Teachinghearts	The Seven Last Plagues (The Wrath of God) "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Lesson 22: Time: 80 minutes Print: 16 pages

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Lamb	Church	Accepted	Seals	Sealing	Judgment	Remnant	Legal Case	Satan's empire	Warning	Destruction		Rescued
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Revelation 16 Leviticus 26 Deuteronomy 32 Ezekiel 8-9 Isaiah 63 and 66

Symbols
This section in Revelation 16 introduces God in the Feast of Tabernacles and in the disaster prophesied in the message of the third angel. The symbols used involve the curses sent from the sanctuary to those who rejected the Gospel. God protects His church during this awesome time while the wicked are punished in the Outer Court. Christ has already suffered this punishment for those who accept Him.
The time period is so short that for the generation of the righteous who experience this, the feast of tabernacles actually begins before we physically see God at the Second Coming.
It begins when the righteous flee to the Most Holy Place for protection from the persecuting beast. God protects them and punishes the beast.

Background
The study of the seven last plagues is a study of the process by which God legally disqualifies the wicked from entering His Holy sanctuary in heaven.
This is just the termination of a series of actions by Satan to establish worship for himself on the earth. Revelation chronicles the attempt of the beast power to build a one world religion that rivals God. The plagues destroy this kingdom.

• In Revelation 12 he persecutes Israel, God (Jesus Christ) and the church (global Israel).
• In Revelation 13 he builds a rival sanctuary, government and covenant. The beast changes the first four commandments and forces the world to worship a false God. He then proceeds to kill the remnant who are loyal to God.
• In Revelation 14 God responds with a warning to the church and their persecutors.
• In Revelation 15 the righteous flee, by faith, into the open sanctuary of God and sing the Great Hosannah. They are protected from the beast and the plagues.
• In Revelation 16 God destroys this false sanctuary and heaps contempt on the immoral worshippers and their leaders so that they are rejected by the true sanctuary.
• In Revelation 17 God punishes the alliance of the beast with the nations of the world which executed their plans.
• In Revelation 18 the destruction of the leadership and government is an enlargement of plagues five to seven.
• In Revelation 19 God comes to punish the wicked and rescue the righteous. This is the seventh plague.
• In Revelation 20 to 22 the righteous are with God and the wicked cease to exist. This is the blessing.

Chapter 12		13		14	15	16	17	18	19
Christ	Israel	Remnant	False god False sanctuary False covenant	Final Warning	Israel Protected	Plagues	Beast Judged	Harlot Judged	Armageddon	Harvest	Second Coming
Israel Persecuted					Tabernacles	1 - 7	Plague 5	Plague 6		Plague 7
Construction of a False Religious System				God Responds		God's Wrath: Destruction of the False Sanctuary System
God's Invitation			Persecution		Protection	Probation Ends. No more mercy

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. (1 Peter 5: 10).
After the mark of the beast persecution, God will confirm us by making a separation between the righteous and the wicked in the plagues. He will perfect and strengthen us with the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. And He will establish us in His eternal Glory when He takes us to Heaven.

The Warning of the Third Angel
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. (Revelation 14: 9-11)
This angel warns about receiving the punishment of the seven last plagues. It is the final message to the world. It is therefore significant that God is giving us a complete understanding of the plagues.

The Third Cup: The Cup of Indignation
For a cup is in the hand of the Lord and the wine foams. It is well mixed and He pours out of this. Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs. (Psalm 75: 8).
This is the event prophesied by the third angel and in the third cup of the Passover seder. In that third cup God redeems His people then He pours out wrath on the wicked. The dregs of the third cup must be this "cup of indignation". These are the words that are said after they drink the seder cup.
Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, and upon the kingdoms which do not call upon your name. For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. (Psalm 79: 6-7).
You shall pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord. (Lamentations 3: 66).
It must be this cup of indignation that He uses to fill the vials of the seven last plagues.

The Legal Basis for the Plagues
The seven last plagues are the final curses that are applied to the whole world for continued disobedience to the covenant and continued hostility towards God. They are the response from God to an attempt to build a rival sanctuary that tries to corrupt the people, worship and covenant of God. God responds by destroying the sanctuary, the city of Babylon and the false worshippers.

The Final Curse of God
The images in the plagues come from the legal contract in the curses. In Leviticus 26, we find that God promises blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. In it, we see that Israel is given five chances to repent. With each escalation of hostility towards God, He escalates the curses until the fifth time when He makes a complete destruction. Let us take a look at the final curses in Leviticus 26: 27-34.

The Covenant Contract. This is the summary of the terms of the covenant in Leviticus 26: 1-3. It essentially emphasizes the first four commandments before adding our duties to all of God's laws.
You shall not make for yourself idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the Lord. If you walk in My statutes and keep my commandments so as to carry them out ... (Leviticus 26: 1-3)

1. Do not worship the idols or images.
2. Do not make idols or images of idols and bow before them.
3. Reverence the sanctuary. The name of God.
4. Keep the Sabbaths.
5. Obey the commandments.

The Crime. Yet if in spite of this you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, Then I will act with wrathful hostility against you, and I even I will punish you seven times for your sins. (Leviticus 26: 27-30)
The crime is described in the final curse in the law. Notice the key elements here:

• Disobedience and Hostility. They were disobedient and acted with hostility towards God. According to Revelation 16: 9 and 11, the wicked blaspheme the name of God and do not repent. Then, they escalate their hostility by starting a war against God - the Battle of Armageddon. Revelation 16: 14 and 16.
• Wrath of God. God acts with wrath and he punishes them seven times just as He does in Revelation 16: 1.
  Then I heard a loud voice form the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God". (Revelation 16: 1)

The Punishment. It is described in Leviticus 26: 29-34. Look at the key words.
Cannibalism. Further, you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you will eat.
Sanctuary and City Destroyed. Then I will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and heap your remains on the remains of your idols, for my soul shall abhor you. I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate and I will not smell your soothing aromas.
Desolation. I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it.
Exiled. You however, I will scatter among the nations,
Sword. and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste.
Sabbath Rest. Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. (Leviticus 26: 29-34)

• Destroy the False Sanctuary (verse 30). This part of the curse is fulfilled by the seven last plagues.
  • Idols. False gods.
  • High Places. Altars of sacrifice.
  • Incense Altars. Shrines.
  • Soothing Aromas. Prayers. The incense rising up.
• Cannibalism (verse 29). In the end, after the collapse of Babylon, the coalition of governments who acted to persecute the saints will turn against the great whore in a cannibalistic frenzy. They will eat their own.
  And the ten horns which you saw and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. (Revelation 17: 16)
• Destroy the City (verse 31). Babylon the Great and the cities of the earth are destroyed.
• Desolation. Land is made desolate (verse 32). The earth is desolated in preparation for the millennium.
  The enemies who settle in the desolated land, who will be appalled by it is Satan and his angels.
• People Exiled (verse 33). The wicked die at the Second Coming and are in the land of the dead. The Righteous are sent to Heaven. The exile lasts 1000 years.
• Sword (verse 33). In the seventh plague, Jesus comes with a sword in His mouth and an army (Revelation 19: 15). They fight the army assembled for Armageddon in the sixth plague.
• Sabbath Rest. Land will enjoy its Sabbaths (verse 34). This is the period of 1000 years after the Second Coming.

The Purpose of the Plagues
Therefore, we see in the punishments of the final curse, similar events at the end of the world. The seven last plagues precede the Second Coming and the Millennium. It prepares the earth and the wicked people for the world to come because the curse also includes other punishments.

• Create the Abyss. The plagues destroy the earth in preparation for the millennium. God reverses creation to bring the earth to the status of the dark abyss that existed in the beginning. It is this world where Satan must be bound until the final judgment.
  Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. (Revelation 20: 1-3).
• End Corrupt Government. It punishes Babylon, the system of false religion and government. The great city that corrupts the earth.
• Destroy False Religion. Taking each furniture, it destroys the false sanctuary created by Babylon.
• Revenge. He sends the final curses on the wicked and makes them unclean and unfit to enter the true sanctuary in heaven. They are exiled to the land of the dead and Satan is exiled to the broken earth.

Entering God's Presence
The goal of the plan of salvation is to prepare a people who can live in the presence of God. The sanctuary model teaches us that only priests can enter the temple and the offerings and worshippers must meet some minimum standard to be acceptable to God. In the seven last plagues, we find that God makes the disobedient worshippers unfit to enter His sanctuary and that this status brings the rejection that is heaped on them from every part of the true sanctuary.
So, we find that not only do their own actions bring their rejection, but in punishing them God makes them symbolically abhorrent to Him.

Eligibility Rules for Entering the Sanctuary

• Sores. We cannot have leprosy, sores or scabs.
  Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp ever leper and everyone having a discharge everyone who is unclean because of a dead person. (Numbers 5: 2)
• The Dead. We cannot touch the dead (Numbers 5: 2).
• Blood Defilement. We cannot drink or eat blood.
  Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who live among them, who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. (Leviticus 17: 10)
• Forbidden Foods. These make us unclean. (Leviticus 11).
• No Sweating. Linen turbans shall be on their heads and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; They shall not gird themselves with anything that makes them sweat. (Ezekiel 44: 18)
  The priests were not to sweat before God. Possibly because it indicates someone who is at work. Salvation is not through the works of man, but through the works of God. Adam's curse was to work by the "sweat of his brow". We are to rest in the presence of God.
• Curses God (Blasphemy).
  ... If anyone curses His God, He shall bear His sin ... The one who blasphemes the name of God shall be put to death... The congregation shall stone him. (Leviticus 24: 15-16)
• Spiritualism.
  The person who consults mediums and spirits ... I will cut off. (Leviticus 20: 6)
• No Nakedness. Although nakedness is not desirable, it does not make the worshipper unclean. Adam and Eve were both naked and were not ashamed before they sinned.
  And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2: 25)
  After they sinned, their first sign was nakedness.
  Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew they were naked. (Genesis 3: 7)
  So, nakedness is not an unclean state if you are perfect. But nakedness is a source of shame for sinners. Your sins are exposed before God because you are not covered with the righteousness of God.
  The priests were not to be naked or exposed before God.
  And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it. (Exodus 20: 26)
  
• Harlot. Babylon became a harlot who prostituted herself to the kings of the earth. And she prostituted her daughters. (Revelation 17)
  They shall not take a woman who is defiled by prostitution. ... And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire. (Leviticus 21: 7, 9)
• Wine. Babylon gave wine to the kings and people of the earth. A priest should not drink wine especially when they enter the sanctuary. Since the crucifixion, the world has passed from the Outer Court into the Holy Place of the sanctuary as we are becoming priests of God. Therefore, we should not be drinking or distributing wine.
  Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of the meeting, so that you will not die. It is a perpetual statute throughout your generation. (Leviticus 10: 9)
• Defective Offering. No defective offering (sacrifice).
  When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or a freewill offering, of the herd of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord. (Leviticus 22: 21-22)
• Defective People. No defective people (worshippers). The same rules that apply to the offering apply to the people because we are a living sacrifice to God.
  Speak to Aaron saying, no man of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect shall approach to offer the food of his God. For no one who has a defect shall approach: a blind man or a lame man, or he who has a disfigured face or any deformed limb, or a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye or eczema or scabs or crushed testicles. (Leviticus 21: 17-20).
  
  Note. This is not a condemnation of the disabled. It is a representation of the total perfection of Christ.
  Crushed Testacles. Circumcision represented the cutting off of the outer skin (foreskin) and so it points to the crucifixion. Christ would be the seed that would be crushed for our sins. His outer human body would die for our sins. Therefore, an offering or a priest with crushed testacles could not be offered as an offering because the injury occurred before it died as the offering. Also, the human priest should not represent the death of Christ. The animals represent the sacrificial death, the priest represents another phase in the role of Christ.
  Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12: 1).
• A Royal Priesthood. Since only a priest can enter the sanctuary, God has to make us a kingdom of priests. To do this we must be an acceptable offering to God.
  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. (1 Peter 2: 9).
  Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20: 6).

The Vision of Ezekiel 8-9 The people in Ezekiel's vision also broke the first four commandments by idolatry before the wrath of God was sent on those without the mark of God. One God. They worshipped an idol Carved Images. They prayed to images of idols, beasts and creeping things carved on the temple walls. Name of God. They cried for Tammuz, the god who was resurrected and died after each harvest. Sabbath. They worshipped the sun.

The Seven Last Plagues
So we see that the seven last plagues are the wrath of the final curses of God applied to the whole world at the end of time. These plagues occur in one prophetic day. (Revelation 18: 8). This is one year in real time.

As you will see, He rejects and disqualifies the wicked. This rejection is sent from each part of the sanctuary in the order that each piece of furniture appears. The rejection comes in the form of a defiled version of the function of the furniture. In a similar apostasy witnessed by Ezekiel, the executioners sent under the wrath of God to destroy the people without the mark of God are told to defile the temple.
And He said to them, "Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!" So they went out and struck down the people in the city. (Ezekiel 9: 7)
In the final plagues, both the false sanctuary or the false religious system and the people who have the mark of the beast are defiled.

No More Mercy (Probation Ends)
After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, girded around their chest with golden sashes. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bows full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (Revelation 15: 5, 7-8)
The Bible says that no one can enter the temple while the seven plagues are poured out. This suggests that at this point, before the first plague, the fate of all people are sealed because these is no intercessor for them in the sanctuary. This is why the bible declares that God will say at some point:
Let the one who does wrong still do wrong; and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and the one who is righteous still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy still keep himself holy. Behold I am coming quickly ... (Revelation 22: 11-12)
As you read each plague it may sometimes appear that there is still a chance that is not taken. But God is only emphasizing that no amount of evidence compels the wicked to repent at this point.
It may also appear that the righteous can repent, but God is simply emphasizing the qualities that they have that will protect them.

Judgment Rendered: The Judgment Decree Against Babylon the Great
Babylon the Great falls under the same judgment decree which was written against ancient Babylon.

• Counted, Counted ("Mene, Mene"). The number of Babylon was 666. The number of the righteous is 144,000.
• Weighed ("Tekel"). The people were weighed and found deficient and declared ineligable.
• Divided ("Upharsin"). The government, people and earth will be cut up, split and torn apart.

Yom Kippur Services (The Final Count).
These are the ceremonies on Yom Kippur. It is the last day to change the judgment of God in your favor so that you are sealed and inscribed in the Book of Life.
The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
Choose. "He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. "Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. "Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell, and make it a sin offering.
Satan Appears. "But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. "Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself.
Plagues. "He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil.
Prayers of the Saints. "He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die. (Leviticus 16: 2, 7-13)

• Choose. The presentation of the Lord's goat and Azazel (the scapegoat) is an invitation to choose whom you will serve, just as Elijah did on Mount Carmel. If you choose the Lord, then you accept the fact that He died for your atonement as your sin offering. If you choose Azazel then you will die with him.
• Satan Appears Alive. This must be the false Second Coming, when Satan performs miracles to deceive the world. He may be bound to the earth at this time or on Tishrei 10 in the next year as the fifth plague begins. He will experience the plagues and it may technically be the first day of the millennium.
• Firepans. These are the bowls of wrath which cause the seven last plagues.
• Incense. These are the prayers of the martyrs who asked for revenge and were told to wait. (Revelation 6: 9-11)
• Cloud. No one can enter the temple.
• One Year. Just like the plagues, not even the High Priest can enter the Most Holy Place for another year.

The people who have the mark of the beast and the number of his name were warned that they were being counted. It is now the last day to decide. The righteous and wicked have been counted into two piles and separated.
» Neilah ("The Locking of the Gates of Heaven"). In Jewish tradition the ark, where the bible scrolls are kept, is opened during the entire closing service to signify that the gates of heaven are still opened and God is listening to our prayers,. Then they are closed at the end of the Yom Kippur evening service. This is the last opportunity to be saved on the last Yom Kippur before the plagues. Then they blow the shofar and say "Next year in Jerusalem".
The plagues begin on Tishrei 11 or 21, lasting for one year. By the next year we will be in the new Jerusalem.
» Judgment Delivered. Although judgment is decided or sealed on Tishri, it is delivered on Tishri 21.

The Wicked Suffer The Wrath of God
Judgment Sealed: The Rejection of the People (Civil Babylon).
The first four plagues fall on the people. The people and their false sanctuary are punished by the elements of the true sanctuary. God takes each piece of furniture in the false sanctuary and destroys it and their worshippers with a punishment in the curse.

1. Earth: Death and Disease at The Altar of Sacrifice. The Earth sends sores on the people who are made of earth through the altar which is also made of earth.
   So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. (Revelation 16: 2)
   
   People Made of Earth. And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2: 7)
   
   Altar Made of Earth. You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it. (Exodus 20: 24-26)
   The altar is made of earth or natural stones with a ramp of earth. It is the place where the worshippers approach to offer their sacrifice. In this plague, the earth became sores and makes people with sores. So the true altar made of earth rejects the worshippers because the sores make them ineligible as living sacrifices. (Numbers 5: 2. Romans 12: 1)
   But the righteous are like a tree of life planted by the throne of God bearing fruits of righteousness.
2. Sea: Uncleanliness at The Laver. The sea is filled with the blood of the dead. The wicked bathe in it.
   The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. (Revelation 16: 3)
   Laver: The Bronze Sea. Now he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits its circumference. (1 Kings 7: 23)
   Now the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the bronze sea which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. (2 Kings 25: 13)
   They became filthy by the system designed to cleanse them. The laver was called the bronze sea. The priests wash their feet and hands before they enter the sanctuary. It is now filled with the blood of the dead. Therefore, the worshippers are defiled by touching the dead because they bathe in the blood of the dead provided by their defective sanctuary. They built their religion by blood and murder and it cannot be washed away.
3. Rivers and Springs: Famine at The Table of Shewbread. The Drink offering and the food offering.
   Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it." And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments." (Revelation 16: 4-7)
   
   Drink Offering. The rivers and springs are the source of drinking water. In this plague, the table of shewbread defiles their water supply. It causes such a severe famine that the wicked are forced to drink blood and become cannibals. This is the blood of the saints whom they murdered on behalf of their false religion. This defiles them and makes them ineligible.
   
   Food Offering (Bread). The plagues brought famine and cannibalism according to the enlargement of the prophecy in Revelation 17 and 18. They had blood instead of wine (grape juice) and they had no bread.
   • Famine. For this reason in one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire. (Revelation 18: 8)
   • Cannibalism. This is the worst form of forbidden foods. They eat themselves and each other.
     ... And will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her up with fire. (Revelation 17: 16)
     I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, and they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine ... (Isaiah 49: 26)
   
   Silence and Rejection at The Altar of Incense. Their prayers are not heard. No soothing aroma goes up to God from the incense altar.
   And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments." (Revelation 16: 7)
   Prior to this we have always had assurance that God would hear us. The altar of prayer was always open and friendly to us. Now we find that it rejects the wicked, and agrees with their punishment. It has no more mercy. God does not hear their prayers.

   No Rest for the Wicked This plague punishes the concept of righteousness by works. Since they chose their own righteousness, they must work by the sweat of their bodies. They are punished because they rejected the message of the first angel. Remember the Sabbath, the symbol of this rest. Therefore they get no rest. There is a prophecy among Adventists that at some point during the tribulation, the law of God will appear in the sky with the Sabbath commandment highlighted. The symbolism of this plague is the perfect time for this to occur or to remind them that they rejected clear evidence of God's will.

4. Sun: Exposure at The Menorah.
   The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. (Revelation 16: 8-9)
   The menorah gives light which represents the word of God. They rejected light from God in the form of the righteousness by faith and obedience to the Holy Spirit.
   In turning against us, the sun can either give darkness or heat. This plague sends punishment in the form of heat. This heat would naturally produce sweating which again defiles them. So their self righteousness is symbolized as heat and sweat. Righteousness by works and by your sweat is rejected.
   The second reading of the curse says:
   The Lord will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, and they will pursue you until you perish. (Deuteronomy 28: 22)
   
   The heat also brings famine.
   Our skin has become as hot as an oven because of the burning heat of famine. (Lamentations 5: 10)
   
   No Rest. The heat reminds us of working by the sweat of our brows. The wicked now have no rest day or night because they insisted on offering their own works. Hungry, thirsty, full of sores, blisters and now oppressive heat gives them no rest.
   And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. (Revelation 14: 11)

Weighed in the Scales of Justice (Tekel). The wicked have just been weighed in the balance and found deficient. They cannot enter the sanctuary.

Judgment Delivered: The Rejection of Corporate Babylon.
The last three plagues occur symbolically in the Most Holy Place at the throne of God. They are patterned after the last three woes of the seven trumpets. They fall on the military and religious government of Babylon. God punishes the government of Babylon. He destroys all religious, political and financial systems. Revelation 18 is an enlargement of these last three plagues. Revelation 17 shows how this ungodly alliance falls apart and turn against each other so that the curse of cannibalism and desolation is fulfilled.
This final phase of the plague takes place in a very short time. It lasts two to three weeks.

The Meals of the Wicked You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God at the place where He chooses to establish His name. (Deuteronomy 14: 23) This idea of a covenant meal in the presence of God appears to be extremely important. God gives His name to the righteous when He seals them. For the wicked, God shows that He does not choose to establish His name among them by defiling this meal. They are forced to wash up in the blood of the dead before eating. Let us look at the meals given in the last five plagues. Blood. They drink blood. Famine. They have no food. Self-Cannibalism. They begin to eat their own flesh. This is the worst cannibalism of all. Cannibalism. The harlot is eaten by her former friends and associates. And the ten horns which you saw and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. (Revelation 17: 16) Unclean Foods. The sixth plague also gives us an idea of the meal that the wicked chose to eat. Unclean spirits and blasphemies come out of their mouths. The Bible says, "What comes out of a person defiles them". (Matthew 15: 11) They vomit up frogs. They are defiled by their meal of creeping things. See Isaiah 66: 16-17. Food for Vultures. After the Second Coming, the wicked become the food of vultures at a feast called by God. They are the unclean meal for an unclean creature. ... saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, "come assemble for the great supper of God so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men". (Revelation 19: 17-18) God is about to abandon the earth and He makes an invitation to a feast of forbidden foods that defiles the earth and the wicked people.

5. Darkness at The Ark of the Covenant (Throne).
   Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds. (Revelation 16: 10-11)
   The Ark is the throne of God which is bathed in the light from the glory of God. The beast also sets up a throne and God plunges it in darkness.
   The Bible records that they did not repent. This is a continuation of the hostilities against God. The continuing rebellion forces God to escalate His punishment.
   
   Blasphemies. Instead of praising God or repenting they hurled insults at Him. This is the opposite of the praises surrounding the throne of God. The people are condemned because they cursed God instead of repenting, and they are stoned to death at the Second Coming. (Leviticus 24: 15-16)
   
   Cannibalism. They eat their own tongues.
   I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, and they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. And all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your savior and your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isaiah 49: 26)
   Woe: King Abaddon. God gives them over to Satan. He appears and turns against his own followers. An army of locusts came from the bottomless pit bringing darkness. They can only hurt the wicked. (Revelation 9: 1-5)
6. Death at The River From the Throne. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. ("Look, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.") And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har- Magedon. (Revelation 16: 12-16)
   
   The true sanctuary in heaven has a river of life flowing from the throne of God (Revelation 22: 1). This was not represented in the earthly sanctuary because eternal life would not come during this sanctuary. Only in the feast of tabernacles that represented our living with God do we see a water ceremony that is a hint of life with God.
   In contrast, the throne of the beast has a dried up river that is full of mud. There is no life, only death.
   This drying up of the river of life could signal the withdrawl of the Holy Spirit. Because after this time the demonic forces are unleashed, people are out of control and the status of each person remains frozen. This may be the point when they are no longer allowed to kill us.
   
   River Dries Up. Their resources and support are gone. All barriers are removed.
   Exodus from Egypt. In the first exodus God also dried up the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan so that Israel could escape the army of Pharaoh and cross over to the Promised Land. In this final exodus, God dries up the resources of the wicked who are persuing the righteous and opens the way to the Promised Land when the waters above the heaven in the sky rolls apart like a scroll and we cross over the Sea of Glass.
   Spiritual. In the fall of ancient Babylon, the drying up of the rivers were due to idolatry. The idols will not have people to serve them.
   A drought on her waters, and they will be dried up! For it is a land of idols, and they are mad over fearsome idols. (Jeremiah 50: 38)
   Woe: War. Trouble is released from the Euphrates region. The Islamic nations might attack causing more problems for the Christian coalition of nations who are now fighting each other. (Revelation 9: 13-21)
   
   The Kings from the East. These forces caused the defeat of Babylon and the rescue of Israel. In the sanctuary layout the east had two important tribes, the tribe of priests (Levites) and the tribe of kings (Judah). At the end of time, the righteous will be a union of kings and priests who reign with Christ.
   This means that at the end of time, the defeat of Babylon the Great will be caused by the coming of Christ and by the activities of the final spiritual nation of Israel.
   Military Defeat. In ancient Babylon, the drying of the Euphrates river left them open to military defeat by the Persians from the East. This time, the Kings from the east are God and His forces. Jesus comes with the Father and the Holy Spirit meets them with the Church
   And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven". (Mark 14: 62)
   
   Mutiny. The alliance of the beast and the harlot falls apart. It is also described in Revelation 17: 15-18.
   And he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17: 15-18)
   Financial Collapse. Their finances also dry up and the prophecies of Revelation 18 are fulfilled. In two weeks, a financial collapse in the United States affect the entire world.
   standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying "woe, woe, the great city Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour your judgment has come. And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes anymore. (Revelation 18: 10-11)
   
   Spiritual Victory. The waters on the Sea of Glass also allows the spiritual nation of Israel to enter heaven. There will no longer be a physical separation between humans and the unfallen. Heaven formally opens a conduit so that we can enter. We are the kings from the east that enter Heaven over the Sea of Glass.
   
   Cannibalism (Cooked and Eaten). This is when they cook and eat the harlot in Revelation 17: 16. Her support dries up. This is total public humiliation and scorn like the period of the trial and crucifixion of Christ.
   
   Har-Magedon: The Battle for the Throne of God. The word "Har" means mountain. A mountain is a symbol for a government, especially a religious government. This is the battle of Satan to take the throne of God. But we know from the prophecy in Daniel 2: 34-35,44 that a stone comes from the mountain of God and strikes the image and then it becomes a mountain on the earth.
   This gathering is to start the utlimate hostilities against God. They come to fight Him. In Revelation 19, God comes to fight back, He brings an army and defeats them with the first death. In Revelation 21, after the wicked are resurrected and judged, they surround the mountain of God (the New Jerusalem) on the plains of Meggido and they execute this battle of Armageddon. Again, God defeats them with the second death.
   
   Three Unclean Spirits. Babylon deceived the world with the help of demons and is sentenced to death according to (Leviticus 20: 6).
   These spirits are a representation of the evil throne room that copies the true throne of God where God is surrounded by the two cherubim who constantly praise Him. In the evil throne room there is a false trinity and three who have an unclean spirit instead of the Spirit of life. Revelation 18 enlarges on this aspect as it concentrates on the fall of Babylon in the last three plagues.
   1. Dragon. This creature represents the false god. This is Satan, the eighth head.
   2. Beast. This is one of the two cheering sections that represent the two cherubim. They worship and praise the dragon and force the world to do the same. This is the Catholic church.
   3. False prophet. This is the second creature that stands at the throne of the dragon in worship and praise. This is the United States. It has represented Christ, both as the lamb of Revelation 12 and now as the false prophet.
   The world is controlled by three forces. The United States, the church and miracle working demons influence the world. For those who refused the leave the wilderness of Babylon, the creatures of the wilderness made on the fifth day emerge.
   
   Unclean Food. They vomit up an unclean meal that they have eaten. They have eaten frogs. Jesus said that what comes out of a person defiles them. They are defiled.
   But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile a man. (Matthew 15: 18)
   Mutiny in Babylon. This same punishment was given to the gods Bel and Marduk at the fall of ancient Babylon.
   I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will make what he has swallowed come out of his mouth. And the nations will no longer stream to him. Even the wall of Babylon has fallen down. (Jeremiah 51: 44)
   Their entire support structure is gone. Not only do the righteous leave Babylon, but the unclean wicked leave.
   
   Isaiah also saw this apostasy. The priests are guilty as if they committed murder and their offerings are unacceptable (Isaiah 66: 3-4). All people are defiled because they did not obey God but chose what they wanted to do like Cain.
   For the Lord will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by the Lord will be many. Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, following one in the center, who eat swine's flesh, detestable things and mice, will come to an end together says the Lord. (Isaiah 66: 16-17)
   
   Warning. Several important events happen during this plague. A blessing is pronounced on certain groups in the church. It appears that some time before this point they have overcome their weaknesses. It is possible that rather than saying that this is the time when Laodicea and Sardis will overcome their sins, God is saying that these are the attributes that will keep them safe in the intense persecutions that are coming.
   • The one who stays awake. This refers to the church of Sardis who were condemned for sleeping.
     Look, I am coming as a thief, blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. (Revelation 16: 15)
     
     The Thief Comes. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are in it shall be burned up." (2 Peter 3: 10)
     Three times God describes His coming as a thief. Now we know that it begins during this plague.
   • The one who keeps his clothes. This is the church of Laodicea who were condemned for nakedness.
     The harlot suffers the curse and is made naked by her friends who desert her (Revelation 17: 16).
     
     Nakedness and Famine. Therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord shall send against you in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness and in the lack of things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. (Deuteronomy 28: 48)
   • Demonic Forces and Miracles. They have power for only fifteen days.
     They consulted with demons and they are condemned to death. (Leviticus 20: 6)
     God allows demonic forces to become visible to the world. Miracles will be used to convince the world to be on their side and the death penalty will result (Revelation 13: 13-17). If the false second coming has not already occurred before the plagues, it will happen now. Revelation 17: 11 is fulfilled as Satan, the eighth head, appears. Verse 14 says that Satan and the ten kings wage war with the Lamb at this time.
   • War. Preparations for the Battle of Armageddon take place at this time. This is the ultimate hostility. They start a war against God. God rescues us the moment that they attempt a mass slaughter of the righteous.
7. Fierce Wrath: Destruction from The Glory of God. The voices from the temple said "It is done".
   Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done." And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe. (Revelation 16: 17-21)
   

   The Seven Plagues on the Final Day
   #	Location	Event
   1	Earth	Earthquake splits earth
   2	Sea	Wicked dead for 1000 years
   3	River	Drink wine of fierce wrath
   4	Heat	Brightness of His coming
   5	Darkness	No sun for 1000 years
   6	Dry River	Sky rolls up like a scroll
   7	Air	Hail of fire and brimstone

   "Fierce wrath". All the elements of the seven plagues are repeated on this one day. The cycle of birth pangs is intensified. The final rejection of the wicked is at the Second Coming of Christ in the air. They cannot live in the presence of God and instinctively run and hide. They are killed while the righteous nation of priests ascends to heaven. Here we see that while the seven plagues cause the destruction of the false sanctuary and all its furniture, many of the other elements of the fifth curse occurs during the seventh plague. The plagues are only one of the events in the fifth curse. These events lead to the devastation of the earth so that it is prepared for the millennium and the imprisonment of Satan.
   
   The Fifth Curse is Completed. There are several methods to execute the condemned and the wicked receive them all.

   Death Penalty Methods
   #	Method	Reason
   1	Strangulation Hanging	Dishonors parents
   2	Slain by the Sword	Inhabitants of a seduced city. Their property is destroyed
   3	Stoning	Blasphemy, idolatry, Sabbath breakers, seducers of a city
   4	Burning	Adulterous daughter of a priest

   
   » Census by Name. A census was taken and they were numbered with the sinners. Their number was 666, the family of one rebellious man. They have the name of the beast and belong to his tribe. (Revelation 14: 11; 13: 17-18)
   Their name is cut off so that the wicked have no survivors.
   "I will rise up against them," declares the LORD of hosts, "and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 14: 22)
   » Sword. Jesus kills the wicked with the sword in His mouth (Revelation 19: 15). Jesus comes with a sword to kill the people who chose to be seduced and deceived. He destroys the earth.
   » Hail Stones. The earth receives the death penalty. It is stoned to death (Numbers 15: 32-36). Daniel 2: 34. They cursed God, worshipped idols, changed the Sabbath and seduced the earth. This is the death penalty for the false prophets, leaders, idol worshippers, those who curse God, those who broke the Sabbath and those with the mark of the beast. Satan is also a deceiver of the people (Revelation 20: 10).
   The Sixth Seal. and they said to the mountains and to the rocks "Fall on us and hide us from the presence 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 is able to stand?" (Revelation 6: 16-17)
   Jesus was crowned with thorns, here the wicked actually ask for a crown of rocks.
   The Seventh Trumpet. And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm. (Revelation 11: 19)
   » Brimstone and Lake of Fire. The wicked are stoned with fire. This is the death penalty for the apostate church who committed adultery. This is the penalty prepared for the devil and his angels, but the wicked will get this punishment after the final judgment. By the end of time, all the wicked are children of Satan, the fallen priest.
   And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever. An if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20: 10-15)
   » Great Earthquake. A great earthquake splits the earth in two. It is consistent with an asteroid strike.
   The earth is broken asunder. The earth is split through. The earth is shaken violently. (Isaiah 24: 19)
   All earthly governments end as the Stone from Daniel 2 strikes the earth. Even the imagery of Daniel 2: 34 supports the idea of an asteroid bombardment at the end of time.
   In Numbers 16: 31-32 an earthquake was sent to swallow up a group of people who rebelled against the leadership of Moses. In the last days the mutiny by the government of Babylon against God causes the earthquake to split the city into three parts and causes the collapse of all governments.
   » Babylon Splits into Three. Since the political alliance dissolves, it is probably split into the three main powers. These are the United States, the Church and the ten kings who formed a brief alliance (Europe). The religious alliance also dissolves and splits into the church, the spiritualists and Satan.
   » Cities Fall ("Property Destroyed"). Babylon and the cities of the nations fall.
   » Cannibalism. This is when the feast of birds occur. The wicked are unburied and eaten by the vultures. They are the unclean meal.
   » Two Kings. They were caught by the wrath of the two kings from the east. This is the lamb and He who sits on the throne described in the sixth seal.
   » Sabbath Exile. The wicked are exiled to the grave for 1000 years as the land rests.
   Woe: God. God takes His kingdom and destroys those who destroyed the earth. (Revelation 11: 7-19)

The Kingdom Divided (Upharsin). The kingdom of the wicked has just been divided by internal strife, mutiny and war. The earth was split apart and the people ripped to shreds and separated from the righteous. The kingdom has been given to the righteous.

The Seventh Seal is Opened.
The seventh seal is opened at this time. This prophecy appears to indicate that the Second Coming will occur over a seven or eight day period when there is "silence in heaven" for a half an hour. (Revelation 8: 1).
It is possible that Jesus is saying that He begins His second coming during the sixth plague. Therefore, the status of Sardis and Laodicea are important because at this moment our fates are sealed as Jesus also declares
"Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy." "Look, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. (Revelation 22: 11-12)

The End of Salvation. Remember that they were all sealed or marked as God's property before the plagues began. When the plagues began, no one had access to the temple during the plagues. (Revelation 15: 8) Therefore, this statement about their righteousness is simply an affirmation of what God had decided a year earlier. It does not suggest that salvation is still available. The righteous will remain righteous during the plagues. The wicked will be unrepentant.

The Timing of the Plagues. The good news is that the intense period of persecution may not last more than one month. The bad news is that one month is a very long time to be persecuted and hunted. Having lived in the outdoors for six months, two days under certain conditions is miserable. It is worth looking at the pattern of Israel to see when the people of God might be fleeing. On Passover Abraham went to Egypt and 430 years later they left on the same day. So the church might find itself being persecuted around Passover and they might be fleeing for their lives.

One Year
11 ½ months				Two weeks		One week
Disqualification of the People				Fall of Babylon (Government)
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Sores	Blood of the dead	River of blood	Heat	Darkness	Mutiny of ten kings	Second Coming
Meals :	Wash before meal	Drinks Blood	Famine	Eats Tongue	Harlot cooked, eaten	Eaten by birds
Passover (Exodus)				Trumpets		Tabernacles

• Plagues: One Day (One Year). Therefore, shall her plagues come in one day. (Revelation 18: 8)
• Fall of Babylon: Two Weeks (One Hour). For in one hour your judgment is come. (18: 10)
• Second Coming: One Week (Half Hour). There was silence in heaven for half hour. (8: 1)

The Day of Atonement
The result is an unclean people who have not been separated from their uncleanness. They have defiled the sanctuary.
Thus you must keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling my sanctuary that is among them. (Leviticus 15: 31)

How did they come to this point? They reached this point because they refused to let God cleanse them from their sins. Christ removed the sins of the righteous that have been piled up in one day - on the day of atonement. But instead, like the tower of Babel, their sins have piled up to heaven, causing a stench in heaven.
I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her my people so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues". For her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18: 4-5)
So instead of a day of atonement they get a day of wrath.

The Lord's Goat: Christ Suffers The Wrath of God
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, "cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" (Galatians 3: 13)
Just as the Christ suffered death as the result of our sins, He also suffered the wrath of God for us at the crucifixion. His death on the cross and the circumstances of His humiliation and punishment made Him a curse. As we are rewarded with the blessings of the covenant, Christ paid for our sins with both His death and the curses that were due to us.
The difference between His experience and the wicked is that although He also drinks the rejected and spoilt offerings from the sanctuary, the punishment does not defile Him. Therefore, He drinks vinegar not blood. He is spit on, but He does not defile Himself with the blood of the dead. This is explained in more detail in the lesson on Christ.

His Body is the Temple that was Destroyed.

The Final Judgment The Wicked Suffer the Wrath Only the wicked living suffer the seven last plagues. But after the millennium, all the wicked will still suffer the same curses. » Altar (Sores). Their flesh rots while they are still alive outside the New Jerusalem. (Zechariah 14: 12-15) » Laver. The lake of fire. » Shewbread. Their body returns to dust. » Incense. God condemns them. » Menorah. The darkness of their sins. » Ark. The judgment seat of God. » River from the Throne. River of fire. » It is Finished. Judgment complete. » Hail of Sins. Condemnation. » Earthquake. Earth destroyed. » Death. Eternal death by fire.

Jesus was probably referring to the final curse when He referred to His body as the temple that will be destroyed.
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2: 19)
So we do see Him experiencing the curse while He was on the cross.

1. Altar of Sacrifice. He died as the Lamb of God, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
2. Laver. He was washed both in spit, and insults and with His own blood, sweat and water.
   They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. (Matthew 27: 30)
3. Table of Shewbread. His drink offering was vinegar. On the cross, as every symbolism was being fulfilled, Jesus said that he was thirsty in order to fulfill prophecy. This not only fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 69: 21, it also completed the symbol of the final curse.
   After this, Jesus, knowing that all things has already been accomplished, to fulfill the scripture said, "I am thirsty". Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished". And He bowed His head and gave up the spirit. (John 19: 28-30)
   
   Altar of Incense. God rejected and abandoned Him.
   About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying "Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani?". That is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27: 46)
4. Menorah. There was darkness over the land during the crucifixion, but not heat. Heat defiles with sweat.
   Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon the land until the ninth hour. (Matthew 27: 45)
5. Ark of the Covenant. While He was on the cross covered by darkness, there were two thieves on either side of the cross, both were cursing Him. This is a contrast to the Most Holy Place where God has two angels on each side who are constantly praising Him in the light of the shekinah glory of God.
   At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right side and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads.
   The robbers who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. (Matthew 27: 38-39, 44)
   Thorns. He wore a crown of thorns (Matthew 27: 29).
6. The River of Life from the Throne. Blood and water came from His side as a river of life for us.
   But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 19: 34)
7. The Glory of God. After this He said "It is finished", and then He died. John 19: 30.
   Hail of Blasphemies. They threw insults at Him. This is the opposite of the constant praise from the angels surrounding the throne.
   And those passing by were hurling abuse [blasphemies] at Him, wagging their heads. (Matthew 27: 39)
   Earthquake. An earthquake occurred that day. (Matthew 27: 51)
   Death of the First Born. Christ died. He was the first born and only begotten Son of God.

He completed the terms of the final curse in Leviticus 26: 30-34, both on the cross and while He was in the grave.

• Destroy the sanctuary. His body was destroyed in the crucifixion. (John 2: 19,21)
• Cannibalism. In the communion that reminds us of His death, we are symbolically cannibalizing His body. We eat His flesh and drink His blood. Although this sounds negative, it is the way in which He shares His life with us and we get an easy way to share in the wrath. We caused Him to die. His body and blood caused us to live.
• Destroy city. His disciples, the foundation of the New Jerusalem abandoned Him. The city of Jerusalem would be destroyed forty years later in 70 A.D. Notice that they were allowed to wander around in the same way that their ancestors wandered in the desert after the exodus. This showed the mercy of God in that the whole generation was still given forty years to recognize the Messiah.
• Desolation. Land is made desolate. The house of Israel was desolate. (Luke 13: 35)
• Sword. He was pierced in His side with a spear.
• Exiled. He was exiled to the grave. His disciples were scattered.
  You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, "I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered". (Matthew 26: 31).
• Sabbath Rest. Land will enjoy its Sabbaths. He was dead during the Sabbath. He died on Friday evening, revived after sunset and was resurrected out of the grave early on Sunday morning.

The Scapegoat Suffers the Wrath
The Passover Seder shows that there are seven actions of God to restore the righteous. The first four are the four cups of the seder and the last three are the celebration in the new kingdom.
There are also seven actions of God for the wicked. The first four are the judgments. The last three are the destruction. Ezekiel shows what happened to Satan after he sinned. The same sequence of events will happen to the wicked from the seven last plagues until hell fire ends.
Rejection. By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence and you sinned, Therefore I cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your spleandor.
Exile and Judgment. I cast you to the ground. I put you before kings, that they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries.
Destruction. I brought fire from the midst of you. It has consumed you. And I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the people are appalled at you. You have become terrified and you will cease to be forever. (Ezekiel 28: 16-19).

1. Expulsion ("I have thrown you out"). He was thrown out of heaven because he sinned and brought violence to the Most Holy Place.
2. Demotion ("I have destroyed you"). He lost his position in heaven as the covering cherub.
3. Exiled to Earth ("I have cast you to the ground"). He was thrown down to the earth when he lost access to heaven. After the crucifixion, the exile was permanent.
   And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12: 10)
4. Exposure and Judgment ("I have put you before kings"). He is judged and humiliated because his pride and beauty made him arrogant. All his deeds are exposed before the people of heaven and earth from the crucifixion until the end of the Millennium. He is bound to the earth while the judgment of the righteous brings them release.
5. Punished ("I have brought fire"). He is killed because he corrupted and despised the knowledge of God. The fire of his destruction came from within him. This signifies that he is responsible for his fate.
6. Inherited Wrath ("I have turned you to ashes"). He inherits the earth. But it will be as ashes and dust under the feet of the righteous. So he will be trampled under our feet every day for eternity.
7. Eternal Death ("You will cease to be forever"). God will never raise him back to life.

The Two Temples: The Temple of Light and the Temple of Doom
So we see that whereas the true temple is a source of life and rest, the false temple brings only death and suffering. The judgment of the plague destroys the false temple and the people who worship there.
Revelation 18: 24 summarizes the condition of Babylon, the only thing that remained was blood, darkness and death. The images and colors in the sanctuary clearly show that picture.

The Temple of Light	The Sanctuary and the Worshippers	The Temple of Doom
Most Holy Place God Ark of the Covenant (Throne of God) River of Life Tree of Life Holy Place Incense Altar Lamp Light Priests with the name of God Bread and drink offering Laver (Water) Sacrifice (Perfect) Outer Court	The Plagues and the Sanctuary # Sanctuary Jesus Cursed Plague 1 Earth (Altar) Beaten, wounded Sores 2 Sea (Laver) Spit on Him Blood of the dead 3 Rivers and springs. Table of Shewbread Vinegar to drink Blood to drink Altar of Incense The disciples and God abandoned Him Altar has no mercy, hears no prayers 4 Sun (lamp) Darkness Heat 5 Throne (Ark) Darkness. Cursed by two thieves Darkness on the throne 6 River of Life Blood and water from His side Euphrates river dries up 7 Air (God is here) Death. It is finished It is done The Worshippers Clean Without sin Unclean Covered by the blood of Christ Gave blood Drank blood, killed the saints Pure No broken bones Full of sores Priests accepted Perfect but forsaken Rejected, diseased Clothed in white Naked Naked Name of God in their forehead King of the Jews, crown of thorns Name of beast in their forehead	Most Holy Place Beast and Image Lawless (Throne of the beast) Dried up river No Fruit Holy Place Altar Condemns Heat People with the mark Famine. Blood to drink Laver (Blood) Sacrifice (Diseased) Outer Court

The Seven Last Plagues and the Ten Plagues of Egypt

The Trials of the Righteous An examination of the sanctuary symbols show that the righteous must go through their own fiery trials. • Altar of Sacrifice. On the earth we suffer. • Cup of Wine. As Christians we are broken and persecuted.

The previous portion of this lesson was mostly as a result of the gift of knowledge. The following is my own evaluation.
What is the relationship between these two events?

• Deliverance. Both plagues came when God was in the process of delivering His people from the grasp of slavery and sin in order to lead them to the Promised Land.
• Purpose. The purpose was to ridicule the false gods.
  For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and I will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. I am the Lord. (Exodus 12: 12)
• The Power of God. The magicians could only duplicate the first two plagues, but they knew that God was in charge by the third plague.
  The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God". But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them as the Lord said. (Exodus 8: 18-19).
• Separation. The Seven last plagues only fell on the wicked. In the Egyptian plagues, the first three fell on all the land. The last seven did not fall in the land of Goshen where Israel lived. There is a physical distinction between the righteous and the wicked.
  But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of insects will be there, in order that you may know that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. (Exodus 8: 22).

What are the Plagues?
So far, we have discussed the plagues in terms of how God views the punishments - whatever they actually will be. We have seen that each section of the sanctuary sends a curse against the similar structure in the false sanctuary and creates a punishment based on its negative and rejected attributes. For example, instead of a meal and drink at the table of shewbread the wicked experience famine, drought, drink old and stale wine, vinegar, dregs, poison or blood. They get whatever is useless, defiling or left over. They get the garbage.
We discussed what the plagues will accomplish but we did not mention what they are. In deciding what actually happens we can look at the Egyptian plagues. In that event, God attacked the false gods of Egypt with real disasters designed to ridicule their gods.
The Lord also executed judgments on their gods. (Numbers 33: 4).
Therefore, the final plagues are real events but they target modern systems that compete with God or which are responsible for the persecution of His people. These are science and technology, religion, government, military, business, money, sports and entertainment. When the plagues come, these systems will be the initial cause of the catastrophe and they will be rendered useless.

1. Judgment of the people with the mark of the beast
People are punished as their mental, physical and social world collapses. They lose their health, security and property.

1. Sores on the earth. Actual disease probably caused by a scientific and genetic accident. (Smallpox, MRSA).
   Spiritual. The reference to the "earth" could mean disaster for the United States. This plague originates here.
2. Blood in the Sea. Environmental disaster on the ocean affects food supply. Millions of fish die. The new red tide phenomenon on a global scale could fulfill this prophecy. It turns the sea red and the toxin kills sea life.
   Spiritual. The reference to the "sea" might also mean disaster for Europe and the Middle East.
3. Blood in the fresh water. Environmental disaster with our fresh water supply. Millions of fish die. Toxic waste contamination would be a condemnation of industries and careless government policies.
   Spiritual. This could refer to punishment of the church leaders who failed to educate their flock.
4. Heat from the Sun.
   Physical. Scientists are appalled as the sun starts to become a red giant at a faster rate than they had theorized. The angel with the bowl pours something on the sun that causes a catalytic reaction which quickly removes hydrogen but preserves the mass of the sun.
   Environmental disaster also occurs due to the removal of the ozone layer. The combined disasters in the sea, fresh water and the heat causes global famine.
   Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (Revelation 18: 8)
   Spiritual. This could also refer to evidence from God that His laws have been violated.

2. Judgment and fall of the government of Babylon
There is both a physical and spiritual application of these events. They last for only two weeks. With an approaching massive asteroid and another catastrophic planetary event, the world looks for religious answers and finds none.

The Wicked are Surprised The Bible seems to indicate that people will be surprised by the Second Coming. This means that the planet is in a state of denial for several possible reasons. • The plagues are mild, or not global. • There are competing religious theories. • There are competing scientific theories. • The presence of Satan, the false Christ. • The removal of the Spirit of God blinds them. • The information is hidden by the leaders.

5. Darkness on the throne of the beast.
   Physical. The red giant phase stops abruptly, leaving enough mass for the sun to become a black dwarf in minutes. Panic causes failure of all stock markets. All wealth is lost in one hour when the stock markets open.
   The eruption of the supervolcano in Yellowstone national park would also bring dark conditions. The destruction of the country at this point no longer matters. Christ is coming in one month and no rival super power can emerge. Any earlier eruption of this volcano is unlikely because it could cause the country to lose their superpower status so that it could not fulfill prophecy.
   Spiritual. Trouble at the Vatican as they are unable to appeal to God about the preceding natural disasters. The events of the fourth plague apparently demonstrate God's anger with the church. Now they are suffering the consequences as they face the defection of members and the break up of the alliance that was used to suppress God's people.
   
   The Prince of Darkness. The ultimate appearance of darkness would be Satan himself when the prophecy of the eighth head is fulfilled. He deceives the world with miracles, lies and false promises.
6. Euphrates dries up.
   Physical. Global water supply is scarce. It is worse in the Middle East. Turkey closes its dams and blocks off the flow of water to the Euphrates. Iraq is in trouble. Islamic forces from that region attack the United States.
   Spiritual. Political problems with the alliance of the beast as the European allies turn against them and break the alliance formed in Revelation 17: 16-18. Satan is unmasked as an impotent, degenerate, lunatic imbecile.
7. Disaster from the Air. Babylon Splits in Three.
   Physical. Civil unrest erupts into a war between the Kurds, Shi'a and Sunni. Physical Babylon splits into three parts. This sign has already occurred. The sectarian violence in Iraq has split the nations into these three groups. The union between the church, the United States, Europe, the United Nations and spiritualism dissolves. There will probably be civil war within the United States, Europe and Rome.
   Spiritual. The Second Coming of Christ with hail, fire and brimstone. The earth is bombarded with huge asteroids.
   Great Earthquake. This earthquake splits the earth in two. It is probably caused by a very large asteroid.
   Spiritual. All the cities of the earth fall and it now becomes the abyss where Satan will live for the next 1000 years.

Justice and Vengeance
The plagues show the righteous anger of God. God reserves vengeance for Himself, because only the wrath of God gives real righteousness and justice at all levels.
... Vengeance is Mine, I will repay. (Hebrews 10: 30; Deuteronomy 32: 35)
... But everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1: 19-20)

The Wrath Against the Enemies of God

Empire	Counted	Counted	Weighed	Divided
	Separated		Judged	Dried Up	Split	Shattered
Egypt	Israel	Egypt	Plagues	Red Sea	Pharaoh's army
Babylon	Israel	Babylon	Deficient	Euphrates	Medes and Persians
Medo-Persia	Israel	Persia	-	Defeated in the battle of Arbela
Greece	Israel	Greece	-	Alexander, heirs	Four generals
Rome	Israel	Rome	-	Barbarian raids	Western and Byzantine	Europe
Papacy	Israel	Papacy	-	Lose civil support	Orthodox and Protestant	French Revolution
Babylon the Great	144,000	666	Plagues	Mutiny, Euphrates	Three pieces	Second Coming
Jesus (Sinners)	1	2 thieves	30 shekels	Strength, support	Crucified, pierced by a sword	Chewed up

All the enemies of God suffered defeat according to the same pattern of judgment.

• Counted. Israel was counted and separated from the wicked as a distintion is made between the two groups.
• Weighed. They were judged.
• Divided. Judgment was executed. Israel was delivered as the wicked were destroyed in three phases.
  • Dried Up. Their source of strength was dried up and this also made a way of escape for the righteous.
  • Split. The wicked were split by mutiny, sabotage or other internal discord.
  • Shattered. They were split and shattered like broken pottery.

Repetition and Enlargement
The curses in the seven last plagues are mentioned in the message of the third angel in Revelation 14 and 18. Revelation 18 gives more detail about the destruction of the false sanctuary. After the sanctuary was destroyed, the valuable things that could be salvaged (animals, grain, wood, marble, gold, silver, jewels, incense and expensive material) were worthless. No one wanted to buy them.
Look at the sanctuary images in Revelation 14: 10-12. They are mentioned in order of the sanctuary and show some of the first six plagues. Verse 14-20 describes the seventh plague and the events of the Second Coming.
In Revelation 18 we see the actual effects of the curses on the world. It is an enlargement of the prophecies of Revelation 16 and an enlargement of the three angel's message in Revelation 14. Revelation 14 is the warning not to do the things that will cause us to receive the plagues.

Plague	Sanctuary Image	Revelation 14		Revelation 18
		Verse	Angel's Message	Verse	The Fall of Babylon
1	Burnt offering	-	-	8	Burned with fire. See Revelation 17: 16
2	Sea	-	-	17	Those from the sea lost their wealth
3	Food offering	-	-	8	Famine
3	Wine offering	10	Wine of God's wrath	6	Receives a cup with double punishment
3	Coals	10	Brimstone	-	-
3	Incense	11	Smoke ascends forever	9	Smoke of burning
4, 5	Lamp	10	Fire	23	No light
6	River of life from the throne of God	20	River of blood from the wine press of God	24	Blood of all the righteous found in Babylon
7	Sabbath	11	No rest	7	Torment and mourning
7	Commandments	12	No Commandments	3	All nations committed immorality
7	Faith in God	12	No Jesus	23	No Bridegroom
7	God in the cloud brings life	14-20	Death	8	Death
Sanctuary treasures		Come out My people! We are the only treasure remaining in Babylon		12-16	Valuable items are worthless and cannot be salvaged

Somehow, the writer of Psalm 73 was able to understand that the wicked would suffer from the sanctuary. In this calculated series of abandonment, we have just learned how.

The Wicked Prosper. For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, and their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; the garment of violence covers them ... They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; they speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongues parades through the earth.
The Righteous Suffer. Look, these are the wicked; and always at ease, they have increase in wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning.
The Wicked are Rejected. When I tried to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight
Punished by the Sanctuary. Until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I saw their end. (Psalm 73: 3-9, 12-14, 16-17)

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Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2: 15 Copyright   Updated : August 2006. December 2007 Credits: All information is the original work of Laverna Patterson. Through a direct transfer of knowledge and understanding while in prayer, the Holy Spirit revealed this information to me in about two minutes. I know that God is now behaving differently. If God is giving knowledge about this prophecy it could mean that we are the generation that will see it fulfilled. God also revealed knowledge about several other end time prophecies. Author: Laverna Patterson Editor: Patterson (January 2008)