In our previous Q&A, we began discussing the Day of the Lord. We showed that the Day of the Lord describes and encompasses the seventh seal of the scroll which the Lamb opens—and the seventh seal consists of seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet consists of the seven last plagues or bowls of God’s wrath. We addressed the first six plagues of the seventh trumpet, pointing out that during the sixth plague, the kings of the east and other powers of this earth will assemble at a place called Armageddon or “hill of Megiddo,” which is about 55 miles north of Jerusalem. From there, they will move towards Jerusalem, where they will try to fight the returning Jesus Christ. That “battle” will take place in the Kidron Valley, bordering Jerusalem on the East.
We will now begin to discuss in detail the events occurring during and subsequent to the seventh and last plague of the last trumpet, as well as prior events.
We begin by quoting from our free booklet, “Is that in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation”:
“(7.7.7) The SEVENTH OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES… describes a tremendous earthquake to shake the earth ‘as had not occurred since men were on the earth’ (Revelation 16:17–18; compare Isaiah 2:12–19; 13:6–13; 24:1–20), causing the ‘great city’ of Jerusalem to be ‘divided into three parts’ and ‘all the cities of the nations’ to fall (Revelation 16:19). Further, every island will disappear and mountains will be leveled (Revelation 16:20). A great hail of tremendous size will destroy everything in its path. Again, man will not repent, but will continue to blaspheme God because of the hail (Revelation 16:21).”
“When the seventh angel sounds and when Christ returns, the saints—converted Christians—will be resurrected to immortality, or they will be changed to immortality, if they are still alive (1 Corinthians 15:50–56; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18)… They will meet Christ in the air and descend with Him, on that same day, on the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14:3–5 indicates that, apparently due to the great earthquake of the seventh bowl, mentioned in Revelation 16:17–18, the Mount of Olives shall split in two, making a very large valley, where the final battle of God Almighty will take place.
“Christ will overcome the armies that will be trying to fight Him, as well as the modern leaders of modern ‘Babylon’—the military ruler (‘the beast’) and the religious leader (‘the false prophet’) (compare Revelation 19:19–21). The destruction of the armies is more fully described in Zechariah 14:12, 15. The beast and the false prophet will be cast into ‘the lake of fire burning with brimstone’ (Revelation 19:20)…”
Revelation 14:19-20 informs us in regard to that “battle” in the valley of Jehoshaphat or the Kidron Valley, that the “great winepress of the wrath of God… was trampled outside the city [of Jerusalem], and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs [lit. stadia, about 184 miles in all].”
In addition, we read that ten European kings or kingdoms had given their authority to the beast (Revelation 17:12-13). They will also participate in the battle against Christ, but they will be likewise defeated (Revelation 17:14). This could refer to the fate of ten literal leaders or “kings” and/or ten nations or groups of nations (“kingdoms” and “kings” are used often times interchangeably in Scripture), endowing the beast with dictatorial authority and placing their armies under his autocratic rule.
We also find that even prior to that final battle, these ten kings or kingdoms will turn against the religious power and “make her desolate” (verse 16), apparently confiscating her property. The coming strong European alliance between church and state is prophesied to crumble. Ultimately, modern Babylon, that is, the religious and economic European system, as well as the city of Rome (Revelation 17:9, 18), will be destroyed in one day (Revelation 18:8) and in one hour (verse 17). This will apparently occur during the time of the seven last plagues or bowls, since Revelation 17:1 explains: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot [i.e., Babylon, verse 5] who sits on many waters’” [i.e., peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, verse 15].
In a recent Q&A on the prophesied future of Libya, we stated the following:
“… the Bible shows that after ten European nations under modern Assyria (‘the Babylonian system’) will have subdued and conquered many nations, they themselves will be defeated in war by the modern Medes (Compare Isaiah 13:17, describing the destruction of modern ‘Babylon’ through the hand of the modern ‘Medes’ or Russians and Ukrainians. Verses 6, 9 and 13 designate the timing as occurring during the ‘day of the LORD.’ Compare also Isaiah 21:2 and Jeremiah 51:11, 27-29).”
It appears that before or while moving towards the place called Armageddon in the Middle East (after the Euphrates river has dried up)—depicted by the sixth plague of the seventh trumpet—at least parts of the armies of the kings of the east will apparently sweep through Europe, create devastating havoc there, and destroy the city of Rome. Jeremiah 51:27-28 refers to horses, as coming up against Babylon like the bristling locusts, indicating that they will use some of their tanks and of their air force to destroy modern Babylon. They will be especially led by the modern “Medes” or Russians and Ukrainians. At that time, the beast and the false prophet will apparently be dwelling in Jerusalem, so they will not be personally affected by these attacks on Europe. Neither will be the ten kings and their armies. They too will apparently be in Jerusalem at that time, as they will fight with the beast against the returning Christ (compare again Revelation 17:15).
In addition, God’s punishment and His wrath will be poured out over everyone who worships the beast and his image, and who receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand. We read that he “shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the 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” (Revelation 14:10).
Compare also 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, which explains what will happen “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the PRESENCE of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
Even before fire destroys them, they will live in fear of their future. Compare Luke 21:26-27: “…men’s hearts [will be] failing them from fear and expectation of those things which are coming on the earth…Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the cloud with power and great glory.” Because of their fearful expectations, they will be having “no rest day or night” prior to their death (Revelation 14:11).
Some might think that the blowing of the seventh trumpet depicts just the event of the resurrection or change of the saints, which will occur within a time span of a few seconds. It is true that when Christ returns, the saints will be resurrected or changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” at the time of the blowing of the seventh and last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52). As was pointed out above, the resurrected and the changed saints will be “caught up together… in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” and they will from then on “always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). All will descend to the Mount of Olives on that same day, and it is then when the armies of the powers of the world will be destroyed.
As we have seen, the seventh trumpet will “blow” for quite a while, as it consists of the seven last plagues, which will begin to occur prior to Christ’s return. For example, during the sixth plague, the armies of the world will move to and assemble at Armageddon. Obviously, it will take those armies a certain amount of time to get there. Then, they will move towards Jerusalem to fight against Christ, again requiring some time to move to Jerusalem.
Beginning with Revelation 20, additional events are described, which will occur after Christ has returned to this earth. An angel will bind and imprison Satan and his demons for 1,000 years or a Millennium, so that Satan cannot deceive mankind during that period (Revelation 20:1-4). After the destruction of God’s human enemies and the banishment of Satan, the Millennial rule over all of mankind will begin. The resurrected saints will govern with Christ on this earth for 1,000 years. But mankind will not immediately embrace God’s way of peace. Instead, more human attempts to fight in war will have to be dealt with, which will be discussed in a subsequent Q&A. We will also discuss in a future Q&A how some members of God’s Church and modern Israelites and Jews will be protected during the times of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the LORD.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
