Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four corners of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, release the four angels who are bound to the great river Euphrates.

The great river Euphrates is just, that's the river where, you know, this is nothing symbolic. This is the river Euphrates. This was the eastern edge of the old Roman Empire. So the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

Now, we realize that as you look at other places in Scripture, that there's an army of 200 million that are taking place, that are in battle here.

So you've got an Asian counter-attack on Europe. The release of these angels is in connection to what the saints are praying. You know, let's have your kingdom come! And so these things have to take place before the kingdom of God takes place on planet Earth.

Verse 16. Now, the number of the army of the horsemen was 200 million. I heard the number of them. I believe right now China, by itself, has an army close to that.

And thus, I saw the horsemen in these visions who sat upon them at breastplates of fiery red in all the various discussion here. And then we see in verse 18, by these plagues a third of mankind was killed by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. Their power was not a power, but a power. And then we see with the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent. So we're seeing through all this carnage on planet Earth, all this death, all this destruction, all this ecological disaster befalling the oceans, befalling the fresh water, befalling the greenery, people hardly being able to breathe. This is all taking place. Now, we see the power of mankind. The last trump. This is when Jesus Christ returns. Again, as you see on your chart, the seventh trumpet breaks down into the seven last plagues. This is also known as the Third War, or the third phase of World War III. The time of the Second Coming, the time of the First World War, and the time of the Second Coming, and the time of the Second World War. The time of the Second Coming, the time of the First Resurrection.

Let's look at Revelation. Let's go back to Revelation, or over to Revelation, Chapter 11. You can place this in that one big box where it says, the seventh trumpet with the seven last plagues. Revelation, Chapter 11, Verses 14 and 15. The second was what was passed, behold, the third is what was coming. Then the seventh angel sounded, and there was a loud voice in them, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall rule, reign, forever and ever. So again, in that big box, the seventh trumpet, the seven last plagues, you can write down Revelation, Chapter 11, Verses 14 and 15, and Verse 18 as well.

The nations were angry, and your wrath was come. The time of the nations, that they should be judged, that you should reward your servants, the prophets, and the saints, and those who fear your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth. So, also with that, you can write in your notes in that same big box, Matthew 24, Verses 29 through 31.

Matthew 24, Verses 29 through 31. Let's go back now to Chapter 16. We'll begin to finish up here. Because now we're going to look at these very last plagues that compose the seventh or last trumpet. And again, these are very similar to what we saw in ancient Egypt when God was delivering his people there.

God is about to deliver his spiritual people here at the end of the age with these plagues, just like the plagues of Egypt. Only these are the plagues at the end of the age. First plague, sores. We see this in Revelation 16, Verse 2. Revelation 16, Verse 2. So, the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon man, who had the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image. You know, that might correspond to several parts of the Old Testament, but you can put down Exodus, Chapter 9, Verses 10 and 11.

I'm not going to be able to fit that in that box, but maybe if you write small enough. Second plague, Revelation 16, Verse 3. And the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died. Notice, brethren, before, when we're talking about a third were killed, a third of this happened, a third of that happened. Now, God is not delaying in increments anymore. Now it is total destruction, total warfare.

God has given mankind ample opportunity to repent, and mankind has not wanted to repent in general. And so, now God is unleashing total destruction, not a third at a time. Can you imagine? I can't imagine what it would be like to have everything in the sea die. Can you imagine the stench? You talk about being able to get a breath of air, but the stench, how deep would all those animal creatures be that are now floating to the top of the oceans? The 10, 20 feet deep of floating masses that are rotting in the sun? And God is doing this for a purpose. God is showing He is in control. He is showing mankind His ways are a stench in His nostrils.

God doesn't just do these things to be doing them. There is a purpose. There is a lesson to be learned. These are teaching tools that God is using upon mankind. Third plague, Revelation 16, verses 4-7. Then a third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers in the springs of water. Again, the fresh water, and they became blood.

Much like what took place in ancient Egypt. And I heard the angel of the water saying, verse 5, You are righteous, O Lord, the one who is and who was and is to be, because you judge these things. For they have shed the blood of the saints and the prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. For this is their just due.

And I heard another from the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments. You know, God's justice, what a man sows, He will reap. But the world has been sowing, it will reap. Fourth plague, Revelation 16, verses 8-9. Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the power was given to him over the scorched men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who had a power over these plagues. And they did not repent nor give him glory.

So again, God is telling people, you are in darkness, spiritually. And these are things that are going to come upon you, because you are in darkness. This will even be further amplified here in the fifth plague, in Revelation 16, verses 10-11. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beasts, and his kingdom became full of darkness, and they were gnawed in their chunks because of the darkness.

And again, they blasphemed the God of heaven because of the pains in their sores, and did not repent of their deeds. The sixth plague is what people today refer to as the Battle of Armageddon, which is a misnomer. The battle doesn't take place at Armageddon. Armageddon is a staging area about 55 miles north of Jerusalem.

The armies will gather there, then come down into the general vicinity of Jerusalem, and there they'll have the battle. So the sixth plague, this battle we see in Revelation 16, verses 12-16. Let's take a look at that. Then a sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and the water was dried up so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

People want to fight God? God says, I will make it easy for you. I will dry up this great river. You want to do battle with me? Come on! God says, you know, come on, we'll take care of you.

Verse 13, I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. So here we see the power behind the scenes. Demonic power coming from Satan, coming from the spiritual leader, coming from the political leader. All by Satan's power, all by Satan's inspiration.

Verse 14, for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. And verse 14 gives you the name, the special name in Scripture, of that last battle. That last battle is not called Armageddon. The battle is called the battle of the great day of God Almighty.

Verse 15, Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and may see his shame. So in the midst of all this, this battle, Jesus Christ says, I am coming. Make sure you are watching. Make sure your garments are what they should be. Make sure you've got white garments, not soiled garments.

Verse 16, and they gathered them together into place in the Hebrew called Armageddon. So there you see that the place for gathering is...staging is Armageddon, Medigo, the hill of Medigo, 55 miles north of Jerusalem.

And then lastly, the seventh plague, we see in Revelation 16, verses 17-21.

Then the seventh angel poured out his bull upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, It is done.

After all these seals, after all these trumpets, after all these plagues, it is done. And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake. Such a mighty and great earthquake has not occurred since men were on the earth.

Again, God is basically taking the planet and shaking it. But something else is also happening here, brethren.

Something else is also...God is not just doing this for drama's sake.

God is now taking and altering the topography of the world. He is getting the world ready for the millennium. He is getting the world ready for the last great day, when the weather patterns will be more advantageous, where the weather patterns will be more favorable, where people will be able to grow things.

Certainly, at the beginning of the millennium, this earth will be in a shambles. I'll be covering that with you in a second day of the feast this year in Piwaki.

So, a tremendous earthquake, verse 19, Now the Great City divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup and wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. So God here is reshaping the planet, the topography of the world.

Great hail fell from heaven upon men, every hailstone about the weight of a talent. And we've read the rest of that before.

So, at this point, Jesus Christ now, let's take a look at Matthew 24. Matthew 24, verse 29.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened. He's talking about the, after the tribulation, which is the fifth seal, then he's talking about the sixth seal.

Sun will be darkened, moon will give its light, stars will fall from heaven, the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Then, now we're into the seventh seal, or the period of the seven trumpets, and here we've got an overview here.

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven.

Now, what is the sign of the Son of Man?

People have wondered, if it's not seen the face of Jesus Christ, or maybe some sort of light coming from heaven, that this is it.

The Savior's coming. The King of Kings is coming. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

Notice there is no secret rapture here.

There is no secret rapture. All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see.

No secret rapture.

The Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

And He will send His angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

So Jesus Christ, with that last trumpet sound, gathers His saints, goes around the world. The world is watching us. They're hearing us. And you are resurrected.

I wonder what your thought will be when that time hack takes place.

When you realize you are with Jesus Christ, you are going around the earth collecting the rest of the saints, and I'm sure we'll all say, wow, I made it! I'm glad! Don't have to worry about death anymore. Don't have to worry about being hot or cold or hungry.

I've got a whole eternity to serve with the Father and our elder brother.

We have all these wonderful things to look forward to. These are all the thoughts that will go through our minds.

That we'll think about probably the fact that those people who never knew, well, they had an opportunity, you know, in a thousand years to be resurrected, and we'll be able to work with family members, people we knew, good people that we knew.

Our hearts will be bursting with joy when that day comes.