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Home , Revelation 16, Revelation 9

:12-21 GOD’S MYSTERY FINISHED

Babylon is in utter darkness! • Capital of the ’s kingdom • Built on the shores of the ancient Euphrates river. • The city of has been plunged into darkness. Revelation 16:10–11 10 And the fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of ,

CCSM 23-Jun-19 1 and his kingdom became darkened, and they began chewing their tongues because of the pain. 11 And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and because of their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds. o A “painful” darkness – enough that people chew on their tongues!

• Scorching under an angry Sun – people shout blasphemies against the Name of the Lord God. Revelation 16:8–9 8 And the fourth poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was granted to it to burn up people with fire. 9 And people were burned up by the great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has the authority over these plagues, and they did not repent to give him glory.

• Babylon has been the center of martyrdom – many saints of the cross will be killed in her streets in the name of the Beast! :23–24 23 And the light of a lamp will never shine in you again! And the sound of a bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again! For your merchants were the most important people of the earth, because with your sorcery they deceived all the nations. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints and all those who had been slaughtered on the earth.

12 And the sixth poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, in order that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. The “great river”: • Used 5X in the o Possible connection to the 6th trumpet? :13–16 13 And the sixth angel blew the trumpet, and I heard one voice from the horns of the golden altar that is before God

CCSM 23-Jun-19 2 14 saying to the sixth angel, the one who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates!” 15 And the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released, in order that they should kill a third of humanity. 16 And the number of the troops of the cavalry was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

• An important river, causeway for the eastern armies to come to then war of . o The Euphrates is no ordinary river. Its flood plain was the site of the first human city (Babel) after the great Flood and it was the site of Nebuchadnezzar’s magnificent capital city Babylon in the days of Daniel the prophet. On its shores will apparently be erected the even more magnificent New Babylon to serve as the capital of the beast in his brief but unprecedented worldwide reign in the great tribulation.1

• No Euphrates, no fresh water, no aquifers, no wells. o Ocean and fresh water turned to dead men’s blood. o Everyone suffering under the almost total lack of fresh water.

13 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. 14 For they are the spirits of demons performing signs that go out to the kings of the whole inhabited world, to gather them for the battle of the great day of God the All-Powerful. • An army of 200 million troops? (Rev 9:13-16) • An army of demons as well! o The spirits of demons. (v14) • Do you notice the serious growth of ANTI-SEMITISM in our nation and other nations? Psalm 2:1–3 1 Why are nations in tumult, and countries plotting in vain?

1 Henry M. Morris, The Revelation Record: A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Prophetic Book of the End Times (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 1983), 308.

CCSM 23-Jun-19 3 2 The kings of the earth establish themselves, and the rulers conspire together against Yahweh and his anointed: 3 “Let us tear off their bonds, and cast their cords from us!”

• Unclean animals spewing out of their mouths o Their comparison with frogs alludes to their uncleanness, being aquatic animals lacking scales (Lev. 11:9-12; Deu. 14:9-10). o They also recall the plague of frogs in Egypt (Ex. 8:2-13; Ps. 78:45; 105:30). 2 • Unclean spirits will inspire ambassadors and do miracles through them to convince the kings of the earth that the success of their future lies in the whole earth cooperating together to stop from taking over the earth at His second coming. o They will inspire the nations to fight against Christ, fulfilling Ps. 2. ▪ Just as Ahab was allured to battle and destruction by demons in 2Chr. 18:18-22, so the nations will be led to Armageddon by demons in the vain hope of defeating Christ (Rev. 16:13-16; 19:11-21). 3

2 http://www.spiritandtruth.org/teaching/Book_of_Revelation/commentary/htm/chapters/16.html#Revelation%2016%3A12 3 Dake's Annotated Reference Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments of the Authorized or Text.

CCSM 23-Jun-19 4 • ALL the nations of the earth will gather to battle against o To destroy the NEW Temple o To destroy the restored people of God o TO DESTROY THE GOD OF THE PEOPLE.

15 (Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is on the alert and who keeps his clothing, so that he does not walk around naked and they see his shamefulness!) • Behold – is coming! Matthew 24:36–39 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows — not even the angels of heaven nor the Son — except the Father alone. 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. 39 And they did not know anything until the deluge came and swept them all away. So also the coming of the Son of Man will be.

Matthew 24:42–44 42 Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know what day your Lord is coming! 43 But understand this: that if the master of the house had known what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come.

The Beloved Bride In Waiting Fiction has painted the picture of a maiden whose Lover left her for a voyage to the Holy Land, promising on his return to make her His beloved bride. Many told her that she would never see Him again. But she believed His word, and evening by evening she went down to the lonely shore and kindled there a beacon-light in sight of the roaring waves, to hail and welcome the returning ship which was to bring again her betrothed. And by that watch-fire she took her stand each night, praying to the winds to hasten on the sluggish sails, that He who was everything to her might come.

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Even so that Blessed Lord, who has loved us unto death, has gone away to the mysterious Holy Land of Heaven, promising on His return to make us His happy and eternal Bride. Some say that he has gone forever, and that here we shall see him no more. But his last word was, “Yea, I come quickly.” And on the dark and misty beach sloping out into the eternal sea, each true believer stands by their love-lit fire, looking, and waiting, and praying, and hoping for the fulfillment of His work, in nothing gladder than in His pledge and promise, and calling ever from the soul of sacred love, "EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS.” And one of these nights, while the world is busy with its happy frivolities, and laughing at the maiden on the shore, a form shall rise over the surging waves, as once on Galilee, to vindicate forever all their watching and devotion, and bring to the faithful and constant heart a joy, and glory, and triumph which nevermore shall end.

Matthew 25:1–13 1 “Then the kingdom of heaven may be compared to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take olive oil with them. 4 But the wise ones took olive oil in flasks with their lamps. 5 And when the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 But in the middle of the night there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your olive oil, because our lamps are going out!’ 9 But the wise ones answered saying, “Certainly there will never be enough for us and for you! Go instead to those who sell olive oil and buy some for yourselves.’

CCSM 23-Jun-19 6 10 But while they had gone away to buy it the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding celebration, and the door was shut. 11 And later the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you!’ 13 Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know the day or the hour!

16 And he gathered them to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon. • GOD gathered them! • Armageddon o Ἁρμαγεδ(δ)ών (W-H. Ἅρ Μαγεδών; t.r. Ἀρμαγεδδών) indecl. Armageddon a mythical place-name, said to be Hebrew Rv 16:16; it has been identified w. Megiddo and Jerusalem, but its interpr. is beset w. difficulties that have not yet been surmounted. See comm., and JJeremias, ZNW 31, ’32, 73–77; BViolet, ibid. 205f; CTorrey, HTR 31, ’38, 237–50; JMichael, JTS 38, ’37, 168–72; HKraft, TRu 38, ’73, 81–98; MOberweis, Biblica 76, ’95, 305–24. 4 ▪ 93.414 Αρμαγεδών: a cryptic place name designating the territory which will be the scene of the final battle of the forces of good and evil—‘Armageddon’ (Re 16:16). 5

4 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 132. 5 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 833.

CCSM 23-Jun-19 7 Not the same event at this battle with Gog and Magog in Rev 20: :7–10 7 And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and he will go out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle, whose number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the fortified camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet also are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Ezekiel 38:1–6 1 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the head leader of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. 3 And you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am against you, Gog, the head leader of Meshach and Tubal, 4 and I will turn you around, and I will place hooks in your cheeks, and I will bring you out and all of your horses and horsemen fully armed, all of them, a great crowd, holding a shield, and small shield, and holding swords, all of them. 5 Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them, with a small shield and helmet. 6 Gomer and all of its troops, Beth Togarmah, the remote areas of the north, and with all of its troops and many peoples with them.

This event will be a call of all nations of the earth against Jerusalem. :9 9 And then on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations coming against Jerusalem.

Zechariah 14:1–4 1 Look! A day is coming for Yahweh,

CCSM 23-Jun-19 8 when your plunder will be divided in your midst. 2 I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, and they will loot the houses, and the women will be raped; half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, like when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in half, from east to west, by a very great valley; and half of the mountain will withdraw toward the north, and the other half toward the south.

Zechariah 14:12–15 12 And this will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike all the peoples that fight against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are standing on their feet; their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 And then on that day a great panic from Yahweh will fall on them, and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of another. 14 And also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected —gold and silver, and garments in great abundance. 15 Like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, and the donkey, and every kind of animal in those camps.

17 And the seventh poured out his bowl on the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” • Only time in Revelation that the Father speaks to Heaven and Earth: o IT IS DONE! o The wrath of God is finished! • The martyrs in Heaven had asked – “How Long?” :9–11 9 And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had,

CCSM 23-Jun-19 9 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, holy and true Lord, will you not judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” 11 And to each one of them a white robe was given, and it was said to them that they should rest yet a short time, until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed as they had been were completed also.

18 And there were lightnings and sounds and thunders, and there was a great earthquake, as has not happened from the time humanity has been on the earth — so great in this way was the earthquake. • The greatest earthquake ever known in man’s history!

19 And the great city (Jerusalem) was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of his furious wrath. Zechariah 14:1–5 1 Look! A day is coming for Yahweh, when your plunder will be divided in your midst. 2 I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, and they will loot the houses, and the women will be raped; half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, like when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in half, from east to west, by a very great valley; and half of the mountain will withdraw toward the north, and the other half toward the south. 5 And you will flee by the valley of my mountains, because the valley of the mountains will reach to Azal, and you will flee like you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. And Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

Isaiah 24:18–21 18 And this shall happen: The one who flees from the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit,

CCSM 23-Jun-19 10 and the one who goes up from inside the pit shall be caught in the snare, for the windows from heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. 19 The earth is utterly broken; the earth is torn asunder; the earth is shaken violently. 20 The earth staggers to and fro like the drunkard, and it sways like a hut, and its transgression is heavy upon it, and it falls and does not rise again. 21 And this shall happen on that day: Yahweh will punish the host of heaven in heaven, and the kings of the earth on the earth.

20 And every island fled, and mountains were not found. 21 And large hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds, came down from the sky upon people, and the people blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, because the plague of it was very great. Global catastrophes: • Genesis Flood – world wide! • Revelation 16:19-20 o 100 pound hailstones!

Benediction Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the words, which we have heard this day with our outward ears, may, through Thy grace, be so grafted inwardly to our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honor and praise of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CCSM 23-Jun-19 11 THE MEANING OF “ARMAGEDDON” The problems for the traditional identification begin with the term itself. In Revelation 16:12–16 we read:

12 And the sixth poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, in order that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. 13 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. 14 For they are the spirits of demons performing signs that go out to the kings of the whole inhabited world, to gather them for the battle of the great day of God the All-Powerful. 15 (Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is on the alert and who keeps his clothing, so that he does not walk around naked and they see his shamefulness!) And he gathered them to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon. John, the author of Revelation, tells us explicitly that “Armageddon” is a Hebrew term. John does that in part because the is written in Greek. There’s something about the Greek word translated “Armageddon” that required, for Greek readers, clarification that the term had been brought into the verse from Hebrew. Those who can read Greek, or at least know the alphabet, will notice that the Greek term (Ἁρμαγεδών) would be transliterated into English characters as h-a-r-m-a-g-e-d-o-n. If you don’t know Greek, you’ll wonder right away where the initial “h” in the transliteration comes from. The “h” at the beginning of the term corresponds to the superscripted apostrophe before the capital “A” in the Greek letters—what is known as a rough breathing mark in Greek. The had no letter “h” and so instead used this mark to convey that sound. As a result, the correct (Hebrew) term John uses to describe the climactic end-times battle is harmagedon. This spelling becomes significant when we try to discern what this Hebrew term means. The first part of the term (har) is easy. In Hebrew har means “mountain.” Our term is therefore divisible into har-magedon, “Mount (of) magedon.” The question is, what is magedon? Two options have historically been offered for answering this question. The first is the traditional “Megiddo,” which I mentioned at the start. The meaning of the phrase would be “Mount Megiddo.” The problem is that this is an archaeological tell—an artificial mound created by successive layers of building and occupation over millennia. It is not a natural formation. It is not a mountain, and there are no mountains in the entire region. The photograph shows just how flat the area of Megiddo actually is. :11–21 informs us quite clearly that when Jesus returns bodily to earth, he will do so to end the conflict of Armageddon and defeat the beast, the antichrist. According to 16:16, this climactic event occurs at Armageddon. Students of biblical will find these verses very familiar. Now let’s take a look at Zechariah 12:9–11, recalling that 12:11 is the verse I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, wherein we find the Hebrew for “Megiddo” spelled with a final n. If we read 12:11 in context, we will see that Armageddon cannot be at Megiddo, so the appearance of the final n in that verse cannot prove that the term points to that city:

9 “And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 “And I will pour out on the house of and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo” (Zech 12:9–11 ESV). It is crystal clear that the final conflict occurs at Jerusalem, not Megiddo. Megiddo is referenced only to compare the awful mourning that will result. Not only does Zechariah 12 place the final battle where the nations see the risen, pierced Christ at Jerusalem, but verse 11 tells us explicitly that Megiddo is a plain, not a mountain!

CCSM 23-Jun-19 12 So where does this leave us? Does magedon point to Jerusalem? It would seem that it has to, in light of (1) the term har-magedon, which describes this final battle, and (2) Zechariah 12:9–11, which plainly sites the conflict at Jerusalem. 6

6 S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 370.

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