THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES by David Arnold

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 5, 1868

THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES.

By David Arnold

BY DAVID ARNOLD.

TEXT.— “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” Rev. xv, 1.

BEFORE investigating this text, a brief introduction relative to its position may not be inappropriate. It appears from the context that John has previously had a view of three beasts, representing or symbolizing three human powers or governments, having connection with, and jurisdiction over, the church, or people of God, from the days of the first advent to the end of probation, and also a view of the true church in its varied and different conditions while living under these powers, down to their final triumph, standing upon Mount Zion, having “gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name.”

He has also had a view of the proclamation of three messages designed to bring out and separate a people from the world and the fallen church, who were worshiping the beast and his image, and receiving his mark, and purify them by “keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” thus fitting them for translation, and to stand without fault before the throne of God.” And in the third message, warning is given of the pouring out of the wrath of God on all the worshipers of the beast, &c., without mixture of mercy; and in the two verses preceding our text, John views an angel thrusting in his sickle into the earth, and he gathered “the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God, . . . and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horses’ bridles.”

This brings us to our text, showing the means God will employ to punish the worshipers of the beast and his image, or those who have his mark, or the number of his name, and also to desolate the earth. None, therefore, who are living in these last days of probation should fail to see the momentous importance of laying aside all prejudice and preconceived opinions, and candidly investigating this all-important subject and its legitimate bearings.

Our text comprises three general divisions:

Seven angels.
Seven last plagues.
The wrath of God.

1. The seven angels. Angel, in this text, may be taken in its most literal sense, as the work committed to them to accomplish is superhuman, but perfectly adapted to angelic agency. Therefore we may safely conclude that this work will be committed to seven of those “angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” Ps. ciii, 20.

2. The seven last plagues. That these plagues are literal, cannot be denied, when we take into consideration their nature and design. That their nature and object is to destroy the happiness and life of man, and desolate or depopulate the earth, is evident when we look at the effect produced upon man and all sustenance for his support. In the seventh chapter, four angels are brought to view, holding the four winds to whom it is given to hurt the earth, sea, and trees. These angels are told to “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” From this it appears that the sealing is to intervene between the time of the four angels taking their position on the four corners of the earth for the express purpose of holding the four winds, and the time of loosing the four winds to hurt the earth, sea, and trees. In order to learn what these four winds symbolize, turn to Eze. xiv, 21. “For thus saith the Lord, How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast.”

Now let us turn to the pouring out of the plagues, and see if they do not produce all that is here represented by the four sore judgments, and also by hurting the earth, sea, and trees.

But before we examine the effects of the plagues, let us inquire why the earth, sea, and trees, are designated as special objects of God’s wrath. When we consider that man has no source on earth from which to obtain his daily food, save the earth, sea, and trees, we see at once that hurting these produces famine, famine produces sword, and pestilence, and noisome beasts will prey upon man to satiate their hunger, especially when called upon by the great God to the supper he makes for them. See Rev. xix, 17, 18; Eze. xxxix, 17–20. Thus the four sore judgments are produced by hurting the earth, sea, and trees.

The first plague produces a noisome and grievous sore, near kin at least to pestilence. The second causes death to nearly every living thing in the sea, and its waters become as the blood of a dead man, stagnant, putrid. Thus the sea is hurt. The third turns all the rivers and fountains of water into blood, so that man has nothing but blood to drink to quench the raging thirst produced by his pains and sores. See verse 6. The fourth gives the sun power to scorch men with great heat. This of course will hurt the earth and trees, and fulfill the prophecy, Joel i, 10–12. “The field is wasted, the land mourneth, for the corn is wasted; the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen, howl, O ye vine-dressers; for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate-tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, even all the trees of the field are withered, because joy is withered away from the sons of men.”

Thus we see that the conclusion is inevitable that the four sore judgments, the four winds, and the hurting the earth, sea, and trees, under the plagues, are concurrent events. At that time though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the land, as I live saith the Lord, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered; but the land shall be desolate. Eze. xiv, 14, 16.

“No longer now can men be sealed, No longer to the gospel yield, They that are sealed will joy obtain, They that are vile will vile remain.”

The fifth plague produces darkness throughout the kingdom of the beast, and they gnaw their tongues for pain, and blaspheme the God of Heaven, because of their pains and their sores.

The two remaining plagues are a preparatory work for, and a filling up of, the wrath of God, and to give unto Babylon the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

This brings us to the third and last division of our text.

3. The wrath of God. The wrath of God, according to Webster, is, “His holy and just indignation against sin; the just punishment of an offense or crime.” Much is said in Scripture of the wrath of God. He is jealous of his holy law, and his righteous indignation is against sin, the transgression of his law.

Here the question naturally arises, Why such a special exhibition of his fierce wrath against men, as is set forth in the seven last plagues, that even the earth, sea, and trees, are hurt, and famine, pestilence, sword, and noisome beasts are called in requisition; and in which, according to Zech. xiv, 12, “their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongues shall consume away in their mouths,” and that in the finishing up of his wrath, voices, and

thunders, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and the fleeing away of islands, and the mountains are not found, and a great hail out of heaven, every stone weighing, according to Dr. A. Clarke’s computation by the balance of the sanctuary, one hundred and twenty-five pounds? Yes, why such a special exhibition of the wrath of Almighty God, against all those who have the mark of the beast, and worship his image?

Before answering this question, we would premise (1.) That this class of men are most unquestionably the last generation to whom probation is granted. (2.) That the third angel’s message, found in chapter xiv, 9–12, draws the distinguishing line between the worshipers of the beast and his image, and those who receive his mark in their foreheads or hands, and those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Here the point turns on the commandments of God. One class denominated saints, who are sealed with the law (see Isa. viii, 16), and are looking for him (Christ), verse 17, patiently waiting; while the other class, placed in juxtaposition to the worshipers of God, are worshiping the beast, and for so doing are threatened with the unmixed wrath of God.

Now this is evidently the last testing point between the two classes just prior to the close of probation and the coming of Christ to gather his saints (or those who have made a covenant with him to sacrifice, by keeping his law and the faith of Jesus), and the desolation of the earth by the seven last plagues.

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” God’s wrath was then manifested upon that wicked and adulterous generation. The seven last plagues are designed to accomplish the same end, the punishment for this wicked and perverse generation, and the desolation of the earth.

Dear hearers, will you not heed the timely warning of the third angel, and keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and avoid the worship of the beast and his mark, by no longer keeping the day he instituted as a Sabbath? Time lingers but little longer; probation’s sands are almost run; the third angel is hastening his last warning mission of mercy; the four winds will be held but a little longer. Fly, fly, while there is mercy. Grasp the law and the testimony, that you may be hid in the secret of his pavilion and escape the seven last plagues.