How do we fit the pieces of the end-time prophetic puzzle together? How do we match the markings or colors? We said in the last blog that we let Scripture interpret Scripture. But how does that work exactly?
 
We follow the prophetic connections found in the prophecies, compliments of the Holy Spirit. The connections are nearly identical words or phrases found in two passages. It’s His signal that the passages go together. Each passage sheds some light on the particular topic of the prophecy or the event being foretold.
 
We see this, for example, in the connection of being raised up in John 6 to the description of the rapture 1 Thessalonians 4 where the dead in Christ rise first. Both passages have the common element of resurrection that forms the connection.
 
The connection then yields an added element: more information is provided that expands on what we know about that end-time event. For instance, we learn that once we are raptured at the sound of the trumpet, we shall be with our Lord always. Paul continues teaching about our Lord’s coming in the next chapter. In chapter 5 he informs us that because we are sons and daughters of the Light, God did not appoint us to experience the wrath of that Day.
 
This, in turn, leads us to another truth that comes by extension. In this case, the truth is not stated directly in either passage, but by extension from other prior connections, so that we know the truth is valid. For example, John says we are raised up at the last Day. When Paul continues teaching about our Lord’s coming in the next chapter, we learn that the last Day is also called the Day of the Lord because both Paul and Jesus were describing the same event.
 
In Thessalonians, Paul calls it the Day of the Lord. By extension we can now say that the rapture occurs at the start of the Day of the Lord, the last Day in God’s prophetic great Week.
 
This gives us confirmations that increase as more and more connections are studied. For example, the last Day is obviously the last day of God’s great Week, which is the 7th Day (when counting from Adam). Hosea 6:1-2 connects this to the 3rd Day (when counting from the Jews’ rejection of Christ at His first coming). This expansion and confirmation means we can now make even more connections about the rapture and the Day of the Lord because that Day has many, many signs associated with it. That’s how we can know that the rapture cannot be an any-moment, signless, sort-of coming before Christ’s second coming.
 
In short, the Holy Spirit has built into God’s Word the standard of truth set by God that at least 2 to 3 witnesses ultimately establish the truth. So now we have four practical and simple questions we can ask when reading God’s Word so that we let Scripture interpret Scripture.

1. What is the common element?
2. What is the added element or new revelation?
3. What can be determined by extension?
4. What things does this confirm?
   

At the end of John’s encounter with Christ that is recorded in the book of Revelation, an angel gives him a final tour. First they see the new heaven and new earth. John notices there is no sea. Next he sees the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The City is the Bride of Christ.
 
Then comes a declaration from Heaven. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 22:3-4). That is the awesome wonder of the Day of God, the Perfect Day.
 
Then He who sat on the throne declares, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Talk about an overwhelming assignment! Good thing John has the Holy Spirit within him to direct his effort and bring everything back to his memory.
 
Next comes another astounding announcement: “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son (Rev. 22:6-8).
 
We were told in the first chapter of the book that the Revelation is given to show His servants the things that must take place shortly. So how can He declare “It is done?” For one thing, God has already declared the end from the beginning. And God’s Word always accomplishes what it is sent to do (Isaiah 55:11).
 
What we’ve seen unfolding in Revelation shall come to pass. There’s no way around it, for the seal of the Lord shall perform it (Isaiah 9:8). It doesn’t matter whether or not the people of the earth believe it. This is what shall come to pass. That is why God then directs John, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.”
 
The tour concludes with Jesus affirming that He will indeed come a second time. Now we know that we shall all see it unfold literally. Then Jesus issues a stern warning.
 
“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
 
So how do we keep from adding or subtracting from this prophecy, and the many others throughout God’s Word concerning the end-times? We let Scripture interpret Scripture. But how does that work, exactly? It’s a lot like saying the Bible is like a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces scattered throughout the “box.” All we have to do is match the markings or colors and fit the shapes together. It’s a nice analogy, but again, how do we do this practically speaking?
 
Glad you asked. We’ll discover the answer in the next blog! Stay tuned!

         When Jesus turns over the Kingdom to the Father, the Man described in Acts 17:31 has judged the world. He and His Bride have reigned as the Judge, executing God’s righteous judgment against evil. As foreshadowed by the Old Testament judges, the Man has tread down the enemy, brought deliverance, and ruled with a rod of strength. Mission accomplished.
            The end of the Days brings the final judgment, the final death, and the final resurrection as we saw in the last blog. But even that is not the final chapter of the cosmic saga.
            In Revelation 21, John is shown the Bride. It is the City, the Heavenly Jerusalem. He sees it descending at the end of the Days. It is God’s dwelling place and tabernacle among the new heavens and new earth. The event is celebrated as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
            As Isaiah 9:6-7 prophesied, for unto us a Child was born and a Son was given—His first coming. As for His second coming, the prophecy declared that the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase or greatness of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice. From that time forward, even forever!
            The end of the 7th Day brings the end of the Days—the end of God’s prophetic great Week of 1,000-year Days. The plan of redemption is complete. The restoration of all things is complete (Acts 2:31). Now what?
            Is there an 8th Day? No, for the Genesis pattern is six Days allotted to mankind’s work, and the 7th Day is a Sabbath rest. So, again, what comes next? If we turn the numeral 8 on its side, we have a hint: ∞. That is the mathematical symbol for “eternity and beyond.”
            What comes next is eternity future. In Scripture it is called the Perfect Day and the Day of God (Prov. 4:18 1 Cor. 13:8-10; 2 Peter 3:12). Jesus referred to it as the Unknown Day and Hour because it comes after God makes the new heavens and new earth. It is an eternal Day like no other, for it shall never end. The glory of it is beyond our comprehension.
            “It shall come to pass in that Day that there will be no light; the lights will diminish.  It shall be one Day which is known to the Lord—neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen
that it will be light” (Zech. 14:6-7).
            “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified” (Isaiah 60:19-21).
            In other words, it is Eternity Future. The timing of it is not unknown. What is unknown is what that Eternal Day will be like because it is beyond our mere mortal imagination. Perfect peace. Knowing fully. Eternal righteousness. No evil. Mind-boggling, to say the least!
            Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen!
           

            Few people, including Christians, know much about the biblical doctrine of resurrection and judgment. It’s time we get in the know. We need to understand the times so we know what we ought to be doing. Let’s recap.

• We saw in the last blog why this world and its heavens (atmosphere) must pass away.
• We saw why the lineage of the first Adam must end.
• It’s the only way death can be defeated.
• Since Jesus, the last Adam, overcame death and brought life, all the people must die and receive some form of eternal resurrection life.
  

             Those truths may shock you at first glance. So consider these truths. First, this earth is groaning from the weight of sin in its midst and its physical contamination (Romans 8:22). Second, death is the only way to overcome the power of death, which is why Jesus had to die (Romans 5:10). Third, death is the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26).
            As we learned in the last blog, every person alive on the earth at the end of the Day of the Lord must die. Then every person is resurrected. Believers receive the resurrection of the just. Unbelievers receive the resurrection of the unjust, also called the resurrection of condemnation. Either way, the resurrection is instantaneous and the person doesn’t feel it. And either way the person becomes immortal.
            This is how the separation of the sheep and goats happens. Matthew 25:32-46 explains that the sheep go to the right of His throne, while the goats go to the left. To the sheep Christ declares: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” 
            To the goats He declares: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”  Then Death and Hades/Hell are thrown into the Lake of Fire—eternal damnation. This is called the second death because it is eternal separation from God the Creator (Rev. 20:14).
            Ironic, isn’t it. Those who rejected God the Father and Jesus Christ are resurrected, only to die again. This doesn’t mean these people cease to exist. For every human is created with a spirit that does not die. Once we are conceived, we are an immortal spirit. Those who reject Christ “die” only in the sense that they must live eternally in the blackness of darkness apart from God's Kingdom of Light forever (Jude 1:13).
            Jesus summed it up this way. “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46).
 

            As promised, the passage in Revelation 20:11-12 that describes the Great White Throne Judgment contains some crucial nuggets of truth concerning the doctrine of resurrection and judgment (see Hebrews 6:1-2). This is the last elementary principle of our faith that God is restoring to the Body of Christ in these times by His Spirit. Much of it is found in 1 Corinthians 15.
            To set the stage, Christ and His Body have crushed the Antichrist’s forces. The Antichrist and the False Prophet are totally out of the picture—in the Lake of Fire. Ditto for Satan, after fire from Heaven destroyed his final rebellion and he joined his evil minions in the Lake of Fire.
            Jesus Christ turns over the Kingdom to the Father, that God may be all in all. We know that Christ must reign until all His enemies are underfoot. The last enemy is Death—which is the issue at hand.
           Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden brought sin into God’s created world, which He had declared good. That sin then brought decay, destruction, and death into this world. It forever corrupted this natural world. Therefore, this world as we know it now cannot remain. That is why Scripture says in several places besides Rev. 20 that this world and its heavens (atmosphere) must pass away. Corruption cannot endure before the face of God.
            Just as death came through one man, Adam, we likewise know that resurrection also came from one Man, Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus is also called the last Adam and the second Man. Paul explains in 1 Cor. 15 that the first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. This is why the only criterion for judgment is whether or not a person has accepted Jesus—the life-giving spirit—as their Savior.
            Verse 50 draws the line: “flesh and blood [the corrupted human physical body made from the elements of this earth] cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption Heaven].” This is why John only sees the dead—small and great—standing before God’s white throne of judgment. The mortal, corrupted body cannot remain. Death cannot remain.
            This is why our current corrupted world and heavenlies pass away and are found no more. And it is why all must die. The foundational apostles understood this doctrine. Peter describes the end this way: “But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).
            But that’s not the end of the story. “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
            So, yes, this world shall come to an end at the end of the 7th Day, the Day of the Lord, when Jesus Christ turns over the Kingdom to God the Father. We know that He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, including Death (1 Cor. 15:25-28). And yes, all must die because Death is judged and thrown into the Lake of Fire, along with Hades/Hell (Rev. 20:14).
            But what about the resurrection part of this doctrine? We’ll cover that in the next blog, but here’s a hint. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51).

            Another name for the 7th Day in God’s prophetic plan of redemption, besides the Day of the Lord, is the Day of Judgment. If you’ve been following these blogs, you understand that this Day lasts 1,000 years. You may be surprised to find out that this Day features a judgment seat at the beginning and at the end.
            We know that the Church is raptured at the start of this Day. It is when all those who are judged as being in Christ, and therefore part of His Body, are gathered together with Him and taken to our prepared place in Heaven. Since our sins are already forgiven by the blood of Jesus, we are already judged as righteous in Him. We stand before the judgment seat of Christ, which in the Greek is called the bema seat.
            This is not a judgment for sin or eternal punishment. It is a judgment for the rewards to be received due to our works of service on the earth. “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward” (1 Cor. 3:12-14).
            We know that there are no tears or suffering in Heaven. So this revealing must be instantaneous. Somehow we will see what was wasted, but the glory of standing before our Lord and our Father God will far outweigh any sense of loss. Nothing will compare to seeing Him face to face! How those rewards will take effect is not immediately clear in Scripture. But we know they will be based on our stewardship during our “boot-camp training” on the earth.
            As we mentioned in the previous blog, the rest of mankind is judged at the end of Christ’s 1,000-year reign. Revelation 20:11-12 calls this the Great White Throne Judgment. “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
            There are several important aspects to see in this passage—more than we can cover in one blog. So for now, let’s look at the basis of this final judgment. This judgment is for all other people (except the Church). It includes the Old Testament saints. This is when the parable of the wheat (believers) and tares (unbelievers), and the parable of the sheep (believers) and goats (unbelievers) are fulfilled. It is the final separation.
            In case you’re wondering, the Old Testament saints, who died before Christ’s first coming, went to Abraham’s Bosom, a separate compartment in Hades. When Christ died, He went there and preached the Gospel to them, enabling Him to take them to Heaven with Him. This was Satan’s first notice that Christ had triumphed over death and served notice that God has sentenced Satan.
            The only criterion for this final judgment is whether or not a person’s name is in the Book of Life. Every person’s name is written in the Book when they are born. Any people who have not received Christ as their Savior before the moment they die have their name removed from the Book. Incidentally, this is why aborted children, stillborn children, or young children who die before the age of accountability go to Heaven.
            Remember, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God longs that we choose Life!

         It may surprise you to find out that Satan does not join the Antichrist and the False Prophet in the Lake of Fire at the end of the 3½-year war. Instead, he is bound temporarily in the bottomless Pit, a compartment of Hades.  He is no longer able to deceive the nations while he is sealed within his own personal Hell.
            Toward the very end of the 1,000 years, Satan is released to “go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog [the defeated 8th kingdom], to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.”
            Why on earth would God allow such a thing? Because He is loving and just. I know, this may be a little hard to swallow at first, but bear with me. Remember, His will is that all mankind be saved.
            Since the start of the 7th Day, there are people who have come to the Lord, many by seeing the rapture and finally believing. They either somehow managed to survive the trumpet judgments and the command to take the mark of the beast, or they died a martyr’s death. If they died as a martyr for their new-found faith, they are “grandfathered” into the Body of Christ and reign with Him for the rest of the 1,000 years.
            As for the rest of the believers who survived everything on the earth, they are part of the family of God and the redeemed, but they are not part of the Body of Christ. Why not? Because they did not believe until after they saw Christ come. Being a part of the Body of Christ is always by faith—believing without seeing.
            There are also unbelievers who survive the wrath of that Day, as well as people being born during the rest of the 1,000 years. Remember, the human DNA is still corrupted by the Fall. They still need to be born again. Because God created mankind with a will, these people always have a choice whom they will worship—Christ or Satan.
            By the way, this further proves that Christ and His Bride are not physically on the earth during the 1,000 years because that would mean that the people would be walking by sight and not by faith. In 2 Cor. 5:7 we are reminded that it is always a faith issue.
            So Satan is released to give all mankind one final choice. The fact that people are still being born with a fallen nature, and therefore need to accept Jesus as their Savior, is clear because Satan is able to deceive enough people to form another invasion against Jerusalem.
            Think about this for a moment. We finally have just cultural institutions on the earth, compliments of the Heavenly Government working through God’s representatives on the earth—Israel, who is now charged with spreading the Gospel message. Satan is bound and there is no demonic influence. Yet because of the fallen nature, which knows evil, people can still choose to reject God and “do it their way.” This is why Hell exists. It is the only way to justly contain evil once and for all, and bring in eternal righteousness.
            Take a moment to think about this truth as well. Do we really think Satan would be able to raise up such a rebellion if Christ and His Bride were physically present on the earth in our glorified form? No unredeemed human can stand or survive the glory of God’s holiness.
            Needless to say, this final rebellion is immediately destroyed with fire from Heaven. Satan is thrown into the Lake of Fire (eternal damnation). The cosmic battle is over. Then comes the final judgment. Stay tuned.

            The age-old cosmic battle between good and evil has suffered an eternal blow. And those of us who are in Christ have the honor of bringing God’s true justice to the earth. Revelation 19:20-21 declares the victory. “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest [of the Antichrist’s armies] were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
            And with that, the last half of Daniel’s 70th Week is fulfilled. And so is the rest of the prophecy’s to-do list. Zech. 14:10-11 assures us that the land will be restored and made habitable once again. “The people shall dwell in it; and no longer shall there be utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.” Joel 2:25-27 likewise speaks of this restoration and its purpose. “Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel; I am the Lord your God and there is no other.” True worship begins, with sacrifices not for sin but as gifts of worship, for Israel’s righteousness is complete in the Messiah (Zech. 14:21). People come from all over to worship the Lord (Is. 66:23).
            Ezekiel 39:9-19 describes the clean-up operation. The Israelites plunder and take back what was taken from them over the course of the 3½-year war. They go out and set fire on all the weapons of the invasion force. It takes 7 years to completely destroy all the weapons left behind. They use the fuel left behind for 7 years, such that they don’t have to use their own natural resources.
            The destruction is so widespread that they have to make mass graves for the skeletons of the armies and their animals. The site becomes known as the Valley of Hamon Gog—literally, the multitude of Gog, from which arose the Antichrist.
            Search parties are established to seek out any contaminated remains, most likely radioactive debris from the limited nuclear weapons. It has to be buried, which take 7 years as well. People who happen to come upon such debris are instructed to set up markers across the land so that the search parties can find them in order to cleanse the land.
            As with the first two world wars, life goes on. Only this time, the “new normal” is unlike any other time in history. Christ and the immortal heavenly government rules from Heaven over the earth with a rod of iron—strength (Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15) for the remainder of the 1,000 years. Psalm 37:28 is fulfilled: “For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.” Psalm 33:5 is likewise fulfilled: “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”
            Jerusalem becomes the physical capital of the nations, representing the Heavenly Jerusalem just as Adam and Eve represented God at creation. It is the restoration of David’s Kingdom to Israel as promised. The revived Jews continue to earthly ministry of preaching the Gospel and making disciples.
            The rest of the nations or their delegations are called to worship at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, honoring Christ and His work of reconciliation. Those that do not receive their just consequence—a plague of no rain.
            There is no doubt that Ezekiel 39:6-8 has come to pass and why it has happened. “ ‘And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,’ says the Lord God. ‘This is the Day of which I have spoken [the Day of the Lord].’ ”    

           We’ve seen that the 3 1/2-year war at the start of the 7th Day, the Day of the Lord, is called the Wrath of that Day. It is God’s vengeance against evil. All evil. That is why Isaiah 13:4-6 prophesies that the kingdoms of the nations that gather together against Israel are called the weapons of God’s indignation. The Hebrew word doe indignation is zaam (zah'-am), and it means frothing at the mouth, in fury and anger, mingled with great disgust.
            In His mercy, when God sent Jesus into the world, our Lord primarily preached to His own people, the Jews. As God’s people, they were given the privilege of hearing the Gospel first. But when they stubbornly clung to their own expectations of the Messiah, God mercifully opened the message to the Gentiles. Yes, the very people who were oppressing them and would continue to oppress them for centuries. Talk about a slap in the face.
           For the most part, however, this spiritual equivalent of throwing a bucket of ice-cold water in their faces didn’t bring them to their senses. Though God is merciful, He is also just and fair. So He had to punish their rejection of His Anointed One—Jesus Christ—as surely as He did their oppressors. The rebuilt Temple was an insult to God and His only begotten Son who gave His life for them. The reinstatement of the sacrificial system could not go unpunished. Therefore, the initial invasion destroyed one-third of Jerusalem and the city was plundered.
            But God had spoken that Israel and Jerusalem would be a light to the nations and the praise of the earth. What God had spoken shall surely come to pass. So when the counterfeit kingdom of the Antichrist puts his evil plan in motion, God’s indignation turns against him. God’s judgment is just and appropriate.
          Which brings us to another crushing blow that we skipped over temporarily so we could show you the sequence of the final war against Israel. This other crushing blow is covered in one of the mini-visions John had after eating the little book. It’s recorded in Revelation 18. It’s called the Fall of Mystery Babylon. As always, it is declared in Heaven first, and then we see it manifesting on the earth.
          Mystery Babylon goes by other names: the Harlot, the Scarlet Women. If you’ve been following these blogs, you may recall that we called her the  “Counterfeit Queen,” the counterfeit of the Bride of Christ. If you missed that blog from November 2021, its in the archive. We went into detail describing her when we were setting the stage for the final saga and its casts of characters.
          She is the mystical, occultist power-mongers behind the nations on the earth. That is, those who have blatantly flaunted God’s existence and power and manipulated the nations from behind the scenes with their super-wealth and evil practices. God gives the people of her city one final warning to come out from her before it is utterly destroyed in one hour.
          Ironically, the very people who joined with her in these ungodly endeavors, and have lived in luxury with her, destroy her. This time, the plagues that level her do not come from Heaven but from the Antichrist’s coalition. They turn on her, probably because they want to be the sole super power when all is said and done. In short, God puts it in their hearts to destroy her, using them as His weapon of indignation against her.
          Equally ironic, however, is that there is great mourning in the earth, particularly from the shipping industry, the world’s merchants and financiers, the artisans, craftsmen, fashion industry, entertainment and media moguls—you get the drift. The bottom line is this: her lamp is no more and the voice of the Bridegroom and the Bride are heard in her no more, for she has deceived the nations with her sorcery.

            Revelation 16 provides the replay of the wrath of God being poured out on the earth that was first revealed in Revelation 8. It’s no coincidence that both of these visions of God’s wrath come AFTER the corresponding visions of the rapture (Rev. 14 & Rev. 7). For Jesus has delivered us, His Bride, from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9).
            To recap, the first six bowl judgments: (1) bring brimstone from Heaven that burns the vegetation and brings sores on those with the mark; (2) destroy part of the seas; (3) poison part of the fresh waters; (4) impact part of the sun, moon, stars (heavenlies); (5) bring a locust invasion that have incredibly painful stingers; and (6) dry up the Euphrates River and release Satanic spirits that stir up war.
            Revelation 16:4 records the counterfeit kingdom’s last ditch effort. “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.”
            The nature of the 7th trumpet/bowl judgment isn’t even named. Instead, the heavens and earth are shaken by noises, lightnings, thunderings, and an earthquake, all released from God’s Temple in Heaven.
            Rev. 16:16 says that these warring spirits gather the enemy forces in a large plain. The Old Testament prophets described it as being between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. Most Bibles translate the place name as Armageddon. In Hebrew it means to pour upon and hold, include, and contain. It literally translates as the “mount of assembly.”
            Then the 7th Trumpet/Bowl judgment comes as described in Rev. 16:17-21. It simply explains the outcome. To see how this judgment comes, we turn to Rev. 19:11-21 - in short, Christ and His heavenly court speaking the ruling judgments. John records this warfare as Christ riding through the heavens on a white horse, striking the Gentile nations with a two-edged sword—the heavenly declarations. As spoken in Heaven, so it is on earth.
            The beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet are captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire, which is eternal damnation. Satan is temporarily sealed in the Pit in Hades. More on that later. All that is left now is the mop-up operation. So the court calls in the birds of prey to devour all the bodies of the enemy forces. It’s called the Supper of the Great God. Gruesome, I know, but fitting.
            We hinted in an earlier blog that the end of the 3½-year war for Jerusalem doesn’t come as most people think it does. You see, it doesn’t end with a single conflict called the Battle of Armageddon. That is a misinterpretation that comes from several mistranslations, including the reference here in Revelation 16 and Daniel’s 70th Week prophecy.
            Instead, Scripture calls it the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty, and it encompasses the first 3½ years of Christ’s millennial reign on the 7th Day. In case you’re interested, Ezekiel 39:9-19 describes the rest of the clean-up operation.
            We know this may rattle some of your preconceived ideas from what you’ve been told about the final, singular so-called Battle of Armageddon. However, we have to let Scripture interpret Scripture. And when there are multiple man-made interpretations of a passage with no agreement, we have to be honest with ourselves and God’s Word. Nowhere in Scripture is there a direct, specific reference to a 7-year tribulation. But there are at least 8 specific references to a 3½-year war.
            The Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty is fought from above, from the position of heavenly authority (Eph. 1:21). By the end of Christ’s 7th Day reign, Christ’s exalted position shall be completely fulfilled. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Phil. 2:9-10).