Tag: Announcement of Seven Bowl Judgments

Revelation at a Glance – Day 36

On By KateIn Devotionals, Revelation at a GlanceLeave a comment

Rev 16:1-11  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.  (2)  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.  (3)  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.  (4)  And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.  (5)  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.  (6)  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.  (7)  And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.  (8)  And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.  (9)  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.  (10)  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,  (11)  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

It’s another beautiful day when Christ sits on the throne of your heart! If you are on your own throne, you are the one ruling your life and that means you are not submissive to the will of God, amen? Allowing God to rule in every area of your life is a continual, daily work in progress, I must admit. Yes, it is work. It takes dedication and a desire to give up our worldly desires and allow the Lord to replace those with His desires! It is then that you find sin less enticing and Christ’s love more enticing! The Christian is not sinless – but the Christian does sin less as he grows in Christ. This is the reason why I am so fervent in spreading the end time events and the Bible’s warnings about them. I want to put fire under you to give a spark your spirit! The Holy Spirit of God came down on the disciples as cloven tongues like as a fire (Acts 2:3). I find it interesting that God chose this phrase to describe the Holy Spirit’s appearance, don’t you? He puts a fire in our heart that gives us a love for the Lord like we never had before. Because of that love for Him, we desire to spread the good news about Jesus Christ and His salvation. If you’ve lost your flame and it is now just glowing embers, I pray that this blog will rekindle that fire and set it ablaze for the cause of Christ!

So on we go with our series on Revelation; we are entering the judgments of the Seven Vials of God’s Great Wrath. As you will see, these come quickly and some of the judgments are simultaneous with the others, as it is revealed to us with the first and fifth vials. Let’s unwrap each vial to see what’s in store for those remaining on earth:

  1. First vial – Ugly and painful sores break out on all who have the mark of the beast. We see later during the fifth vial that the pain from these sores was severe – so severe that the people literally chewed their tongues for pain! Can you think of a time when you were in that much pain? Moses performed a similar miracle with the sixth plague of boils in Exodus 9:8-12. However, during the Tribulation, all those who have the mark of the Beast (the Antichrist) will have these sores! Their sores will not be healed nor will they ever get saved. Revelation 19:20 plainly states that these people will be cast into the Lake of Fire. So who will repent then if they are all going to Hell? There will be unsaved people who will choose not to take the mark of the Beast. They will be people who recognize the Antichrist as a dictator and do not want to support him. These are the ones whose eyes will be opened concerning the Beast during the time where people are forced to take his mark.
  2. Second vial – The sea turns into blood and every living thing in the sea dies! I’m hypersensitive to smells so I can just imagine the stench as a result! We touched upon this on Day 21 and the consequences arising from this type of event. The exception to this plague is that now all the creatures in the seas will die, not just a third as we saw during the Second Trumpet! Now the whole world will be smelling the stench of death in its oceans. Not only this, but the whole world will be suffering from the repercussions of the loss of sea life, both in consumption as well as economically. No longer will fishermen have a job. No longer will merchants bring fish to market. Just as we saw a similar plague in Exodus 7:14-24, the Nile was the source of life for the Egyptians – it was one of their gods. But our God makes it clear that He is the source of life. Again, even so during the Tribulation, people will not see their need for God.
  3. Third vial – Rivers and streams become blood (fresh water) and drinking water will be polluted! Day 22 had the same plague but only one third of the fresh water was struck; that is not the case here. Now all the fresh waters on earth would be destroyed! No more fresh water fish; no more drinking water for the animals; no more fresh water seeping into the ground to nourish plants and trees living nearby. To top it off, no more drinking water! I find it interesting that Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water as well as Jer 17:13  O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. We also see that the Apostle John records in John 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. As well as John 4:11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? And lastly, John says in John 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Why does God do this? We read the answer in verse 6: “They have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. Some will surely claim that God is not fair but verse 6 says they are worthy of this punishment; and verse 7 tells us that “true and righteous are thy judgments”! God would not punish a person if that person’s heart was right with Him. But the sin of rebellion in God’s eyes is like the sin of witchcraft, which He condemns! (1Sam 15:23, 2Chron 33:6 [speaking of Manasseh], and Gal 5:19-21)
  4. Fourth vial – People will be scorched by the intense heat from the sun and blaspheme God because of it and still will not repent! We know the heat comes from the sun because this angel poured his vial upon the sun. It is quite possible that our ozone layer will thin out by then and, as a result, the sun’s rays will be more intense. Whatever the case may be, the end result is that people will get the worse sun burn they’ve ever had. The Greek word καυματίζω kaumatizo means “to burn up.” Could it be that those located closer to the equator will literally be burned up? Or is it possible that the sun is so intense that the sun burn’s effects are like being burned with fire? Infection sets into the burned skin and people will die as a result. I have a friend who was in the hospital for a long time because she played with matches. She received 4th degree burns on her arm and it took months of care and fighting against infections. Either way you look at this judgment, people’s skin will be hurting and burning. I’m sure my friend can relate to the pain these people will suffer. I’m thankful that the Lord used her to lead me to Him! As vain as people have become today in the year 2022, think how much more vain they will be during the Tribulation when sin abounds! Their vanity will diminish when they have sores and burnt skin. Not to be funny, but I’m sure selfies will not be as popular during those days.
  5. Fifth vial – Darkness comes on the seat of the Antichrist and his kingdom will be full of darkness. The Bible says that they will gnaw at their tongues for pain. The Greek work is: μασσάομαι masaomai which means: bite, gnaw or chew. I find that unusual, don’t you? I’ve been in pain because of childbirth but I have never chewed my own tongue! Surely this pain is more than I can imagine! To top it all, they blasphemed God for their pains and their sores. Evidently, the sores from the first vial are still with them! Therefore, we can assume that these judgments are not only quick but they overlap each other! Moses’ ninth plague was very similar to the darkness which will come during this vial. (Exodus 10:21-23) This was the last plague before death came to the Egyptians’ doors! What saved the Israelites from experiencing the same thing? They painted their doorposts with the blood of a lamb. If the angel of death saw the blood, he would pass over the house. This is the whole purpose of Passover! What a beautiful picture of Christ’s blood covering us! \o/ What’s to save those Christians during the Tribulation? Prior to salvation, the human heart is in darkness but these saints are marked with a seal of God and not that of the Antichrist! Should they be put to death, they are home with the Lord. If they survive the Tribulation, they will see the glorious appearance of the Lord’s Second Coming! Their Saviour’s blood covers them and they will not see the second death!

We will cover the Sixth Vial in our next post as it introduces the Battle of Armageddon. These last judgments are absolutely horrifying! I get goosebumps when I read this. I’m so thankful that I won’t be here to experience them! Aren’t you? Can you say the same, reader? Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 35

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Rev 15:1-8  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.  (2)  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.  (3)  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.  (4)  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.  (5)  And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:  (6)  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.  (7)  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.  (8)  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.

Have you ever wondered just how much worse it can get before the Tribulation begins? Good morning, reader! I know this thought has crossed my mind countless times. I’ve believed we were in the end times since 1980! So much the more do I believe that now. Actually, reader, if you are born again and looking forward to the Lord’s coming for us in the clouds to rapture us away, then you know for yourself that we are close! You have to know if you are reading the Bible at all.

Daniel 9:27 tells us that the Antichrist will sign a covenant with Israel for one week (which is seven years). In order for him to do this, logically speaking, it would mean that there must be war prior to the signing. Today, we are actually seeing and hearing about wars and rumors of wars with Russia and Ukraine. This may very well be the time where countries will come together to create a war which will culminate into the great war of Armageddon!

Today’s post deals with Revelation Chapter 15 and we see that it is a “preview” of Chapter 16. It is an introduction to the seven Vial Judgments. These particular events occur in Heaven and the Apostle John sees seven angels who have the seven last plagues, which have God’s wrath filled in them. Did you know that the number seven is used eight times in this chapter alone?! As you know, the number seven signifies completion or perfection. The Greek term for “completion” is the same as the term in John 19:30 when Jesus says “It is finished:”! Yes, the sacrificial lamb of the Law was no longer needed as this sacrifice was pointing to the Perfect sacrifice to come. The Perfect Lamb’s shed blood was not only perfect but complete … ONCE for ALL for the forgiveness of sin. From that point, no more daily sacrifices at the altar were needed nor are they needed today! That includes the “sacrifice” of the Catholic mass is needed to be offered in order for sins to be forgiven. Jesus paid it all! All we have to do now is to rejoice that we have salvation through Him and through His sacrifice on the cross! Praise the Lord!

Next we read in Revelation 15:2-3 that John sees a sea of glass mingled with fire. When the word “sea” is used in Scripture, it sometimes refers to the sea of humanity; this is what is meant here. This sea of humanity has victory over the beast but have lost their lives for the Gospel! These are Christians from all over singing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Exodus 15:1-21). What a beautiful song it is indeed! In Revelation 15:3-4, we read that this song is about God’s marvellous works, His just and true ways and His worth: He is holy for all nations and His salvation is for all!

In this exciting chapter, we see in verses 5-7 that the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony was opened in Heaven. The seven angels come out of this temple and they were given the last seven golden vials full of God’s wrath. (On a side note, did you know that there are seven golden vials in the Temple for the Jewish priests? I find that interesting 😊.) No one will enter the temple until these seven plagues are fulfilled.

Our next post will reveal these last seven plagues which will be unleashed upon the earth. I’m so thankful that I will not be a part of this. Can you say the same, reader? Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 12

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Rev 5:1-14  And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.  (2)  And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?  (3)  And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.  (4)  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.  (5)  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.  (6)  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.  (7)  And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.  (8)  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.  (9)  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;  (10)  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.  (11)  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;  (12)  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.  (13)  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.  (14)  And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Good morning, reader! Every day brings with it a moment that excites my spirit! If it’s not during my morning devotions with the Lord, it’s through prayer time! These moments remind me that this is a glorious day and we are one day closer to the Rapture of the Church by our Wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!!! King Jesus will reign forever more! What a day that will be!!

We are in the last chapter of Revelation before God’s judgments are unleashed upon a sinful and rejecting world. If you don’t think we are in the end times, let me refresh your memory as you read the following verses and compare it to today’s events. There’s no other time in history that can capture these sins in the severity with which they occur today:

2 Ti 3:1-7  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves (selfies and videos posted on social media – people in love with their own image), covetous (wanting what others want – paying thousands of dollars for sneakers and cell phones), boasters (proclaiming their own “goodness” and tooting their own horn – behaving in an extravagant way in order to attract attention), proud (not willing to be meek – having a high opinion of oneself), blasphemers (cursing and filthy conversations; blaspheming God and using His Name irreverently ), disobedient to parents (kids rule the home today and get whatever they want), unthankful (ungrateful for what they have), unholy (anything opposite of righteous living – people actually brag about their unholy acts),  (3)  Without natural affection (not loving their own flesh and blood – women having abortions because it’s not convenient for them; children not loving their parents but rebellious), trucebreakers (marriages dissolving and families failing; people make promises to others but never intend on fulfilling that promise), false accusers (lying against one another and trying to ruin someone’s character), incontinent (cannot contain their sinfulness, no self control; they can’t control their appetites, such as with alcohol, drugs or sex), fierce (savage toward others – think of the knockout game and the rebelliousness of people during riots; they are wild and impetuous), despisers of those that are good (persecution in China and other countries toward Christians, people in your own family hate you for being a Christian who wants to live a righteous life; people who do love what is good and wholesome are radically bad),  (4)  Traitors (people who betray others, even in their own families), heady (recklessly jumping the gun without thinking, headstrong and inconsiderate), highminded (thinking they’re better than others, self righteous), lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God (selfish pleasures take priority over spiritual matters; lovers of the flesh rather than of God);  (5)  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof (appear to be spiritual but aren’t; I was raised in such a church – we prayed the rosary over and over but never loved God or His Word): from such turn away.  

Wow … just … wow! You can see that we are most certainly living in the end times and what is about to happen in the remaining chapters could include you if you are not saved. Submit yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ and accept that He is the only true Saviour of the world. (John 14:6)

At this point in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the words “church and churches” are no longer mentioned. These word(s) won’t be found until the very last chapter of Revelation! If you will notice as you read chapter 5, a barrage of magnificent sights and sounds hit John; he has never seen or heard these things in his life! Let’s also take note that the Scriptures do not show that John is fearful. Why? He’s not because he is safe in Heaven being protected by God Himself!

The chapter opens with John witnessing a “book” in the right hand of God the Father, which had the seven seals. Strong’s Concordance gives us the Greek word used for book:

βιβλίον
biblion
bib-lee’-on
A diminutive of G976; a roll: – bill, book, scroll, writing.

This particular scroll had seven seals (like the wax seals in the picture above). Seven seals will bring forth God’s perfect, righteous and complete judgment on a sinful world.

A strong angel loudly speaks up asking Who is worthy to open the book and to unseal the seals!!! We see that no man in Heaven, earth or under the earth was able to! The scroll has judgments for earth and those who dwell on it. There is no other Judge who is qualified to open these seals and John begins to cry because no one is worthy. An elder speaks up and tells him that the Lion of the tribe of Juda and the Root of David is able! Now we behold Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and our King of Kings making His entrance! Only HE is able to cast judgment on the sinful earth. (2 Corinthians 5:10) The Lamb is Jesus’ favorite title for Himself and is used 29 times just in this Book! He is the perfect Passover Lamb for Jews and Gentiles alike! He is a direct descendent of Boaz and Ruth: Boaz was a Jew and Ruth was a Moabitess! Do you know what the Moabites were famous for? They are descendents of the incestuous act between Lot and his daughters! Can you see the God’s redemptive plan for all mankind in this? Furthermore, if Jesus had not shed His blood and risen from the dead, we would not even be reading this book!

Let’s move on. Verse 6 tells us that the Lamb stood in their midst as it had been slain; this bears the marks of His crucifixion. It further describes the Lamb as having seven horns, seven eyes, and seven Spirits of God. The number seven in Scriptures means perfection and completion; and the horns are indicative of authority. Jesus appears with perfect authority, perfect knowledge, and perfect Spirit! John describes this beautifully, in my opinion. There is no imperfection whatsoever in God – He is holy and Almighty – He is omnipotent! Jesus takes the book out of the right hand of the Father and everyone falls down before Him with harps and the vials of odours, which the Scripture explains are the prayers of the Saints. Isn’t it wonderful that all prayers ever prayed by the saints are recorded in Heaven? Praise Him!

A lot happens in Revelation 5:8-14. The twenty-four elders sing a new song, angels are singing, all creation sings, and the cherubim say Amen! Picture, if you will, as if it is a chorus and orchestra!!! First a few are singing, then more join in; building into a beautiful worship service to the Lamb of God! All are worshipping the Lord! I always think about Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus at this point. I know I’ve said this before but it sure is apropos right here! I get so excited in my spirit when this song is sung! It is divinely inspired, for sure! I’m a walking goose bump right now! 🤗

Next, the cherubim’s final Amen occurs. It’s like the final curtain call and afterwards the wrath of God will be unleashed on earth. Both the earth itself and the people will undergo God’s great wrath. This parenthetical time between the Rapture and the beginning of the judgments will end and there’s no turning back. Praise the Lord that we, the Bride, will be safe in Heaven, protected by the Lord, our Groom, from the horrific judgments about to give way! Again, I cannot stress enough that Jesus said it would be as the days of Noah! (Matthew 24:37-39) Just as God protected Noah and his family from the world-wide flood, so will He protect His church. As well, just as Lot and his family were taken out of Sodom and Gomorrah before they were totally destroyed, so will God protect His Bride.

Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!