What comes next is going to be the worst things you've ever heard of. So let me do an "assess and re-assess" and prepare us for what comes.
Last time, I connected Babylon the Great with Jerusalem. That may have been a simplistic way of looking at a very complicated Judgment on the world. To the Jews, there are three offices: prophet, priest, and king. For us, Jesus is ALL of them in one. The AntiChrist seems to have taken them on in reverse order. King, through his 'new-Rome' power base in Europe. Priest, in establishing his new world order in a reborn Babylon. And Prophet, through his declaring himself god at the Temple in Jerusalem. So, by now, he has grown past his "Roman" roots, overthrown his three kings, Set up worship of himself- possibly by the 'recording studio' of his image that the False Prophet tends in Jerusalem; while he himself hides in a highly fortified Babylon. Wait, where did I get that? Look here in Daniel:
Dan 11:37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.
Dan 11:38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.
Dan 11:39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.
This will come of great importance when we hit the sixth bowl. But before we get there, John sees another bit of symbolism to explain to what has to be a stunned mortal mind what was to come:
Rev 14:14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Rev 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe."
Rev 14:16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Rev 14:17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe."
Rev 14:19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.
Sorry for such a long chunk of Scripture there, but what it boils down to is this: Jesus is ready for the judgment. The last of the martyrs, whom we saw praising God last time, are harvested; what is left of man (those who are not being supernaturally protected at this point), are to be thrown into the "winepress" of their last days on earth. This winepress is about to be constructed, in the valley of Armageddon.
Back to chapter 15 now, as the seven angels to deliver the last plagues step to the stage. We have not seen such as these before; they have been hidden in the Holiest of Holies in Heaven (15:5-6), and as one of the four living creatures hand off the bowls (which we would call plates, broad and shallow),
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His authority. And no one was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
This is as close as any there had come to the true power, the true wrath, of God Almighty. And it's going to be over the course of one single, terrible day:
Rev 18:7 As much as she has glorified herself and has lived in luxury, so much torment and sorrow give her. For she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow; and I do not see mourning at all.
Rev 18:8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine. And she will be consumed with fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
And in Heaven, the first angel walks to the edge of Heaven and earth...
Rev 16:2 And the first went and poured out his vial on the earth. And a bad and grievous sore fell on the men who had the mark of the beast, and on those who worshiped his image.
Reminiscent of the fifth plague on Egypt, against which the magicians could not stand (Exodus 9); of the curse from Moses should the Israelites not obey the word of God, which could not be healed (Deuteronomy 28); of the boils Satan used against righteous Job, who must have been nodding and saying, "It is well" (Job 2); This almost has to be God saying to wicked man, "Remember these?"
Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial on the sea. And it became like the blood of a dead one, and every living soul died in the sea.
Mind you, this is a world that already has seen a third of its water ruined; not to mention that the Two Witnesses stopped the rain and bloodied more waters (Rev 11:6); now the entire remaining ecosystem is going to be destroyed, the last source of the world's purifying itself gone; the stench must be incredible.
Rev 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial on the rivers and fountains of waters, and they became blood.
No more fresh water. This has now reached a level, even the angels recoiled in horror; but-
Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Righteous is the Lord, who is, and was, and who will be, because You have judged these things,
Rev 16:6 since they have poured out the blood of the saints and prophets; and You gave them blood to drink, for they were deserving.
Rev 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.
But even this is not the end...
Rev 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial onto the sun. And it was given to him to burn men with fire.
Rev 16:9 And men were burned with great heat. And they blasphemed the name of God, He having authority over these plagues. And they did not repent in order to give Him glory.
Note that even then- just hours away from the end- God was giving them chances to repent. Even knowing of a certain, by the word of the Angels from last week, that God Almighty was bringing this on them- they refused His mercy.
Rev 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom became darkened. And they gnawed their tongues from the pain.
Rev 16:11 And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores. And they did not repent of their deeds.
Why was this painful? I don't think it of itself was. You see, there yet remains one force of men on earth who were semi-independent of the AntiChrist, and they are about to be drawn into the picture:
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates. And its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared.
Rev 16:13 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.
Rev 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, working miracles, which go forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that day, the great day of God Almighty.
Now these kings of the Rising Sun had two obstacles between them and the AC's army- and one of them had just been removed. Remember, the AntiChrist claimed to be god; what was left in the world, he had- and the rest of the world, was desperate, crazed enough to come after it. But wait- spirits FROM the AC aren't likely to bid them ATTACK him. Somehow, the Chinese hordes are going to be convinced to rally to the side of the god of men, to fight the God Almighty.
Next time, we'll look at how Isaiah describes the fall of Fortress Babylon the Great.
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