«It is Done!»
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We invite you to pray with us:
Our Father,
We will now study the last bowl, in which we will witness the final outcome of the great
conflict between good and evil.
Please help us to always remember the valuable message of hope You want to give Your
children who, during the pouring out of the seven last plagues, will eagerly wait on the
earth for Your great deliverance.
In Jesus we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 16:17
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air.
Ephesians 2:2
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.
The seventh bowl of God's wrath is poured out «into the
air», which indicates that this last judgment will strike not only unrepentant
men, but also their leader, «the prince of the power of the air»,
Satan.
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Revelation 16:1,17
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the
seven angels,
«Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.» (...)
Then 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!»
While the seventh angel is pouring out the last bowl, a voice utters the words «It is done!».
This confirms that the seventh bowl will put an end to the pouring out of God's wrath on
the wicked.
Coming from the temple, this voice is the same as the one which ordered the pouring out of
the seven bowls.
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Revelation 21:6
It is done!
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of
the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
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.
The cry «It is done!», repeated later by Jesus
when the New Jerusalem is presented, also refers to the words «It
is finished!», which Christ said on the cross when He triumphantly completed the
great work which grants us salvation.
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Revelation 16:18
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.
Isaiah 29:6
You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder
and earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire.
The seventh bowl will come with an extraordinary bursting out of the forces of
nature, which will fill unrepentant men with indescribable fear.
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Revelation 11:15,18
Then the seventh angel sounded.
And there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
«The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and
He shall reign forever and ever! (...)
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the
earth.»
The parallel between the trumpets and bowls is still present. In this case it
is even identical.
Indeed, since these prophetic series both end with Jesus' return, the seventh trumpet and
the seventh bowl describe exactly the same event.
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Revelation 16:19
Now the great city was divided into three parts.
Revelation 18:10,21
«Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!
For in one hour your judgment has come.» (...)
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea,
saying,
«Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found
anymore.»
The seventh bowl will shake «the great city»,
Babylon, and bring about its complete destruction.
Now, what does its division into three parts mean?
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Revelation 19:11,14,19
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.
And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and
makes war. (...)
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white
horses. (...)
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make
war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
To answer this question, let's remember that, at the end of the sixth bowl, the
nations were gathered together by the satanic trinity, in order to make war against Jesus,
with all His angels, at the time of His return.
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Revelation 19:20
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false
prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark
of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
At the seventh bowl, Jesus will return with power and glory, causing the fall
of Babylon, the great religio-political apostate coalition.
He will then break the satanic trinity leading Babylon, splitting up the dragon, the
beast, and the false prophet. This is how Babylon will be «divided
into three parts» (Revelation 16:19).
The ultimate end of the beast and the false prophet will be total destruction.
But what will happen to Satan, the great dragon?
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Revelation 20:1,2
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the
key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him
for a thousand years.
Satan will be bound, that is, rendered harmless, for a period of a thousand
years.
The precise events taking place during these thousand years, a period also called
«Millennium», will be the subject of a future lesson.
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Revelation 20:7,10
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be
released from his prison. (...)
And the devil, who deceived [the nations], was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone
where the beast and the false prophet are.
As we will study in detail in our lesson on the Millennium, after this period
of a thousand years, Satan will meet the same fate as his two allies in the unholy
trinity, the beast and the false prophet: a complete and definitive destruction.
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Revelation 16:19
Now 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.
Revelation 14:8
Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because
she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
The nations, which drank the wine of Babylon, will also be struck by the
effects of the seventh bowl of God's wrath, and they will fall too.
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The nations will also drink the cup of the wine of God's wrath:
«For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: Take this
wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it:
(...) all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Also the king of
Sheshach shall drink after them.
Therefore you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send
among you."
And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall
say to them, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: You shall certainly drink! (...) For I
will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth." (...)
At that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end
of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse
on the ground.» (JEREMIAH 25:15,26-29,33)
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The seventh bowl will be devastating for the unrepentant nations:
«For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations,
and His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them
over to the slaughter. Also their slain shall be thrown out; their stench shall rise from
their corpses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. All the host of heaven
shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll.» (ISAIAH 34:2-4)
«Proclaim this among the nations: (...) Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather
together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. Let the nations be
wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the
surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the
winepress is full, the vats overflow - for their wickedness is great.» (JOEL 3:9,11-13)
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Revelation 17:16
And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will
hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
At the end of the sixth bowl, the nations had already realized that they would
not be able to overcome Jesus.
Furious at having being deceived by Babylon, they had already begun to destroy her.
But now, as they witness the glorious return of Jesus Christ and the terrible upheavals in
nature, what is their reaction?
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Revelation 16:20
Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not
found.
Revelation 6:14,15
Every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men,
every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the
mountains.
The seventh bowl clearly refers to the scene of the sixth seal, helping us to
understand that, at Jesus Christ's return, unrepentant men will be terrorized, filled with
great fear.
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Before the wrath of God, the wicked will be distraught and terrorized:
«[They] said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on
us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"» (REVELATION
6:16,17)
«The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. (...) Wail, for the day of
the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands
will be limp, every man's heart will melt, and they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will
take hold of them; they will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; they will be amazed at
one another; their faces will be like flames. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel,
with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its
sinners from it.» (ISAIAH 13:1,6-9)
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Isaiah 24:16,18,21
From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: «Glory
to the righteous!»
But I said, «I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me!» (...)
For the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. (...)
It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted
ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth.
The nations will experience great distress at the pouring out of the seventh
bowl of God's wrath.
God «will punish on high the host of exalted ones», that
is, Satan and his fallen angels, and «on the earth the kings of the
earth».
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Ezekiel 38:20,21
«All men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at
My presence.
The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall
to the ground.
I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains», says the Lord God.
«Every man's sword will be against his brother.»
In great distress at this extraordinary explosion of the forces of nature, the
wicked will come to kill one another, and «every man's sword will
be against his brother».
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Haggai 2:21-23
«I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the
throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms.
I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders
shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
In that day,» says the Lord of hosts, «I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son
of Shealtiel,» says the Lord, «and will make you as a signet ring; for I have chosen
you», says the Lord of hosts.
Before the glory of God annihilates unrepentant men, a lot of them will have
already been killed, «every one by the sword of his brother».
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Judges 7:22
When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set
every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp.
2 Chronicles 20:22,23
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set
ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah;
and they were defeated. (...)
They helped to destroy one another.
In fact, God has often used the strategy of causing unrepentant men to kill one
another, in order to save His people from the enemy's attack.
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Revelation 16:21
And great hail from heaven fell upon men, every hailstone
about the weight of a talent.
Revelation 11:15,19
Then the seventh angel sounded. (...)
And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
The seventh bowl ends with a terrible shower of hail, «every
hailstone about the weight of a talent», that is, about 65 pounds (30 kilograms).
Let's note that the seventh trumpet too announces this final shower of hail.
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Exodus 9:23,24,26
And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the
Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground.
And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like
it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. (...)
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
With this great shower of hail, the seventh bowl also calls to mind the plagues
of Egypt.
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Joshua 10:10,11
So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a
great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck
them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that
the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died.
There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed
with the sword.
God has already used great hail to punish the oppressor of Israel...
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... and He will do it again, at the seventh bowl, at Jesus' return:
«Have you seen the treasury of hail, which I have
reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?» (JOB 38:22,23)
«Therefore thus says the Lord God: "I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My
fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to
consume it."» (EZEKIEL 13:13)
«The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding
place. Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not
stand; when the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by
it.» (ISAIAH 28:17,18)
«The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard, and show the descent of His arm,
with the indignation of His anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering,
tempest, and hailstones.» (ISAIAH 30:30)
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Revelation 16:21
And great hail from heaven fell upon men, every hailstone
about the weight of a talent.
And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was
exceedingly great.
Isaiah 32:18,19
My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure
dwellings, and in quiet resting places, though hail comes down on the forest, and the city
is brought low in humiliation.
The hail won't strike the faithful believers, but it will make the wicked
blaspheme against God.
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Revelation 16:9
And they blasphemed the name of God who has power over
these plagues.
Revelation 16:11
And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their
pains and their sores.
Revelation 16:21
And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail.
Unrepentant men, struck by one plague after another, first blasphemed «the name of God», then, «the God of
heaven», and finally, directly facing His glorious presence, they blaspheme «God» Himself.
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Jesus' victory over the nations will put an end to this sad spectacle:
«[The ten kings] will make war with the Lamb, and the
Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings.» (REVELATION 17:14)
«And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never
be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.» (DANIEL 2:44)
«News from the east and the north shall trouble [the king of the North]; therefore he
shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. (...) Yet he shall come to
his end, and no one will help him. At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince
who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such
as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people
shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.» (DANIEL 11:44 to 12:1)
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Jeremiah 4:23-27
I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and
void; and the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they
trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth.
I beheld, and indeed there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled. I
beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down
at the presence of the Lord, by His fierce anger.
For thus says the Lord: «The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full
end.»
Following the seven bowls, the earth won't be completely destroyed.
The Millennium will begin, and afterward, God will completely restore His Creation.
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2 Peter 3:11-14
What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct
and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which
the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in
peace, without spot and blameless.
May the apostle Peter's precious advice help us to prepare ourselves for the
seven bowls.
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Let's pray:
Our Lord,
The pouring out of the seventh bowl, at the glorious coming of Your Son Jesus Christ, will
be a day of deliverance for Your faithful people, but a nightmare for unrepentant men.
Please give us all the love and zeal we need to warn the people around us, and to invite
them to join Your people, so that they also may rejoice when this great deliverance comes,
rather than have to drink the wine cup of Your wrath.
In the precious name of Jesus we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #17,
06330047.JPG. Screen 2: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (April 1, 1994),
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.16,17. Screen 3: In: «La
Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society, 1988, p.78. Screen 4: STEEL, John. In: «The Triumph of God's
Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and
Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.398. Screen 5: MARTIN, John. «The
Great Day of His Wrath» (1851-1853), Tate Gallery, London. In: «Revelations - Art of the
Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.96. Screen 6: Michelangelo.
«The Last Judgment», Sistine Chapel, Vatican. In: «Michelangelo and Raphael in the
Vatican», Vatican Polyglot Press, 1983, p.92. Table of Screen 6: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.233. Screen 7: MOTTEZ, Victor-Louis (1809-1897).
«The Resurrection of the Dead», Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille, France. In: «Revelations
- Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.103. Picture
edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 8: «Angel Casts the Millstone into
the Sea» (c.1260), Lambeth Palace Library, London. In: «Revelations - Art of the
Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.31. Screen 9: In:
«The Watchtower» magazine (May 15, 1990), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society,
p.7. Screen 10: WEST, Benjamin. «The Destruction of the Beast and the
False Prophet» (1804). Minneapolis Institute of Arts. In: «Revelations - Art of the
Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.63. Screen 11: «Key
of the Bottomless Pit» (c.1530), Bible Society, London. In: «Revelations - Art of the
Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.110. Screen 12: In:
«Vivez éternellement heureux sur la terre!», Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1982,
picture #44. Screen 13: In: «Vivez éternellement heureux sur la
terre!», Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1982, picture #28. Screen 14: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.214. Screen 15: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (May
15, 1987), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.18. Screen 16: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.256. Screen 17: In: «La Révélation - le grand
dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.111.
Screen 18: RUDEEN, Herbert. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.187. Screen 19: JUSTINEN,
Lars. In: «Signs of the Times» magazine (March 1999), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, pp.16,17. Screen 20: DORÉ, Gustave. In: «La Bible de
Gustave Doré», Lausanne, Edita, 1994, p.89. Screen 21: MORRIS, Tony.
In: «Guideposts #13 - Gideon Fights for God» (FRANK, Penny), Lion Publishing, 1986,
p.21. Screen 22: In: «The Bible for Children - Retold by Bridget Hadaway
& Jean Atcheson», London, Octopus Books Limited, 1973, p.105. Screen 23: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.130. Screen 24: In: «My Book of Bible Stories»,
New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1978, p.33. Screen 25: In:
«The Bible for Children - Retold by Bridget Hadaway & Jean Atcheson», London,
Octopus Books Limited, 1973, p.101. Screen 26: MORRIS, Tony. In:
«Guideposts #10 - Let My People Go!» (FRANK, Penny), Lion Publishing, 1986, p.17.
Screen 27: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York,
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.233. Screen 28: MANISCALCO,
Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software,
JM228.BMP. Screen 29: RUDEEN, Herbert. In: «The Bible Story, volume 8»
(MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1956, p.82. Screen 30:
In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.285. Screen 31: In: «Signs of the
Times» magazine (January 1991), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.24.
Screen 32: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #17, 29110062.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 88 is waiting for you!