1102 Mystery of God and the first six of the seven bowls – Revelation (12) (by Whirlwind)

We first see that the New Testament clearly states that the mystery of God is Christ.  It is the same God in both the Old and New Testaments, and He never changes.  In the books of the Old Testament, we can see descriptions of Christ. Combining the Old and New Testaments, we can clearly see how Christ was described in the example of Abraham sacrificing Issac.  Second, we see that the seven bowls of plagues begin with the opening of the temple in heaven where the ark of the covenant is kept, and the clearly stated plagues of the first bowl.  Third, we talk about the disasters from the second bowl to the fifth bowl. Comparing them with the disasters from the second to the fifth trumpets, we see similar parts, but they obviously increase the intensity of the disasters and also saw the human nature. Human was hardened and unrepentant, and we also give an Old Testament example in this aspect.  Finally, in the tribulation of the sixth bowl, we see the Battle of Armageddon, which is indeed the final battle for the Fake Trinity. Although the true final battle is after the Millennium Kingdom, there is only Satan at that time who is involved.

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1. God’s wrath and mystery

​”Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!

“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy;

For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.””(Revelation 15:1-4)

When it comes to the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, the content is clearly stated, and it does not refer to the songs composed by Moses before.  The scriptures also clearly say that God’s wrath will be fully exhausted only in the last seven bowls of plague!  We have shared before, “but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.”(Revelation 10:7) At that time, the mystery of God will be completed. So what is the mystery of God, that is, the good news that was preached to His servants the prophets?  We first see that the word mystery is used many times by Paul. The verses in it say, “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith.”(Romans 16:25-26) “to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”(Ephesians 3:6) He even stated more clearly, “…a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”(Colossians 2:2-3)

In the Old Testament era, only the Israelites were the chosen people, but those who obeyed the LORD in their hearts were also counted. As the scripture says, “If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to the LORD, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.”(Numbers 9:14) This can also be seen in other scriptures such as Solomon’s prayer, ““Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.”(1 Kings 8:41-43) God has always been the God of those who obey Him.

It is impossible for us to talk about all the scriptures related to Christ in the Old Testament. Now we will take an example of Abraham offering Isaac and see how the Old Testament books mention Christ in this example. First, “He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.””(Genesis 22:2) This is what God requires.  Finally, “Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.”(Genesis 22:13) Here, it is the ram that was substituted for Isaac, so the concept of substitution is mentioned here.  In the New Testament, it is Jesus Christ who was substituted for us and became the scapegoat!  Otherwise, no one would have a chance to be saved.

Let’s look at it from Isaac’s perspective for the same event, “Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.”(Genesis 22:9-10) Isaac was no longer very small at that time, but he let his father bind him on the altar. We see that Isaac trusted his father even to the point of death.  This is just like what the New Testament says, that Christ Jesus “…emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”(Philippians 2:7-8) Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that Isaac in this case typified Christ.

Of course, in this matter, we also see Abraham’s faith that “…he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.”(Romans 4:17) “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.”(Hebrews 11:17-19) God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and Abraham did so. The sacrifices were all sacrifices of death, so Abraham knew that offering Isaac would cause Isaac’s death, thus he also knew that Isaac would die by doing so. But if there are descendants of Issac, then Isaac must live, which is why Abraham believed that God could raise people from the dead.  Finally, Isaac did not really die, so it was just as a type, because what God wanted to introduce at this time was the concept of substitution, rather than letting Isaac die and be resurrected. This would have to wait until Jesus in the New Testament, who died and was resurrected. Live forever.  No wonder “Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.””(Genesis 22:14) So here it is said that we must position ourself on the mountain of the Lord, then God will provide for us for sure.

Both the God in the Old and New Testaments are the same, and He never changes. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”(Galatians 6:7) God loves the world and has prepared salvation for us, but He also made it clear, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.”(Psalm 89:14) We cannot deceive ourselves that in the New Testament we can only talk about love without mentioning that He is also a righteous God. We must preach God’s love and at the same time let people understand His righteousness. It is very clear in the content of the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb, “…You alone are holy; …Your righteous acts have been revealed.”(Revelation 15:4) From the Book of Revelation, we can see God’s final judgment, which is really not what we want.  We do not want to be those who do not believe, for “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”(John 3:18) “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.”(Hebrews 3:13-14) We must have an ear that can hear. We know, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”(Romans 10:17) Not having a hearing ear will affect our salvation, because we will not be able to see what God has done. People have free will, and God has no choice but let us make wrong decisions. This is a terrible situation!

2. The beginning and the first bowl of the Seven Bowls

“​Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works,

O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.” After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.”(Revelation 15:1-16:2)

We have shared before that the opening of the temple is for judgment, so I won’t go into details.  The plague of the first bowl was just the beginning, as had been warned before, “…they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”(Revelation 14:11) Even with this warning, people still do this.  We have shared before that besides the ark of the covenant in heaven, apart from the table where the showbread was placed, there were also every other utensil in the tabernacle.  The purpose of this table was to be dedicated to God, and in heaven the physical table was replaced by practical actions.  Because the things on earth were to reflect the things in heaven, it is clear, “According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.”(Exodus 25:9)

We see that the appearance of the temple is for judgment and the beginning of the seven bowls. We also see that no one can enter the temple at that time.  When the tabernacle was set up in the Old Testament, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”(Exodus 40:34-35) This happened twice when Solomon’s temple was built, once after the priests carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord into the Holy of Holies, and after they left the Holy of Holies, “…the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.”(2 Chronicles 5:13-14) “Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the house. The priests could not enter into the house of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’S house.”(2 Chronicles 7:1-2)

At the time to rebuild the temple after returning, we did not see the glory of the Lord filling the temple.  Why is this? In fact, they rebuilt it as described in the Bible, but it took a lot of time, from the time when King Cyrus of Persia laid the foundation of this temple in February of the second year (see Ezra 3:8-12) to “This temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.”(Ezra 6:15) And in the meantime, “…the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?””(Haggai 1:3 -4) Compared with the previous two situations where God was filled with the glory of God, it is indeed incomparable.

3. The second to fifth bowls

“​The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.”(Revelation 16:3-11)

We first compare the second bowl with the second trumpet, “The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.”(Revelation 8:8-9) This second bowl of plague is somewhat similar to the second trumpet plague, only more serious!  In the same way, if you compare, you will know that the third bowl is more serious than the third trumpet. People cannot survive without water, and they must drink the bloody water. No wonder it is said, “…they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.”(Revelation 16:6)

During the fourth trumpet, one-third of the sun, moon and stars are darkened, but the fourth bowl is for the sun to roast people with fire. It seems like a contradiction, but in fact there is no contradiction. From the perspective of current technology, all it takes is the presence of God. During that period of time, it was enough for Him to control the nuclear reaction on the sun. God is the Almighty God, and this was really a trivial matter to Him.  We see that people’s hearts are really hard and they still do not repent of what they have done. They only see the things in front of them but forget the root cause. Just like what is said in the Book of Jeremiah, “Then all the men who were aware that their wives were burning sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying, “As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune. But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine.””(Jeremiah 44:15-18) God preserved them before this, but they did not realize. They think that they know themselves and think that what they did in the past is right until God punishes them for their sins, because “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.”(Ecclesiastes 3:1) It’s not God Who has any problem, it’s us who cause problems.

Finally, “…Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah …together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah⁠— and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the LORD) and went in as far as Tahpanhes.”(Jeremiah 43:5-7), although Jeremiah warned them before, “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah. And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have set their mind on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, …”(Jeremiah 44:11-12)

On the fifth trumpet, “He (the fifth  angel) opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.”(Revelation 9:2) But now the kingdom of the beast is in total darkness, but people’s hearts are more hardened, blasphemous and unrepentant. It really cannot be said that God has not given people the opportunity to repent.

4. The sixth bowl

“​The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.”(Revelation 16:12-16)

The first thing we want to say is that the three unclean spirits are a fake trinity. We have discussed this in detail in “1100 Two beasts coming up from the sea and from the earth – Revelation (10) .” Those who are interested in this topic can go to the website “https://a-christian-voice.com/,” click “Understanding of Spiritual Life” to find this short article.

From this we can see that the Lord has not returned yet, because He still says that He comes like a thief.  Here you can see again that Revelation 14:6-20 mentioned in the last “1021” is an outline of the judgment that will occur in the future, because it mentions the Son of Man in the clouds, which has not yet been occurred in time.  In the later books of Revelation, it is true that the exact time of Jesus’ return is not mentioned.

​​​​​​​​​​Finally we see the battle of Armageddon, which is indeed the last battle for the Fake Trinity, because then “…the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet …these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.”(Revelation 19:20) Satan was also captured, and the thousand-year kingdom began (see Revelation 20:1-6). The last war was after the thousand-year kingdom, only Satan is involved after he is released. After he came out, he deceives the nations on the earth and people surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Fire comes down from heaven and consums them.  The devil who deceives them is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were.  They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  (See Revelation 20:7-10)

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 ​(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

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