Here is the scenario: After God unmasks the devil in the fifth bowl; the devil’s empire will begin to disintegrate. The religious and political leaders of Babylon will recognize they have been duped into worshiping the devil. Then, the cloud will appear in the sky – the sign of Christ’s return. “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and the nations of the earth will mourn.” (Matthew 24:30, italics mine) When the kings of Earth see the sign in the sky, they will tremble. The devil preys on their anxiety and will invite them to join him in a two-pronged attack. He insists they can kill the remaining saints at the appointed hour and then attack Jesus as He draws near to Earth. (Once again, truth is stranger than fiction.) To convince the kings of Earth that it is their last chance to save themselves from destruction, the devil sends three powerful demons to help persuade them. “They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16:14) When the kings of Earth see the miracle working powers of these three demons, the leaders will be compelled to trust their power and will agree to join forces with the devil. (What chance do they really have?) They will make plans to destroy the people Jesus is coming to save and ultimately to kill Jesus Himself. If you think that is far fetched that men would try to kill God, remember the cross. If you think it is far fetched that angels would war against an omnipotent God, consider Lucifer’s expulsion from Heaven. When sin is allowed to reach its vilest maturity, it will seek to destroy God. Sinners would attempt to kill God (if they could) if pushed to worship Him! This is why God has to completely eliminate sin from His universe. Sin is a cancer from which there is no recovery – except through the “born again” experience.

The battle of Armageddon occurs at the place of God’s choosing – the mountain of God. It will be the last battle of Earth’s final generation. The wicked will see this as their only chance to destroy God. John describes the scene this way: “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘It is done.’ Then there came flashes of lightening, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each feel upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.” (Revelation 16:17-21)

John also describes the behavior of the wicked: “They called…to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:16,17) Paul says Jesus will destroy the physical body of the devil with a single command: “And then the lawless one [ the man of sin] will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8, insertion mine) What a sight this will be – fire falling from Heaven and consuming the physical body of the devil and his angels! Zephaniah says, “Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath. In the fire of his jealously the whole world will be consumed, for he will made a sudden end of all who live in the Earth.” (Zephaniah 1:18) What a dramatic rescue! What an amazing God! What a Savior is Jesus our Lord! What a friend the saints have in Jesus. It is possible that some of Satan’s forces perish on the plain of Megiddo. Perhaps, since one of Satan’s thrones may be located in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45), but remember, Satan will have ten kings fighting against Jesus. These kings will represent all of the nations of the world.

Review

There are several powerful stories in the book of Revelation that have not been addressed in this small study. This study has briefly addressed the seven trumpets and the seven bowls. There is much more. Therefore, I hope you will consider this study to be a first step toward a better understanding of Revelation.

Because the study of Revelation is about the revelation of Jesus Christ and the invitation to worship Him. Reviewing the gospel is necessary because it confronts us with an all or nothing proposition. Before the seventh trumpet sounds, all the inhabitants of earth will either accept or reject the gospel of Jesus. Some people avoid difficult decisions by putting them off into the recesses of consciousness. They say, “I will think about this tomorrow.” However, postponement is really a decision, too. Suppose you are a young man who asked your sweetheart to marry you. Any answer other than “yes” is actually a “no”, isn’t it? The danger with postponement is that it hides our rejection until we are trapped by our own inaction. In the case of the gospel, we must listen and respond to the Holy Spirit promptly or the Spirit may turn away from us. We must be “born again” today and this transformation cannot be accomplished on our own. Only through the ministry of the Holy Spirit can we overcome the rebellion of our carnal nature. Therefore, it is important to remember that there is a limit to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. He will not wrestle with rebellion forever. (Hebrews 3:7-15; 10:26)

If the Holy Spirit has impressed you that this message is important, you need to restudy it carefully for two reasons. First, your understanding will increase 100% the second time you read this study. Details will become clearer and more meaningful. Second, now that you understand the general picture of Revelation, you need to find an interested friend and discus this message. The better we understand God’s word, the stronger our faith will be. Jesus is coming soon. Until the seventh trumpet sounds, the door of mercy is open. Walk through it! “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17)

The Proclamation of the Gospel

The gospel of Jesus Christ will reach every person before Jesus comes. John said, “Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth to every nation, tribe, language and people.” (Revelation 14:6) Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) What gospel will be preached into the entire world before the end of salvation comes? In three sentences, the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ is this: All people have sinned and come short of the glory of God (everyone has violated God’s Ten Commandments at some point in time); therefore, God’s law condemns us to death (the wages of sin is death). The good news is that Jesus took our place on the cross and paid the price for our sins. If we obediently submit to God’s commandments and put our faith in Jesus for salvation, we will be saved. Look at salvation from God’s perspective. Many people honestly live up to all they know to be right and Jesus understands this. In His great mercy, He accepts everyone who is sincere in heart even though they may not know or understand the great truths of the gospel. Jesus does not hold a person responsible for truths he does not know or cannot know. On the contrary, James tells us that sin is held against us when we know better and refuse to do it! “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” (James 4:17) The Lord loves the people of Earth with a love beyond human understanding. He died for every one of us. People who live up to all they know to be right glorify God and He is pleased with them. Peter says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12) Because the devil is extremely intelligent, Satan has cleverly obscured God’s truth from most of the world, but Jesus will soon remove the veil of ignorance that covers the gospel. People who are sincere in heart will rejoice to learn more, and they will embrace the gospel as it reveals more about the will of our Creator and Savior. Thus, a remnant from all religious systems will be gathered into one body under the leadership of King Jesus. Jesus said, “”I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:16)

Therefore, the net effect of the gospel in the last days will be to save and unify all people who hear and respond to the voice of Jesus. Jesus will accomplish this ingathering of His sheep during the 1,260-day time period allotted for the seven trumpets by separating the sheep from the goats over the issue of worship. (Matthew 25:31-46) People will either receive the gospel and through faith, obey the commandments of Jesus or they will reject the gospel and eventually choose the mark of the beast. The controversy over worship will remove all middle ground. A rapid sequence of events, coupled with rigorous laws requiring that people disobey the law of God will push everyone into a decision.

What Must I Do to be Saved?

As we might expect, Satan has a counterfeit gospel. The devil has led many people to believe that salvation comes either through perfect obedience to God (as in human performance) or by intellectual assent to what is true. Satan’s deceptions are very subtle. He has led many evil people to think they are righteous when they are far from it! Nevertheless, the Bible is clear, the righteousness necessary for salvation is not found on Earth! “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’….This righteousness from god comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by the grace through redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:17; 3:22-24) Satan ever leads people astray and away from God. The Pharisees thought they were righteous in God’s sight even though they were not a part of the kingdom of God. Jesus said, “…on the outside you [Pharisees] appear to people righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness…For I tell you unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 23:28, 5:20, insertion mine) The Pharisees were known for their love of self-righteousness. They could not see their own sins but they could see sin in a sinless Jesus. (John 9:16) Isn’t it ironic that religion can lead a person to condemn God and justify self! This is the human dilemma. Religion tends to blind people to their true condition in God’s sight. Given enough time, all religions eventually distort the truth about God – history proves this is the way of mankind.

Yes, God is pleased when we love to do what is right, but contrary to what the Pharisees believed, right doing does not save us! So, how are we saved? We are saved through faith in Jesus. True worship stems from a Spirit given desire to please God. (John 4:23,24) True worship includes doing all that we understand God wants us to do, not to be saved, but to please God! The worship of Jesus Christ is the way to salvation and this is why God’s final test of mankind centers on worship! (John 10:7; 14:6) People who worship God with all their heart, mind and soul are willing to go, to be and to do all that God requires – no holds barred. Jesus has designed the events of the Great Tribulation so that only those who love and trust Him completely will be able to worship Him on His holy day. “The just shall live by faith.” True worshipers worship God in Spirit and in Truth. All who worship God are given the righteousness necessary for salvation and the amazing aspect of this is that salvation is free! (Ephesians 2:8,9)

Jesus said, “…every good tree bears good fruit, a tree cannot bear bad fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17,18) A counterfeit gospel causes sinners to think they are righteous. The carnal heart will say one thing in public, but do evil in secret. Jesus said, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:20,21) Therefore, we must test ourselves from time to time to see if we are in Christ! Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Trust and Obey

James Sammis and Daniel Towner wrote the old gospel hymn, “Trust and Obey.” The words are printed below because they summarize the essence of the gospel of Jesus very well:

• “When we walk with the Lord

• In the light of His Word,

• What a glory He sheds on our way!

• While we do His good will,

• He abides with us still,

• And with all who will trust and obey.

• Trust and obey,

• For there’s no other way

• To be happy in Jesus,

• But to trust and obey.”

It never ceases to amaze me that so many Christians scoff at the suggestion that the Lord will return soon. They see no reason for this warning message. They say, “All things continue as usual – why all the fuss?” Unfortunately, these people have become content in their spiritual poverty. They have put on blinders on and inserted earplugs because they are comfortable and do not want to hear about God’s plan. Many Christians follow religious programming; the entertainment gospel presented by talented singers and presented speakers with clever ideas. They do not want to hear about the cross they will bear during the time of God’s wrath. Before we can wear a crown, we have to carry the cross. Millions of people believe in a pretribulation rapture. Satan has convinced many Christians they are safe from the scenes described in Revelation. This terrible deception is widely accepted because it is so easy to swallow. It is time for Christians to wake up and understand that Revelation will be fulfilled soon! People who truly understand Revelation’s story are not focused on gloom or doom. This may seem strange, but it is true. Instead, they are focused on the greatest and most awesome event in Earth’s history: The revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ during the Great Tribulation and His physical appearing at the Second Coming. We need to know that a testing time, a purifying time is coming, and it precedes the Second Coming. We need to know about the rise of Babylon and the appearing of Satan claiming to be God. We need to know about World War III and Armageddon. In addition, yes, we need to fill our hearts and minds with God’s Word because our faith in God will be fully tested in days to come. We have every reason to be positive about our relationship with Jesus for it is this relationship that fills our hearts with peace and joy. “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:4,5) Believers in Christ have a wonderful opportunity to become over comers for Christ. We carry God’s promises within our heart’s and listen to His voice because we “have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us.” Believers walk by faith, not by sight.

I am often asked how a person should reconcile the nearness of these events with everyday decisions in life. For example, what does a person do about plans for college, marriage, building or buying a new home, the expansion of a business, retirement savings, career requirements? I have found one response for all of these questions: Seek the Lord for wisdom about your personal situation. He has promised to direct us. If we patiently seek answers from Him, God will show us what He wants. (Proverbs 3:5,6) Therefore, learn to live by faith now. Worship the Creator! Keep God’s Sabbath holy. Doing so will provide a whole day each week to study God’s Word. Put your confidence in God and watch what He will do through you and for you. The ultimate test of having a relationship with Jesus is being able to hear His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)