THE
INTERVAL BETWEEN THE "SIXTH" AND "SEVENTH" VIALS.
THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS.
Revelation 16:13-16.
"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' (Demons), 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'
(Armageddon). 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." |
Here we are told how the
"Kings of the Earth" and their armies are to be gathered for
the "Battle of Armageddon." "THREE UNCLEAN SPIRITS" like
frogs, John does not say they were frogs, will come one out
of the mouth of the "Dragon," one out of the mouth of the
"Beast," and one out of the mouth of the "False Prophet."
That they are not real frogs is clear from their miracle
working power. They are the "SPIRITS OF DEMONS," 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." They are the "Seducing Spirits"
who go forth preaching the "DOCTRINE OF DEVILS" in the
"latter times" of whom Paul warns Timothy. 1. Tim. 4:1. They
are sent out by the "SATANIC TRINITY," the "Dragon," the
"Beast," and the "False Prophet," on a miracle working
ministry.
They are "frog-like" in that
they come forth out of the pestiferous quagmires of
darkness, do their devilish work in the evening shadows of
"Man's Day," and creep, and croak, and defile, and fill the
ears of the nations with their noisy demonstrations, until
they set the kings and armies of the nations in enthusiastic
commotion and movement toward the Holy Land to crush out the
effort to establish the Kingdom of Christ on earth. We have
an illustration of their method and purpose in the story of
the destruction of King Ahab. 1. Kings 22:20-38.
The power of a delusive and
enthusiastic sentiment, however engendered, to lead to
destruction great hosts of men is seen in the Crusades to
recover the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. If a religious
fanaticism could, at 9 different times, cause hundreds of
thousands of religious devotees to undergo unspeakable
hardships for a religious purpose, what will not the miracle
working wonders of the "FROG-LIKE DEMONS" of the last days
of this Dispensation not be able to do in arousing whole
nations, and creating vast armies to march in all directions
from all countries, headed by their Kings, for the purpose
of preventing the establishment of the Kingdom of the King
of Kings in His own Land of Palestine?
SEVENTH VIAL.
(Great Hail.)
Revelation 16:17-21.
"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 (Jerusalem) 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 (they will be
leveled). And there fell upon men a GREAT HAIL out
of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent:
and men blasphemed God because of the Plague of the
Hail; for the Plague thereof was exceeding great." |
It is worthy of note that at
the breaking of the "Seventh SEAL," and the sounding of the
"Seventh TRUMPET," and the pouring out of the "Seventh
VIAL," that the same things occur. That is, voices and
thunderings are heard, great lightning is seen, and there is
a GREAT EARTHQUAKE. And at the sounding of the "Seventh
TRUMPET," and the pouring out of the "Seventh VIAL" there is
a GREAT HAIL STORM. This only confirms what has been already
stated that the "SEVENTH SEAL" includes the 'Trumpets" and
"Vials," and that the "SEVENTH TRUMPET" includes the
"Vials," and that what happens during the "Seventh SEAL,"
and the "Seventh TRUMPET," and the "Seventh VIAL," all
refers to the same period, the "END OF THE WEEK." In other
words, the opening of the "Seventh SEAL" reveals the events
that are about to happen; the blast of the "Seventh TRUMPET"
announces the events as forth-coming, and the outpouring of
the "Seventh VIAL" executes them.
When the "Seventh SEAL" was
broken there was "SILENCE" in Heaven, but when the "Seventh
TRUMPET" sounded, and the "Seventh VIAL" was poured out
there were "GREAT VOICES" in Heaven. The "Great Voice" at
the pouring out of the "Seventh Vial" was from the Throne,
and cried--"IT IS DONE." When Christ expired on the Cross He
cried--"IT IS FINISHED," that is, the way and plan of
Salvation was complete, and this voice from the Throne that
cries "IT IS DONE" may be His voice, announcing that the
pouring out of the "Seventh Vial" finishes the wrath of God.
The "Great Earthquake" that
follows will be the greatest that this world has ever seen.
It is foretold in Zech. 14:4-5. So great will it be, that it
will level the mountains, and destroy islands, and so change
the contour and shape of the Land of Palestine and the
surrounding countries and seas, as to make new maps of that
part of the world necessary; and it will raise the Dead Sea
so that its waters shall flow again into the Red Sea. Ez.
47:1-12. It will divide the "Great City" (Jerusalem) into 3
parts, and the cities of the Nations (the "Ten Federated
Nations"), and "GREAT BABYLON," whose destruction is
described in chapter eighteen, will be destroyed in that
"Great Earthquake." This reference to the "City of Babylon"
is further incidental proof that the City of Babylon is to
be rebuilt. Among the cities destroyed in that Earthquake
will be Rome, Naples, London, Paris, and Constantinople.
At that time there will fall
upon men a "GREAT HAIL." Each stone will weigh about a
Talent, or 100 pounds. Here we have a repetition of the
"SEVENTH EGYPTIAN PLAGUE." Ex. 9:13-35. Hail has been one of
God's engines of destruction. He used it to discomfit the
enemies of Israel at Beth-horon in the days of Joshua. Josh.
10:11. The "Law" required that the "Blasphemer" should be
"STONED TO DEATH" (Lev. 24:16), and here these Blasphemers
of the "End Time" shall be STONED FROM HEAVEN.
It must not be forgotten that
the "Seventh Vial" covers the whole period from the time the
"Seventh Angel" pours out its contents until Christ returns
to the Mount of Olives. For the earthquake that splits the
Mount of Olives, upheaves the land of Palestine, levels
mountains, submerges islands, and destroys the cities of the
Nations, along with the City of Babylon, is caused by the
touch of Christ's feet on the Mount of Olives at the
Revelation stage of His Second Coming (Zech. 14:4), and the
"Great Hail" in all probability will not fall until the time
comes in the crisis of the Battle of Armageddon for the
destruction of the Allied armies of Antichrist. Hailstones
will be the missiles used by the Armies of Heaven.
In Rev. 19:15, we are told
that out of the mouth of Christ, at His return, will go a
"SHARP SWORD," that with it He should smite the nations, and
in 2 Thess. 2:8, we are told that Antichrist (that WICKED),
shall be consumed by the "SPIRIT OF THE LORD'S MOUTH."
Whether we take these statements as literal or not, it is
clear that they stand for some supernatural means of
destruction, and refer more to the followers of Antichrist,
than to Antichrist himself, for he personally is not to be
destroyed, but is to be cast ALIVE into the "Lake of Fire."
Rev. 19:20.
As the pouring out of the
"Seventh Vial" finishes the "Wrath of God," it is in harmony
with the purposes of the Book of Revelation to foretell at
this point what will then happen to the enemies of God.
These we will now examine under the heading the "Seven
Dooms."
The Seals, Trumpets And Vials Compared
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