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UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD 
THE BOOK OF REVELATION - PART 22  By John S. Torell

December 22, 2002

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
This chapter is not written in a chronological order, but is a record of the judgments of God upon the earth during the last part of the reign of the Antichrist. It is a prediction of what is going to happen, the results of it and the response from the people on earth.

Christians at large do not want to hear, what they call "bad news." They want to hear about the love of God, good times are rolling in, with much prosperity in material things. What does God think about this? This is what God told the prophet Amos some 2,750 years ago!  Amos 6:1-7

Verse 1:
The order is now given in heaven, judgment is to begin.

Verse 2:
This is the first vial, which is going to cause foul smelling (stinking) sores to afflict all people having taken the mark of the Beast. It will also afflict the people who have not at this time taken the mark of the Beast, but are devoted to him and giving him worship. Compare this with Deuteronomy 28:27-29

Verse 3:
This is going to be a terrible judgment of which few people have taken much thought.

The blood of a dead man has lost its ability to bring nourishment to the cells in the body, and bring out the waste products from the cells. All fish and sea plants will now die. The stench must be terrible, and the question will arise, can ocean going ships sail the seas at this time?

Verse 4-7:
The third vial is going to destroy much of the drinking water on the earth. It will be the same judgment that God used against Egypt. We can read of the results when water is turned into blood in Exodus 7:17-25. The Egyptian had this plague for seven days, we do not know how long it will last during the tribulation period.

God’s holy angels are expressing their satisfaction with this judgment. There is no mercy given to the followers of the Antichrist.

Verse 8-9:
When the fourth vial is poured out upon the sun, it will change the thermonuclear reaction on the surface of the sun, and it will now be producing much more heat. Instead of repenting from their sins, humans will now curse God and there is no repentance in them. This has been predicted prior in Revelation 9:20-21.

The people on the earth now do know, that these are judgments from God just like the Egyptians knew that the plagues came from God. But instead of running toward God and seek repentance, they embrace Satan harder. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-13.

Verses10-11:
When the fifth vial is poured out, the damage from the other four are still plaguing the people. The pressure on the people on the earth at this time will be much worse in pain, than what we can try to understand at this time. The judgment of darkness is not new, God used it against the Egyptians. Exodus 10:21-23 There was a darkness that could be felt. But the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. God made a difference between his people and the people of Satan. Still no repentance!

Verses 12-16:
All barriers blocking the kings of the East are now removed. More details are given in Revelation 9:14-21. The death, the carnage the sufferings cannot be understood by us living in peace today.

Three unclean spirits will now be released from Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

They will have the power of working great miracles, which will most likely baffle the people living on the earth, (Revelation 13:11-15) and they will muster armies to gather in Northern Israel, at a place called Armageddon. This is when the Antichrist will put up his last stand, before he is taken out.

In Revelation 14:20 we are told how much blood is going to be spilt, four feet deep and 160 miles long.

Verses 18-21:
This time God is going to unleash the worst possible natural disasters upon the earth.

There will be an earth quake of such a magnitude that has never occurred since the creation of man. Jerusalem will be divided into three parts. At this time the great Babylon, the center of all commerce on the earth will be wiped out in one hour - Revelation 18:8. Capitols of different nations will be wiped out. Islands will be destroyed and mountain ranges flattened out.

Hail will fall from the sky, weighing 75 pounds each. Instead of repenting, the surviving men will blaspheme God instead of repenting and asking for forgiveness.

If Christians could understand the suffering that is coming on mankind, our lives would be lived in a different way. We would gear all our efforts of leading people to Christ during the few years we are living on this earth. If we then would also have a full understanding of the terror for those who are not only to go through hell on earth, but then spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, we would work day and night praying, fasting, seeking God, loving people and sharing the Gospel with them. But how many Christians really believe what is written in the Bible?

            Do you have an ear to hear with?

                    What will it take to fire you up for the Lord Jesus Christ?

To be continued...

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