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Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, NC

David Wright

Revelation’s Battle of Armageddon and the Seven Last Plagues

We have a rather heavy topic, if you will.

Revelation's battle of Armageddon and the 7 last plagues.

I don't know about you, but this does not sound like a children's storybook that you want to read them before they go to bed each night.

Daddy, read us again the story of the 7 last plagues.

I've never heard that before, but we're gonna go through that here just a little bit.

Really, when you think of the 7 last plagues, what do you think of?

If you read through Revelation chapter 16, it certainly is not a pretty picture.

It's not something you look forward to or that you're longing to have happen.

There's all kinds of things that are going to happen and unfold and exactly when and how it's going to unfold is what we want to look at this morning.

Will we see all kinds of pictures happening on things around the world?

Perhaps whole cities going up in smoke, if you will.

All kinds of natural disasters and those types of things.

Armageddon is certainly something that we see in all kinds of Hollywood depictions, isn't it?

And again, they try and come up with stories and scenarios, but I've never seen an Armageddon film.

I don't usually watch the films, but any kind of a trailer or anything else that looks cozy.

Oh, we thought we might just go visit Armageddon, right?

That's not exactly the picture that we have.

And really, when we go through that chapter, we're looking at unprecedented series of worldwide natural disasters, unprecedented world financial collapse, global international conflict.

But I imagine that the Times or the Daily Times may read something like this, Is this the end?

A lot of people are projecting the time of the end is just around the corner.

Is it the case, And if so, what will it look like?

And the other question that I think is fair to ask is, how could a loving God afflict people with sores from head to toe?

How could a loving God turn rivers of water into rivers of blood?

Why would a loving God pour out these 7 last plagues?

Are they just some arbitrary scourge on the part of God to punish?

I mean, 1 John 4 8 says that God is a God of love.

And if so, can you see God's love in the 7 last plagues?

Is it true that all prophecy is Christocentric, meaning Christ is at the center of the prophecy.

And if so, the question becomes, what do the 7 last plagues do to teach us about Jesus?

Do you have good answers to those questions?

We also want to see, when does this period of tribulation occur?

And are God's people raptured before this period of 7 last plagues?

That's a very popular teaching that God's going to rapture his chosen before he comes.

Therefore, they won't have to suffer any of the 7 last plagues.

Are we on the verge of the tribulation, the time of the end, and the battle of Armageddon?

Well for that, let's turn to our theme book, the book of Revelation, and hear the third angel's message.

Revelation chapter 14, at the heart, at the climax of the apex or peak of this chiastic structure in Revelation, we have this 3 angels message.

And it says, then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel.

It doesn't need to be redone or refashioned.

To preach to those who dwell on the earth.

Well, to every nation, tribe, tongue, people, everyone.

Yes, the message of Revelation is to go to the whole world.

Saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.'" Fear God not in the sense of being afraid of God, but rather respecting or obeying God.

Allow him to be Lord of your life." And then here's another key, and worship him.

Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.

Direct quote, copy and paste, taken out of the fourth commandment.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

It's a memorial of the Creator and the Bible Sabbath, if you will.

The 1 who created and formed and fashioned us, who created all things.

Skipping down to the third angel, then a third angel followed them saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast, here's another form of worship, If he worships the beast, however, and his image, and receives his mark rather than the seal, the Sabbath of God, on his forehead or on his hand.

And so we have these 2 contrasting ideas, 2 forms of worship.

We have the worship of the Creator and the worship of the Beast.

We have the seal of God and we have the mark of the Beast.

And so at the end we see it's about worship.

He's the 1 that is worshiping and receiving the mark, the false worship.

He himself shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.

So who will be the recipients of God's wrath?

Those that have the mark of the beast." Who will have the mark of the beast?

And in their way and fashion, as they say, it should be done.

And you might say, and what is the wrath of God?

Well, Revelation 15, 1 tells us plainly, and we'll look at this verse in a moment, but the wrath of God is the 7 last plagues.

And this wrath, which is poured out full strength into a cup of his indignation, he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." This is a solemn warning given by these 3 angels, isn't it?

But Revelation predicts a final conflict over this true and false worship.

There's going to be this climactic moment.

And if you're thinking Armageddon, you're on the right track.

At the end of the third angel's message, still in Revelation 14, now verse 12.

Here are those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, which Last night we learned the faith of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Here is this group at the end time that have both of those characteristics.

And while the world is giving them all kinds of pressure to do something else, here are the saints being patient, saying, I know the world is saying this, I know the leadership is saying that, I know government's saying this, kings and influential people are saying all kinds of things, but I'm going to follow the Creator God.

I'm going to abide by the 10 Commandments and have a faith of Jesus." So the great conflict in the last days of Earth's history is a struggle in the human mind, if you will.

The great battle is a battle over the soul or for the soul, it revolves around the issue of worship.

So on the cross, Jesus said, it is finished.

Yes, he provided the sacrifice for us, but as far as you and me, it's not finished.

The battle still wages on for your heart and your mind and your soul, and it does for mine as well.

How will we respond when our feet are put to the fire, so to speak?

I remember in English class, we had to read through this Red Badge of Courage.

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Revelation’s Battle of Armageddon and the Seven Last Plagues

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