William Hendriksen – ‘In the history of the world a definite and ever-recurring order of events is clearly evident. Through the preaching of the Word applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit churches are established. Again and again this happens. They are lightbearers—lampstands—in the midst of a world that lies in darkness. They are blessed with the constant spiritual presence of Christ (chapters 1–3).
Again and again God’s people are persecuted by the world. They are subjected to many trials and afflictions (chapters 4-7).
Again and again the judgments of God are visited upon the persecuting world. These judgments again and again fail to move men to repentance (chapters 8-11).
Again and again this conflict between the Church and the world points to a deeper, more fundamental warfare between Christ and Satan, between the ‘seed of the woman’ and ‘the dragon’ (chapters 12-14).
The question which now arises is what happens whenever in history the trumpets of judgment, the initial plagues, fail to result in penitence and conversion? Does God permit such impenitence, such hardness of heart, to go unpunished until the final judgment of the last day? Must we conceive of God’s wrath as being completely pent up until the second coming, until the vintage described in chapter 14?
This question is answered in our present vision. The answer, in brief, is this: whenever in history the wicked fail to repent in answer to the initial and partial manifestation of God’s anger in judgments, the final effusion of wrath follows. It is final, though not complete until the judgment day. These plagues are the last. They leave no more opportunity for repentance. See; PDF file
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Pastor Bryan Wheeler was converted to Christ in 1973. For most of the 20 years that he served in the U.S. Air Force he was actively involved in church-based preaching and teaching ministries in the U.S. and overseas. Pastor Wheeler was ordained into the gospel ministry in 1987...
