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to exact their toll upon the earth, will most of human–
ity remain hard to convince, unyielding and unrepen–
tant? Rev.
9:20-2
L.
2. What happens next? Rev.
11:15.
ls this clearly
the prophesied time of Christ's Second Coming to
rescue mankind from annihilation and establish the
kingdom of God on earth? Same verse.
3. But what is the reaction of rebellious mankind at
this time? Verse
18,
first five words.
COMMENT: lnstead of welcoming the returning
Christ, the new ruler of the world will be rejected by
major world political and military leaders whose
armies are already committed to an all-out struggle
over who will rule the world.
Men have never wanted God's rule, which is the
only way to real peace, happiness and joy. And so
rulers of many nations are found
angry
at Jesus
Christ!
Seven Final Punishments
l.
What else occurs under the symbol of the blowing
of the seventh and last trumpet? Rev.
11:14, 18.
Notice the words "thy wrath is come" in verse
18.
COMMENT: God's anger is not motivated by temper
or hate but by !ove and merey and justice.
2. Exa"ctly what "fills up" or completes the just
anger or wrath of God? Rev.
15:
l.
COMMENT: The preceding six trumpets have her–
alded .the unleashing of different punishments upon
this rebellious war-torn world. But notice that the
seventh and last trumpet
completes
God's punish–
ments by ushering in "seven last plagues."
3. Are these plagues compared to the concentrated
contents of "vials" about to be poured out? Rev.
15:7.
On what are they poured? Rev.
16:
l. Read the rest of
this chapter to get t he story flow.
4. Will the first vial cause excruciating sores upon
all w,ho are participating in this world's idolatrous,
civil-religious system? Rev.
16:2.
5. What will the second and third of these plagues
do? Rev.
16:3-4.
Is God
just
to inflict these punish–
ments upon rulers who have subjected the world to a
nuclear holocaust? Verses
5-7.
6. Will the pouring out of the sixth vial climax in
the most significant battle in all human history? Rev.
16:12-16.
Will Christ judge and make war against
defiant men who want war? Rev.
19:11;
Isa.
11:4.
7 . Will the earth be violently shaken by the might–
iest earthquake ever to occur when the seventh and last
plague is poured out? Rev.
16:17-18.
Will islands of
the sea be suddenly removed from their present geo–
graphic positions? Verse
20.
8. Will part of God 's final punishment involve
gigantic hailstones? Rev.
16:21.
COMMENT: The weight of each hailstone will be in
excess of
100
pounds! Can you imagine the tremen–
dous destruction this storm will cause on earth?
9. What is the reason God must punish mankind so
severely? Isa.
24:4-6.
Notice especially verse
5.
CoMMENT:
Sin
is disobedience to God's laws of
happy, successful living (1 John
3:4).
Sin is the
CAUSE
of all human suffering and woe. The world is in reality
Aprll 1983
bringing divine wrath upon itself by having lived in sin
and refusing to repent. And so our loving Creator will
have to punish the world primarily by the forces of
nature to bring it to its senses and to
humble
all men
and women so they will be teachable.
God loves mankind (John
3:16).
He wants everyone
to eventually understand his way that leads to eterna!
life- to be born into his supreme ruling family (II Pet.
3:9;
I Tim.
2:3-4).
But people must be
humbled
before
God can work with them!
And what of those who will die in the crisis rushing
upon this sick world? Since the Creator has power
over life and death, these same people will be
resur–
rected
to mortal life after
1,000
years (Rev.
20:5,
11-13).
Having been humbled by the experience of death
and resurrection to physical life, they will listen to
J esus Chr ist and most wíll voluntarily choose to obey
him. They, too, will have their opportunity to under–
stand and live God's way of !ove that leads to peace,
happiness and joy.
10.
Will the nations finally begin to seek God and
ask him to teach tbem bis ways? Isa. 2: l -4.
CoMMENT: Worldwide peace, security and happi–
ness will be ushered in by the rule of Jesus Christ. The
law of God will be enforced over all nations.
Meanwhile, individually, each of us can receive
God's divine protection now. But we must first turn to
God and seek to do his will, as well as do
our part
in
helping to spread God's end-time warning to the world
(Rev.
3:7-8, 10; 12:14-16).
No plague need come near you!
[f you heed and
obey God, you can be worthy to escape
these things
that shall surely cometo pass (Luke
21:36).
Prepared by Richard
H.
Sedliacik
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