The Seven Last Plagues
A Look at The Love Of God
By Erana Forbes, RN
I felt I should let you know that I was impressed to prepare this presentation about the beginning of the year (2018). It has been completed since about July. Since then I have continued to study the topic and can say with confidence to anyone who sees things differently to what is today presented - that’s ok. I believe that no one here as yet has a perfect or complete understanding of the love of God or the seven last plagues. The best way to gain this knowledge will be to live through it - to see the unfolding of the plagues from the safety of God’s protection and to see the love of God expressed in the countenance of Jesus. Come let us reason together….
There is coming a glorious global revelation of the true character of God. In Revelation 18:1 we are told:
“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.”
An angel is a messenger, and whose Glory is it? Well it says ‘his glory’ and in context this ‘his’ seems to refer to the angels’ but whose glory do the angels reflect? God’s! So a time is coming when God’s glory, or as we know it to be His character, will illuminate the whole world. If you read on in Revelation the next thing described is the fall of Babylon. So, let’s just simply put the two together here for a minute. What precedes the fall of Babylon? A worldwide revelation of God’s true character as reflected in His messengers. This true revelation of the true character of God will be the thing that exposes the false representation of God - Babylon - and ultimately brings it to an end.
The world at the moment is so imbued with a wrong understanding of God’s character that we actually throw around phases like ‘act of God’ for major disasters, we fight wars and kill people “in His name” and yes even we who are supposed to be the closest to Him, are hardly moved to care about this misrepresentation of our God and Father. We need a clearer and deeper knowledge of our Savior’s true character; and not just a head knowledge, but a living, working knowledge, an intimate relationship. To this end today I wanted to consider with you the seven last plagues.
As an Adventist I had myself held, for a long time, a confused understanding of these. The 7 last plagues were often seen in my mind as the act of an angry God who at last was fed up with humans and had had enough. If you too are in this boat you may have a nagging doubt, or wondering, in the back of your mind about God’s character. I hope that today’s study will help you see the God of love who never changes, a little clearer.
The book of Revelation is a book that has many deep and multifaceted applications. We could easily spend the rest of the year and beyond in its study. I do understand that with this passage we are looking at today there are many points that I am not covering as space doesn’t permit this and frankly I don’t have a total understanding of these things to give to you. I do hope however that our time today will inspire you to further your own study and dig deeper into the words of life. In preparing this study I endeavored to find the answer to this question – “is this a choice people are making today or will make in the future?”
In Revelation 15:1 we are introduced to the seven angels who are given bowls containing the wrath of God in the form of seven plagues.
“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.”
So lets look for a moment at this first verse, particularly the phrase, “for in them the wrath of God is complete.” One basic thing we need to understand about God is that we, in our fallen nature, are NOT like Him in a lot of ways. This includes His wrath. Isaiah 55:8,9.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
In James 1:20 we see again that when we think of wrath it is very different to the way God sees wrath.
“for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
So just as a way of seeing some differences have a look at this comparison. Man’s wrath imposes God’s wrath releases, man’s wrath is vindictive. God’s wrath is consequential. Man’s wrath destroys free choice, God’s wrath honors free choice
Of course ‘man’s’ wrath is really a display of his fallen nature which is Satan’s character. So you can understand that there is going to be a big difference between the way Satan does wrath and the way God does wrath. So these little comparisons will become clearer as we explore this topic.
Back to the text - Revelation 15:1 - which says, “for in them the wrath of God is complete’. The word ‘complete’ or ‘filled up’ if you are looking at the King James Version, is in the Greek - TELEO if you’ll excuse my attempt at Greek and conveys the meaning of ‘to end’ or ‘discharge a debt’. The final payments or obligations are being payed out. So it seems in this man is receiving his final payout - getting what he has paid for, getting what he wants. It has actually been God who has been keeping man from receiving the final results of his choices.
In Romans chapter 1 Paul explains a little of this idea when from verses 18 to 28 he speaks of the wrath of God and defines it in verses 24, 26 and 28. After talking of the choices people had made in rejecting God, he says that God “gave them up” to uncleanness, “He gave them up to” vile passions or “He gave them over to” a debased mind. God’s wrath is seen by Paul as God letting them have the results of their own choices. This situation could also be described as the unpardonable sin. The conscience has been so seared by rejecting the pleadings of the Holy Spirit that the person is finally left to themselves and the choices they have made. Mrs. White puts it this way…
“I was shown that the judgements of God would not come directly out from the Lord upon them, but in this way: They place themselves beyond His protection. He warns, corrects, reproves, and points out the only path of safety; then, if those who have been the objects of His special care will follow their own course, independent of the Spirit of God, after repeated warnings, if they choose their own way, then He does not commission His angels to prevent Satan's decided attacks upon them.” 14MR 3 (1883). { LDE 242.1}
Note who is doing the attacking? Satan.God is love. For love to be true love, freedom is required. Freedom involves risk. The risk God has taken in making His creation based on love and freedom, is that His creation is free to not choose Him, to not choose the things he stands for, to not choose life. And when this happens it breaks His heart to see. However, being who He is, He must respect the desire of the creatures He has made with freedom of choice. God will finally, reluctantly, leave people alone with the choices they have made. Hosea 4:17 says - God speaking – “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.” God doesn’t want to discharge this debt because death is the choice that is being made by those who turn their backs on God. Nowhere is this clearer than the seven last plagues. Please turn to Revelation 16:2.
“So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.”
First of all, who is this plague falling on? Those who have the mark of the beast and who worship his image. So, I ask, what choices have these people made? Who have they chosen to obey? Remembering Romans 6:16 which says:
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”
The mark of the beast is a symbol for the people who have chosen to reject God’s law and follow man’s law instead. In rejecting God these people are worshipping Satan, they have given themselves to his service. Now I want you to turn to Job 2:7 and we are going to see what happened to Job when he was placed in Satan’s hands, lets read verse 6:
“And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”Painful sores or boils from the top of his head to the sole of his foot. And who was it that did this to Job? Satan!
We could also turn to Exodus 9 :9. The Egyptians suffered from a plague of boils. Their sixth plague. They had rejected the true God and chosen to put themselves into Satan’s hands. And we see the same thing in Deuteronomy 28:27 & 35. After describing the blessings of obedience to God, Moses turns to reiterating the curses of disobeying God.
“The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.”
Now just stop and think for a moment, when we chose to live a life style in disobedience to God’s ways, who are we serving? We aren’t just sitting on the fence, we aren’t just floating around in the never-never. A choice against God is a choice for Satan. We wonder as the text clearly says “The Lord will strike you...” But remember God’s wrath releases, it is consequential and it honors free choice. It was the same regarding the plagues of Egypt and the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Was it Pharaoh or God hardening Pharaoh’s heart? The circumstances were presented by God, but Pharaoh hardened his own heart. It is not always an easy concept to grasp but remember that God is consistent and wants everyone to turn to Him. He doesn’t Himself harden hearts so that they can’t come to Him. Remember God is the giver of good things. The judgements, up until the 7 last plagues, are always mixed with God’s mercy. In this way God has insured that Satan has not passed his boundary and we are not tried beyond what we can endure. What we see in most scriptures is more a picture of what happens when God steps away - at our request.
Again Mrs. White says: “The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has at last been withdrawn. Unsheltered by divine grace they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great final trouble.” The Great Controversy page 614.
Now God is long suffering and doesn’t give us up immediately to results of our own choices. He gives ‘repeated warnings’ - we are hearing one today. But God’s long-suffering doesn’t mean we are safe in lingering. We are never safe in Satan’s hands.So, in history, we can see that painful sores or boils is something Satan does to those who are put or put themselves in his control. What about the future? Is this a choice people are making or will make in the future? Are people putting themselves in Satan’s hands? The text clearly says that this plague falls on those who have rejected the God of the Bible. They have chosen the mark of the beast, they worship his image, they worship him. They worship Satan.
The Second Plague
Revelation 16: 3:
“Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.”
This plague is poured out on the sea. What does the sea represent in prophecy?Revelation17:15 has the answer…
“1Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”
So the plague is poured out on a multitude of people. In other prophesies seas has referred to the populated area of Europe.
Blood in the Bible represents death. See for example Matthew 27:25, when the multitude were taking responsibility for the crucifying of Jesus they said, “His blood be on us and on our children”. Also, text such as Genesis 9:6 and Ezekiel 16:38 further this thought of blood referring to death. Even this verse we are considering, Revelation 16:3, says that every living creature dies.
The second and third plague have to do with blood and death and there is a lot of detail we could examine but I don’t want to get into that here. Let’s just go down and have a look at what the angel says concerning the third plague - verses 5 and 6:
“And I heard the angel of the waters saying:“You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be. Because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.””
The angel here is giving a rational for the blood being poured out on the seas or the people.
“For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”
This is a principle throughout the Bible - you reap what you sow; we will talk more about this in a while. The blood of God’s true people has been spilt by others. Now multitudes of unrighteous are dying. Another thought about this is that the unrighteous have a desire for blood and death. Has anyone else noticed a desire for blood and death in the world? Zombies and Dracula, skulls and skeletons… A quick google image search will show you many, quite frankly discussing images of blood and horror. These are even popular on t-shirts and face paint and tattoos. The most popular movies contain vivid scenes of blood and gore. Realistic details of shooting and knifing, bombs dismembering bodies and other graphic images are so common to the movie watcher that hardly a second thought is given the brutality. The world desires blood. Proverbs 8:36 says that all who hate the Lord love death. They have rejected God’s ways until it is clear they will never change and so God steps back. They have rejected the source of Living Water; blood and death is their choice.
The Fourth Plague:
“9Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.”
Here again is given a description of those on whom this plague is to fall. People who refuse to repent and give God the Glory He deserves. They have worshipped false gods - sun worship - and have blasphemed the name of God. Now do you remember what the Biblical definition of blasphemy is? A human taking on the prerogative of forgiving sins and/or a human making himself equal to God.
Do people do this today? Yes. Not only in obviously religious circles, but in the entertainment industry, people are worshipped and accept the homage of their fellow created beings. In doing these things they are rejecting the True God and choosing to side with Satan.
Now it is also interesting to note that God throughout the Bible is represented as a God who provides protection from the scorching of the sun. Think of the pillar of cloud by day that protected the Israelites in the desert. Also in Psalm 121:5 – 7
“The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.”
In keeping with Hebrew poetry, the same idea is here repeated using different words. And so “the sun shall not strike you by day” is another way of saying, “The Lord shall keep you from evil”. The people who receive this plague, have removed themselves from God’s protective shade. They have chosen not to give God the glory or recognition that is due Him.
Satan has devised many distractions that are calculated to take glory from God. From the theory of evolution to fashion and music and food, today’s society is designed to keep the minds of the masses off their indebtedness to God and focused on their own pleasures. Man is raised up as the one who is to be honored, praised and venerated, while the Creator is forgotten. It is a rare thing to hear God thanked for His goodness to us, while we frequently hear Him held responsible for acts of violence. Little do people realize the good and protection that God is now bestowing on them even though they fail to acknowledge Him. However, this cannot always be the case as God in all fairness will have to withdraw His sunscreen/umbrella of care and leave them to what they have chosen.
We shouldn’t bypass taking this plague at face value either. It is not too hard to imagine the sun scorching the earth. Man will reap the results of his destruction of nature. Today we have the polar ice caps melting, seas rising and the atmosphere being damaged and polluted beyond our capacity to restore it. Droughts are common and increasing in places, crops fail, animals and people starve.
The Fifth Plague
“Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”Who is this plague poured out upon? The seat or throne of the beast and his kingdom. I’m sure most of you know who the beast is? The system of the Roman Catholic Church - as found in Revelation 13 and Daniel 7. (If you are unsure of these prophesies we could study them together at another time.) Where is the seat or throne of the beast? The Greek word implies power or a potentate; and we could speculate that this plague will be affecting the Vatican. More importantly though, once again the recipients of this plague are the ones who have rejected God’s pleadings with them. The Bible says that God is light; 1 John1:5
““This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5The people are given over to what they have chosen. They have rejected the light - God - and have chosen darkness. Notice the difference with those who follow God. Those who follow God are called out of the darkness: 1 Peter 2:9.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”And again in 1 Thessalonians 5:5
““You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.”Those who have not accepted Christ and His word have rejected the light of the world. They have chosen darkness. Have a look at John 3:19 and 20:
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”Note that here Jesus says that ‘men loved darkness rather than light’. So once again as this plague falls we see God stepping back and allowing men to have the desires of their hearts. Darkness is what they have chosen but it doesn’t bring them the pleasure or happiness they hoped for. They gnaw their tongues for the pain. Why tongues? could it be a sign of the lies they have told concerning God? Their consciences cause them great pain and their tongues keep wagging with no comfort coming.
The Sixth plague
“Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 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. Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”
Let’s consider the fall of Babylon. In the city of Babylon, the river Euphrates which flowed through it provided a source of life and protection. (The river roughly bisected the city as part of the “Fertile Crescent”. It stretches from the Nile River in Egypt to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern Iraq. It also encompasses several other countries, including Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. The western edge of the Fertile Crescent borders the Mediterranean Sea, while the eastern edge reaches to the Persian Gulf.) On the night that Babylon fell there was a party going on. The walls, river and supplies in Babylon could have and would have kept the citizens fed and protected for years if they had been diligent in doing their part, but the residents were slack and distracted and neglectful.
We are told by history that the Medo-Persians led by their King, Cyrus, diverted the river Euphrates. The Euphrates was dried up and Babylon, that great city, fell. So, before Cyrus came into Babylon, the water was dried up, and Babylon, was left with no defense against destruction. In the Bible who is Cyrus likened to? Jesus...You can read Isaiah 44:28 - 45:1 where Cyrus is called ‘My Shepard” and ‘anointed’. Who is likened to water in the Bible? the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 44:3). So before King Jesus returns the water or Holy Spirit will be removed or dries up from the earth, then the world falls.So again, in this plague, this source of life and protection is dried up as the angel pours out his bowl. God, the source of life and protection, is no longer available to the people through their own choice of having neglected to keep watch and choosing to party and worship other ‘gods’. The next verse, Revelation 16:13, takes us back to the plagues of ancient Egypt. Frogs are seen coming out of the month of the dragon (Satan), the beast (Rome) and of the false prophet (apostate Protestantism). The second plague in Egypt was the plague of frogs. If you turn to Exodus 8:3 & 4 we are told of the frogs that overtook Egypt. They were everywhere, in the bed, in the kitchen, in the food, you couldn’t get away from them.
“So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.”
Back in Revelation we are told that these frogs are unclean spirits. They, like the frogs in Egypt, are everywhere spreading their filth and invading every part of life. They come out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet.... Question. What comes out of mouths? Words mostly! These three worldly powers are spreading unclean messages - or false messages, wrong messages. And these messages are everywhere! It has been shown in history that if you present a message long enough and loud enough that it will eventually became accepted by the majority. Think of Nazi Germany and even today’s acceptance as normal things that years ago weren’t normal. How will we be able to escape being deceived by these all-pervasive lies? 1 John 4:1 has the answer…
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Test the spirits. Stack what is coming out of the mouths of the world and religion with the word of God, and see if it is true.
With these false messages come signs that are also formulated to deceive and, we are told, the whole world is so drugged with these fabrications that they gather, prepared to do war with God Himself. And this word John uses here - Gather - is in itself very interesting. This word in the Greek means to collect or convene, especially to entertain. That word is very familiar to us. Entertainment is everywhere, it is available to us everywhere - in our homes - lounge rooms, bedrooms, some homes are built with special surround sound entertainment rooms! Entertainment is available in our cars, busses, and planes; in the shopping malls, in the streets and we take it with us in our hands anywhere and everywhere we go. Interesting God uses this word that conveys the meaning of entertainment to describe Satan’s method of uniting the wicked. So, what are we seeing today? Are lies prevalent? Is entertainment gathering the people to mind sets that oppose God? Is our protection in our relationship with God or in the economics of the world? Are we worshipping the gods of gold and silver and bronze? Are we being entertained while we should be watching for danger?
The Seventh Plague
1718Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 1920Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.”
What we see happening in this last plague, is really the natural outcome of the drying up of the Euphrates. In other words, it is the natural outcome of a world without the protective and providing hand of its creator. As God totally withdraws from the ‘world’ Satan is left with full control over the wicked.Just bear with me for a minute while I explain my reasoning. In verse 17 we read of the angel who pours out his bowl into the air. If you look up the word air in your concordance you may find, as I did, that most references in the Bible to ‘air’ have to do with ‘birds of the air’. There is one, however that gives us a clue in this context. It is Ephesians 2:2. “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,”This verse refers to Satan being ‘the prince of the power of the air.’ Perhaps John’s symbolism here is picturing the final release of Satan as God completely withdraws from those who do not wish to follow Him. Their final decision has been made. The Holy Spirit has consistently been resisted by them and no matter how long time might go on, these have made their decision and would not change their minds. It is in this context that we hear that cry “It is done!” Where have we heard a cry like that before? Please turn to John 19:30.
“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
There are amazing similarities between the description of the last plague and the crucifixion. It is well worth the time to reread the chapter in the Desire of Ages entitled Calvary for a clear picture of what was happening.Matthew chapter 27 tells of the great earthquake that took place that crucifixion day. Mrs. White describes the lightening that flashed around the cross and Jerusalem; the mountains being rent asunder and the rocks crashing down into the plains. All was terror and confusion.
Question: what was happening on that cross? What was Christ doing for the world?
“Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart.” GC 753.“ He, the Sin Bearer, endures the wrath of divine justice, and for thy sake becomes sin itself.” GC 755. “Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe.” GC 756.
At the cross Jesus drank the wine of the wrath of God for every human being. He died the second death which is total separation from God. That’s the great news of the cross. Not everyone, however believes and accepts that gift. Those who refuse to receive the pardon that was bought for them at the cross will have to drink that cup of wrath themselves. The protecting presence of God will finally be fully withdrawn from them and they will suffer in full exposure to Satan, full separation from God, just as Jesus did on the cross.
If you read on in Revelation you will find that an angel gives John an explanation, more detail, of what goes on in this seventh plague. As you no doubt know there are cycles of repeat and enlarge in the Bible; and if you look carefully, Rev 17:1-18:8 is a further explanation of this last plague.Another important verse to remember in relation to understanding this is Galatians 6:7
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap’.You reap what you sow. This is expressed again in Revelation 18:6 - 8.
“Render to her just as she renderedto you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.”Babylon has imposed economic hardship on the children of God, Babylon has taken away all their earthly comforts and conveniences. She is now reaping what she has sown.
So what about the hail? In the Bible hail, as in the ice rocks falling from the sky, are equivalent to battle or war and destruction.Job 38:22, 23 “Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?So this is God talking to Job saying that He has a reserve of hail for a specific purpose, that being the time of trouble. A day of war and battle.Psalm 18:13 -14 The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
Here we have God using natural elements to vanquish His foe. The word here is in the King James rendered “discomfit” and in the Hebrew it means to put into commotion and by implication to disturb, drive or destroy. If you follow this word through the Old Testament you get it being used when God is driving Israel's enemies before them. In Joshua 10:14 it says, describing this event, that God fought for Israel. God also steps in and fights for Spiritual Israel at the end of time.
So, let’s just take a step back and get an overall view of the situation as this last plague falls. Christ has finished His work in the sanctuary, every case is decided. Six plagues have fallen. The powers on earth have declared that the faithful remnant of God’s people are responsible for these plagues and a death decree has been issued against them. Basically all is confusion and chaos. The wicked are fully in the hands of the leader they have chosen and, the righteous fear for their lives.
“ To human sight it will appear that the people of God must soon sealtheir testimony with their blood.....they themselves begin to fear thatthe Lord has left them to fall by the hand of their enemies...” GC page 356It is at midnight that God delivers His people. The hail destroys cities, palaces and prisons. It is hard to fight in a hail storm, and the people who were just then bent on murder, now are seeking to save their own lives. To the wicked the hail is death, to the saved, deliverance. So this plague is different. God here steps in to save His people from the ones who have continually and consistently chosen apostasy and rebellion by resisting the Holy Spirit. This is the climax in the battle of Armageddon, when the armies of the living God will take the field (MS 175,1899) (Mrs. White says that as some people are leaving the cities -still at this late stage that angels in the form of men of war protect them).
In Luke 18:7-8, Jesus says: “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.”
It is love that protects the unprotected. When every earthly tie is cut off and God’s people have no protection in the world - the death decree has been issued - then it is God who will step in and protect His own. The seven last plagues are not a picture of God finally losing His temper with His rebellious creation. Rather they are the final results of the choices that a free willed creation have brought upon themselves. They are the consequences that God never wants us to suffer. He has already done it for us. Christ suffered the full removal of His father’s presence at the cross so we don’t have to. God is love. His character is fully consistent with the purist attributes of all love entails and forever will be.
“I was shown that the judgements of God would not come directly out from the Lord upon them, but in this way: They place themselves beyond His protection. He warns, corrects, reproves, and points out the only path of safety; then, if those who have been the objects of His special care will follow their own course, independent of the Spirit of God, after repeated warnings, if they choose their own way, then He does not commission His angels to prevent Satan's decided attacks upon them.”-14MR 3 (1883).
The Spirit is pleading with mankind, with us, be reconciled to God. Don’t reject the One who loves you more than His own life. Come rest in that shelter now before it is forever too late.