David Pawson - Revelation Seminar Part 4b

For the video of David Pawson On Revelation, visit https://inspirational.org.nz

Thoughtful Thoughts by John Dunning 28.6.24 Rev. 16-18.?

Through mud & blood to the green fields beyond…

Catch-up…

CHAPTER 15; Seven angels with seven plagues?

1-8 Last time we saw that the seven plagues are the wrath of God being poured out.

Seven more plagues provide warnings to man to repent before it’s too late. Warnings are running out. (Compare the warnings God gave to Israel before their exile.)

Introduction to Revelation 16-18…

A quick recap of the Seals and Trumpets… We have to use our minds with Revelation…

The order so far …

A). In Ch. 6, we have the Seals, 1-6, followed by an interval…

B). In Ch. 8 we have the Trumpets, 1-6, followed by an interval…

This time, we arrive at the ‘Bowls’.?

C). Revelation 16:1-21 The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

This time with no more intervals, as all the 7s happen together, in the form of earthquakes that have been left hanging twice already.

CHAPTER 16; Seven bowls of God’s wrath…

The next lot of troubles, are called “Bowls”.

i). The first bowl brings boils on man.

ii). The second bowl turns the sea blood red.

iii). The third bowl turns fresh water blood red.

iv). The fourth bowl brings massive sunburn on mankind.

That is followed by more ‘woes’...

v). The fifth bowl brings a darker darkness to the earth.

vi). The sixth bowl brings “Armageddon”, (v.16). It is still not quite the absolute end as there is one final massive earth-shattering event to come …

vii). The earthquakes that have been left hanging twice, join with the final seventh bowl, in a gigantic worldwide earthquake, the like of which has never been seen before. All the sevens are complete.

A). vii). The seventh ‘Seal’ pause button is released… No more pausing. An? earthquake results.

B). vii). The seventh trumpet pause button is released… No more pausing. A huge earthquake results.

C). vii). The seventh bowl joins in without any pause – in an earth shattering gigantic earthquake.?

As all of the number “sevens” happen at once in one final devastating earthquake, it brings about the end as we know it.

Revelation 17:1-14a The ‘evil one’ does his worst…

At first reading it may seem incomprehensible, but the pictures are explained. It is important to read Revelation 17-18 as we go through them, if you wish to understand it. For example:-

a). The meaning of ‘the waters’ in 17:1 is explained in 17:15, as meaning the people who follow the beast.?

b). The woman in v. 3 is explained in 17:15 & 18 as meaning Babylon. This city of Babylon is the H.Q. of the beast. where people of the earth are supporters of this evil city that murders believers, (v.6.)

c). In v. 3, Babylon, (the woman), gets carried away by addiction to the evil one, (the beast).?

d). Babylon has 7 heads, which is interpreted as representing 7 kings (see v. 10) on 7 mountains, (v. 9). They will be followed by the ultimate evil ruler of the beast, (v.11.)?

e). Babylon also has 10 horns, representing another 10? kings, (v.12).?

f). They each have a short reign whilst serving under the beast who is more like their emperor, (12-13).??

g). They all rebel against the Lamb of God, (v. 14a).?

i). Note that believers in Jesus are still being murdered during this time called the tribulation, we can see that they have not been secretly caught up into heaven before the time of big trouble, (tribulation), as a popular heresy says. This verse proves that believers have NOT been secretly snatched up into heaven as telly evangelists claim! Believers are still being murdered during the time of big trouble, (tribulation).

ii). Note that we see a separation between God’s people who will not serve the evil one, and those who support the evil one: (Cf what happened in Germany in world war two, when most Germans were quite content to go along with Hitler’s Satanic plan of the holocaust. Now imagine the persecution of believers on a global scale.)?

Other notes…

The city John saw is a city as corrupt as Sodom and Gomorrah.?

The beast is behind all the evil. The beast will rule, then disappear from the scene for a time, but reappear as ruler again.?

Those whose names are not in the Book of Life will be impressed by the beast.

Revelation 17:14b–18. It takes just six words to state that all the enemies are defeated. Then the kings of the empire rebel against the H.Q. of the emperor, which is Babylon, (v. 16-18), which they burn down.?

V.14 That just leaves the beast and all his allies to go to war against the Lamb of God.

It takes just one sentence to state that they are simply liquidated by the Lamb. The armies had been so impressed with themselves that they imagined that they could win against God! What were they thinking?! They thought more highly of themselves than they ought! The Lamb of God will cause the kingdom of the evil one to simply topple over.

18:1-24. God has the last word…

In 18:1-3 an angel announces the end of the kingdom of the evil one, like a ‘town-cryer’.?

In 18:4 we see another angel calling for the people of God to come out of the city, to avoid being caught up in the coming judgement, which was a death sentenced: (cf. Sodom & Gomorrah).

From 18:5-24 we see the list of the city’s crimes read out and the judgement made against it before it is razed to the ground.?

SUMMARY

Jesus is saying we should be prepared for it. That means we will expect it and not give up prematurely. It is the start of something new which we will be coming to… but that seems an appropriate place to pause our journey into Revelation. Keep on going on. God is in control. God knows all about the future… and Jesus wins!?

This link takes you to our devotional https://blog.inspirationalmedia.org.nz/

The ‘suffering church.’ https://barnabasfund.org/nz/pray/daily-prayer/#previous-dates

This is the Bible audio for this week’s homily…

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/kjv/Rev.16-Rev.18

Follow the story with us week by week, on www.inspirational.org.nz

This is John Dunning signing off from “Thoughtful Thoughts” for another week.

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