(1) Note that golden bowls (gold is the symbol of divine righteousness the bowl contains) precede the judgments and terminate them. But here they are full of incense—the prayers of saints—what ascends to God. At the end we find golden bowls full of the fury of God. These are poured upon the earth. See Revelation 16:1.
(2) The 1967 Arab-Israeli war gave the Jews the site on which the temple can be rebuilt, but on it rests the Mosque of Omar. Some think the temple may be rebuilt before the church is raptured, but our business is not to be looking for this but rather for the coming of the Lord.
(3) The destruction and misery of the first world war turned mens’ minds on the problem of preventing another such catastrophe. Some European statesmen thought a United States of Europe was the answer. Their efforts to create such a state, although frustrated at the time, found their counterpart in the Balfour Declaration, an instrument created by England to provide a national home for the Jews. Neither of these early starts made significant progress until the second world war ended.
Today the six signatory nations of the Treaty of Rome, meeting as a Commission in Brussels, are known as the European Economic Community. In its long range forecasting this Commission plans on the admission of four other states. Although we can attach no weight to man’s plans, it is significant that these additions would make up the ten kingdomed state of the revived Roman Empire prophesied in Scripture.
The Roman Beast will head this confederacy. By that time the Jews will have resumed sacrifices on the altar—which he will prohibit (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 13:7)—in exchange for his protection of the nation. This is the covenant with death and the agreement with hell mentioned in Isaiah 28:15,18.
The Jew and the Roman are guilty of crucifying Christ and must therefore be brought forth for judgment. As just pointed out, the beginnings of the revived Roman Empire can already be seen. No less remarkable has been the return of the Jew to his land after an exile of nearly two thousand years—since Titus took Jerusalem in A.D. 70, in fact.
The eighteenth chapter of Isaiah gives us a graphic picture of what has already taken place under the Balfour Declaration, namely a partial return of Jews to the land of Israel in unbelief of their rejected but true Messiah. While they do so the Lord says—“I will take My rest.” The result is that “they shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth, and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.” The “land shadowing with wings,” the protecting power that put them back into the land is unable to support them further, and at this writing has virtually abandoned the Middle East. At the same time the Israeli-Arab eruptions of 1967 tell all too plainly how the fowls and beasts of the earth both summer and winter on that nation—“a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden underfoot, whose land the rivers have spoiled.” “The rivers” here are the nations. But the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying—”Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18) and He will assuredly make good His word, as we learn from Isaiah 11:11-12 That he will set His hand a second time to assemble the outcasts of Israel, and the dispersed of Judah, from the four corners of the earth. At this time too the prophecy of Daniel 12:2 will be fulfilled—“and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
(4) The final blessing of Israel may be summarized this way:
The Ten Tribes Return to the Land—Read Ezekiel 20:33-44.
One Nation of Israel—Ezekiel 37:22 shows God’s purpose to make Israel “one nation in the land.” For them the feast of trumpets, their national awakening, and “the day of atonement,” repentance and sorrow for the rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah, will have taken place, and they will enter on the rest and blessing of “the feast of tabernacles,” as long ago set forth in their own Scriptures (see. Lev. 23).
The Abolition of Idolatry—“neither shall they defile themselves with idols” (Ezek. 37:23).
The Cleansing of Israel—God has said that He will cleanse them, so they may be His people, and He their God (see Ezek. 37:23). Also in Zechariah 13:1 we read—“in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.”
The New Covenant—One nation, gathered out from among the heathen, and out of all countries and in their own land, they will be brought into the good and blessing of the New Covenant, founded on the death of their once rejected Messiah. They will look on Him whom they pierced (read Ezek. 36:25-28; Heb. 8:6-13).
(5) William Kelly, a nineteenth century commentator and classical scholar has this to say about “the third part.” “‘The third’ is an expression often occurring in the first four trumpets. It refers, as I conceive, to the Western part of the Roman Empire. In Chapter 9 we find it again in a different connection where it must be modified in meaning; for there can be no doubt, I think, that the first two woe trumpets (whatever may be the thought of the last) find their local application in the East . . . in itself ‘the third’ defines nothing . . . to ascertain which particularly is meant we must take the context into account.” (Lectures on the Book of the Revelation, Morrish Edition, p. 177.)
(6) The reader will note that a similar collapse took place under the sixth seal. It was, however, limited in extent confined, that is, to Europe. This indicates the increasing severity of the judgments. Upon the casting out of Satan from heaven to earth and the formation of the false trinity, there is a revival of government, no longer as ordained of God, but in a satanic form. This is destroyed in the final irrevocable judgment of the seventh bowl.
(7) A temple, suited to full blessing on the earth, and the center of that blessing, will be erected. The priesthood and animal sacrifices will be resumed. But the veil, rent at the cross, will be set up again, for Israel will not have the place of nearness we enjoy today, having access to the Father through a rent veil. The reader is referred to the fortieth to forty-eighth chapters of Ezekiel.
At the same time the Gentile nations, walking in the light of the heavenly metropolis above, and their kings bringing their glory and honor into it, will be blessed in conjunction with Israel on earth. (See Mic. 4:1-2; Rev. 21:24). Egypt and Assyria, oppressors and persecutors of God’s ancient people in times past, will, during the millennium, be remembered in God’s great mercy. They will be accorded a special place of blessing with Israel (read Isa. 19:23-25).
During the millennium heaven and earth will not be as far apart as now (see Psa. 72; 1 Cor. 15:25).
(8) The event just described is “the appearing.” It commences with the nineteenth verse of Revelation 19 —“and I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse.” It is to be distinguished from Christ coming for His saints, although connected with it, for He will bring them with Him on white horses. However it is not restricted to this occasion but ties in with the prophecy of Enoch, the gathering of all nations to Jerusalem, the Lord’s feet touching the Mount of Olives and the effect—deliverance of the godly Jewish remnant and geological changes in the Holy land in preparation for the erection of the new temple, prophesied by Ezekiel.
Very little of this is to be found in the Revelation. Because of this gap, and other subjects of interest to the prophetic student, a general write-up follows to round out the happenings of the time of the end.
(a) The Fulfillment of the Prophecy of Enoch—“behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all” (Jude 14-15).
(b) The Gathering of all Nations to Jerusalem—It is God’s determination to gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem and “then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when He fought in the day of battle” (read Zech. 13:8-9; Zech. 14). The plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem is given in Zechariah 14:12-13. It is suggestive of atomic warfare—the details correspond to what followed the atomic blast at Hiroshima.
(c) The Two Effects of the Lord’s Feet Touching the Mount of Olives—At His appearing the Lord’s feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4). Although at this time the Lord will dispose of the Beast and False Prophet (Antichrist) at Armageddon and subsequently the King of the North (the latter day Assyrian)—two special additional features are also brought to light in the prophecy of Zechariah.
The Deliverance of the Godly Jewish Remnant—The godly remnant of Jews will be delivered at once by the Lord’s sudden appearance—“they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son . . .” (Zech. 12:10).
Geological Changes in the Holy Land—“His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the East, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the East and toward the West, and there shall be a very great valley, and the half of the mountain shall remove toward the North, and half of it toward the south” (Zech. 14:4). This will effect physical changes in the land of Israel and provide space for the new arrangements outlined in the book of Ezekiel—read chapters forty to forty-eight.
(d) The Attacks on the Land and the Disposal of all Israel’s Enemies
The Kings of the North and the South—The King of the North—the latter day Assyrian—possibly Turkey or Syria shall be “mighty but not by his own power” (Dan. 8:24). He is doubtless armed by Russia after a pattern we have already witnessed in recent times. He attacks Jerusalem (Dan. 11:40-45) together with the King of the South (Egypt) and pillages it. Then he turns on his erstwhile ally the King of the South and goes on to Egypt to plunder.
The Kings of the East and the Western Powers—In the meantime the Roman Beast comes to Israel to help her with his Western armies against the King of the North but is too late. He is opposed by “the Kings of the East”—the far Eastern nations at Armageddon. When both powers see Christ they unite against Him and He destroys them both.
Destruction of the King of the North—Then the King of the North, hearing ‘tidings’—news of Armageddon, no doubt—leaves off plundering Egypt for a final depredation of the Holy Land. But it is written—“he shall come to his end and none shall help him” (Dan. 11:40-45). The True David will subdue His enemies.
Edom, Moab, and Ammon—These nations, related to Israel, yet ancient hereditary enemies, escape the King of the North, yet are reserved for the execution of the Lord’s vengeance by the hand of His people Israel, as foretold in Isaiah 11:14. Edom is finally ‘cut off forever’ as we find in Obadiah verse ten.
Doom of Russia and Satellite Nations—Russia does not come down to Armageddon, but invades the land after that event. Her doom is decreed by God, and will be executed as recorded in the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 38:1-2 should be rendered thus—“and the word of Jehovah came unto me saying, son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh [Russia] Mesech [Moscow] and Tubal [Tobolsk].”
At present there is no answer to the question why in this age of nuclear weapons, the Northern Army will consist of “horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company, with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” It is doubtful if a mutual disarmament agreement among nations will ever be achieved—more conceivably a devastating nuclear war will reduce Russia to the use of primitive armaments.
(e) The Final Arrangements in the Holy Land—These will flow from the geological changes in the land occasioned by the Lord’s feet touching the Mount of Olives, which was previously covered. These arrangements contemplate:
The new temple of the Lord, surrounded by a holy portion of land for the priests.
A holy portion of the land for the Levites.
The common place, wherein will be established “the City”—whose name in the millennial age will be “Jehovah Shammah”—the Lord is there.
A portion of land alongside each side of the whole for the “the Prince.” He will be a direct descendant of King David of old and will sit upon the earthly throne of Christ’s Kingdom.