100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #91 | with Daniel Whyte III
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 16:12-16: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto 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 come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
On yesterday, we began looking at the final phase of judgment that will take place during the Tribulation — the seven vial, or bowl, judgments. These are the most severe and complete of the judgments that we have seen. We covered the first five of these judgments, which are as follows:
1. The first vial judgment brings painful sores on all those who have pledged allegiance to the antichrist.
2. The second vial judgment turns all of the sea to blood and kills every living thing in the sea.
3. The third vial judgment turns all of the rivers and fresh water to blood making them undrinkable.
4. The fourth vial judgment causes scorching heat to come from the sun and burn mankind.
5. The fifth vial judgment strikes the kingdom of the antichrist with utter darkness.
After the fifth vial judgment is poured out, the Bible tells us that those on earth who have pledged their allegiance to the antichrist still refuse to repent and turn to God. Instead they “blaspheme God in their hearts”.
Today, we will look at the sixth vial as it is poured out. This vial represents the culmination of all of the disobedience and defiance of mankind upon the earth. Verse 12 of our passage states, “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” The Euphrates River was the eastern limit of the old Roman Empire and it has long served as a natural boundary between East and West for centuries. Now, it is dried up to prepare the way for the great Eastern Kings — some say these will be the armies of China, India, and Japan — who will march against the Holy Land to gather in the valley of Armageddon.
Armageddon is the site of the final battle between the forces of good and evil, God and Satan. According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, “Revelation promises that in the face of the defeat of God’s saints by military forces from the east, south, and the north, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to defeat His enemies and deliver His people. The location of Armageddon shows us that the Middle East has historical importance in the last days. Armageddon, or the Mount of Megiddo, is located in the plain of Jezreel, a valley fourteen miles wide and twenty miles long. Many decisive battles have been fought there. And it is natural to think of it as the site of the last and greatest battle of all.”
The great seminary professor John F. Walvoord said, “It is apparent that the satanic purpose of the Battle of Armageddon is to gather all the military might of the world to contend against the armies from heaven. Â Actually, as other Scriptures describe this scene, both the invading and the defending armies will probably be dispersed all over the land of Israel, which will be some 200 miles from north to south and will extend from the Mediterranean Sea on the west all the way to the Euphrates River to the east. These armies will engage in a war for global supremacy against the world ruler as the entire world crumbles under the various judgments of God. The war, however, will be unresolved, and even on the day of the second coming of Christ there will be house-to-house combat in Jerusalem.”
Merrill F. Unger said, “this battle decides the governmental question of the sovereignty of the earth.”
Today, I want us to notice three things about the sixth vial which tells us of the armies that gather for the battle of Armageddon.
1. First of all, I want you to notice the influence of the devil.
2. Secondly, I want you to notice the words of the Lord.
3. Thirdly, I want you to notice the gathering of armies.
+ Plus, listen to Israel Houghton and Free Chapel singing singing “There’s Something About that Name” and Deitrick Haddon singing “Sinner’s Prayer”
Gospel Light House of Prayer International 