Introduction.
The Bible and its authors are clear that in the end times many plagues will fall upon the earth, and we find them described in the book of Revelation. In chapters 8 and 9 of Revelation, the plagues described there come as a result of seven trumpets. In chapter 16, the plagues are the result of seven vials. In these two chapters we find respectively seven trumpets and seven vials, and these are usually explained as a total of 14 plagues.
Let’s first see what John says when he sees the seven seals being opened in Revelation chapter 6. In connection with the first six seals John writes the following:
1st seal: I saw, and then he gets this message: Come and see.
2nd seal: He receives this message Come and see.
3rd seal: I heard, and then he gets this message: Come and see.
4th seal: I heard, and then he gets this message: Come and see.
5th seal: Then … I saw.
6th seal: I beheld.
When the 1st and 5th seals are opened, John says I saw, when the 3rd and 4thh seals are opened, John say I heard, when the 6th seals are opened John says I beheld, and he hears in connection with the first four seals come and see. Then Johannes sees the contents of the six seals, and there are first four horsemen under the first four seals, respectively riding a white, red, black and pale horse. Under the fifth seal he sees the souls of all the martyrs who had been killed, and under the sixth seal John sees signs that heralded the end times, the sun became black, the moon became as blood, the stars fell, and the heaven departed as a scroll.
Before the seventh seal is opened, we get an interlude that gives an answer to a question that John asks in the last verse of Revelation 6; … who shall be able to stand?
In Revelation 8:1 we read: And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Here Johannes tells that he saw the seventh seal being opened. When the first six seals were opened, John saw what would happen under the individual seals, and it is natural to assume that John also sees what will happen under the seventh seal.
In Revelation 8:2-6 we read what John saw when the seventh seal was opened, and this follows the pattern from the first six seals. John writes this: And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth: and there were voices, and thundering, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
As the seventh seal follows the same pattern as the first six, John sees in other words how the seven trumpets are made ready for their task. After John has seen the preparations, the events themselves come under the seven trumpets. In Revelation chapter 8:1-6, which is the seventh seal, we see from the text that the seven trumpets are a result of the seventh seal being opened. In other words, the seven trumpets are the contents of the seventh seal. Because it is when the seventh seal is opened that John sees the silence in heaven that lasted half an hour and the seven angels with the seven trumpets. It is exactly the same as happened under the first six seals, when the seals were opened Johanns saw what the contents were, as for example under the sixth seal. When this was opened John saw what would come as a result of the seal being opened.
In Revelation 16:1 we read the following: And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Not even here in this chapter is the word plagues mentioned, but the expression the wrath of God is mentioned. Wrath is translated from the Greek word thymo’s (thoo-mos’), which means passion, fierceness, indignation, wrath and it is used to explain an outburst of passion or wrath.
We do not find the word plagues in chapter 8 of Revelation. In chapter 9 we find the word plague in verse 20. In verse 5 torment is used, and in verse 18 is it just a reference to verse 5. In chapter 16 we find it in verses 9 and 21. Here is what these five verses tell us about the plages.
Revelation 9:5: Revelation 9:18; Revelation 9:20; Revelation 16:9; Revelation 16:21.
Three verses have an indirect connection with the plagues, and that is 9:5; 9:18 and 16:9. Two verses have what appears to be a direct link to the plagues, 9:20 and 16:21. Now let’s take a closer look at these five verses.
Revelation 9:5: And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment [was] as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Here it is said that the torment the people got from the locusts in verse 3 was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.
Revelation 9:18: By these three* was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
* Points back to verse 5.
These three [plagues] point back to verse 17 where it says that the people were killed by fire, smoke and brimstone from the mouth of the «horses» John sees. This is also emphasized in verse 18. In other words, it is the fire, the smoke and the brimstone that are the plagues in this verse.
Revelation 9:20: And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Here, too, the plagues point back to the fire, the smoke and the brimstone, as it is the same trumpet to which these two verses belong.
Revelation 16:9: And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Here we see that those affected by the fourth vial blaspheme God, and then it is added that it is because God has power over these afflictions. The plagues are used here to tell us who is behind the plagues.
Revelation 16:21: And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, [every stone] about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Also in this verse, God is mocked because He is the origin of those troubles.
In addition to this, we find the word plague used in the following verse in Revelation.
In Revelation 15:1 we find this text: And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God … // … and in Revelation 15:8 we find this text: And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
The word plagues is translated from the Greek word plégé (play-gay’) and means a stroke; by implication a wound; figuratively a calamity:- plague, stripe, wound (-ed), and is used to explain a blow, wound; an affliction, pestilence or plagues.
Chapter 15 is in a way an interlude or introduction to chapter 16. Here the word plague is used about what the last seven angels will do, but the question is as always: Is it correctly translated from Greek? We must try to define what we understand by plagues used in Revelation, and they are usually violent events that cause great suffering to people, and which in some cases take the lives of many. But as we see from how the word plégé is used in Greek, there are other translations that are at least as good as plague.
In addition to these places, plagues are also mentioned in chapter 11, but then in connection with the two witnesses who have the power to inflict plagues on the people of the world.
Revelation 11,6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
This verse can be linked to the other occurrences of the word plagues but is outside the realm of the seven trumpets and vials, so to speak.
It is beyond any doubt that in the end times people will face many difficulties, which are called afflictions. We can read about this in many places in the Bible, such as in Daniel 12:1: And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. The question is how we are to understand these chapters of Revelation.
As we know, the Bible is a typological book that tells about types and antitypes. It means in many cases, not all, that what has happened in the past is a type of a future event, called antitype. Can we find anything in the Bible that tells about plagues, and how many there were, if any?
Of course we find such a story, it is called the Exodus from Egypt and is told in Exodus chapter 7 through chapter 14. Why did these plagues fall on Egypt, and what was the result? We will find this out in due course and look at what must happen in the near future.
All Bible texts are taken from the King James Version 1611/1769 unless otherwise stated.
The plagues of Egypt.
Let us first look at all the plagues that fell upon Egypt. These plagues are the type of the plagues that will fall in the end times, which are called the antitype. The first three plagues affected everyone who lived in Egypt, including God’s people. This is important to remember when we look at the ten plagues of the end times.
The first three plagues affected everyone in Egypt, including God’s people.
1st plague, Exodus 7,14-25, the water turns to blood:
During this plague, all the water in Egypt turned to blood. The duration of this plague was seven days, and the water was undrinkable, the fish died and there was a terrible smell everywhere in Egypt. The Egyptians tried to find water in places other than known water sources without success. All the water had turned to blood.
2nd plague, Exodus 8,1-15, frogs:
The frog was one of Egypt’s many gods. Now Egypt was overrun with frogs, they were everywhere and swarms of them were even inside the houses in all Egypt.
3rd plague, Exodus 8,16-19, lice:
Like frogs, the lice was one of Egypt’s many gods. This became a violent plague that affected all people and animals and drove many of them mad.
There is one thing we must take with us further, and that is that during the first three plagues, Pharaoh’s sorcerers were able to perform the same signs that Moses and Aaron did before Pharaoh. They managed to turn water into blood, and they summoned both frogs and lice. It is such signs and wonders that Jesus warns us against in Matthew 24:24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Now we come to a critical distinction in the plagues. After the first three plagues that affect everyone in Egypt, including God’s people, God now makes a distinction between His people and the Egyptians, and we read in Exodus 8:20-23 the following: And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms [of flies] upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms [of flies], and also the ground whereon they [are]. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms [of flies] shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I [am] the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people* tomorrow shall this sign be.
We will also find a similar distinction between God’s faithful remnant in the end times and the wicked. We will return to this later.
* I will put a division between my people and thy people actually means that God puts a ransom between His people and Pharaoh’s people. This is important information that we must keep in mind when we come to the end-time troubles.
The last seven plagues affected only the Egyptians, not God’s people.
4th plague, Exodus 8:24-43, flies:
Now the Lord sends huge swarms of flies over Egypt, and now God’s people are beyond the reach of the plagues. From now on, there is no mention of Pharaoh’s magicians (sorcerers) being able to produce the same plagues that Moses and Aaron did before Pharaoh.
5th plague, Exodus 9:1-7, livestock dies:
As a result of Pharaoh’s continued hardening, all the livestock in Egypt are now affected, the cattle, the horses, camels, oxen and sheep. When Israel was not allowed to leave Egypt, all the livestock died.
6th plague, Exodus 9:8-12, blains:
During the sixth plague, it is the people of Egypt who are affected. Now there are blains that affect everyone living in Egypt, except for God’s people. Yet Pharaoh hardens his heart once again.
7th plague, Exodus 9:13-35, hail:
The next plague was hail. It was not unknown in Egypt that it fell, but now it came in a form that had never occurred before. It was probably hail that was bigger than anyone had seen, God warned Pharaoh through Moses that if any living creature was outside, they were not protected from these hailstones and would perish. Then the hail fell, there was thunder and fire fell from heaven.
8th plague, Exodus 10:1-20, locusts:
After this the Lord brought locusts into the land of Egypt and what was not destroyed by green plants during the hailstorm was eaten by the locusts. Now we had come to a point where Pharaoh’s closest associates and magicians understood that the plagues could not continue to fall on Egypt, because then the whole country would be completely destroyed, but Pharaoh does not give up and hardens his heart again.
9th plague, Exodus 10:21-29, darkness:
Now darkness fell over Egypt, so intense that no one could see one another, but in Goshen where God’s people lived, they had light. This lasted three days.
After this plague, God tells Moses that He will send another plague upon Egypt, and then Israel will be allowed to leave their captivity in Egypt and set out for the promised land – Canaan.
10th plague, Exodus 12:29-30, all the firstborn in Egypt dies:
Then the tenth plague fell upon Egypt, and we read in Exodus 12:29-30: And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that [was] in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for [there was] not a house where [there was] not one dead.
All the firstborn of all living things in Egypt, except for God’s people, died that night, and Israel was allowed to leave Egypt. But this was not the end of the story of the exodus from Egypt, God’s people were to be put to a final test.
God’s final showdown with Pharaoh.
These ten plagues that fell on Egypt were intended to free God’s people, Israel, from captivity, and the result was that Pharaoh finally let Israel go. But he soon regretted, because his heart was so hardened.
After Israel had left Egypt, Pharaoh came to his senses and soon repented because his heart was so hardened. He ordered his soldiers to go after Israel. And with Pharaoh at the head, they caught up with Israel at the Red Sea. Israel felt trapped, with no way to escape Pharaoh’s wrath. They thought all hope was lost, because in front of them was the Red Sea, and they had nothing that could take them across the sea. On each side, to the north and south, were high mountain ranges that were impossible for this group of people to climb over, and behind them came the enemy who wanted to kill them all.
But when it looked darkest, God miraculously delivered his people. He divided the waters of the Red Sea so that Israel could cross over to the other side on dry land. When Pharaoh and his people pursued them, the waters closed over them and the entire army with Pharaoh perished in the sea.
The ten plagues and what happened at the Red Sea are therefore a picture of an event that is still in the future. The end-time counterpart will be Jesus Christ returning to earth and redeeming his people in an equally miraculous way, with the result that all the wicked perish.
The plagues of the end-time.
This is typological history where the antitype, the second event, reflects the type – the first event, and that means the plagues that will fall in the end times will come in the same way as the plagues that fell on Egypt both in terms of the number and which people they will affect. It is in the nature of typology that the antitype follows the same pattern as the type. We saw what pattern the plagues in Egypt followed, and how the plagues affected people and livestock. There were first three plagues that affected everyone, then seven plagues that affected only those who had not sought refuge in the Lord. Likewise, it will be in the end times.
When God required that all the sacrificial animals that were to be sacrificed in Old Testament times had to be without blemish, this was because they pointed forward to Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus was completely without blemish in every way. Type and antitype had to be identical in this way. In the same way, the exodus from Egypt as a type, and the end-time deliverance as an antitype must be identical in a corresponding way.
An important question also arises over time, and that is what plagues are and what are not plagues. We will return to this as we go through the different trumpets and vials. The content of all ten plagues is not the same plague for plague in the end times compared to Egypt, and the words used to describe them may be different. Although some of the plagues are similar, they do not come in the same order as in Egypt, but we will see that the pattern is similar, and we will find a similar distinction between God’s faithful remnant in the end times and the wicked as was the case in Egypt.
However, there is a big difference between what happened in Egypt and what will happen in the end times. The ten plagues that fell on Egypt were limited to the kingdom of Egypt, while the plagues in the end times will affect the entire earth. There are good reasons for this. When Egypt was struck, all of Israel – all of God’s people – all of Abraham’s fleshly descendants lived in Egypt. In the end times, God’s faithful remnant, the end-time Israel – Abraham’s spiritual descendants – live throughout the world.
The first three plagues of the end times affect all people, including God’s people.
The 1st plague of the end times, Revelation 8:7, the plants of the earth are affected:
When the first trumpet is blown, the plants of the earth are affected. This reminds us of the seventh plague in Egypt where huge hail destroyed all green plants.
The 2nd plague of the end times, Revelation 8:8-11, the life in the sea and the springs of water are affected:
The second and third trumpets affect the same area, and the life in the sea and the springs of water are affected. The same thing happened during the first plague in Egypt, all the water in the whole land turned to blood.
The 3rd plague of the end times, Revelation 8:12-13, the heavenly bodies are affected:
When the fourth trumpet is blown, the heavenly bodies are affected. The plague that affected Egypt and which corresponds to this is the ninth plague, where all of Egypt was in darkness.
There is one more thing that happened in Egypt that we will experience when the first three plagues fall upon the earth, and also in the time before the plagues begin to fall, and that is that the fallen church denominations will perform miracles as Pharaoh’s magicians (sorcerers) did. We already see that the fallen churches have been given power from their master to perform miracles to deceive the people, and if possible, to deceive the elect. Elect here has nothing to do with predestination, but they are chosen because they themselves have chosen to follow Jesus Christ wherever He goes, whether it is to a cross or to the stake.
The seven last plagues only affect the wicked, not God’s people.
As in Egypt, the first three plagues of the end times affect all people, no matter where they live. God’s faithful remnant is also affected. And as in Egypt, we now come to a critical distinction in the plagues. After the first three plagues that affect everyone in the whole world, including God’s people, God now makes a distinction between His people and the wicked, and we read in Revelation 9:4: And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Some of the order in this verse needs explanation. “The grass” and something that was “green” or any “tree” are other words for people who are under God’s protection. They have received the “seal” of the living God on their foreheads and are therefore beyond the reach of the devil and his lackeys. The fact that God’s people have received the seal of God on their foreheads means that the sealing has been done and the destiny of all people has been decided, either to eternal life or to eternal death. When this has happened, the last seven plagues will fall upon the earth, but they will not touch God’s faithful remnant.
As we see, this is the same thing that happened in Egypt when God said He would make a distinction between His people and Pharaoh’s people. God again makes a distinction between His people and the wicked, He seals those who have managed to stand against all persecution, threats of death and Sunday law.
The 4th plague of the end times, Revelation 9:1-12, the locusts from the abyss:
Here we see that under the fifth trumpet, locusts rise up from the bottomless pit. This seems to be what happened during the eighth plague in Egypt. However, here it is Satan’s evil angels who rise up and who have been given permission to torment all who are not sealed with the seal of God.
The 5th plague of the end times, Revelation 9:13-21, the angels from the Euphrates:
Under the sixth trumpet we see the angels from the Euphrates. These angels were set to hold back the four winds, which is the same as preventing a great war, and when we get to this point in history these angels will be released from their task, this war will break out. This plague has no obvious parallel in the plagues that haunted Egypt.
What are plagues and what are not plagues?
Before we continue, we must decide what are plagues and what are not plagues. It is not certain that there are 14 plagues under the seven trumpets and seven vials. We have already seen that two of the trumpets can be usefully combined into one plague. This is the second and third trumpet (Revelation 8:8-11) as these two affect the same thing as the first plague in Egypt. In Egypt all the water, and that means the seas and rivers and fountains of water, turned into blood, in the end times the sea and the water (seas, rivers and fountains of water) will again turn into blood.
As we saw above, God’s people were not finished with the tribulation after the tenth plague, and God’s adversary, here Pharaoh and his soldiers, were destroyed in the Red Sea. We must also take this into account in our typological history.
As mentioned above, Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued Israel and caught them at the Red Sea. We find a clear parallel to this in Revelation 16:12-16. Verse 12 tells us about the kings from the east, who are none other than Jesus who, together with his angelic army, will return to earth to deliver his faithful people. We must divide the sixth vial into two parts; 1) which is about the kings of east, verse 12, and that Jesus says He comes as a thief, verse 15, and 2) which tells us what opponents God’s faithful remnant will have in the end times, verses 13,14 and 16.
What is described under the sixth vial is what will happen in the end times. This will cause God’s faithful remnant to experience the same thing that Israel did at the Red Sea, and they will feel trapped and lost because they are surrounded by enemies on every side. Just as Israel thought they had nowhere to escape Pharaoh, God’s remnant in the end times will believe they have no way to escape the persecution and death decree that will be issued against God’s faithful remnant.
The fact that we see these three unclean frogs is enough to show what forces God’s faithful remnant are fighting against in the end times, and the sixth vial ends with Him, who is Satan, gathering the three unclean spirits, who are a type of God’s adversaries in the form of the Catholic Church, the fallen Reformed Churches, and spiritualism, at Armageddon to defeat God’s faithful remnant if possible. This war is not a physical war, but a spiritual war fought in your and my mind, to make us turn away from God the Creator and instead worship Satan through the king of the north, who is the little horn who has gathered the whole world under his umbrella, both the religious world and the secular world. This war has indeed been raging for quite some time now, but it will intensify and reach an unknown level in the absolute end time.
The 7th trumpet, Revelation 11:15-19: And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come: because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thundering, and an earthquake, and great hail.
As we see, the seventh trumpet says that the kingdoms of the world belong to Jesus, and that He will reign as King forever. Furthermore, we see that God’s temple in heaven is opened to us, and we see the ark of the covenant inside God’s temple. This must have a special meaning, there must be something important that God wants to tell us through this verse. What does the ark of the covenant contain that is important for the end times? The ark of the covenant contains three things: Aaron’s rod and a jar of manna, but these two objects are not important to us in this connection. The third object was the two stone tablets with God’s Ten Commandments. It is these commandments that all humanity will be judged by in the judgment that is imminent.
This trumpet therefore proclaims that the kingdom belongs to Christ, and therefore cannot be considered a plague in the true sense of the word. This trumpet proclaims three important truths and is not a plague. Jesus has received the kingdom; He will reign forever and ever.
The sixth vial, Revelation 16:12-16, the kings from the east: And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
As mentioned above, the kings from the east are Jesus and His angelic army. When Jesus returns, it is to deliver his faithful people from the captivity they are literally in here on earth in the end times. According to all the signs given in the Bible and given through Ellen G. White, it cannot be long before we see the kings from the east coming. I cannot see that this is a plague. The return of Jesus is something that we who believe in Him are waiting for, and we are not going around waiting for a plague, are we? This vial must be divided into two, of which part 1 shows us Jesus and that He is coming soon, and part 2 tells us something about our opponents.
The seventh vial, Revelation 16:17-21: And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, it is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, [and] so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, [every stone] about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Like the seventh trumpet and the sixth vial, the seventh vial is not a plague in the literal sense of the word. The important thing here is that it is said, “it is done”. Why is this said, and what has happened? Now the plan of salvation has been completed. All people have had their fate decided in the investigative judgment, God’s faithful remnant, those called the 144,000, have been sealed with the seal of the living God, and Jesus is on his way to earth to bring his faithful people home to the promised land.
The sixth and seventh vials are not emptied until the fifth vial is emptied, and then we see that we have the same pattern as in Egypt, which is our typological picture.
In Egypt: God’s people go out of Egypt.
In the end times: God’s people go out of the cities.
In Egypt: Pharaoh issues a death decree against God’s people.
In the end times: The wicked issue a death decree against God’s people.
In Egypt: God’s people feel trapped with no way to escape the death decree. They have a sea in front of them, impassable mountains on their right and left, and behind them Pharaoh’s soldiers are coming to kill them.
In the end times: God’s people feel trapped with no way to escape the death decree. They do not have a sea in front of them, no impassable mountains on their right and left, and no one is coming from behind to kill them, but their enemies are all around them.
In Egypt: God intervenes and saves his people in a miraculous way, by opening the Red Sea and leading them across to the other side, and then continuing their journey to the promised land—the earthly Canaan.
In the end times: God intervenes and saves his people in a miraculous way, by drawing them to himself, up into the clouds, and then continuing the journey to the promised land – the heavenly Canaan.
In Egypt: Pharaoh and his army are destroyed.
In the end times: The papacy and its army are destroyed.
The last five plagues.
Now we have come so far in history that it is only a matter of days before Jesus returns, and the last plagues will fall upon the people of the world, all who are in opposition to God.
The 6th plague of the end times, Revelation 16:2, noisome and grievous sores:
When the first vial is emptied, the people who are affected receive terrible sores. This plague is a clear parallel to the sixth plague in Egypt, where people also received sores in the form of boils.
The 7th plague of the end times, Revelation 16:3, the sea became as the blood of a dead man:
Now the second vial is emptied, and the sea became as the blood of a dead man. Now it is not certain that we should interpret the sea literally as this is a prophecy, but something will happen that causes this to happen, and this «sea» became as the blood of a dead man.
The 8th plague of the end times, Revelation 16:4-7, the water became blood:
The third vial is very similar to the second vial, but there is an important detail that separates these two vials. Where it is said about the second vial that the water became as the blood of a dead man, here it is said that the water became blood.
The 9th plague of the end times, Revelation 16:8-9, the people in great heat:
The fourth vial scorches people with heat from a sun that gets hotter and hotter. I can’t seem to get it out of my head that there is a political consensus in our time. Everyone wants to fight «man-made» global warming. What if this is the beginning of what will soon become a serious problem? What if what we are seeing today is an irreversible action initiated by God the Creator?
The 10th plague of the end times, Revelation 16:10-11, darkness in the kingdom of the beast:
The result of the fifth vial is that there will be darkness in the kingdom of the beast. What is the kingdom of the beast? The kingdom of the beast is the conglomerate of religion and secularism that has gathered under the umbrella of the papacy after the battle between the king of the north and the king of the south has been won by the king of the north.
One thing that is not mentioned under these plagues of the end times is what is said about Pharaoh in Egypt. He did not repent to God but hardened his heart. This is also the case for the world leaders in the end times, they do not repent but harden their hearts and only become more and more brutal in their behaviour towards God’s faithful remnant as the plagues fall, and finally the death decree comes.
God’s final showdown with the end time Pharaoh.
When we come to the fifth trumpet, we see that God’s people have been sealed. This means that the Sunday law has been implemented worldwide, and all people have taken a stand on this law. Those who will follow God and keep all of God’s Ten Commandments will be rewarded by God with His seal. A seal placed on an object shows who owns that object. When God’s people have been sealed, it means that they belong to God.
This is one of the reasons why the ark of God’s covenant was made visible to John during the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:19. This also applies to us so that we can all see that all people will be judged according to God’s law: And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thundering, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Then comes the great moment, the King of kings and Lord of lords returns to earth. He does not touch the earth this time, but is in the air, and all the dead in Christ will rise from the dead, this is the first resurrection (Revelation 20). Together with the living saved, those who have been sealed, they are caught up into the air to meet their Savior to join Him in heaven. What happens to the wicked is a parallel to what happened to Pharaoh and his soldiers in the Red Sea. All the wicked die when Christ returns.
As usual, many do not want to believe that this is the case, but once again I will let the Bible speak for itself. In Revelation 19:17-21 we read the following: And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Here we see the judgment on sin. The author of sin gets a thousand years here on earth without being able to move to other places in the universe and can now think about what he has done wrong, through his rebellion. All people die as said, and after a thousand years they will receive their final judgment and will together with the Devil and his angelic army be destroyed after the second resurrection. Now sin will be forever erased, and people will live and dwell with their God and Creator here on earth after it is recreated, (Revelation 21:1-3).