Category Archives: Bible Studies

The Sixth Bowl – Euphrates Dried Up (Revelation 16:12-16)

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Here is the plague in which we see the beginning of the end of things. It encompasses the preparing of the way for all the armies of the world to come into the holy land for war against God. Hence this plague is not a plague that will immediately produce any more suffering, as was the case in all the other plagues. It is a plague that opens the way for the final judgment. It comes in two parts.

First, this sixth bowl is poured out on the great river Euphrates, causing it to be died up, so that armies from the east will be able to cross over with ease into the holy land for war.

The second part of the plague will come on the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, by way of unclean spirits of demons. These spirits we must believe will be directed by God to carry a message through the three to all of the kings of the world (the kings of the east who will cross over the dried-up Euphrates, and also the kings of the north, south, and west), instructing them to gather together for war against God in Israel. And verse sixteen says that “they [the demons] gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon” (or Armageddon). Warren Wiersbe comments on this place:

The name Armageddon comes from two Hebrew words, har Megiddo, the hill of Megiddo. The word Megiddo means ‘place of troops’ or ‘place of slaughter.’ It is also called the Plain of Esdraelon and the Valley of Jezreel. The area is about fourteen miles wide and twenty miles long, and forms what Napoleon called ‘the most natural battlefield of the whole earth.’ Standing on Mount Carmel and overlooking the great plain, you can well understand why it would be used for gathering the armies of the nations.

It was on this plain that Barak defeated the armies of Canaan (Jud. 5:19). Gideon met the Midianites there (Jud. 7) and it was there that King Saul lost his life (1 Sam. 31). Titus and the Roman army used this natural corridor, as did the Crusaders in the Middle ages. British General Allenby used it when he defeated the Turkish armies in 1917.7

Verse fifteen, which is parenthetical, is written to believers to be faithful and vigilant, constantly ready for His return. Hence this verse assures us that there will be faithful believers during the Tribulation—believers that will survive and go into Christ’s Kingdom.

Last, I want to pose two questions: First, when does the sixth bowl end? Does it end with the gathering, or does it include the battle of Armageddon? It seems to me that it stops with the gathering, but I’m not sure.

Secondly, we have said all along that all the plagues will be accumulative and ongoing. Is that true here? Does this sixth bowl, and also the seventh bowl, contain an accumulation of all the previous plagues? Should we assume in these last plagues that this is a climax and the greatest of the suffering? I’m not sure, but part of me feels that it is; that people are still suffering from all the pervious plagues: from famine and pestilence and wild beasts, and from martyrdom, and from natural/cosmic disturbances, and from demonic activity, and from boils and bloody water and scorching heat, and darkness.

7 Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Victorious (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books) 1985. pp. 117-118.

5 Possible Meanings of “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”

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Stephen Nielsen's avatarPrayer A to Z

 This is an excerpt from my book Purpose of Prayer.

Here is the first of three petitions that describe our own personal needs.  The first three petitions are for God’s desires.  The next three are for our needs.  And we must always remember to pray for His requirements first; then He will show us what our real needs are, and He will lead us to pray for those things.  Moreover, when we concentrate on His priorities first, He gives us a true and right perspective on things; hence, He shows us what our priorities should be, and He puts us in a better mind to pray for ourselves and for our friends. 

This first of these personal petitions is for our daily bread, and is normally thought of as a petition for all our daily, physical needs—for our food and shelter, etc.  For the most part, I think this…

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Wisdom — Proverbs 3:16-18

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Long life is in her right hand;

In her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are pleasant ways

And all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,

And happy are all who hold her fast (Prov. 3:16-18).

Here are some of the blessings of wisdom:

  • Long life
  • Riches and honor from God
  • Pleasant ways (life)
  • Peace in life
  • Abundant life and happiness

The Fifth Bowl — Darkness (Revelation 16:10-11)

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After about six months of burning heat (from the fourth bowl), this plague will begin without warning; the sun will suddenly be completely blocked out, leaving the earth, or at least part of the earth, in thick darkness. We don’t know, but I suspect that, though there will be a relief from the scorching sunburn, the heat will still remain—like being trapped inside of an oven.

Now the Scriptures say that this plague will be poured out on the throne of the beast—on his kingdom. But where exactly is that? Some say that it will be the rebuilt city of Babylon, which is in Iraq. Others insist that it will be in the city of Rome. But I wonder if it will not extend further that just the city where he resides. How far is considered his kingdom?

Another question I have is: how long will this darkness last? I don’t think it will last to the end of the Tribulation, when the war of Armageddon if commencing, because they will need some light to fight. But I think it will be at least a few months, which I’m sure will feel like a long time.

One author suggested that people won’t even be able to produce electrical power to see in their homes, because most electricity is produced from rivers and bodies of water, and God will have shut that off (as you may have deduced from the second and third judgments). But I suspect that they will at least be able to light candles or use a flashlight. I don’t know. We don’t know how much God will allow.

One thing we do know is that the darkness will be felt and will produce pain—so much that people will gnaw their tongues in pain. That sounds to me like some kind of a nervous disorder. In Exodus 10:21, in the nineth Egyptian plague, it is written that the people felt the darkness. Also, in the prophetical book Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:15), it is written that in the coming day of the Lord it will be “a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” I’m not sure if there has ever been this kind of darkness on the earth. I’m sure that it will be terrible.

Surprisingly, it will not cause people to repent of sins. They, I suppose, will love their sins too much to repent. And, as in the previous bowl-plague, they will curse God because of their pains and sores.

Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

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Stephen Nielsen's avatarPrayer A to Z

An excerpt from my book Purpose of Prayer .

As we pray for God’s name to be hallowed, and for His kingdom to come, with the same breath we should pray also for His will to be done.  For the holiness of God and the kingdom of God is established by the will of God.

Here we are praying that God would do His good will to overcome what is sinful and evil in the world, that He would do whatever He wishes to do, so that the earth would be as heaven.  And since He wishes that all would be saved, and thus be conformed to His image, this prayer is really a prayer for the salvation and sanctification of all those in the world.

Now, since God has given all men and women a choice, we know that many will choose not to be saved and to go…

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Wisdom — Proverbs 2:10-13

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 [When wisdom comes to you it] will enter your heart

And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Discretion will guard you,

Understanding will watch over you,

12 To deliver you from the way of evil,

From the man who speaks perverse things;

13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness

To walk in the ways of darkness (Prov. 2:10-13).

If you are wise, your soul will be pleased with God’s knowledge. If you are wise, discretion will guard you and understanding will watch over you and deliver you from evil.

Making Sense Out of the Christian Life

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If Christians weren’t bombarded with the sins of the world and with all kinds of false messages, the Christian life would be relatively easy and a joy. But the way things are, we have plenty to confuse us and get us off-track.

After thinking on this, I think we may see the Christian life in two parts: 1) Christian living in relationship with God and in the family of God, and 2) Christian living in relationship with God but also in contact with the world.

1 The Christian in Relationship with God and in the Family of God

This is where the Christian life starts. We learn that we have a loving Father and a loving Savior—Jesus Christ. And we also learn that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. And along the way we learn the value of prayer and God’s word. And we learn of God’s forgiveness: that there is positional forgiveness, which means that our sins from the start of our life are forgiven, covered by the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7-8); and there is also practical or conditional forgiveness, meaning that if we confess our sins every time we sin, God will cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1Jn. 1:9). And that means that we no longer have to carry any quilt of sin with us.

The more we study the word and pray, and the more we keep confessing our sins, with a view to please and obey God, the more we will grow in our relationship with Him and with His Son.

Another aspect of living in the family of God is learning the value of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is so important to know how to encourage each other with love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25). And all of us who are true believers have been given spiritual gifts and talents from God for the purpose of building up one another: gifts of service, encouragement, teaching, preaching, etc. (Romans 12:6-8). It is so important to discover your gifts and to be involved in some ministry that God has called you to. It is sad that many neglect this and miss out on a great blessing that God has for you. Remember, it is more blessed to give than to receive.

2 The Christian in the World

It is unfortunate that every Christian must live in a sinful world, a world full of evil and where demons hide in the darkness, waiting to attack us, and where sinful things constantly tempt us. I am not trying to be over-dramatic. I am putting it like it is. This world is the devil’s and full of evil and lusts. But as 1John 2: 15-16 tells us,

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

But good news! Colossians 1:3 tells us that God has rescued us from the domain of darkness and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. Now since we are not of the world but are living in the world, we must…

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world (Phil: 2:14-15).

Again, as Matthew’s gospel tells us, “You are the light of the world…  16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matt. 5:14, 16).

Besides our being lights in the world, you may have the special gift of evangelism, or you may have the calling of church planting, or any similar service. We all can share our testimony of how we came to Christ, and we all can share a few verses of Scripture to a lost one as to how they can be saved. This seems very hard to do for some. And that is because Satan is coming against you. Therefore, you must be diligent to pray every day for God to make you victorious in this area, and that Satan will not hinder you. You can pray for me as well. It is hard for all of us, but I know that He will help us.

Your Kingdom Come

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Stephen Nielsen's avatarPrayer A to Z

 Here we will cover just three points: the meaning of the petition, the purpose of the petition, and how to pray this petition.

 What this petition means.  God’s kingdom referred to here is a place or a realm of His rule, where He exercises His great plans for us—plans of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).  When we pray “Your kingdom come” we are praying that His kingdom or His rule would come to us and that we would be a part of it, hence, that we would enjoy all of His plans for us.  Moreover, when we pray this petition we are asking God to put the Spirit of Christ (who is the king and ruler in His kingdom) in us and over us, to reign over us and be Lord over us.  And since the Holy Spirit controls all those in His…

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