What is the Coming Tribulation All About, Part 21
Last time, we spoke of events that will lead up to the final battle – Armageddon – led by Satan’s man and spiritual son, the Antichrist. With this article, we’ll go into more depth and discuss the actual event itself.
The Seven Bowl Judgments
Revelation 16:17-21 states the following:
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.” 18 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. 19 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. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 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.”
This is the 7th Bowl of judgment poured out by the 7th angel. When he says “It is done,” he is referring to the fact that the final judgment has been poured out onto the earth, not that everything is done. There are three sets of judgment; the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls. This 7th/last bowl represents the last of God’s wrath being poured out onto the earth and those who live here. With that said, we then learn what was contained in this 7th bowl.
As soon as the 7th bowl is emptied out, several things begin to occur:
- flashes of lightning and sounds of thunder
- great earthquake (biggest the world will ever experience) causing:
- the “great city” (Babylon) to split into three sections
- the main cities of all the nations fell
- this represents mainly God’s severe wrath on Babylon
- every island moves away
- mountains were flattened out
- 100 pound hailstones will fall
- men curse God because of these hailstones
Imagine living during this time. Now, while it is tempting to see all of this as “figurative” or “allegorical,” we need to ask ourselves if the Flood was figurative? Was the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah real or figurative? The sky darkening and the veil ripping from top to bottom as Jesus died on the cross – were they real or figurative?
The same people that say the above events were real and actually occurred in history will argue that the events described in Revelation 16:17-21 are figurative. Unfortunately for them, there is absolutely no reason to accept them as figurative at all.
We read the text “every island fled away, and the mountains were not found,” and we understand that language to be somewhat figurative or flowery. Instead of John simply saying the islands were moved and mountains collapsed because of how strong the earthquake was sent by God, he said it with a bit of poetic language (island fled and mountains were not found), but this does not detract from the literalness of the statements.
We can assume that at some future point when the angel pours out the contents of the 7th Bowl judgment, the largest earthquake that this earth will ever experience will occur and flatten mountains and relocate islands. We can also assume – though the text doesn’t mention it – that great tsunamis will happen because of the massive land movement.
There is no reason to understand the text any other way than literally. These things will happen as they are described. All of these things are the precursors to what takes place in Revelation 17. In this next chapter, much more detail is supplied regarding Babylon. Let’s take a look, with Revelation 17:1-5.Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, 5 and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
One of the angels who held one of the 7 bowls is given the task of providing more information to John. He approaches John and tells him that he will see the judgment of what the Bible calls the “great harlot who sits on many waters…”
This text is also figurative, but we still want to make sure that we understand it literally. How to do that? Harlotry in the Bible is often used as a euphemism meaning to commit idolatry. Whenever people worship something other than God, it is either called adultery, spiritual adultery, or harlotry. The fact that the great harlot is sitting on many waters is a reference to the fact that she has beguiled leaders of many nations (many waters) to commit adultery with her. That this is not a real woman, but a spirit that causes leaders to do whatever they can to gain as much wealth and power as possible is clear from this reference to the “many waters” meaning many nations and peoples.
What is the one thing that most people want today? In fact, what have people worked for, wished for, and done all they can to gain? It is money. Is money itself the root of all evil? No, and most people get that wrong. Money itself is merely a tool that our economy is based on and in order to buy or sell, some form of money is necessary. It is not money itself, but it is the “…love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs,” (1 Timothy 6:10). Once you have tremendous money, you can have other things like fame, cars, expensive homes, and the rest.
We all need money or at least some form of money or valuables to pay for something. Years ago, bartering was the method. Money was introduced and that has set bartering aside, yet some still live like that and it is making a come back. Money itself is amoral, having neither a moral or immoral fabric to it.
It is when people love money inordinately that it becomes the object of worship. Because of that, most will do anything to gain more and to keep what they have. They will step on little people and do whatever it takes to use others to enlarge their own wealth.
I believe we have this in the world today with extremely wealthy globalists who are pushing this world toward a one-world government, economy, and religion/social system. It is ultimately for their benefit, but too many are going along with it today because they think these globalists will reward them when the job is done.
The kings (leaders) referenced in Revelation 17 have had their goal of gaining as much wealth as possible as the main reason for doing what they will do. Because of it, they have committed adultery with this women who controls the way they think, feel, and act, from a spiritual perspective. For these leaders, it’s all about money, wealth, and power.
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