END OF TIME PROPHECIES 184

The seventh vial.                 

"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 great 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 hale out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent, and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hale; for the plague thereof was exceeding great."                                                               Revelation 16v17-21

The final scene is set from the very beginning of the pouring of the seventh vial.   The voice of God is heard to say  "IT IS DONE"   God will now destroy the world that has risen against Him.   The vial is poured out into the air.   It is rather interesting in the modern world that the air waves are being used for the propaganda of anti- God teachings.   It is believed that even in the present day technology is in the hands of the super powers who can at will paralyse the electronic systems of the world.  If men can place laser beams at the height of the jet stream and bring to nothing with one impulse another nations system, what can almighty God do?

The corruption of the air will disturb the laws of physics and will unbalance the three main power sources of the earth; namely nuclear power, electro magnetic power, and the force of gravity.  All of these will be disturbed and will trigger worldwide disintegration.   The extent of this is staggering.

• "The great city was divided into three parts.   Since this is distinguished from Babylon, I believe this to be Jerusalem.   God will re-arrange Jerusalem into three distinct areas.   This will be the result of a mighty earthquake on a scale never seen before.  
• "The cities of the nations fell."    There being no limitation suggested we can only assume that this means every city of every nation on earth will fall because of the magnitude of this earthquake.   Cities represent the pride of man and in the main have become havens for the practice of all kinds of evil and rebellion against God.   Just like He brought down the tower of Babel so He will bring down every city in the world at one in the same time!  
• "Great Babylon came in remembrance before God."   This is one of the main reasons that I believe that Babylon will be rebuilt as a city and will become pivotal in the future world.  This fall of Babylon is recorded in Isaiah 13 and in Revelation chapter 17&18.      We will expand the details of this later.
• "Every island fled away."     We have all seen recently the effect of  underwater earthquakes that produced tsunamis, obliterating whole islands.   It is not inconceivable that during an earthquake on this scale every island in the world will disappear.
•   "The mountains were not found."   This would involve a cataclysmic disturbance of the tectonic plates of the earth, but in many scriptures it is clearly stated that this will happen.   What we have here is a demonstration of power beyond the ability of human kind.   God is changing the topography of the earth in readiness for the return of His Son from heaven.  
• "And there fell upon men the great hail out of heaven."    Hailstones weighing about a talent in weight (100 - 120lbs each).  

From under the earth in massive earthquakes and from above the earth in massive hailstones the Lord brings to an end the world of rebellion (Psalm 46v8-9) records "Come behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He hath made in the earth.   He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.   Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."   The prophet Isaiah recorded in chapter 28v17  "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place."   The severity of the judgment is beyond understanding, but it is recorded for our learning. 

Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly

END OF TIME PROPHECIES 183

The end is nigh

No longer any restraint, no more delay, no more call to repentance; the solemn outpouring of the vials of wrath proceed to their bitter end.    There is much activity; we see the following:

• Unusual human activity.     The great river Euphrates which has been flowing from the very beginning of man's existence, is suddenly dried up.   The wonder of such a miracle should not be underestimated.      The God who can vary the intensity of the sun, can dry up rivers at will.   This is a river which has regularly burst its banks and provided water for growth over many miles and many years.   For some reason it would appear that warfare is going to return to man- to- man combat as in the past.   Perhaps this is because the entire electronic system of the world empire has been destroyed.   In chapter 9v14-16 there is mention of an army of two hundred million horsemen.   The likelihood is in chapter 9 that this number refers to demon spirits, but since demonic activity is usually replicated in human activity on earth it could be there is a vast army gathering for an assault on Israel.   Never has the world seen such an army and it would appear they are under the direction of the kings of the east.   Perhaps they are taking advantage of the weakness of the western powers, due to divine judgment.   If we read the prophetic scriptures aright we would deduce by this time the northern and southern kingdoms are all but neutralised.  
• Desperate demonic activity.     Surely by now the devil is running out of ideas and what happens next amounts to a last gasp attempt to salvage some respectability for their kingdom.   John sees three unclean spirits like frogs leaping from the mouth of the dragon and the beast and the false prophet.   These represent the last attack of the unholy trinity on the kingdom of God.   They are defined as the spirits of demons working miracles and they go forth to the kings of the earth and the inhabitants of the whole world to gather them together to battle.   Psalm 2 has a comment on this "why do the nations tumultuously assemble (RV) and the people imagine a vain thing?    The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed."   Notice very clearly here the kings and rulers of the world, and the common people of the world are under the control of demon spirits, and will do whatever they suggest, no matter how foolish.  
• Sovereign divine activity.     All the while when men think they are doing their will, and demons think they are controlling men, the truth is that the sovereign Lord is controlling them all.   Who dried up the Euphrates?   Answer, the Lord.   Why did He dry it up?   To prepare the way of the great army.   Who used the demon spirits to persuade everyone to gather in one place against his people Israel.   The answer is clear in verse 14.   God will gather together all rebels for the battle of the great day of God Almighty.   All the future affecting the world is known, even the name of the place where it will happen............Armageddon.   Consider the following scriptures Psalm 2v4-5  "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.   Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath and vex them in His sore displeasure."   Joel chapter 3v2  "I will also gather all nations and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat    Joel3v12-14  "Let the nations be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the nations roundabout........for their wickedness is great.   Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision' for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision."   Zechariah 14v2-3  "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle ......then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle."   The combination of human military might inspired by demonic power and ingenuity will only result in God fulfilling his word which he has stated for long ages now." Like lambs to the slaughter, He will draw them together for the final assault.

At this time he interjects a warning to his beloved people, and a reminder that he is coming soon.   The appeal is for them even in times like this to watch and walk with dignity and keep the faith.  

Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly

END OF TIME PROPHECIES 182

The sixth vial                                           Revelation 16v12-16.

"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."

We first of all have to consider the terms of reference.

• The river Euphrates.     -     This river has played a pivotal role in the history of the world. It appears twenty one times in scripture and is first mentioned in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2v14).   The last mention is here in (Revelation 16v12), so it features in the bible from beginning to end.   It is called "the great river" in many portions of scripture.   It is great because of its size, being approximately eighteen hundred miles long, beginning at the foot of Mount Ararat and ending in the Persian Gulf.   It is also great because of its associations in scripture in the divine purposes; it is a key river in the history of the world.   It is generally considered to be the division between east and west.   It is defined as the northern border of the land given to Israel through Abraham.   Solomon's kingdom briefly stretched as far as this river (1st Kings 4v21; see also Deuteronomy 1v7; and Genesis 15v18).   It appears twice in the book of the revelation, here and in chapter 9v14 and is the area around which the end of the world as we know it will take place.   The importance of this river in Holy Scripture can be seen in reading the following; Deuteronomy 11v24; Joshua 1v4; 2nd Samuel 8v3; 2nd Kings 23v29; 1st Chronicles 18v3; Jeremiah 13v4-7; Jeremiah 46v10 & Jeremiah 51v63.  
• The kings of the East.     -     This is the first and only time the kings of the East are mentioned in Holy Scripture.   The expression can be rendered the "kings from the lands of the rising sun".   In strict geographical terms this would mean all kingdoms east of the river Euphrates.   The fact that they have never been mentioned before suggests they have been in the background of world history hitherto.   There is mention in Daniel of "the kings of the north"  and  "the kings of the south" (Daniel chapter 11 also Jeremiah 26).   It is universally accepted that the kingdom of the beast is a predominantly western alliance and so the emergence of the kings of the east in these end times is very significant.   In modern times the countries involved may be Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Burma, and countries in this area of the world.   None of these have so far been involved greatly in world events, the Japanese were involved in World War 2, but because of Hiroshima, and the happenings there, they vowed they would never again in their language  "awaken the sleeping bear."   However, as we shall see, in the end times things will change.  
•  Armageddon.     -     Armageddon refers to both a place and a principle.   The actual place is the valley of Megiddo in Northern Israel.   This is an extremely flat plane some twenty miles long by fourteen miles wide but would not be large enough to contain a world gathering of super powers in terms of military personnel, so Armageddon is simply typical of a number of places where this final battle will be fought.   A comparison with other scriptures would reveal that the actual extent of the battlefield is two hundred miles long and would extend from south of Edom as far as the Euphrates river.   Armageddon is "Har -Megiddo"   known as the mountain of a great multitude or the mountain of slaughter.   This war to end all wars is described as Armageddon because it was in the valley of Megiddo that many fierce battles have taken place;  in Judges chapter 4 in connection with Barak and the Canaanites and in Judges chapter 7 in connection with the Midianites.   Also King Saul and King Josiah lost their lives in the valley of Megiddo.  Not only does Armageddon refer to many places it will also involve many end time battles as Isaiah chapter 63, Joel chapter 3, Zechariah chapter 14 would indicate. Armageddon will bring the world as we know it to an end, but it will be the most one sided war ever.  It will be the ultimate show of man's pride and hatred and tendency to violence, and therefore exposure of the true nature of sin involving all nations on earth.

Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly

   

END OF TIME PROPHECIES 181

The fifth vial.                                                  Revelation 16v10-11.

"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."

The seat of the beast is better rendered  "throne" ;  the fifth trumpet and the fifth vial have to do with darkness, as also with the ninth plague in Egypt recorded in (Exodus 10v21-23).   History repeats itself; the passage of time still finds man in rebellion; it also finds God with the same attitude to such rebellion.   Surely by this time man has learned that God will judge sin again and again.   We considered the outpouring of this vial in three ways.

• The throne of the beast.     -     This throne obviously refers to a particular place.   Much speculation has there been, as to whether this place is Rome, or Jerusalem, or even a rebuilt Babylon.   No light is shed on this except to understand from (Revelation 13v2) that it was the dragon who gave him his power and his throne and his great authority.   Every empire has a headquarters from which they operate.   It is a well known ploy by those engage in warfare to target the head of the opposing army and his headquarters.   This is what God is doing here.   We must also bear in mind that the beast is  both a man and also an empire, such an empire that covered much of the entire world.   Thus the darkness that was brought upon the throne of the beast affected his headquarters of operations and pervaded throughout his entire kingdom. There is no need to see this darkness as anything other than physical darkness, because it follows on the previous vial where the intensity of the sun was multiplied.   The only escape from the scorching sun would be inside buildings or in underground chambers and such like, into which God now introduces darkness.   We well know that the present world runs on light produced by electronic means, thus the picture here is indeed very solemn.   God has withdrawn everything that makes up light from the beast and his empire.   He can no longer function.  God has paralyzed most of their operations, and where they can operate it is only with great difficulty. 
• This darkness produced physical pain.     -     "They gnawed their tongues for pain."  Much attention is paid in scripture to the words of the beast particularly in the book of Daniel where the remark is made constantly that he had "a mouth speaking great things." (Daniel 7v8, v11,v20,v25).   No doubt those who followed him were very vocal and there was a constant propagation of his ways across the whole world .   It is almost as if God is saying you have been very busy with your tongues, I will give you something else to do with them.   The darkness described here is such that causes physical pain.   In (Exodus 10v2)1 it was described as thick darkness.   The epistle of Jude in verse 13 speaks of "the blackness of darkness."   This is darkness that could be felt and produce intense pain.   Those who work in mines deep underground have often experienced such pain.   The scene here is awesome.   On the outside is unbearable heat, on the inside impenetrable darkness!   Jesus spoke of this in a moral sense in (Matthew 6v23) "if therefore the light is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"   The beast, who represents Satan as the angel of light, as the new light of the world, in a world which has rejected the only true light of the world, is now plunged into darkness and all his followers with him.  Their moral darkness has issued in physical darkness. 
• They blasphemed the God of heaven.     -     The expression "the God of heaven" is used much in the book of Daniel to differentiate between the true God and every other God.   By this time it is clear that who is bringing these judgments is none other than the true God against who they have rebelled.   In spite of that clear knowledge, and in spite of their pains and their sores and their suffering, they continue to blaspheme Him and it is repeated in verse 11 that "they repented not."   This must be one of the saddest commentaries on mankind that exists.   This kind of behaviour is verging on insanity.   The bible holds nothing back, it records these things both in the past and into the future for our warning.   The bible just tells it as it is.   At this time there will be no longer any atheists or agnostics yet still man will refuse to honour the God of heaven.

• Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly
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END OF TIME PROPHECIES 180

The fourth vial.                                  Revelation16v8-9. 

"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 blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory."


As with the fourth trumpet, the fourth vial affects the sun; the difference is as follows; in the trumpets the intensity of the sun was reduced by one third, and this situation has existed since then, however long it has been.   In the fourth vial the opposite happens; God increases the intensity of the sun so as to scorch a particular group of men.  There are a number of things to observe here:

• The sovereignty of God over nature.     -     God can vary the temperature of the sun at will!  Scripture records various strange happenings to the sun in its history.   In the days of Joshua, when he was involved in a great battle with his enemies, he requested that the Lord extend the daylight until the battle was done.  Joshua 10v12-13 record "that the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and hasted not to go down about a whole day."   Chapter 10v14  records  "there was no day like that before it or after it."   The prophet Habakkuk records in chapter 3v11   "the sun and the moon stood still in their habitation."   In the days of Hezekiah king of Judea it is recorded that the sun went in reverse!  (Isaiah 38v8)  "behold I will bring again the shadow of the degrees which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward."   (refer also 2nd Kings 20v9-11; 2nd Chronicles 32v31).   In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke it is recorded that at midday (the time when the sun in Israel was at its height) the sun was darkened over the whole land for three hours.   God cast a veil of sheer darkness upon the spectacle of the suffering of His Son at Calvary.   In summary God suspends the sun in the sky for a day, He moves it backward a few degrees, He causes it to refrain from shining at the height of its strength and in the book of Revelation He can decrease or increase its intensity at will.   All readers should immediately bow in the presence of an awesome God.  
• God will bring severe judgment on rebellious people.     -     There is an indication in these verses by the use of the definite article in connection with the word "men" (twice over) that this severe punishment affected only a certain group of people, namely those who had followed the beast.   It says  "power was given to the angel to scorch men with fire."   This is a supernatural occurrence.   The power of God is amazing; we must not miss the implication of this; who would want to defy a God like this?   The prediction of (Isaiah 30v26)  appears to be fulfilled here  " the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun; 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."   The force of this is awesome, God's people have been subjected to gross abuse and God now takes dealings with the abusers.   Just as in the past, in the narrative of Exodus, when only the Egyptians were affected by such judgments, so God will separate His people from this judgment, bringing it only upon His enemies. Can  anyone imagine the sun at seven times intensity? 
• The incurable hardness of the human heart.     -     These severe judgments will have the opposite effect to what we might expect.   There are many who believe today that if only God were to show Himself in all His power, then all men would immediately repent and give Him glory.   What we have here is a picture of the awful hardness of the human heart against the God of heaven.   There is no argument here as to who is bringing the judgment; there is no doubt as to the severity of the judgments but in the face of all that it says they blasphemed God's name, they repented not, they refused to give God the glory.   This surely is one of the most solemn examples of the hardness of the human heart.   These people have gone beyond redemption point.   Some might question that, but the evidence is here.   It is recorded in the bible that people are saved only by God drawing them to Himself, and they in turn responding to that divine invitation(John6v44 with v37).   The phrase has been coined  "the same sun which melts ice, hardens clay."   The apostle Paul recorded in (Romans 2v5) concerning those who refuse the gospel  "after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."   The issue of the hardening of the heart is very solemn.   In the book of Exodus it is recorded that Pharaoh hardened his heart five times over.   It is also recorded that the Lord hardened his heart five times over.   God accepts men decisions, He does not force Himself on anyone, simply reveals the dread consequences. When men harden their own hearts, judicial hardening makes it worse.

Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly

END OF TIME PROPHECIES 179

Divine retribution.                                        Revelation 16 v7               

"And I heard another out of the altar say, even so Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments."  

The text breaks off here, in the midst of judgments, to give heaven's view on what is happening .   This is clearly divine retribution as indicated in verse 6, as much as to say, what they have done ,so will be done unto them; this is the meaning of retribution.   It is simply getting back what we have given out.   The comment that "God is righteous" in judging the world is made three times in the book of Revelation (chapter 16v5, 16v7, & 19v2).   In chapter 15v4 it says at the end of the verse  "for thy righteous judgments are made manifest."   God is going to reveal to the world just what He thinks about sin.   This is not a popular subject with any of us, and we tend to cast it to the back of our minds, but the day is coming when God will judge the world both nationally and individually, and all of heaven will declare that he is right to do so.   His sense of justice is declared of old and is well known in the world today  "an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."  (Exodus 21v24).  

The context here is of the most dreadful judgments on earth that have ever been seen, yet from the very altar of heaven comes the cry "true and righteous are Thy judgments".   There are chapters in this bible which are rarely read and which certainly are never preached. One such chapter would be Psalm 109,  in which there are pronounced about thirty curses upon David's enemies.   These are called "imprecatory prayers" calling down God's justice and vengeance on the on the enemies of His people.  Unpopular as it is, the principle is all over scripture:  "vengeance is mine saith the Lord I will repay." (Hebrews 10v30,  a quotation from Deuteronomy 32v35-36). If God is to bring in righteousness every wrong must be put to right.   The world at large has forgotten that they are accountable to God but the record is there for all to see.   There will be a future judgment on all nations and on all individuals concerning the sins which they have committed.   This is called  "the day of the Lord."   In 2nd Thessalonians 1v6-9 Paul expounds this "seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that no not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ........."  

In the present time when the deeds of a nation or an individual become so bad, God may, (and does), introduce temporal judgments, such as He has done in the past.   Once again we proclaim that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom".   The principle is clearly stated in the Old Testament in (Deuteronomy 19 v20-21); in the New Testament it is clearly stated in (Romans 13v3-4; there is a present control on the sin of man, and, there is a future account to be given for the lives we have lived.   The principles of divine retribution are clearly outlined for us all in Romans 2.   There are in all seven separate individual  features of the righteous judgment of God:

• Romans 2v2     -     The judgment of God will be according to truth; that is it will be according to the facts as God knows them.   He will need no one to testify to Him because he knows all.
• Romans 2v5     -     The judgment of God is according to accumulated guilt.   There are some who take the view that if I am going to be damned I might as well commit as many sins as possible.   This is a folly because every sin will be paid for in the future and the Spirit of God speaks of "treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath." 
• Romans 2v6&7     -     The judgment of God will be according to our works.   No account will be taken of what we intended to do ,but never did.   We will be judged purely on what we did.
• Romans 2v11    -    In the judgment of God there will be no respect of persons.   There will be no account taken of status you had in life.   At the great white throne will stand the small and the great; no one too small to be forgotten, no one to big to be beyond the judgment of God.   
• Romans 2v12&13     -     The judgment of God will be according to the light that we were given.   Thus great privilege of divine light brings greater responsibility.  
• Romans 2v16     -     The judgment of God will be according to the secrets of men.   There will be nothing hidden that will not be revealed.   This goes to the thoughts and intents of the heart, and we will all be exposed as to what we really are.  
• Romans 2v17-29     -     The judgment of God will take no account of any special groups. In this case Jew or Gentile but the principle holds for all groups who think on earth that they are special and will therefore be given preferential treatment. Especially this applies to religious groups in the context of the verses.

Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly

END OF TIME PROPHECIES 178

The second and third vials                          Revelation 16v3-6.    

"And the second angel poured out his vial on the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea.   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 oh Lord, which art, and wast, and shall 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."

In these two vial outpourings, God corrupts the waters of the earth; first the salt waters of the oceans, then the fresh waters of the rivers and the fountains.   These two vials relate to the first plague in Egypt, and the river Nile and its tributaries were turned into blood.   All Egyptians were dependent on the waters of the Nile for their food and for their livelihood, and this was indeed severe judgment.   This plague was a solemn visitation by God on rebellious Egypt.   What we have here is even more solemn, since the judgment is global.   We can hardly imagine such a scene.   No society can do without water, nothing can grow without water, ultimately no one survives without water; and yet here we have the oceans of the world as the blood of a dead man and the rivers and fountains of water all turned to blood.   The earth is bereft of a huge life giving source.  

The sight alone must be revolting; the stench and putrefaction  must be overpowering.   In the judgments of God there is much blood letting.   In chapter 14 we read of "blood up to the horses bridles" (four feet in height), by the space of two hundred miles (chapter 14v20).   Why is God bringing before the world the sight of so much blood?   We go back to the scene of the crucifixion in (Matthew 27v25)   "then answered all the people and said His blood be upon us and on our children."
God is taking mankind at his word.   In (Hebrews chapter 10v29) the writer speaks of those "who have trodden underfoot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified a common thing(KJV margin), and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace."   The world of this future day which has seen the unlawful killing of many of the saints and prophets of God are equally guilty.   The angel of the waters comments on this that the eternal God who created all things and has been despised, despite His constant provision is right to corrupt the waters which He gave to the world.   In verse 6 he gives the reason  "they have shed the blood of saints and prophets;" they wanted blood and God has given them blood to drink.   The principle being underlined here is that of retribution(see next blog).   God will pay back mankind exactly in accordance with their actions.   The principle is all over holy scripture  "whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap."   In Matthew chapter 23  Jesus spoke of the martyrdom of God's people from the very beginning, in verse 25  "that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of the righteous able unto the blood of Zechariah son of Barachias whom you slew between the temple and the altar."   Added to that carnage has been the martyrdom of God's people in the present age.

Readers should note two things which are underlined here.

• All actions are recorded by heaven and will be revisited.
• Retribution will be made like for like, and measure for measure.

God will visit this world with His vengeance and shall cause the killers to drink blood.   This is a pretty grim scene and it is there for our warning.  

Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly

           

END OF TIME PROPHECIES 177

The first vial                                                Revelation 16v2.

"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."

The days are desperate for all mankind.   God has moved out of His temple, and His holiness is now exposed to a sinful world.   Such is the rage and anger of God against man in rebellion that at the end of chapter 15 we saw "the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power."   No one was able to approach, let alone enter the temple of God.   This meant no longer any petition could be made to God on behalf of mankind, no prayer, no intercession; God is not receiving petitions on behalf of men, instead He is intent on pouring out His judgment.   This situation will exist until the seven plagues of the seven angels are fulfilled.   We are not sure of the time scale but this situation will persist at this time.  

There are those who suggest that these seven vials are somewhat similar to the plagues in Egypt.   The first vial relates to the sixth plague.   The second and third vials relates to the first plague.   The fifth vial relates to the ninth plague, the sixth vial to the second plague, and the seventh vial to the seventh plague.   God is simulating His judgment upon Egypt, except it is now on a global scale.   There are others who suggest that the seven vials are a a simulation of the horrors of Calvary such as bodily pain, death, blood letting, scorching heat, darkness, the involvement of all the kings of the earth, and finally the earthquakes.   A deep study of this aspect would reveal that what God is about to pour on the world, He also poured upon His Son on the cross in His anger against sin. Believers should deeply ponder the afflictions of Christ in Psalm 22 and the gospel records.

Whatever the historical connections and partial fulfillment in the past, what is here is the full blown outpouring of God's wrath.   He calls the first affliction  "a noisome and grievous sore upon men"  Noisome because the were screaming with pain; grievous because the affliction was very great.  This is not the first time God has used bodily pain in the exercise of His sovereign government upon humanity.  

• Exodus 9v8-12     -   This is the occasion when God caused boils with blains to brake out on the bodies of all the people of Egypt.   This was something that the magician of Egypt could not replicate.
• Deuteronomy 28v27&35     -    This was the threat of God upon Israel if they broke His law. "The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt and with the emerods and with the scab and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed." again  "the Lord shall smite thee in the knees and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head."  
• Job 2v7     -     Under the permissive will of God Satan was allowed to remove the health from Job and it says  "he smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown."  
• 1st Samuel 5v6     -      When the Philistines took the ark of God into their presence it is recorded  "the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and He destroyed them and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof."

God is capable of inflicting incurable and bodily pain upon human beings whom He has created , He has done it in the past he will do it again.    Notice upon whom He brings this affliction, those who had followed the beast.   Just as in Egypt when only the Egyptians were touched and not the people of Israel, even though the lived amongst them, so God will bring His judgment upon the rebels.   This is a clinical and surgical affliction of bodily pain.   This came upon those who had the mark of the beast (the political arm of the last world empire) and upon them which worshipped his image (the religious arm of the empire).   This is just the first, and six more are to follow apparently in quick succession and with devastating force.   The mercy of God upon rebellious humanity has come to an end. There is no mention of this grievous sore being healed or alleviated.

Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly

END OF TIME PROPHECIES 176

"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."                                           Revelation 16v1

This chapter could be described as "the great chapter" of the bible; it begins with great and ends with great and is great all the way through.   In verse 1 we have a great voice, in verse 9 we have great heat, in verse 12 we have the great river Euphrates, in verse 14 we have the great day of God Almighty, in verse 17 we have another great voice, in verse 18 we have a great earthquake, in verse 19 we have the great city, in verse 19 we have great Babylon, and in verse 21 we have a plague which is described as exceeding great.   It is evident that the Holy Spirit wishes to draw attention to this chapter which brings the curtain down on the entire world system.   At the very heart of this scenario is the expression "the great day of God Almighty."   The patience of God with mankind has been awesome.   His longsuffering is manifest in all of history.   When we consider the scripture expression "God is angry with the wicked every day" the fact He has waited so long for this day is indeed remarkable.   It is nigh on two thousand years since they humbled and mocked and murdered His only Son.   The bible speaks continually of the patient longsuffering of God with sinful man (Romans 2, Romans 9, 2nd Peter 3 and many more); but God's patience is now exhausted and His great day has come when He will finally rid this world of sin and sinners and all rebellion. He will glorify His Son on the earth which dishonoured Him.

The chapter begins with a great voice coming from the temple.   We can be sure that the unidentified voices in the Revelation are the voice of God.   Notice the voice comes from the temple.   Many times in this book we have seen and heard commandments coming from the throne.   This speaks of God's sovereignty.   However, lately the voices have been coming from the temple.   The sovereignty of God is one thing, the holiness of God is yet another and when the temple is thrown open and God confronts sinful man in the undiluted outpouring of His wrath, it is surely something to make everyone of us tremble.   The ominous command is given to the seven angels from the very centre of the presence of God "go your ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth."  Nothing will stand in the way of this onslaught.   When Pharaoh of old was confronted with the unfettered power of God, he said "who is the Lord that I should obey Him?"  Were he here today, he would tell us all exactly who the Lord is.   This Old Testament narrative represented the judgment of God in one nation only; what we have here is that same God bringing His vengeance on the entire world; no one will escape.    The judgments go on from here until we reach the judgment of the great white throne (another great).   From here on, everything is great because it is final.   God will bring to a close human history.

The judgments here of the seven vials are similar to the judgments of the seven trumpets.

• Trumpet 1/vial 1     -     Judgment falls on the earth.
• Trumpet 2/vial 2     -     Judgment falls on the sea.
• Trumpet 3/vial 3     -     Judgment falls on the rivers and fountains of water.
• Trumpet 4/vial 4     -     Judgment falls on the sun.
• Trumpet 5/vial 5     -     Judgment has to do with darkness, but it is a moral darkness; in trumpet 5 we have the fall of Satan and in vial 5 we have the moral darkness of his henchman the beast.
• Trumpet 6/vial 6     -     There is activity around the river Euphrates.
• Trumpet 7/vial 7     -     God occupies the kingdom of Satan and the vial is poured into the air, the sphere of his kingdom, the result of which the entire world system collapses.

Thus there are similarities but there are obvious differences.   Mainly the differences have to do with the scale of things.   In the trumpet judgments only one third of the elements were involved but when we come to the vial judgments, there is no such limit.   "Pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth."   Thus in these vials judgments, all of the earth is engulfed in the wrath of God. 

Amazon bookshelf     George Neilly

END OF TIME PROPHECIES 175

"And  the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.   And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever.   And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.  "
                                                                                                                          Revelation 15v6-8

Attention is now drawn to the seven angels with the seven last plagues as quoted in verse 1.  We will follow the vision in four different stages:

• Where they came from.     The scene is the temple in heaven, the inner sanctuary, that which speaks of the sacred presence of God, untouched by sin, and untarnished by imperfection.   This vision of angels emerging from the holy presence of God to do battle on earth mirrors the story in Joshua 6 when priests of the Lord, bearing the ark of God, walked around the city of Jericho and brought it down.   What happened at Jericho is about to take place on a worldwide scale.   The angels of His presence will now confront the rebellion of the world.   The issue is divine judgment; for long the faithful have cried for God to move against the ungodliness of the world.   The ages old desire in the hearts of God's saints is articulated by Isaiah the prophet in chapter 64v1-2.   "Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence, as when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Thy presence!"   This is about to happen here.  
• How they were dressed.     Attention is drawn to their garb; it is not the dress of war for these angels fear nothing of reprisals from earth; it is the dress of the temple proclaiming the holiness of God to a world who live in rebellion against Him and can do nothing to Him in their defence.   What they wear reflects the character of God .   They are dressed in linen which was the priestly garb and speaks of  righteousness (refer chapter 19v8).   What is about to be enacted is righteous; the holy angels who enact it are righteous.   The linen garb is said to be pure and white.   It is pure in that it is unmixed with any foreign material; there is no hidden agenda with God; it is white, the word is bright, dazzling, splendid.   Their dress speaks of divine excellence.   Their breasts are girded with golden girdles.   The breast speaks of compassion, but this is not any soft human compassion, this is not basic human emotion; any compassion shown is firmly girded with the golden girdle which speaks of God's idea of right and wrong.   This judgment will be according to God's view of our just desserts.   Divine mercy has run its course the day of vengeance has arrived.  
• What they receive.     The seven angels receive from one of the four living creatures, seven golden vials full of the wrath of God.   These vials (or bowls) contain the full strength anger of God in all its unfettered power.    The thought is frightening; seven bowls full of the wrath of God.   There are two words in the Greek for wrath.   There is the word "orge" as in Romans 1v18 which means a settled attitude towards sin which never changes.   The other word "thumos" (which is the word here) means passion, hard breathing, ferocity, indignation.   It carries the idea of "frothing at the mouth."   This is the word used to described Divine rage against humanity.   An illustration of it appears in Ezekiel 38v18   "And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that My fury shall come up in My face."   This anger of God is spoken of in the following scriptures; Psalm 69v24, Psalm 78v49, Isaiah 10v5, 13v5, 26v20, 30v27, 66v14, Jeremiah 10v10, Nahum 1v6, Romans 2v8.
• The effect of this on all of heaven.      The earth has seen the global flood in the days of Noah, the destruction of the cities of the plain.   The rise and fall of many nations and kingdoms, and God's anger against His own chosen people Israel in the sacking of Jerusalem in 70AD; but never has there been witnessed anything like this.   No one was able to enter into the temple during all of this period until the seven plagues were fulfilled.   The reason was that such was the Divine rage with the world that the inner sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from the power of God as He poured His fury on a godless world.  When God is in this mode no one dare come near Him!(Exodus 19v12-13).    
• Amazon bookshelf   George Neilly
  
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