Part
III,
Revelation 16 & 19,
The Seven Last Plagues
We
saw in Part I of this study the many Old Testament prophecies
that are descriptions of what we will study now, the "seven
last plagues." A careful study of the book of Revelation
will show that the seven last plagues make up the seventh
trumpet of the seven trumpet plagues. These trumpet plagues
start at the beginning of the last year of the three and
a half year tribulation (which can best be described as
World War III). These trumpet plagues are the very start
of God's intervention. The last trumpet plague is made up
of the seven last plagues, and they are thought to occur
in more or less one 24 hour period, just as Jesus Christ
is returning to earth. Much as a naval battle group will
bombard a target before the marines are sent it, the seven
last plagues are evidently used to soften up the "enemy",
a rebellious warring mankind, a mankind who is about to
commit cosmocide-- the death of all life on the planet--if
not stopped. Remember what supranational government has
come to power in Europe, as we saw in Part II, and has probably
conquered many countries around the world, maybe even the
United States and British countries. While Part I of this
study filled in many of the finer details of these plagues,
we will see Revelation 16 & 19 fill in the timing elements
for all these details. And finally, we will look at our
responsibility we as Christians have, how we should use
this knowledge to help us further the Lord's will for us
right now. Let us begin.
Revelation 15:1, "And I saw another sign in heaven, great
and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues;
for in them is filled up the wrath of God." Revelation 16:1-21,
"And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the
seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the
wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured
out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and
grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast,
and upon them which worshipped his image.
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and
it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul
died in the sea. [What's the significance of this plague?
All the navies of the world, with their awesome weaponry,
are eliminated almost instantly.] And the third angel poured
out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and
they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say,
Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt
be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the
blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood
to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of
the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous
are thy judgments. [Eliminating potable water can have a
serious effect on an army and it's ability to fight. Coupled
to the next plague, things will get pretty difficult for
any army to function.]
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and
power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men
were scorched with great heat, and blashemed the name of
God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented
not to give him the glory. [cf. Isaiah 30:26-31, "Moreover
the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun,
and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light
of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach
of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound...";
see also Isaiah 24:7-23; 33:7-12] [God made the stars of
the heavens through the one who became Jesus Christ, God
the Son. Jesus merely turns up the intensity of the sun
by a factor of 7 for s short period of time.]
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, and blasphemed the God of
heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented
not of their deeds. [cf. Isaiah 13:10,13, "For the stars
of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give
their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth,
and the moon shall not cause her light to shine...Therefore
I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out
of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in
the day of his fierce anger." Matthew 24:29-30, "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." Jeremiah 50:46, "At
the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and
the cry is heard among the nations." It is significant
right here to notice in Matthew 24:30, that Jesus can be
seen in all his radiance, with the sun and stars blacked
out, coming in the upper atmosphere. Verse 31 shows he is
gathering his "elect". Cross-referencing this to 1 Corinthians
15:49-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, this is the time the
righteous dead in Christ are being resurrected to immortality
and go up to meet the descending Christ in the air. For
this is the time of the Seventh Trumpet blast. The seventh
trumpet blast may actually occur just prior to or in the
midst of the pouring out of the seven last plagues.]
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.
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. 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. Behold,
I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth
his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
And he gathered them together into a place called in the
Hebrew tongue Armageddon [Har Megiddo, Hebrew for the Hill
of Megiddo, 50 miles north of Jerusalem. This massive world
army is gathered at Megiddo, Israel, as a staging area,
prior to marching to Jerusalem to wage war against the descending
Jesus Christ. The actual battle occurs in the Kidron Valley
in or next to Jerusalem.]
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air;
and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven,
from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices,
and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake,
such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty
an earthquake, and so great. And the city was divided into
three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great
Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her
the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And
every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every
stone about the weight of a talent: and men blashemed God
because of the plague of hail; for the plague thereof was
exceeding great." This same event is depicted in
Revelation 11:15-18. This is the time of the Seventh Trumpet
blast. We'll take a look at what happens at this trumpet
blast as well.
Revelation 11:15-18, "And the seventh angel sounded;
and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms
of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of
his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the
four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats,
fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give
thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and
art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power,
and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath
is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
and that thou shoudest give reward unto they servants the
prophets and to the saints, and them that fear thy name,
small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy
the earth." [The dead being judged here is probably
referring the righteous dead, being judged worthy of the
resurrection they are about to go through. Revelation 20:5,
12-13 show the "rest of the dead", the unsaved dead, aren't
resurrected for another 1,000 years.] So we have the 7th
trumpet blast here. Let's cross reference that to 1 Corinthians
15:49-54.
1 Corinthians 15:49-54, "And as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption. Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall
not all sleep [sleep of death], but we shall all be changed.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump
[trumpet]: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17,
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep [dead], that ye sorrow not, even as
others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto
the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep [dead]. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with
the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first
[out of their graves]: then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." So
we're in the clouds with the descending Lord Jesus. In verse
16, it says Jesus Christ is descending, not ascending. Where
do we go from here with the Lord?
Zachariah 14:4-5, "And his feet shall stand in that
day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem
on the east, and the mount shall cleave in the midst thereof
toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be
a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove
toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye
shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley
of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee,
like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of
Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and
all the saints with thee." That's us folks, with
the Lord, standing on the mount of Olives as it splits in
two! If you take the time to read Revelation 2-3, and Revelation
5:10, you'll see that we are to be kings and priests with
Jesus, who is now King of the whole world (Zechariah 14:9,
"And the Lord shall be king over all the earth..."). As
Jesus is descending from the upper atmosphere, as we ascend
to meet him, let's pick this event up in Revelation 19:6-9,14.
Revelation 19:6-9,14, "And I heard as it were the
voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia:
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the
Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of the saints. [So this bride of Christ is the church, made
up of the saints. Remember the significance of white linen.]
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb...(vs. 14) "And
the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
By definition of who is allowed to where white linen, that
army is composed of the just resurrected saints, who have
ascended from earth to meet the Lord and come back down
with him, mounted on white horses, as the army of God. Onward
Christian soldiers takes on a new meaning here! (For
those Christian fellowships and believers that believe the
Hebrew Feast of Trumpets has a prophetic significance here,
you've just seen what that significance may be. Whether
you believe that or not is strictly up to your own Christian
conscience, though, as spelled out by Romans 14:4-6, 22-23.)
Now lets see how this battle progresses, as spelled out
in Revelation 19:11-21. Reread Zechariah 14:1-15 as well
and see how they fit together.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and
in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were
as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and
he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his
name is called The Word of God [cf. John 1:1-11.]. And the
armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth
goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing
in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all
the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven [heaven is used
here to mean the atmosphere. So the heaven we're in as Jesus
descends can also be referring to the upper atmosphere.],
Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the
great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh
of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh
of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of
all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I
saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the
horse, and against his army. And the beast [this obviously
referring to the ruler of this beast empire] was taken,
and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark
of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These
both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat
upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth:
and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
What is our future with Jesus after his return?
What is Satan's future? Revelation 20:1-3, 4-6,
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key
to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the
Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast
him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a
seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that
he must be loosed a little season [see verses 7-10]." Verses
4,6, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment
was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years...Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but
they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years." Isaiah 11 and Isaiah
2:2-4 and Ezekiel 36:1-36 and Jeremiah 31:1-40 describe
this coming time when we will reign with Jesus over the
whole world. In the very end, God reveals that his very
throne, in the form of the new Jerusalem, will come down
to earth, where we will live with God forever and ever.
This golden city measures over fifteen hundred miles in
four directions and is the same height. Looks like earth
is to become the Headquarters of the Universe. Read Revelation
21:1-17 and see what you think. To read the major gospel
accounts of the second coming prophecies, in Jesus' own
words, be sure to look up and read Matthew 24:1-36-51; Mark
13:1-37; and Luke 21:5-36. You will see some of the events
of the seven last plagues cross referenced in these accounts.
Matthew 24:1-51
Jesus Christ's Own Account of His 2nd Coming
Matthew 24:1-51, "And Jesus went out and departed
from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew
him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them,
See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There
shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall
not be thrown down. [Some feel this prophecy is not totally
fulfilled, because the foundation the temple sat upon is
still standing, which the western "wailing" wall is a part
of.] And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples
came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these
things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and
of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto
them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall
come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many. [Some feel this refers to those fringe whacko's that
actually say that they are Jesus Christ in person--other's
feel Jesus is referring to those perpetrators of false Christianity.]
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that
ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places. All
these things are the beginning of sorrows. [Now there have
always been wars, nation against nation, and even kingdom
against kingdom (Babylon against Assyria, Persia against
Babylon, Alexander against Persia, and so forth. But in
our age we are seeing a cycle of World Wars that has not
existed before, a cycle of famines spreading here and there
due to worldwide overpopulation and civil wars, and resultant
pestilences often follow famines and wars. Also the frequency
of earthquakes has risen dramatically in the 20th century.
So many think we're in this period Jesus just described
in verse 7 of Matthew 24. Jesus said,
"All these are the beginning of sorrows."] Then shall they
deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and
ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And
then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another,
and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall
rise, and deceive many. And because of iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold. [This persecution of the
body of Christ has not yet come upon us in the western world,
although some areas of the world are persecuted badly and
even killed for being Christians. But the persecution hasn't
reached a global scale yet, as these verses indicate it
will. The word for "love" in verse 12 is "Agapao", which
is the Agape love of God which he places in Christians,
so this is a warning from Jesus that this persecution would
cause the love of many Christians to grow cold. So pay close
attention to what Jesus says next in verse 13.] But he that
shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved." Verse
14, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in
all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall
the end come." [This is Jesus Christ's priority job that
he wants us to concentrate on and finish. As seen by the
prophecied persecution in verses 9-11, this evangelistic
effort of the body of Christ has reached global proportions.
Christians become hated for it. But it causes a greater
reaction in a different quarter. Who stirs up persecution
against Christians? This greater reaction takes place in
Revelation 12:7-12. Before verse 15 of Matthew 24 starts,
Revelation 12:7-12 has taken place. Read it. Now onto verses
15-31.] When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which
be in Judea flee into the mountains: let him which is on
the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:
neither let him which is in the field return back to take
his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and
to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
[At this point, the Israeli nation is probably politically
ultra orthodox, and a riot would take place from a bunch
of people fleeing on the "Sabbath Day".] For then shall
be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
[This is the very start of World War III, and it starts
as a result of one called "the abomination of desolation",
who is probably either the great leader of the beast empire,
or the false prophet, standing in the newly constructed
temple or tabernacle the Jews have set up and are holding
sacrifices in. The mere fact that the Jews do this is enough
to trigger a massive Arab reaction, perhaps the shutting
off of Mid East oil to Europe and the world. You know what
federation of ten nations has come to power in Europe, and
what kind of response could be expected from the European
federation to the shut-down of all oil supplies to Europe.
Doesn't take a rocket scientist, especially after the Trade
Tower incident.] Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo,
here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall
arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew
great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I told you before.
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the
desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers;
believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there
will the eagles be gathered [cf. Rev. 19:17-18.]. Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of
heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken [this
is the 5th of the seven last plagues. The next plague is
the sixth, where the armies are allowed to gather to fight
against the descending Jesus Christ. Those armies and those
in the world look up at this point and can see Jesus descending
toward earth. That is what the next verse (30) shows, as
well as in Revelation 16.] 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. [It
is at this point, with Jesus somewhere in the upper atmosphere
that the 1st resurrection to immortality takes place, verse
31.] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of
the trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from
the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." [As
you see from 1 Corinthians 15:49-54, this elect has just
risen from the grave if they were dead, or been changed
to immortals and are rising with the resurrected dead, now
made alive and immortal, and the angels are gathering us
as we rise around the world, to bring us to Jesus Christ--to
mount up on our own white stallions, as Revelation 19 shows
us. From Matthew 24:15 to 26 the whole 3 1/2 period of World
War III has taken place, and verse 27 brings us up to the
very last day, the period of the seven last plagues, and
specifically, the 5th plague of darkness, leading into the
sixth plague, and then the seventh plague and seventh trumpet
blast and 1st resurrection to immortality. Now from verse
32-51 Jesus gives us some very timely advice through two
parables--advice about what our attitude should be and what
we ought to be busy doing.
Verses 32-51, "Verily I say unto you, This generation [that
sees all this] shall not pass, till all these things be
fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. [So
stop trying to figure out the timing of when this will all
occur, stop trying to figure out when this beast empire
will rise out of Europe. Concentrate on bringing Matthew
24:14 to pass, and on being a "hot" Christian, not luke-warm
or cold.] But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that
were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
the ark. And knew not until the flood came and took them
all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,
and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill;
the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore:
for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [This could
be some kind of rapture, or it could refer to the very resurrection
of the saints from wherever they're hiding during all this,
even from a place of safety they're gathered in. It's one
of those finer points of doctrine we all can't seem to agree
on, but will find out later for sure.] But if the goodman
of the house had known what watch the thief would come,
he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house
to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such
an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. [Now how
are we supposed to be ready? He goes on.] Who is that faithful
and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his
household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that
servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over
all his goods. But if that evil servant shall say in his
heart, My lord delayeth him coming; and shall begin to smite
his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken
[i.e. getting caught up in this age of Noah, this modern
age of sin that reflects the age of Noah, one foot in the
world, the other in the church.]; the lord of that servant
shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in
an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder,
and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth." One quick Scripture
to put this thought in perspective. In Ezekiel 9 describes
who is to be spared in Jerusalem during the Day of the Lord,
and who will be slain. It is those who are doing what we
and our preachers ought to be doing in this nation and around
the world that are spared. Read Ezekiel 9:1-11 for the full
impact of this event. Those that are preaching powerfully
about the sins in the land, calling people to salvation
through the gospel of Christ and calling people to repent
of their sinful lifestyles and embrace Jesus Christ while
there is time --Evangelism--those evangelizing the world
with this attitude and frame of mind, it is they whom the
Lord will protect. Ezekiel 9:4-6 "And the Lord
said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through
the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads
of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations
that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he
said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city,
and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children,
and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark:
and begin at my sanctuary..." Those that cry and
sigh for the sins of the land, the lifestyle this world
is caught up in do not have one foot in the world and the
other in the church. They are hot born-again Christians
who are living a godly lifestyle and about the work of the
Lord. The Twin Trade Tower disaster was a sobering event.
Let it become a wake-up call for us Christians to get about
the business of the Lord --Evangelism!-- and to
get about renewing our walk with the Lord, spiritually growing
in the grace and knowledge of the Lord while there is yet
time.
So what is our responsibility for having this knowledge?
How should we use it? Should we bury our heads in our newspapers,
trying desperately to see when this colossal beast kingdom
is going to rise out of some future European federation
of nations? Why, seemingly, has this federation been held
up from forming? What did Jesus tell his first group of
saints, right after his resurrection? Matthew 28:18-20,
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]: teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen." Just before Jesus ascension back into heaven his
disciples were gathered around him on the mount of Olives.
What did he tell them? Acts 1:6-9, "When they therefore
were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt
thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And
he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or
the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these
things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight." Jesus Christ's main assignment
for us Christians is that we be evangelizing the world,
proclaiming the gospel of salvation, of the kingdom of God,
around the world. He even prophesied that we would succeed
in spreading the gospel around the world in Matthew 24:14,
which states, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then
shall the end come." So why is time being held up? Satan
doesn't want his time on earth to end. He doesn't want to
go into lock-up for all eternity. Would you? But my theory
is this. As we evangelize, and thousands, perhaps even millions
of new people are born-again, they glow invisibly with the
presence of the Holy Spirit within them. Demons can't stand
this. Finally, Satan and the demons realize our evangelizing
efforts are bringing the kingdom down to earth one by one
through the individuals the Holy Spirit inhabits in ever-increasing
numbers. As this evangelistic effort reaches a globe-girdling
scale (Matthew 24:14), Satan loses it, and attempts what
he couldn't do before (Revelation 12:7-12) and attempts
to throw God off his throne again. He gets tossed back to
earth, and that is where Matthew 24:15 begins. Time is being
held up until we finish what our Lord has assigned his disciples
to do. We are his disciples. Time won't be held up forever.
This world is getting more hostile by the year. What happened
to the Twin Trade Towers in New York City on September 11th
2001 is just the latest example of how hostile this world
is becoming. It is time for us to stop slumbering and wake
up spiritually. It is time to wake up and do the work of
the Lord. What good is money, or being well off, if you
become so engrossed in those things that you lose your crown
or get "left behind."
How can we do the work of the Lord? Check out the section
"What is Evangelism?" on this site. You'll learn that evangelism
can be done at many levels, personal, local church, national
and international. Learn what you can do to assist at any
or all these levels. There are some pretty awesome non-denominational
organizations that are powerfully promoting evangelism on
an international scale unheard of before. They need our
help. Check out the JESUS Film Project (CLICK
HERE ) and CLICK
HERE). Another awesome organization that desperately
needs our support is Samaritan's Purse (CLICK
HERE ). Be sure to check out just what it is that makes
these two organizations such powerful tools of evangelism.
How can we support these groups? I give some ideas in the
section "Principles of Giving" (CLICK HERE)
and ( CLICK
HERE ). You may be asking yourself "How can I help do
the Lord's Work? I have so little." Well, I'm in what you'd
call the "working poor" category myself, and every other
week I donate about $10.00 to either Campus Crusade's JESUS
Film project or Samaritan's Purse. Just imagine 500,000
Christians doing that faithfully and steadily. $10.00 isn't
much by itself, but multiplied by a large number of dedicated
Christians and focussed on two of the most powerful international
evangelistic tools we have at our disposal right now, it
can amount to quite a lot--especially if done faithfully,
week in and week out. You do the numbers (if you can't,
it comes to 2.5 million dollars a week for each organization!).
We can make a difference for Christ and the Kingdom of God,
helping to bring that Kingdom to earth right now, by bringing
Christ into new Christians. It's time we as Christians mobilize
as the army of God, a holy army doing his will. Then we
can take our places in his army as it descends back to Jerusalem
and the mount of Olives. It's time we start growing spiritually
as Christians. Many of the sections in this site are geared
to assist in this process (expository studies on the gospel
of Mark, Romans, Ephesians, "What is Christian Growth?",
"What is Prayer?") It is time to start the process of growth
while there is time, and it is time to get about the job
Jesus gave us to do--evangelism, personal, local church,
national and international. The reward is worth it, being
kings and priests, ruling over the world with Jesus (Revelation
chapters 2-3, 5:9-10) with our resurrected bodies glowing
as the stars of heaven (Daniel 12:1-3).
So pass the word. Email this article via hypertext to your
Christian friends. (The specific URL for this article should
be at the top of your screen.) Let's mobilize the body of
Christ, God's holy army. Satan moved a few of his evil pawns
to destroy the Twin Trade Towers in New York City, killing
almost 5,000 innocent people. The more powerfully we evangelize,
the quicker we can help bring his evil empire to an end.
It's what we can do to honor those fallen souls.
"For a good outline study of the book of Revelation, CLICK
HERE."
