Carnegie Auditorium, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Tuesday, February 26, 1963
Kathryn Kuhlman
- Revelation 16:13 to 21.
- The vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
We are in the 16th chapter of the Book of the Revelation. I finished with the sixth vial that was outpoured upon the earth. There are seven vials. Oh! the suffering. Remember, all this takes place, that which is recorded in the 16th chapter of the Revelation takes place at the close of the last three and a half years of tribulation. This is in the great tribulation, and during the last three and half years of the seven years of tribulation the suffering will be so intense.
It is that portion of the Word of God we are now in where it says “for the sake of the very elect” time will be shortened. Actually, literally, God will make the hours and the days shorter for the sake of those who are Christians, who are taking their stand for Him. In tender mercy, even though He is pouring out of the vials of His wrath, He still remembers mercy. Suffering will be so intense because of the terrific heat from the sun. The sun will be so intense in heat that the flesh of men and women will be scorched.
Right along with that, terrific sores will break out on the flesh, the human flesh, of those who have taken the mark of the beast. Along with all of that, all waters in the Mediterranean, as well as all streams, the seas, the rivers, ALL WATERS OF THE EARTH WILL BE TURNED TO BLOOD. The Bible says, “the blood as of a dead man.”
I am telling you, the suffering will be something. “… and they gnawed their tongues for pain.” Anybody can understand that language.
First, the intense suffering of the flesh, and then the scorching heat from the sun upon those open sores, Along with that, no water to drink; the water having been turned to blood and that blood literally mocking men and women reminding them of when they cried: “Let His blood be upon us, and on our children.”
Man won’t get by with a thing. Today, you know, we think we are so smart that we are getting by with our blasphemy, with trampling underneath our feet the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. WE ARE NOT GETTING BY WITH A SINGLE THING. God’s WRATH is just boiling up and boiling up, until one of these days it will reach the ultimate, the pinnacle. It will come to the boiling place where the whole thing is going to erupt like a great volcano. And God has given into the hands of seven angels – each will pour out a vial of His wrath upon the people of the earth.
We have now come to the sixth vial and that is where I left you last week. Revelation 16:12: “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.” Remember, last week I told you that literally the water of the Euphrates River will be dried up making ready for the great battle, the Battle of the Armageddon, because we are now winding it up, we are now coming to that great battle.
People speak in terms of the world coming to an end. The world will never come to an end. Recently I heard a couple of men speaking in terms of the world coming to an end. It never will. This planet will never cease to exist. This planet that we call the earth will never, never cease to exist. One of these days Cod, who hung out the sun, is going to bring the sun in. One of these days the Mighty Creator, who hung the moon out, is going to bring it in. Oh, man makes such a fool of himself. This planet, as we know it, will never cease to exist. There will never come a time when there will no longer be time, for man will exist forever and ever, and time, in the final analysis, will be forever and ever. There will never come a time when you – as you – will cease to exist. There is nothing that can destroy that part of me that is eternal. Death cannot touch it; fire cannot destroy it.
In exactly the same way, this planet will always remain. There will be changes made; some drastic changes. When we think of the Battle of the Armageddon, there are those who think that then we will have the destruction of the earth and the destruction of man. No. That only brings into existence another phase of God’s great plan. There is coming a day when literally God is going to renovate this planet by fire, but the planet will never cease to exist.
We come to this great suffering, we come to the hour when now me are leading up to the great Battle of the Armageddon. We have passed the sixth vial; there are seven. Suddenly, and why I cannot tell you. I do not know God’s thinking. I do not know whether John just suddenly stopped and wrote that which God called to mind but there are four verses in here that almost seem out of continuity with the rest.
Now remember, John was only recording that which he saw and that which he heard. Many of these things I don’t believe he fully understood. But evidently when he came to the sixth vial, there was a pause in there before he saw this seventh angel pour out of his vial, the last of the seven vials, and during that intermission, during that pause, he stopped long enough to kind of put a postscript in there to remind you of everything else that was going on. Because, you see, even as I have been giving you the truth in the 16th chapter in taking the seven vials, not one word has been mentioned regarding the dragon, not one word has been mentioned regarding the Antichrist, and exactly what was causing all this to take place. We have only been thinking and talking about the judgment of God. And just once when the 1st vial was poured out, it says, in verse 2: “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.” That is the only reference given to those who have turned from the Lord and have taken the mark of the beast. Therefore, John stops long enough to remind us of several things. To remind us that while all of this was going on there were three forces that were constantly at work all during this time.
And the three forces have been at work now for almost seven years. Not in the same light as we see them now and as John saw them, for I told you away back there that there were not four horses, there was only one. I told you in the 6th chapter of the Book of the Revelation that there were not four riders, there was only one. Just one. That one was Antichrist; that one was the great world ruler. He came riding in on a white horse, a crown upon him. That was at the beginning of the seven years. Later the same one, but this time the horse was red. A little later the same one, but this time he is a different color. “Lo, a black horse,” Now that same rider is neither white, he is neither red, he is not black, but watch. “Behold, a pale horse.” It is characteristic of death. Death! “… and they gnawed their tongues for pain. Men were scorched with great heat.” Death! He is now in the stage of the pale horse.
Now let me take verse 13:
“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.”
Revelation 16:13
“… three unclean spirits like frogs…” Not frogs. He didn’t say they were frogs. Why he says it, I do not know. “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.” He knew that even though they looked like frogs, John knew what they were. He calls them by name. They are unclean spirits.
What are unclean spirits? The disembodied spirits of demons. I told you over and over again, I have explained it to you, those who have followed me in the power of demons. All angels once had bodies, but the angels that fell were stripped of their bodies, leaving them disembodied spirits.
These disembodied spirits evidently took the form of frogs. He said, “like frogs.” You remember when some of the demons entered into the bodies of the swine, the pigs? Just follow me. He didn’t say they were frogs. “I saw three unclean spirits like frogs.” One thing is sure: they were unclean spirits, they were demons, “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.” They are the spirits of devils.
Verse 14:
“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.”
Revelation 16:14
The hour had come now when literally Satan knows his time is short. He knows it is only a matter of days, because we are coming now to the very last hours of the seven years of tribulation. He knows he is not going to go down without a fight; he knows he is about to be conquered. Therefore, he is drawing upon all the resources that he can possibly muster up. He is doing everything in the world to try to get victory over the forces of righteousness. He knows his time is short, and the last thing that he does to finally trap men and women is to work some great miracles through the beast, through the dragon, through the false prophet.
I am going to pause just a minute to say something. This is one Scripture that a lot of folk who are against divine healing always use as a basis for the fact that the devil can perform miracles. This is their one Scripture. But do you want to know something? You don’t have a leg to stand on. It does not say – it says miracles, but there are thousands and thousands of other miracles than just the miracle of the healing of a sick body. This is the one Scripture. Many a preacher uses this Scripture to try to cover up his own lack of faith that it is possible for the devil to perform miracles. But think of the miracles! Why, the miracle of the healing of the physical body is just one of the thousands and thousands of miracles. You still cannot prove to me, you don’t have a leg to stand on to prove to me that the devil ever performed the miracle of the healing of a sick body. You still can’t.
There are only those who assume that it was a miracle of healing, but it doesn’t say it. Don’t put words in the Bible that are not there. Don’t put words in God’s mouth that are not there. It doesn’t say it. Not one word. And I don’t believe for one split second that it means the healing of any physical body. I don’t believe it. No, ma’am!
Verse 14: “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles…” It doesn’t say what kind. Whatever those miracles were, they had to do with “the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” There is not one insinuation that it had anything to do with the physical. The fact still remains, you can’t prove it to me. If the devil ever healed a sick body, he would be working against himself because there never was sickness until there was sin. He would be absolutely working against himself, if he healed sick bodies.
All right now, three are named: the beast, the dragon, the false prophet. And John pauses long enough to tell us that while the seven vials of the wrath of God were poured out, the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet were at work.
Who is the beast? We know definitely who the beast is. There is no question in our mind. He has told us in the 6th chapter of the Revelation. The beast is the great world ruler. He is the one who is ruling all during this time of the seven years of tribulation. Who is the dragon? Turn to the 12th chapter of the Revelation, verses 3 and 9. John, too, is reviewing the whole thing. “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” The dragon was the devil. The beast – the great world ruler, the dragon – the devil, and the third person that he saw – and they were all working in conjunction, one with the other. They were not working separate and apart.
Here we have the unholy trinity. As surely as there is God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we have the unholy trinity during the seven years of tribulation: the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet. The false prophet is the head of the universal church. In other words, the harlot of Revelation. There will be a universal church before we come to the close of the seven years of the tribulation.
Then suddenly he goes a little further. I believe John is so awed by that which he has just seen in the Spirit because – put yourself in his position. He was in the Spirit; he was actually witnessing this terrific suffering. We sat here and were almost nauseated by just reading the Scripture of the suffering from the sores and this intense heat from the sun. And then John was seeing, in the Spirit, all this blood. Can you visualize the Mediterranean just a sea of blood? Evidently a terrific stench from the blood because he refers to it “as the blood of a dead man.”
In the Spirit, he saw the human beings gnawing the tongues in their mouth because of the suffering. He is so overcome by it all. He was almost nauseated by it all and he stopped long enough, before giving us that which he saw in the outpouring of the seventh vial, to say to us that all during this time the unholy trinity of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet were at work, working overtime.
Then suddenly he puts out a warning to you and to me. This is almost uncanny because this is completely out of context, when he cries, in verse 15:
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
Revelation 16:15
There is only one time that Jesus ever comes as a thief. That is at the time of the Rapture. It refers to only that one time. Never, in all of the Scripture, does the Bible ever refer to the Master coming as a thief except at the time of the great Rapture, the great catching up.
John’s emotions are so stirred that suddenly he stops everything and gives a warning to you and to me. He says: ‘Oh, PLEASE, PLEASE, hear my warning. Please, be in that great catching up. Please, don’t allow yourself and your loved ones to go through this suffering. Be among those who will be worthy to escape the suffering. It is so awful!’ It is like he was throwing out a rope to a drowning man. This is tremendous! Suddenly he just stops long enough to think about those who could escape all of these things, and it is only those who are members of the Bride of Christ, it is only those who are members of His Body who will escape all of this sufferings.
We have time enough to prepare. Right now, today, it is still time enough for men and women to prepare. You can get your loved ones in yet. The gate isn’t closed. The door isn’t shut. We are still in the times of the Gentiles. And John, in that moment, remembered those of us who still had time as we would be reading this Word of Prophecy, as we would be reading what he saw, in vision.
It was so horrible, so terrible that he stopped long enough to tell us of the unholy trinity that was working at the time – the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. And then to warn us: “BEHOLD, I COME AS A THIEF. BLESSED IS HE THAT WATCHETH, AND KEEPETH HIS GARMENTS, LEST HE WALK NAKED, AND THEY SEE HIS SHAME. In other words, blessed is the person who escapes all of these things. Blessed is the person tonight who is a member of the Bride of Christ. We are most fortunate to have this knowledge. We are most fortunate to have the teaching. We are blessed of all people in the world to be forewarned that we can escape this terrific suffering that is about to come upon the earth, and it is CLOSER than you think. Nobody is going to stop it.
I stand amazed and my blood boils and I think what fools we human beings are. Why doesn’t somebody do something? In some things, we act like men without brains. And yet, beloved, I relax and think – this is all in God’s plan. The whole world tonight is like a great checkerboard. Every country is being placed exactly where God wants them. Every man is being put in position so that all these prophecies will be fulfilled.
“Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
Then quickly he turns and says, in verse 16:
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
Revelation 16:16
He is now coming out again very quickly and saying – Things are winding up now. We are now on the home stretch. And before he gives us the seventh, the last of the vials of the wrath of God, he warns us that he can hear the sound of the gathering of the forces for the great Battle of the Armageddon. Now he brings us the seventh vial of God’s wrath.
Verse 17:
“And the seventh angel poured out his vial INTO THE AIR; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.”
Revelation 16:17
Do you want to know who I believe – remember, the Church is at the Great Wedding Supper of the Lamb. Don’t tell me that I will be up there, after having preached on the Book of the Revelation, don’t tell me that you will be up there with me, after, lo, these many weeks, we have studied the Book of the Revelation – because I am so convinced the two worlds are more closely connected than we think they are – don’t tell me I won’t be interested in what is happening down here. I believe that the heavenly forces will be looking down, watching. How do I know? Watch this.
“… and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.” If it comes from the Throne, there is still only One on the Throne, and that is God the Father and He is speaking. What is He saying? “IT IS DONE.” In other words, this is it. This is before the great Battle of the Armageddon.
Verse 18:
“And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Revelation 16:18
Verse 19:
“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”
Revelation 16:19
Verse 20:
“And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”
Revelation 16:20
Verse 21:
“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
A talent. Do you know how much that is? One hundred pounds. It is amazing that hail plays such a great part in the judgment of God. I don’t understand it. It is amazing but hail plays a very great part in God’s judgment. In this, the last of the vials of the wrath of God, we have earthquakes. I am watching very closely these earthquakes takins place now. You will find from here on out earthquakes will be very prevalent. There have always been earthquakes, but they will be more prevalent. You watch, in the next months to come, the number of earthquakes.
“… and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” Think of the death! Think of the destruction!
Verse 20: “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” That is an earthquake.
Verse 21: “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.” Hailstones 100 pounds in weight. That is the last of the seven vials of the wrath of God.
Now we are coming into something that is in the 17th chapter of the Book of the Revelation. I am going to say something very definitely before we get into this 17th chapter. I shall not be dogmatic, I shall not stand up here and say – she is, this is. I shall only give you thoughts and tell you, as of now, what I believe.
I believe that the Roman Catholic church, as an organization, will play a great part in the state church during the seven years of tribulation. Watch something, and I shall not go into it until next Tuesday. I want you, before you draw any conclusions, I want you to know that whenever I speak of the Roman Catholic church, I am not talking about members of the church. I am talking about it as an organization. Know that! It is now easy to identify the woman of the 17th chapter of the Revelation.
“MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,” which John described, could easily be the papal church. We see the woman arrayed in purple and scarlet colors. Now, who doesn’t know that the scarlet and purple are the colors of the Papacy! Don’t you dare go out of here and say I said so and so.
Next Tuesday night we shall go into “the woman arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OP THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17:4 and 5.)
Remember again, when I talk about the Roman Catholic church, I speak of it as a great organization and not as individuals.
We are blessed. We are favored. We are rich. God’s smile is upon us. We have the knowledge of the Word. We have had time to prepare. We have heeded the warning and having heeded the warning, our garments are white, washed in the Blood. In that hour when we have the great catching up, and the door is opened in heaven, may we not be missing that day. Walk carefully. PRAISE THE LORD!
