Season 3 Podcast 100 The Last Days Pt VI The Opening of the Seventh Seal

The Opening of the Seventh SealBut the sixth seal is preliminary to the Second Coming of Christ.  Christ does not make his appearance until after the opening of the seventh seal or somewhere during the beginning of the seven thousand years. The time immediately prior to the Second coming is filled with “voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” The thunderings and lightnings are plural.  The earthquake is singular.  There have been thousands of earthquakes but apparently there is a last great earthquake unlike any the earth has experienced.Seven Angels announce the Second Coming.  Each angel portends a mighty disaster. These are found in the Book of Revelation Chapters 8, 9, 10 & 11.6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.The first angel introduces incredible storms that will take many lives.7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.John is noted for his figurative imagery. It cannot be missed that the plagues of the last days are parallel to the ten plagues of Egypt. Symbolism ties events together. The Ten plagues of Egypt were: 1.     Blood2.     Frogs3.     Lice or gnats4.     Flies5.     Lifestock6.     Boils7.     Hail8.     Locust9.     Darkness10.  Death of firstbornThe first angel mentions “hail and fire mingled with blood.” The destruction is massive. John, however, is noted for his symbolism. What he is describing is not your average hail nor is he referring to a hailstorm of ice the size of golf balls. The hail he is describing weighs as much as a talent. In Revelation 16 we read21 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. (Revelation 16:21)“Exceeding great” is rather an understatement. A Hebrew Talent weighed more than 125 pounds.  Imagine a hailstone that large. Obviously, it isn’t an ice storm, but perhaps metal shrapnel or other debris caused by bombs and missiles falling from the sky, hence the image “hail and fire mingled with blood.” The second angel brings pollution to the seas.8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.Again, it could be chemical or atomic warfare. The third angel brings pollution to the rivers and streams which also suggest tactics of war in which the enemy deliberately poisons the water sources and kills life in the water.10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.