I woke early this morning and looked towards the majestic mountains near my home. The sun had just colored the rocks red and orange, and rays of light were piercing the sky with the promise of a new day.

There is nothing wrong with the earth. It is filled with beauty and order. There are no flaws in anything that God made, except one. Jesus warned that in the days just prior to the Tribulation, evil and lawlessness and the hearts of people all over the world, would turn our world into a horror. It is people who have wrecked our planet and turned what should have been paradise, into a place of suffering.

We are the reason that human life is painful. We are the ones whom blame should be attached. It is people with their hatred, unkind words, and rage that makes our lives unpleasant and often unbearable. Why can’t we love each other and live together in peace? Jesus said it is because the hearts of people in this world, move towards evil continually.

When God made the earth and placed us on it, we were perfect in every way. The beauty and wonders of our new home were before us and we knew how much we were loved by what He made for us. We could see the Lord because He walked with us, amongst a people who were made in His image and likeness. We were like Him, full of love, peace, grace, and kindness. No one hurt or killed on the earth at the beginning. It was paradise and perfect in every way.

Each of us choose how we will live. We decide whether to love or hate. It is people who decide if others suffer, or their lives will be filled with blessing. We decide and we have chosen poorly. Instead of caring, we pick and bite at each other. We choose sides and take offense at people who are different from us, and those say things we don’t believe.

The violence and destruction that plagues earth was in the heart of man, even before governments were corrupt, or plagues infected us and killed many. We are people whose every thought is towards evil continually, and we can blame no one except ourselves for the condition of this world.[1]

God has given us a wonderful home with everything we need to have full and happy lives. It is time that we admit we are all the problem, and begin to do something to change ourselves stop what is happening in our world.

Democrats and Republicans, Black and White, Christian and Atheist, Gay and Straight; every group, schism, and category of us is wrong in how we view others and the way we live our lives. Until we stop seeing everyone else as the problem and admit that it is us individually, who are to blame, nothing is going to change.

We are the reason that Jesus had to die. It is for all the things that we are seeing now in our world, that He was compelled to leave heaven and give His life for us. Today we can understand a little of what the world looked like in the days of Noah, just prior to the Great Flood. Before God destroyed the world at that time, people were just as we see them now. Everyone else was to blame, all suffering was God’s fault, no one took responsibility for their own actions.[2]

Jesus said that unless these days in which we live, are shortened, none of us will survive.[3] Unless the Lord intervenes in our world, we will certainly destroy ourselves completely. The evidence this is true, is the condition of the world presently. We are already destroying ourselves and it is just a matter of time before this world is completely filled with chaos and violence.

This is what is in the heart of man. Evil became resident within us by rebellion to God and a desire to satisfy self.[4] At one time we were people who only knew how to love and care for others. The Bible says that at the moment the first man chose self over God, the world was fractured and broken. Jesus came to earth to change this and give us back the perfect world God always intended we would have.

Peace begins with God. Love originates in Him. If we will find happiness, it is only present within those who live and know the One God of the Universe.[5] The Bible reveals Him; The Bible extols Him; The Bible is filled with His words that illuminate our dark world and bring us light. Jesus is that light and all who run to Him, find shelter and safety from this broken and evil world.[6]

We are living in the Last Days just prior to the seven year Tribulation. These are days in which Jesus, the book of Revelation, describes men’s hearts failing them over the fear of things they will see happen.[7] We are near the end of time when God has withheld judgment and has permitted us a time of grace so that we can know Jesus and obtain our redemption. The end of His waiting is nearly over, and the time of His wrath against sin is about to begin.[8]

The Unfortunate Side Of Knowing What Will Happen

Jesus also said that when we see the events taking place right now, they will lead to more violence and hate, until it will be too late, and the judgment of God will fall upon our world. We are at that place today. We are only a breath away from the events described in the book of Revelation when two-thirds of people on earth will die by twenty-one judgments from God.[9]

Those who flee to Jesus now, will be spared from these judgments, for there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.[10] God has not appointed to wrath, those who run to Jesus for help; not a single believer will be present when the Tribulation begins and the horrors of Revelation are revealed.[11]

Whatever state you find yourself in today, it is certain that one of the emotions you feel is fear. What is going to happen? Where will this all end? How can we get back to a place of civility and caring about each other again?

The Bible describes these days in which we live, as the most difficult of any time the earth has ever experienced. Right now there is still time for you to escape what is coming soon. You can protect yourself and your family from the death and destruction that will soon arrive, by fleeing to Jesus, turning from your sins, and committing your lives to Him.[12]

We don’t know how much longer we have before the Tribulation begins, but it is certain that in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the corruption of governments; the riots, bloodshed, death, and destruction we are seeing now, the arrival of the final seven years cannot be far off.

In 2019, the Lord prompted me to complete a book that I have put off for forty years. I have taught the Book of Revelation dozens of times all over the world, but I had never assembled all the texts together in a single book. I didn’t understand why I had waited for so long, until the Pandemic began, and the events of America’s destruction started.

It is my observation as one who has studied the Bible, intensely, for over 45 years, that the events described in the Book of Revelation are about to begin. This essay was not written to sell my book, but to announce that what I wrote in this my Revelation Commentary, is what we are about to see happen in our world.

I receive no compensation for the sale of any of my books, essays, or websites. Freely I have received from Jesus, freely I give the Gospel to all who will hear. I wrote the Revelation Commentary to prepare people for the arrival of Jesus, and to make His salvation known.

The following is an excerpt from the Book of Revelation Commentary, chapter 16, the events before the Battle of Armageddon:

See The Book of Revelation: A Verse by Verse Commentary

The Book of Revelation is a publication about the final events of earth and the people who will be alive in the last days. Revelation is also a book of redemption and judgment. In all of the 22 chapters of Revelation, as we read through the judgments of God that come upon the earth, we also come away with the overwhelming sense that the God of this universe loves His creation and has taken extraordinary steps to prove His love.

As we arrive at the end of chapter 15, and begin chapter 16, the earth and her people have reached a critical place: the patience of God has run out. Throughout the Bible, one of the primary attributes of God is His extreme patience with sinners. God is not willing that anyone would be lost, and so He waits: The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression. ~Numbers 14:18

Say to them: “As I live,” says the Lord God, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” ~Ezekiel 33:11

We see the patience of God throughout the book of Revelation, because there are 21 judgments of God but they are not all poured out at once. First seven seals, then a pause. Then seven trumpets, and a pause. Then seven bowls. The Lord gradually increased the severity of the judgments while giving time for the people of earth to repent.

The sad ending of judgment is that it does not really bring the repentance of man. It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). For two thousand years God has waited for people to turn from their sins and receive forgiveness in Christ. In Revelation Chapter 16, this time of grace has expired, and the patience of God has come to an end.

Peter was well acquainted with the Lord’s patience, because so many times he spoke too soon before he really thought about what he was going to say. When Jesus told the disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem, where He would be beaten and crucified, Peter told Him no. Peter said that he was willing to die for Jesus; but when his confession was tested, he denied that he knew Jesus, three times.

After Peter had grown and matured, he wrote about the patience of the Lord towards all of us: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3:9

Many scoffers in these last days have stated that Jesus is not going to come again, exactly what Peter wrote twenty centuries before. Peter said that the reason Jesus has not returned to judge the earth is because He is giving mockers and scoffers time to change their minds and turn to Jesus and be saved.

God has appointed a time when He will wait no longer, to bring judgment. Here is chapter 16 of Revelation, that time has come. David wrote that the Lord will not always strive with us: He will not always strive with us. ~Psalms 103:9

Moses described the limits of God’s patience with us during our life: And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” ~Genesis 6:3

The Lord has given us our entire life to decide. Some have, but a few years; others more; but no one has more than 120 years. The decision we make either to accept Jesus’ offer of salvation, or to reject Him, is sealed at our death. There is no change of mind or reprieve from judgment after death: And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. ~Hebrews 9:27

Jesus told the story of the rich man who was in Hades, where he saw Lazarus across a great canyon in Paradise. The rich man asked Abraham to send someone from that terrible place back to his family, to warn them that hell was real. Abraham said that no one from hell could leave, nor would it do any good to send someone from that place of torment to tell people it was real.

But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.” And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” ~Luke 16:25-31

Abraham said that God has given the world Moses and the prophets, the word of God in the Bible. This is sufficient for anyone to know what God requires. The Lord has been very patient with people for nearly six thousand years. If a person will not read the Bible, if they will not hear what God has said in His word and turn from their sins to Christ, there is nothing else that God could do to save them.

The Lord has given us every day of our life to make up our mind about who Jesus is and whether or not we believe God’s Word. On the day of our judgment, God will not ask us what church we went to. He is not going to ask us why we were not more religious. He will ask us just one question: “What did you do with My Son?”

The only thing that will matter on the day of judgment is whether we accepted Jesus’ death on the Cross as the payment for our sins. The only sin that God cannot forgive is the rejection of His Son who died to pay for our sins. No matter how bad a person we have been, regardless of our failures or accomplishments, only by trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus can anyone be saved.

The Bible says that when we accept Jesus as our Savior and begin to live our life for Him, there is no longer any judgment awaiting us after our death. Our sins are paid for, and we are fully ready for heaven: There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus…Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!…For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. ~Romans 8:1, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

We Live During A Time, Unparalleled

Jesus said, concerning the time of His return, that earth and its people will be in the same condition as they were during the time of Noah: But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ~Matthew 24:37-39

When Noah began building the Ark, he told people that God’s patience was about to run out. Noah built the ark for 100 years. During that time the invitation remained for people to believe the Lord, turn from their sins, and receive salvation. Noah warned that judgment was coming, but no one listened.

Up until the Ark was completed and the door shut, people did not believe Noah’s warning. Only Noah and his family were saved. The people alive at that time were not lost because God didn’t want to save them, but because they were not willing to turn from their sins and come into the Ark.

People are not saved today for the same reason. They will not turn to Jesus and allow Him to cleanse them of their sins. People like their lives the way they are. Jesus said they love their sins more than they love the salvation Jesus offer, so they will not come to Him (John 3:16-19).

Peter wrote that in the last days, before Jesus returns, people will forget that God once judged the world and everyone perished. They will fail to understand that the same thing will happen again. The words in the book of Revelation tell us how horrible this judgment will be on earth. Two-thirds of those who live during that time will perish: For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,  by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. ~2 Peter 3:5-7

During the days of Noah, people forgot that God’s patience will not last forever. There is a time when it will be too late.

As we arrive at chapter 16 of Revelation, we see that the day of the Lord’s judgment has come. God’s patience has run out, and His wrath will be poured out.

The Good News is that, if you have accepted Jesus into your life and turned from your sins, and have followed Him during your life here on earth, before the Tribulation begins you will be taken from the earth by Jesus and be with Him in heaven, before chapter 16 begins: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (Latin: rapturo) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ~1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. ~1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

The Great Tribulation is the time of Jesus’ wrath on earth. Since those who have taken Jesus as their Savior are not appointed to experience the wrath of God’s judgment, before it begins Jesus will return to the outer atmosphere of earth and remove us. Paul said that we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The words “caught up” were translated from the Koine-Greek text, ἁρπάζω harpazō, to seize, catch up, take violently by force. Many object to the idea of a Rapture, claiming it is not taught in the Bible. This text in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is that text. The word Rapture was originally translated from the Latin text that calls this event the Rapturo. Paul supports the event called the Rapture with a companion text from 1 Corinthians 15: 51-52: But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

The Final Wrath Begins

Revelation Chapter 15 began with the description of the final Bowl judgments that are filled with the wrath of God: After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues (Bowls), clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. ~Revelation 15:5-6

It is possible that the seven angels who bring these final seven-bowl judgments are actually men. In the Bible, and particularly in Revelation, the word angel does not necessarily mean an angelic being from heaven. The Greek word angelos can be translated a servant of God. For this reason, some have speculated that the beings who are carrying these final judgments to earth may be human.

In the first chapter of Revelation, as Jesus begins to address the seven churches, He calls the leaders of these churches angels or messengers: The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels (messengers) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. ~Revelation 1:20

An angelos can be an angel, a man, even a pastor as when Jesus addresses the letters to the 7 churches, in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, He calls these men angels: To the angel of the church of Ephesus write… ~Revelation 2:1

In Revelation 17:1, one of these angels showed John the mystery of the beast and the woman he was carrying on his back.

In Revelation 21:9, another of these angels showed John the New Jerusalem. After seeing all of the wonders described in Revelation, John fell down at the feet of a person described as an angel and worshipped him. John was told to not worship this angel because he was an ordinary man—one of the prophets (Revelation 19:9-10, 22:8-9).

Revelation Chapter 15 Is The Beginning Of The Bowl Judgments

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. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.  ~Revelation 15:7-18

As the seven-Bowl judgments are about to be poured out on the earth, John writes that the Temple in heaven is filled with smoke and no one was permitted to enter the Temple until after these final seven plagues are completed.

It is interesting that this Temple we see in heaven, here in the book of Revelation, is the original, the true Temple. The Tabernacle and the Temple Solomon built were copies of this Temple that stands in heaven. When God gave Moses the instructions on how to build this structure, He told him to pay special attention to the details because it was a copy of the original Temple in heaven.

Here in Revelation 15:7-18, as a prelude to chapter 16, we see seven angels go into the Temple in heaven and take the seven-bowl judgments from one of the four Cherubim that are near the throne of God. Until they complete their work of pouring out these judgments on earth, the Temple in heaven is closed. The question is why?

When we study the entirety of the scriptures, it becomes clear that both salvation and judgment are works that are completely the Lord’s, and none is of men. There are many scriptures that describe the judgments of God as His alone. This is most visible in the judgments of Revelation, which Isaiah described as belonging to the Lord Jesus alone: “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come. I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold; therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; and My own fury, it sustained Me.” ~Isaiah 63:3-5

As the Lord is about to pour out upon the people of earth the most horrendous of the twenty-one judgments, He enters the Temple alone, and no one else can enter. Jesus will dispatch these seven plagues Himself, and it is He alone who will complete their fury.

The Book of Revelation Commentary by Robert Clifton Robinson, is available at Amazon today

NOTES:

[1] Genesis 6:5 (NKJV) Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
[2] The Days of Noah, described by Jesus as the condition of the world just prior to the Tribulation Period: Matthew 24:37-39 (NLT) “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.”
[3] Matthew 24:21-22 (NKJV) 21 “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”
[4] Genesis 3:6-7 (NKJV) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”
[5] John 16:33 (NKJV) Jesus said: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
[6] John 8:12 (NKJV) “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
[7] Luke 21:25-28 (NKJV) Jesus said: “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
[8] Revelation 10:5-6 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there will be delay no longer…”
[9] Chapters 6-18 of Revelation, describe 21 judgments of God; 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowl judgments, that will kill two thirds, or over 5 billion people on earth. See “The Book of Revelation: Verse by Verse Commentary.”
[10] Romans 8:1-2 (NLT) “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
[11] 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 (NKJV) “For God did not appoint us to wrath (the Tribulation), but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
[12] Hebrews 6:18 (NLT) “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.”

Categories: Introduction of the antichrist, Israel in the Last Days, Rapture during Rosh Hashanah, Robert Clifton Robinson, Signs in the heavens, The Book of Revelation Commentary, The Last Days, The Second Arrival of the Messiah, The Seven Year Tribulation, The Sound of a Trumpet, The Wrath of God, We must repent, What happens after death?, What is required for Heaven?

Tags: Bible Prophecy, Judgement of America, Prayer For America, Pre Tribulation Rapture, Riots in America, The beginning of the Tribulation, The Book of Revelation Commentary, The Great Tribulation, The second coming of Christ, Two arrivals of Messiah