Revelation 14:6 – Revelation 15:6

The Close of Mercy and the Seven Last Plagues
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This is our third and final segment on the seventh prophecy in Revelation. Today, we are going to begin our study with Revelation 14:14.   This verse introduces the close of mercy.

 

Before we read from Scripture please consider the following three points:

 

1.   Many Christians do not know (a) that the judgment of the living occurs during the Great Tribulation and (b) that the judgment of the living will be completed just before the seven last plagues begin.

 

In other words, everyone on Earth will have been judged when the Two Witnesses complete their work. At the end of the 1,260 days granted to the Two witnesses, Jesus will pronounce this benediction upon the world:

 

Revelation 22:11   “Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to be right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.”

 

The end of the gospel invitation can be compared to the closing of the door on the ark in Noah’s day. When the door closed, everyone inside the ark was sealed inside and everyone outside the door of the ark was sealed outside. Once the door of the ark was closed, the judgment of the living was finished. Seven days later the rain began to fall.

 

For 120 years, Noah preached about the coming flood. And then one day, it was over. The huge door of the ark was closed. It could not be closed or opened by Noah! So it will be. God’s offer for salvation will be preached for 1,260 days and then the door to salvation will close.

 

2.   Here are two points that you need to know about the close of mercy.

 

First, during the 1,260 days of the seven trumpets, Jesus is willing to save any repentant soul until the Two Witnesses have finished their testimony. In other words, the close of mercy will not spring on sincere and honest hearted people as a trap snaps shut. However, it will spring like a trap on the foolish.

 

A lot of Christians are confused by this text:

 

Matthew 24:37   As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

 

Matthew 24:38   For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;

 

Matthew 24:39   and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. This is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

 

This text offers two things that you need to know:

 

1.   In Noah’s day, the wicked were caught by surprise. Why? They failed to pay attention to what Noah was saying and it cost them their lives. However, Noah and his family were not caught by surprise.

2.      When most people read this text, they read, “…That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” And they apply these words to the physical appearing of Jesus at the Second Coming.

 

But, this is not the case. This text should be applied to the commencement  of the Great Tribulation. The coming of Jesus is a process that takes 1,335 days. A parade of events will transpire and at the end of the parade, Jesus, sitting at the right hand of the Father, will physically appear on a huge float!

 

The point here is that in Noah’s day the wicked were caught by surprise. When the door of the ark closed they could have cared less. But, when the rain began to fall, it was too late.

 

So it will be. The judgment of the living will begin with the casting down of the censer and it will last for 1,260 days. During this time, everyone will be forced by circumstances to make his or her decision and then the door to salvation will close. There’s no surprise at the end. The surprising part is at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

 

In fact, you may recall from a previous seminar that in the Old Testament, Day of Atonement(the 10^th day of the 7^th month) did not come as a surprise to anyone in Israel. The feast of trumpets gave everyone notice for nine days that mercy was coming to an end.

 

Furthermore, everyone in the camp knew that mercy ended as the ninth day of the seventh month came to a close. Everyone in the camp knew that his sins had to be confessed and made right before the Day of Atonement arrived. In other words, the close of mercy on the 10^th day of the 7^th month in ancient Israel was not a surprise.

 

Here’s a second issue that confuses a lot of people:

 

Before the 1,260^th day is reached, everyone will have made their decision about the gospel of Christ. Listen carefully: The door of mercy does not close while people remain in the valley of decision. No! Every decision will have been made before the door of mercy closes. The mark of the beast test will be implemented several months before the door of mercy is closed. Therefore, everyone will have made their decision before the 1,260 days allotted to salvations offer ends.

 

3.   This brings us to the third and last point: The judgment of the living is a topic that most Christians do not understand. Consider this:

 

The judgment of the dead began in 1844 and the judgment of the dead is based on the recorded historyof each dead person.

 

Daniel 7:10 “….The court was seated, and the books were open.”

 

Yes, the judgment of the dead continues after the Great Tribulation begins because millions of people will die before they can hear the testimony of Jesus that will be spoken by the 144,000.

 

But, the judgment of the living is different than the judgment of the dead in one major respect. The judgment of the livingis not based on books of record. The judgment of the living will be based on our actions! Jesus will judge the living by putting the living through a test of faith and our actions will reveal our faith.

 

When God’s wrath begins, the composite beast in Revelation 13 will arise. It will persecute those who obey the three angel’s messages. The result is that the faith of every living person will be tested and our actions will reveal our choice. Faith in God or lack of faith in God is a matter of choice.

 

Look at this verse. Paul says that the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to call people to obedience through faith in Christ!

 

Romans 1:5   Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to callpeople from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

 

Romans 1:6   And you [those Jews living in Rome] also are among those who are calledto belong to Jesus Christ.”

 

Think about this: If salvation comes by faith, isn’t a no-brainer that the faith of the living has to be tested?

The judgment of the living is a four-step process:

1.   Every person has to hear the gospel.
2.   Every person has to make a decision for or against the gospel.
3.   Every person has to be tested with persecution to see if they have embraced the gospel through faith in Christ.
4.    Every person has to be sealed in his or her decision.

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