Builders of Faith

Builders of Faith Explorer II:  Exploring End-Time Prophecy

Lesson 13—The Seven Last Plagues

1.    What will happen shortly before the 7 Last Plagues begin to fall on the wicked?

“After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.  And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues….  Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God….  The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.”  Revelation 15:5-8.  “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”  Revelation 22:11.

Answer:  Shortly before the plagues begin to fall, access to the heavenly temple is shut down.  It is that temple in which Jesus has been mediating His righteousness for His people (Hebrews 7:25) and in which He has been both Judge and His people’s Advocate during the Pre-Advent Judgment.  Cut off from access to that temple means two things:  (1) the Pre-Advent Judgment has ended, and (2) mankind’s probation—a period of time to get and stay right with God—has also ended.  Everyone’s spiritual direction has been fixed.


2.    How does probation close for people, and what does this say about the spiritual condition of God’s people at that time?

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  II Peter 3:9.

Answer:  The close of probation is not like a classroom teacher supervising a timed test who suddenly says, “Time is up; put down your pencils.”  That would make God arbitrary.  The text in Peter says that the Lord is waiting for more people to repent and turn to Him.  Of course, He won’t wait forever.  The mark of the beast issue will be a global crisis that will direct the entire world’s attention on it.  People will have to make a decision, and under intense pressure from both spiritual sides, each one mentally capable of making a decision will eventually do so irrevocably.  That is, everyone will come to the place where the Holy Spirit can do nothing to change the wicked people’s minds, and Satan can do nothing to change the minds of God’s people.  Each side has walked so far in its respective spiritual direction that they have fixed their character for God or for Satan.  When the last one has done so, probation will be closed.  By the way, that doesn’t make the righteous perfect people who will never make another mistake.  Character is marked not by mistakes but by the spiritual direction of a person.  Even though Jesus will no longer be pleading His righteousness for His people, that does not mean His people have reached perfect righteousness in themselves.  But it means they have reached the point of perfect loyalty so that nothing can cause them to change their spiritual direction.  They no longer will need a Mediator—not because they have reached sinless perfection—but because their cases have already been determined in heaven.  Remember that even God’s people will still have a sinful nature, whose effects contaminate even the best things they think, say, or do.  As we have learned before, that sinful nature is not removed until the actual Second Coming of Jesus; so they cannot be sinless at this point!


3.    Are the 7 Last Plagues going to be literal or symbolic?

Answer:  First, we must continue to follow the principle that events in the Bible are literal unless the context requires a symbolic interpretation.  Second, the 7 Last Plagues remind us of the ten plagues in Egypt in preparation for the exodus of Israel out of Egyptian slavery.  The first three plagues affected everyone, including the Israelites.  However, the 7 last plagues in Egypt only affected the wicked—see Exodus 8:22; 9:4, 26; 9:11; 10:6, 23; and 11:7.  There is no question but that the plagues in Egypt were literal plagues, and there is nothing in the immediate context of the 7 Last Plagues that would suggest they are anything other than literal—except for the sixth plague.  Therefore, most of them are literal, although they each seem to have a spiritual message.


4.    Will the plagues be poured out all at once, or will they be successive?

“So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth….”  Revelation 16:2.  “Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea….”  Revelation 16:3.  “Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water….”  Revelation 16:4.  “Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun….”  Revelation 16:8.  “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast….”  Revelation 16:10.  “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates….”  Revelation 16:12.  “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air….”  Revelation 16:17.

Answer:  The language in Revelation 16 clearly indicates that the plagues will be poured out successively rather than all at once.


5.    How long will it take to pour out all seven plagues?

“They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”  Revelation 16:11.  “Therefore her [Babylon’s] plagues will come in one day….”  Revelation 18:8.  “‘Alas, alas, that great city of Babylon, that mighty city!  For in one hour your judgment has come.’”  Revelation 18:10.  “For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.”  Revelation 18:17.  “For in one hour she is made desolate.”  Revelation 18:19.

Answer:  Revelation 16:11 is the time of the fifth plague.  The fact that at least some of those are still suffering the effects of the first plague (sores) during the fifth plague confirms that these plagues are successive, and that they are poured out in a relatively short period of time.  Some have suggested on the basis of the year-day principle and Revelation 18:8’s “one day” reference that the 7 Last Plagues will last for one literal year.  However, three other texts in Revelation 18 refer to these judgments as desolating spiritual Babylon in “one hour”.  Therefore, it is apparent that the year-day principle does not apply here.  Moreover, in context, all of these expressions—“one day” and “one hour”—suggest the idea of suddenness rather than of duration.  We simply don’t know how long it will take, except to say that it will be a relatively short period of time.


6.    Do these plagues actually represent God’s own personal active wrath or something else?

“…Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!  For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”  Revelation 12:12.  “…he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation….”  Revelation 14:10.  “…seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.”  Revelation 15:1.  “And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues….”  Revelation 15:6.

Answer:  Some have suggested that God has no wrath at all.  Therefore, at the time of the 7 Last Plagues, He simply withdraws His protection from the wicked, and Satan sends the plagues.  But our texts here describe both Satan and God as having wrath, both distinct from each other.  Moreover, the 7 Last Plagues are specifically said to come from the temple in heaven.  Beyond that, we learned in Explorer I, Lesson #4, that God’s character of justice cannot be subtracted from by His character of love.  Therefore, we conclude that God has great wrath against sin—that while He continues to love the sinner, those who choose to cling to sin will be judged by God and destroyed by Him as a result of His recoil against sin.  Those who elevate God’s love in order to diminish His justice/wrath distort the character of God as much as those who elevate the justice/wrath of God in order to diminish His love.  Please avoid either extreme because they are the doctrines of demons!


7.    What are the first three plagues, and is there any spiritual message in them?

A.    Sores:  “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.”  Revelation 16:2.—These sores are similar to the boils in the sixth plague upon the Egyptians, over which the magicians were powerless to cure (see Exodus 9:9-11).  Therefore, this 1st plague seems designed by God to show the inferiority of Satan and his demons when faced with God’s power.

B.    Sea Turns to Blood:  “Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.”  Revelation 16:3.—This second plague seems aimed at international trade in particular and probably reflects God’s anger at Satan’s efforts to keep under his control the nations of the earth.

C.    Waters Turn to Blood:  “Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.  And I heard the angel of the waters saying:  ‘…For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink.  It is their just due.’”  Revelation 16:4-6.—In this third plague, God gives the wicked blood to drink as an ironic punishment for their having given support to killing the saints.


8.    What happens when the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun?

“Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.  And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.”  Revelation 16:8-9.

Answer:  The wicked are scorched with great heat.  This would also create a great drought and agricultural disaster.  Yet the fact that no one repented of their sins proves that the wicked have indeed closed their own probation and are beyond the reach of the Holy Spirit.  Ironically, this plague is sent to those who honor the day of the sun (Sunday); so now they have more sun than they want!


9.    Will the first four plagues be universal or fall on different parts of the earth?

Answer:  It is virtually impossible to believe that if these first four plagues were universal (that is, affected every wicked person on earth), that any of the wicked would still be alive.  If all the oceans, rivers, streams, and springs had turned to blood, the horrible thirst would then be made unbearable by the scorching of the sun, which in turn would probably dry up the rivers, streams, and springs—making life on earth impossible.  Therefore, we suggest that these first four plagues do not affect every region on earth.


10.    What is the fifth plague, and is it only partial or universal in its impact?

“Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.  They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”  Revelation 16:10-11.

Answer:  As we have already learned in Lesson #9, the beast is the Papal Antichrist, whose primary kingdom is Vatican City in the heart of Rome.  But in an extended sense, at the time of the 7 Last Plagues, his kingdom is the whole world.  The reference to the first plague of sores here must mean that this plague of darkness is global since it is highly unlikely that the sores were limited only to those wicked who lived in Vatican City under the first plague.  The fifth plague, therefore, is probably the first universal plague in this series of plagues.  This physical darkness represents the spiritual darkness that the majority of the world has fallen into.


11.    When will the death decree against Sabbath-keepers likely be issued?

“He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”  Revelation 13:15.  “…and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”  Revelation 13:17.  “…Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.’”  John 11:49-50.

Answer:  First, it is only reasonable to believe that the lesser punishment of economic boycott be employed against God’s people first, and then the greater punishment of death.  Second, it also seems quite likely that the death decree would not be issued until after the close of probation because at that time the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from the wicked (since He cannot reach them anymore).  Thus, even before the first plague falls, the world must plunge into sheer chaos under the complete control of Satan.  Finally, it is likely that the people of God will be blamed for that chaos and/or for the plagues that soon follow—just as the high priest argued that Jesus should die in order to save the entire Jewish nation.  So the death decree will probably be issued after the close of probation, either just before or soon after the plagues begin to fall.  If this timing is true, then the gathering of wicked forces in order to go up against God’s people, pictured in Daniel 11:45 (review Lesson #11), is not for the immediate purpose of annihilating them—but the mention of annihilating God’s people in that verse must reflect the ultimate intent of the Antichrist and not the actual timing of the death decree.  It is when Michael stands up in Daniel 12:1 that is parallel to the close of probation.


12.    When will the death decree against God’s saints likely first fail?

“Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness….”  Revelation 16:10.

Answer:  The universal darkness on the earth is the first likely event that would physically prevent the death decree from being carried out.  Remember that God’s people will be sealed with God’s Seal shortly before the general close of probation, and that this sealing marks them (invisibly) for protection during the 7 Last Plagues and the tumultuous events just before and at the Second Coming of Jesus.  See Lesson #9 and Revelation 7:2-3.  Therefore, none of God’s saints will actually be killed as a result of the mark of the beast crisis at the end of the world!


13.    What actually constitutes the sixth plague?

“Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.”  Revelation 16:12.

A.    Euphrates River—This literal river was the lifeline that gave support to the ancient city of Babylon.  But in Revelation, we have learned that Babylon is symbolic of the Papal Antichrist and all false religion.  Review Lesson #10.  That means the Euphrates here must also be symbolic, which points us to the nations, multitudes, and peoples that give political support to spiritual Babylon (see Revelation 17:15).  The drying up of the symbolic river must refer to the drying up of her political and popular support by the nations and people of the world.

B.    Kings from the East—In literal ancient Babylon, that city was captured by the Medes and Persians after Cyrus the Great damned up the Euphrates River north of the city, allowing soldiers to walk under the river gates and capture the city in 539 B.C.  Cyrus was the first Persian king who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and Judea.  Therefore, the kings from the east must represent the Holy Trinity who comes to rescue His people at the Second Coming of Jesus!  Remember that Ezekiel 43:1-4 and Revelation 7:2 identify the east as one of the directions of God’s Kingdom in heaven (see Lesson #11).

Note that there is no event specified for what actually causes the world to abandon its support for spiritual Babylon, which makes this a universal plague as well.  Therefore, we conclude that the fifth plague of darkness was probably the spark that led to this drying up of support—especially in light of the emphasis that the plague was poured on the throne of the beast.  Apparently, it may start in Vatican City and then rapidly spread throughout the entire planet.  In any case, the fact that even the capital of the Papal Antichrist is not exempt from this darkness will probably be the final straw for the world.


14.    What parallels the events in Revelation 16:13-16 elsewhere in Scripture?

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.  ‘Behold, I am coming as a thief.  Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.’  And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”  Revelation 16:13-16.  “And he [spiritual Babylon as King of the North] shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.”  Daniel 11:45.

Answer:  First, note that the activities in Revelation 16:13-16 must take place before the close of probation because signs are performed in order to deceive the political nations of the whole world to gather for battle.  So they are not actually part of the sixth plague.  Second, this is paralleled by the prophecy in Daniel 11:45, in which the King of the North (spiritual Babylon) is represented by military language as planting themselves near the people of God in the time of the end.  We will focus on the Battle at Armageddon in our next lesson (#14).


15.    What events occur as a result of the seventh plague?

“Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’  And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.  Now the great city [Babylon] was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.  And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.  Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent [about 75 pounds].  Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.”  Revelation 16:17-21.

Answer:  This is the greatest of all seven plagues.  Excluding noises and lightnings, this seventh plague will consist of a great earthquake, the falling apart of the world’s cities, the disappearance of all islands and mountains, and great hail.  Since end-time Babylon is spiritual Babylon, a literal earthquake could not be responsible for her division into three parts.  The three parts surely indicate the dragon (all other false religions), the beast (Roman Catholic Church), and the false prophet (Protestant churches).  Therefore, this division is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Revelation 17:16-17 in which the people turn violently against the false religious system known under the umbrella as Babylon.  Review Lesson #10.  We can now summarize the end of spiritual Babylon in this way:  The fifth plague of darkness causes the loss of political support under the sixth plague, which then turns to violent hatred toward Babylon under the seventh plague—at least partly by the fact that the last plague is so great in variety and intensity.


16.    When is it likely that the special resurrection referred to in Lesson #11 will occur?

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit [breath].  Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised….”  Matthew 27:50-52.  “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’  And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit [breath].”  John 19:30.  “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’  …and there was a great earthquake….”  Revelation 16:17-18.

Answer:  About the time of Jesus’ death, He cried out, “It is finished!”—which was followed by an earthquake that opened up some of the graves of the saints and resurrected them in the area of Jerusalem.  Note the parallel in the seventh plague:  A voice from the throne of heaven (that is, a divine voice) cries out, “It is done!”—which was followed by an earthquake.  Although the special resurrection is not mentioned in Revelation, surely this is when it will take place.  We learned from our study of Daniel 12:1-2 (Lesson #11) that the special resurrection of some righteous and some wicked will take place during the 7 Last Plagues.  The parallels of Jesus’ voice and an earthquake surely mean that it will occur during the seventh plague.


17.    What event follows the 7 Last Plagues?

“Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”  Revelation 16:20.  “Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.  And the kings of the earth…hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said…, ‘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 His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”  Revelation 6:14-17.

Answer:  The parallel of the islands and mountains moving, and Revelation 6: 16-17 obviously referring to the Second Coming of Jesus, all means that the Second Coming of Jesus will follow the seventh plague.
 

 

Quiz for Lesson 13—The Seven Last Plagues

 

1.  Which of the following statements about the close of probation at the end-time are true? (4)

  Probation will close just before the 7 Last Plagues begin to fall.

  The close of probation is symbolized in Revelation by the announcement that no one will have access to the temple in heaven until the 7 Last Plagues are completed.

  Probation will close when the Lord suddenly announces it; then whatever spiritual direction a person is moving in, he will stay in that direction.

  Probation won’t close until everyone on earth who is capable of making a decision has made it regarding the Sabbath-Sunday issue.

  The close of probation means that God’s people must be perfect because no sins can be forgiven after Jesus ends His work in the temple in heaven.

  After the close of probation, there’s nothing that either God or Satan could do to change anyone’s spiritual direction.

 

2.  The 7 Last Plagues will be symbolic in nature, except that the last plague will be literal. (1)

  True

  False

 

3.  Which of the following statements about the time of the 7 Last Plagues are true? (2)

  It will take only 1 day for all the plagues to be poured out.

  On the year-day principle, it will take 1 literal year for the plagues to be poured out.

  The terms “one day” and “one hour” suggest the idea of suddenness rather than that of duration.

  It will take only 1 hour for the plagues to be poured out.

  The Bible does not tell us how long it will take to pour out the 7 Last Plagues.

 

4.  Which of the following statements about wrath in the book of Revelation are true? (2)

  God’s wrath is part of His natural reaction against sin because He is a just God.

  God has no active wrath; He simply withdraws His protection, and Satan sends the 7 Last Plagues.

  Revelation teaches us that both God and Satan have wrath.

 

5.  The first 4 plagues will not be universal but limited to different parts of the earth. (1)

  True

  False

 

6.  What area or areas does the 5th plague of darkness affect? (1)

  It will only affect Vatican City, the capital of the Antichrist.

  It will affect Vatican City and the 10 capitals of the 10 kings that rule with the Papacy.

  It will affect the whole earth.

 

7.  Which of the following statements about the death decree against God’s people are true? (4)

  It will probably be issued only after the close of probation.

  God’s people will probably be blamed for the chaos and/or the plagues that threaten the planet.

  The death decree will likely be issued before the close of probation in order to force everyone on earth to make a final decision.

  It is probable that the 5th plague of darkness will cause the death decree to fail to be executed on God’s people.

  Some of God’s people will die as a result of the death decree.

  None of God’s people will die as a result of the death decree.

 

8.  Which of the following statements about the 6th plague are true? (3)

  The drying up of the Euphrates River allows for the nations of the East to get their armies into Israel.

  The kings from the East is symbolic of the Holy Trinity which comes to rescue the saints just as Cyrus came from the East and rescued the Jews from Babylon.

  The drying up of the Euphrates River represents the drying up of support for spiritual Babylon.

  The cause for the 6th plague is not mentioned in the Bible, but it probably will be the 5th plague of darkness that will be the last straw for the wicked.

 

9.  Which of the following events will occur under the 7th (last) plague? (4)

  The announcement that “It is done!”

  Great earthquake

  Probably the special resurrection

  Burning of Vatican City

  Great hail

 

10.  What event immediately follows the 7th (last) plague? (1)

  The Second Coming of Jesus

  The Special Resurrection

  The defeat of spiritual Babylon