Revelation 15:7 – Revelation 16:21

The Seven Last Plagues
_____________________

page l 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7 l 8 l

-4-

We know that God grants every being the power of choice. Lucifer and the angels could sin and he and many angels chose to sin. Adam and Even could sin and they chose to sin. You and I sin and we do sin. All beings have the power of choice.

 

Therefore:

 

God holds every being fully accountable for his choices.

 

Ecclesiastes 12:13   Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

 

Ecclesiastes 12:14   For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”  

 

Now that we have discussed a few things about our power of choice, the operation of the Same/Same Ruleand God’s demand for justice, there’s one last point we have to examine before we look at the seven last plagues.

 

God demands restitution for every wrong deed.

 

Before God can forgive us of our sins, we have to make wrongs right (as far as possible) with the people we have wronged.

 

Exodus 22:1   “if a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

 

Exodus 22:5   “If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his field or vineyard.

 

Exodus 22:6   “if a fire breaks out and spreads into thorn bushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution….”

 

As a practical matter, restitution is a strong deterrent for wrongdoing.

 

If every judge forced felons to first make amends to their victims before punishing them for breaking the law, there would be far less crime in the world.

 

Profound statement: God cannot forgive our sins until there is genuine repentance and genuine repentance does not exist until the sinner becomes willing to confess his sin and make restitution.  Period. Jesus said:

 

Matthew 5:23   “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

 

Matthew 5:24   leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

 

Ok, here’s the point:

 

During the Great Tribulation, wicked people are going to do wicked things:

 

(1) They are going to torture and destroy most of God’s people.

 

 (2) They will openly insult and defy God’s authority and to show their hatred toward God, they will kill most (if not all) of His 144,000 prophets and saints.

 

God will respond to the actions of the wicked using the Same/Same Rule. This is the role and purpose to the seven last plagues. Listen closely: God will torture the wicked because (a) they chose to reject the plainest evidences of Truth and (b) they chose to torture His people who surrendered to the demands of His law. The Same/Same Ruledemands the wicked to be tortured.

 

Romans 12:19   “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

 

Then, at the Second Coming, Jesus will destroy the wicked because they refused to accept “the rule of love” that governs the universe. Listen closely: God doesn’t destroy the wicked because they insult Him or reject Him. God doesn’t have a huge ego that demands respect.

 

Actually, God is totally selfless. God is the most humble being in all the universe. God is a servant to all of His creation. When Jesus wrapped Himself in a towel and washed the feet of the disciples, the humble character of the Father was demonstrated in Christ. 

 

This is why Jesus said, John 14:9 “….Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father….”

 

When we look at the cross, we see Jesus humbly submitting to the pain and shame of the cross in order to save us from the penalty of sin. God is the King of humility! God is the King of selflessness! God is the King of love! God is the King of forgiveness and longsuffering. There is no one like Him! Long live OUR KING!!!

 

The Godhead holds the position as Trustees of the Universe’s Government. This means that they manage the universe from the perspective of what is good for everyone. The point I’m trying to make is that God destroys the wicked at the end of the Great Tribulation because they willingly and knowingly refused to submit to the law of love.

 

The wicked will be like their father, the devil. Wicked people are narcistic. They love themselves; they think only of themselves, everything they do is for themselves. The carnal heart is wrapped up in a world whose axis is self. 

 

During the Great Tribulation, the whole world will be informed on the love and the will of God. The wicked will hear and defy two eternal laws of love: (1) Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind and soul and (2) thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self.

 

Therefore, God will justifiably destroy them – not because He is personally angry with them for the insults they directed at Him, but rather because the wicked refused to submit to the laws of love – the righteous and eternal laws that govern the universe.

 

This is why God’s wrath is defined as righteous indignation instead of a temper tantrum. For the benefitof the whole universe, God has to destroy those people who will not submit to the laws of love. They were given every chance. For 1,260 days the Holy Spirit did everything possible. But, they chose to rebel.

_________________________________ page l 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7 l 8 l -4-

[TOP]