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 (http://www.UNITYINCHRIST.COM/evangelism/whyjesus.htm ) and http://www.UNITYINCHRIST.COM/evangelism/excerpts_isawjesus.htm). Another awesome organization that desperately needs our support is Samaritan's Purse (http://www.UNITYINCHRIST.COM/evangelism/samaritan_purse.htm ). 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" (http://www.UNITYINCHRIST.COM/gifts.htm) and ( http://www.UNITYINCHRIST.COM/gifts5.htm ). 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.