THE REAL SEVEN PLAGUES
It is impossible to gain a good understanding of prophecy without having a good knowledge of history. This is especially true for the book of Revelation.
In Isaiah 46:9-10 God says "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done".
God has foretold "the end from the beginning" in the history of the Church in Revelation 2, 3, 7, 12 and 14, in the history of Jerusalem and the Jews in Revelation 5-11, and also in the history of the Satan-led powers that conquered Jerusalem and the Jews, collectively labelled a "beast", in Revelation 13 and 15-19.
The "seven last plagues", outlined in Revelation 15 and 16, were to be poured out on the "Beast" powers that ruled the "earth" of Israel (Rev 15:1-2, 16:1-2), as punishment for their rebellion against God and their crimes against Jerusalem and the Jews. God is protective of His city and people, and He says "vengeance is mine" (Deut 32:35). The plagues are called "last plagues" in Revelation 15:1 because at the time Revelation was written five of the heads of the "Beast" had already come and gone (Rev 17:10). These previous five heads had already incurred God's punishments since the time they had ruled over Jerusalem. We see this prophesied for instance in Isaiah 13 (Babylon), Daniel 8:1-7 (Persia), Daniel 8:8 (Greece) and Daniel 11 (Ptolemaic Kingdom and Seleucid Empire). The final powers that were to rule over Jerusalem would be afflicted with the last seven plagues.
Crucial to understanding the seven plagues is having an understanding of the seven trumpets of the seventh seal in Revelation 8-11. This is because the plagues are directly related to the trumpets. Indeed, many parallels can be seen in the descriptions of the trumpets and the plagues:
The first trumpet and the first plague both afflict the "earth". The second trumpet and second plague both involve the "sea". The third trumpet and third plague affect the "rivers" and "fountains of water", while the fourth trumpet and fourth plague affect the "sun". The fifth trumpet mentions "a king" called "Abaddon", while the fifth plague speaks of "the throne of the beast". The sixth trumpet and sixth plague both afflict the "Euphrates", while the seventh trumpet and seventh plague both involve "great hail".
Why do we find these similarities? The seven trumpets signify seven major upheavals/calamities to fall on Jerusalem and the Jews from Christ's time onwards (see the page "THE HISTORICAL SEVENTH SEAL (THE SEVEN TRUMPETS)"). The seven plagues are God's wrath poured out on the Gentile powers for their part in causing these catastrophes. As Revelation 16:6 states, "they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink". In other words, God's punishment fits the crime.
The first three trumpets were inflicted on Jerusalem and the Jews by the sixth head of the "Beast", Rome. As a consequence, the first three plagues were poured out on the Romans.
The fourth trumpet was the conquest of Jerusalem by the seventh head of the "Beast", Islam. Therefore the fourth plague was poured out on the Muslims.
Islam's rule over Jerusalem was twice interrupted by the eighth head of the "Beast", Roman Catholicism/"Christianity", when the Crusaders captured Jerusalem on two occasions during the 150 year period of the fifth trumpet, and so the fifth plague was poured out on false Christianity.
The sixth trumpet, which lasted for the period that included the two World Wars, the Holocaust, and the Jews' embattled return to Israel and Jerusalem, was inflicted by both the seventh and eighth heads of the "Beast". The sixth and seventh plagues therefore fell upon these last two "Beast" powers:
The sixth plague struck the seventh head of the "Beast", Islam, and shortly thereafter the seventh plague struck the eighth head of the "Beast", Roman Catholicism/"Christianity". As a result these two powers lost their dominion over Jerusalem and Israel, as well as over the Jews, and thereby the 2520 year period of "the times of the Gentiles" (Lk 21:24) came to an end.
Therefore, just as the seven trumpets of the seventh seal have a logical progression through history, so do the seven plagues.
Let's look at Revelation 15 and 16.
My comments are in (brackets).
Revelation 15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God (on the "Beast" powers) is complete.
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name (see "Revelation 13 - The Beast" for an explanation of these terms), standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God (a vision of the resurrected firstfruits, much like Rev 7 and 14).
3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
5 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
6 And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.
8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed (upon Christ's return).
Revelation 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth (on those who occupy and defile the "earth" of Israel)".
The First Plague
Curses on the pagan Roman Empire, the sixth head of the "Beast"
Revelation 16:2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth (upon the Romans, who defiled the "earth" of Israel) and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men (these Gentiles treading down Jerusalem) who had the mark of the beast (transgressed God's law, specifically the Sabbath) and those who worshiped his image (they loved the characteristics of Satan displayed by the empire, and worshipped the emperor).
The Romans under General Titus inflicted great suffering on Jerusalem in 70AD during the time of the first trumpet, as shown on the page "THE HISTORICAL SEVENTH SEAL (THE SEVEN TRUMPETS)". God in turn brought great suffering on Rome.
It is interesting to note that in 69AD, the year prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, while war raged in Judea, no less than four Roman emperors, Nero, Galba, Otho and Vitellius, met an untimely death.
In 79AD Titus became Roman emperor and ruled for just over two years. During this brief reign, a catastrophe occurred that is still spoken of and written about today. Only two months after Titus took charge, Mount Vesuvius, located south of Rome, erupted in one of the most violent and destructive volcanic eruptions in history. Two cities, Pompeii and Herculaneum, were destroyed with great loss of life. Rome itself was covered in ash and darkness, and according to Roman historian Cassius Dio the poisonous ash led to an outbreak of pestilence (Book 66:22-23). The following year, while Titus visited the devastated region around Pompeii, a fire broke out in Rome and burned for three days, destroying many pagan temples and other significant structures. This event was then followed by further pestilence, the whole disaster prompting Cassius Dio's comment that it "seemed to be not of human but of divine origin" (Book 66:24).
Roman historian Suetonius also recorded these events in his account of Titus in "The Twelve Caesars": "There were some dreadful disasters during his reign, such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Campania, a fire at Rome which continued three days and as many nights, and a plague the like of which had hardly ever been known before" (Life of Titus 8:3).
This was only the beginning of a long, painful journey for the pagan Roman Empire. As time went on it was subjected to many more pestilences. Two of the most notable were the Antonine Plague (165-180AD) and the Cyprian Plague (251-266AD), which caused millions of deaths and crippled the empire economically.
The Second Plague
The demise of the pagan Roman Empire
Revelation 16:3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea (Rome, the "sea" (Rev 17:15) that ruled over the "earth" of Israel), and it became blood as of a dead man (its people and armies, weakened by repeated pestilences and continual warfare, were gradually overrun and defeated by foreign invaders); and every living creature in the sea died (when the Roman Empire officially became "Christian", paganism was outlawed and pagan Rome ceased to exist).
Pagan Rome had destroyed Jerusalem and rebuilt it as a pagan city at the time of the second trumpet, as shown on the page "THE HISTORICAL SEVENTH SEAL (THE SEVEN TRUMPETS)". Over time, God weakened pagan Rome in a number of ways, gradually bringing about its demise:
1) Early in the fourth century Emperor Constantine moved the seat of government of the Roman Empire to Constantinople. This included the Senate and the entire bureaucracy. Rome had been the centre of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire for some 800 years. It had ruled Jerusalem for well over 300 years. Losing its position of leadership was a great humiliation and also weakened it militarily.
2) When Constantine adopted the "Christian" religion he initiated laws against paganism. Over time, successive emperors issued more and more stringent edicts outlawing pagan practices, and in 380AD Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the state religion. The Wikipedia article "Persecution of Pagans in the late Roman Empire" states that "In the year 391, Valentinian II issued a law that prohibited sacrifices and that forbade anyone from visiting the temples. A later law of Valentinian II declared that pagan temples were to be closed; this was viewed as practically outlawing paganism". Making sacrifices to idols became punishable by death, and so the state religion that had for so long forced people to worship it and its emperors, itself became the target of persecution.
3) Over the centuries, recurring warfare and internal strife resulted in a sustained economic decline that steadily sapped the strength of the empire.
4) Frequent outbreaks of pestilence during this time also weakened the armed forces, as described on the website www.ancient.eu:
"The Antonine Plague, sometimes referred to as the Plague of Galen, erupted in 165CE, at the height of Roman power throughout the Mediterranean world during the reign of the last of the Five Good Emperors, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (161-180CE). The first phase of the outbreak would last until 180CE affecting the entirety of the Roman Empire, while a second outbreak occurred in 251-266CE, compounding the effects of the earlier outbreak. It has been suggested by some historians that the plague represents a useful starting point for understanding the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire in the West, but also the underpinning to its ultimate fall".
Since moving the capital from Rome to Constantinople had curtailed the military defences of the western territories, including Rome itself, the city was no longer able to repel the various tribes that surrounded it. Rome was eventually captured by the Visigoths in 410AD. Subsequently, it was also conquered in turn by the Ostrogoths, the Vandals, the Huns and the Franks. The year 476AD is usually considered to mark the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
In the middle of the sixth century, Emperor Justinian reincorporated Rome into the Roman Empire which nevertheless continued to be run from Constantinople in the East. Over the course of a few centuries Rome came to prominence again, this time as the spiritual centre of Catholicism, and in that capacity eventually captured Jerusalem from the Muslims, making Roman Catholicism/Christianity the eighth head of the "Beast" (Rev 17:11). However, Rome never regained its position as the mighty pagan military power it had been for so many centuries.
The Third Plague
Curses on the Christian Roman Empire based in Constantinople
Revelation 16:4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water (which had been polluted by false Christianity) and they became blood (those who had caused the pollution were themselves cursed).
5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things.
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets (Jews and Christians), and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”
7 And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
Israel, the land of the "living waters" (e.g. Zech 14:8), had been polluted by the bitter waters of false Christianity at the time of the third trumpet, as shown on the page "THE HISTORICAL SEVENTH SEAL (THE SEVEN TRUMPETS)". This was initiated by Roman emperor Constantine the Great in the early part of the 4th century AD. As a result, both Jews and true Christians, as Sabbath keepers, became the targets of persecution. God responded by cursing the "Christian" Roman Empire with a litany of wars and pestilences.
During the first two centuries of the "Christian" Roman Empire led from Constantinople, wars were fought with the Persians, Germans, Huns and Goths, amongst others, as well as numerous civil wars. From around 500AD, the Empire endured more than 200 (!) wars, battles and sieges until Constantinople fell to the Muslims in 1453. See a list with links to all these conflicts here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Byzantine_battles.
One of the most zealous proponents and legislators of false Christian doctrine was Emperor Justinian (ruled 527-565AD). Unsurprisingly, the pestilence which arose during his reign, the aptly named Justinian Plague, which first struck the Empire in 541AD, is regarded as one of the most devastating plagues of all time. It saw repeated outbreaks over the following two centuries, wiping out an estimated one third of Europe's population.
The Fourth Plague
Curses on Mecca/Medina - Islam, the seventh head of the "Beast"
Revelation 16:8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun (darkened by Islam), and power was given to him to scorch men with fire (God's judgements).
9 And men were scorched with great heat (severe curses), and they blasphemed the name of God (spoke lies about the true God) who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent (of their false and blasphemous religion) and give Him glory.
The seventh head of the "Beast", Islam, conquered Jerusalem in 638AD, causing the darkness of a totally false religion to shroud the Holy City for the duration of its reign. See "THE HISTORICAL SEVENTH SEAL (THE SEVEN TRUMPETS)" for a description of this fourth trumpet event.
As Islam blocked out the light that was meant to emanate from the city of God, symbolised by the sun, it in turn was on the receiving end of the burning wrath of God, notably through continual warfare and pestilence.
The curse of continual warfare between the various adherents of Islam is already implied in the ways the book of Daniel presents the seventh head of the "Beast" to us. In the statue of Daniel 2 the power that represents Islam consists of iron and clay. This indicates a people who manifest disharmony amongst themselves, which aptly describes the followers of Islam. In Daniel 7 this power is shown to be the fourth individual beast to rule over Jerusalem. This fourth beast is depicted as having a head with ten horns. As history shows, warfare between the various ethnicities and factions within Islam led to a progression of ten dynasties ruling over Jerusalem after its initial conquest by Caliph Omar. See the chart on the "HOME" page and the page "THE TWO WITNESSES" for the identification of these ten dynasties. As we still see today, Islam spends even more time at war with itself than it does with outsiders.
The first occurrence of pestilence found in Islamic records is the Plague of Amwas (Emmaus). Around 638-639AD this plague struck Muslim forces camped in the town of Emmaus, just outside Jerusalem (Lk 24:13), killing about 25,000 men. It struck only months after the Muslims had seized Jerusalem from the Roman Empire.
Subsequently, the plague spread into Syria, Iraq and Egypt, periodically reappearing throughout the Middle East over the following centuries, as detailed in this in-depth study: https://www.jstor.org/stable/600071?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
The Black Death reached Egypt in 1348 and from there spread rapidly throughout North Africa, Gaza, Palestine and Syria, resulting in a large death toll. The city of Cairo was reduced by around 200,000 people, approximately one third of its population.
As time went on, the outbreaks continued. Notice this quote from Wikipedia: "Plague was present in at least one location in the Islamic world virtually every year between 1500 and 1850. Plague repeatedly struck the cities of North Africa. Algiers lost 30,000–50,000 inhabitants to it in 1620–1621, and (was struck) again in 1654–1657, 1665, 1691 and 1740–1742. Cairo suffered more than fifty plague epidemics within 150 years from the plague's first appearance, with the final outbreak of the second pandemic there in the 1840's. Plague remained a major event in Ottoman society until the second quarter of the 19th century. Between 1701 and 1750, thirty-seven larger and smaller epidemics were recorded in Constantinople (by this time in Ottoman hands), and an additional thirty-one between 1751 and 1800. Baghdad has suffered severely from visitations of the plague...." (article "Black Death").
The statement "they blasphemed the name of God .... and they did not repent and give Him glory" (Rev 16:9) is worth elaboration. Genesis 16:12 says of Ishmael, Abraham's firstborn son, "He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him". His descendants, from whom arose the religion of Islam, are included in this prophecy. This hot-headed temperament is a very fitting description of the Arabic peoples.
Islam sprang from a people aggrieved over their lot which is detailed in God's Word. As a result, the Scriptures were rejected and a new narrative was spun where the favoured line of descent from Abraham supposedly ran through Ishmail, rather than through Isaac as the Bible records. Through this gross dishonesty they blaspheme the name of God.
Even more significantly, they blaspheme God's name by their denial of Christ's deity.
Referring to the Bible, the Koran frequently mentions "the book" and "the people of the book", so they are familiar with God's truth, and yet have rejected it.
The Fifth Plague
Curses on Roman Catholicism/"Christianity" - the "little horn" and "eighth" head of the "Beast"
Revelation 16:10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast (Rome, where the Papacy, i.e. the "mouth" of Dan 7:8 and Rev 13:5, resided), and his kingdom became full of darkness (warfare and pestilence); and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.
11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds (great evils, including those perpetrated against Jews and true Christians).
The Roman Catholic Crusades that were fought against the Muslims for control of Jerusalem, and the large-scale killing of Jews that accompanied them, were the fifth trumpet of the seventh seal of Revelation. Therefore Roman Catholicism/"Christianity", the power that initiated the Crusades, was the recipient of the fifth plague.
The "Christianised" Roman Empire, led from Constantinople rather than Rome since the time of Constantine, had lost control of Jerusalem to the Muslims in 638AD. Rome, however, stood back on its feet, this time as an independent spiritual empire led by the Papacy. When the Crusaders, at the behest of the Papacy, conquered Jerusalem in 1099, Rome became the head of the "Beast" once again (Rev 13:3). This was the "eighth" head (Rev 17:11), which was in many ways a continuation of the sixth head.
During this same period of time the Papacy/false Christianity initiated the Inquisitions, the bloodiest chapter in its history, which led to the persecution and death of millions.
However, Revelation 18:6 warns, "Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her".
Also, in the Church era message to Thyatira, "Jezebel", a code name for Roman Catholicism, was warned that she would be thrown into a "sickbed" if she did not repent, as explained on the page "THE TRUE CHURCH ERAS". As she did not repent, the greatest plague in man's history, the Black Death, was poured out on this power.
Below is a quote from Wikipedia:
"The Black Death (Bubonic Plague) is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population. In total, the plague may have reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million to 350–375 million in the 14th century. It took 200 years for the world population to recover to its previous level. The plague recurred as outbreaks in Europe until the 19th century" (Article "Black Death").
The Encyclopaedia Britannica says that the Black Death was a "pandemic that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351, taking a proportionately greater toll of life than any other known epidemic or war up to that time" (Article "Black Death").
As a point of interest, the final year of this devastating plague in Europe was 1351. As prophesied in Revelation 16:10, the plague was to strike the "throne of the beast", and indeed Southern Europe, where the Papacy was based, was struck the hardest. As outlined on the page "THE TWO WITNESSES", the Papacy gained its independence from Constantinople in 685AD, making 686AD the first of its 1260 years of power as predicted in Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 13:5. This was the first year of the rule of a Pope (John V) who was chosen and installed without the approval of the emperor. It was at this point that the Papacy became an independent power, i.e. the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8 and 20. Revelation 13:18 informs us that the number of the office of the "man of sin", i.e. the Papacy, is 666. If we count 666 inclusive years (counting the first and the last year) from 686AD, we come to 1351, the last year of the Black Death in Europe. Note, however, that I do not consider this to be the explanation of the number 666 in Revelation 13. It is given on the page "REVELATION 13 - THE BEAST".
Historical records show that Bubonic Plague outbreaks recurred in countless European cities over a period of hundreds of years after its first outbreak, killing many more people. The Wikipedia article "History of Plague" gives many of the horrific details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_plague
The Crusades were also followed by a multitude of bloody wars fought in the name of "Christianity", especially after the time of the Reformation. They included the French Wars of Religion, the Eighty Years' War, and the Thirty Years' War, which led to the death of millions. The most destructive wars of all time, however, the First and Second World Wars, stand unparalleled as curses on the "Christian" nations.
Innumerable wars, civil conflicts, outbreaks of pestilence and many other curses have fallen on the "Christian" nations since the days that the eighth head of the "Beast" first conquered Jerusalem.
The Sixth Plague
The demise of the seventh head of the "Beast", i.e. Mecca/Medina - Islam, in World War 1, ending its rule of Jerusalem and the Holy Land
The sixth and seventh plagues are directly related to the sixth trumpet. As explained on the page "THE HISTORICAL SEVENTH SEAL (THE SEVEN TRUMPETS)", the sixth trumpet included a 32 year period (Rev 9:15) from the beginning of WW1 in 1914 until the end of WW2 in 1945.
Revelation 16:12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates (on Ottoman Turkey, which up until the time of WW1 had ruled over the Holy Land for four centuries. The Euphrates emanates from Turkey, and is symbolic of its power), and its water was dried up (during WW1 the Ottoman Empire was defeated and its rule over Jerusalem came to an end, thus bringing to a close an almost 1300 year period of Islamic rule over Jerusalem), so that the way of the kings from the east (the Russians) might be prepared (prepared for WW2. The defeat of the Ottoman Empire ended its centuries of warfare with Russia, freeing the latter to focus its full attention on Germany in the subsequent war, i.e. WW2, which brought about the seventh and final plague, as shown below. The Russian Revolution in 1917 gave rise to the brutal dictatorships of Lenin and Stalin, and the formation of the Soviet Union. Stalin was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of the Jews in 1945. The recipient of the seventh plague, Roman Catholicism/"Christianity", had its "seat", or "throne", in western Europe, so Russia is to its geographical east and is therefore called here "the kings from the east").
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon (Satan), out of the mouth of the beast (the nations that Satan stirred up to conquer Jerusalem and the Jews. At this particular time, the final "horn" (the Ottoman Empire) of the seventh head of the "Beast" (Islam) controlled Jerusalem), and out of the mouth of the false prophet (false Christianity, led by the Papacy, the eighth head of the "Beast").
14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (the “Great War”, i.e. WW1).
15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame” (this verse reveals the timing of these events. Its language is similar to that found in the final Church era message, showing it to be during the Laodicea era. It also shows that as late as the time of this sixth plague, Christ had not yet returned).
16 And they (the demons) gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon (in September 1918 the decisive Battle of Megiddo was fought, which resulted in the comprehensive defeat of the Ottoman Empire by the British and their allies, bringing to an end the Turkish occupation of the Holy Land).
Adding to the devastation of World War 1, which itself led to the death of some 20 million people, the Spanish Influenza outbreak in 1918 killed another 20 to 50 million people globally, also greatly impacting the Islamic and "Christian" countries. We see therefore that the fourth and fifth plagues, i.e. curses on the seventh and eighth heads of the "Beast", Islam and Catholicism/"Christianity", continued throughout this period.
The Seventh Plague
The demise of the eighth head of the "Beast", i.e. Catholicism/"Christianity", in World War 2, ending its control over the Jews
Revelation 16:17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air (bringing to an end the rule of Satan, "the prince of the power of the air", over Jerusalem and the Jews - Eph 2:2), and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake (a great war), such a mighty and great earthquake (World War II) as had not occurred since men (Gentiles, the men incurring the seven plagues) were on the earth (occupied Jerusalem).
19 Now the great city (Rome - representative of all “Christianity”) was divided into three parts (1 - the Axis powers: Germany, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria; 2 - the Allied powers: United Kingdom, USA, Soviet Union, Canada, Australia et al; 3 - the neutral countries: Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland). And great Babylon (false Christianity) was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath (the forces and many of the cities of the "Christian" nations, i.e. the eighth head of the "Beast", were decimated in WWII).
20 Then every island (earth in the midst of the sea) fled away (Jews fled from living among Gentiles), and the mountains were not found (powers that once were, disappeared).
21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men (millions of tonnes of bombs were dropped from planes, ravaging the cities of Europe during WWII), each hailstone about the weight of a talent (the talent is variously thought to be somewhere between 60 and 125 pounds in weight. Bombs weighing much more than that were used on industrial and strategic targets, but lighter varieties, starting from 100 pounds, were dropped on residential areas. See this chart: http://www.303rdbg.com/bombs.html). Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
The destruction caused by World War II, as well as the pain and suffering, was enormous, with a death toll estimated to be between 70 and 85 million people. The British, who occupied the Holy Land at that time, emerged technically among the victors, but for them it was somewhat of a Pyrrhic victory: their strength was spent, their economy was ruined, and their world standing was eroded.
It has often been remarked that Germany, though defeated, recovered from WWII faster than Britain did. This loss of power and status affected British overseas territories as well, and it came as no surprise when they rapidly abandoned Palestine soon after the war. This of course was all according to God's plan, as fully covered on the page "THE TWO WITNESSES".
It should be noted that the entire "Christian" world was cursed by WWII. The Axis powers as well as the Allied countries that fought them were all nominally Christian (see v19 above). This war had a devastating impact on an entire generation, including enormous loss of life, as well as permanent injury and lasting trauma. See the page "JACOB'S TROUBLE" for additional information.
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Concluding Remarks
The curse pronounced in Zechariah 12:2-3 shows us how God deals with nations that come against His Holy City: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it".
This also applies to those who seek to harm God's people. The "two witnesses" mentioned in Revelation 11:3 are the people of Judah and Benjamin, otherwise known as the Jews. See the page “THE TWO WITNESSES” for an explanation. Revelation 11:5 warns concerning the Jews, "if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire”. This is very figurative language, indicating that a variety of punishments will be meted out by God to avenge His people who cry out to Him in distress.
The pouring out of the seven last plagues shows God's consistency throughout history. He had created the nation of Israel to be His people, and Jerusalem to be His city, but Israel's sins resulted in them being conquered and ruled by Gentile nations for a specified period of "seven times" (Lev 26:24), which equals 2520 years. Even though God allowed this to happen, He sees Gentile occupation of His land and His Holy City as a defilement, and as an affront to Him. Jerusalem is His dwelling place (II Chron 7:1-3,12-16; Joel 3:16-17), and He does not want unbelievers living in His presence. For this reason, all such Gentile conquerors were severely punished by having various ongoing "plagues", or curses, poured out on them.
The Gentile nations that conquered Jerusalem and its people are pictured in the prophecy of Daniel 7 as four "beasts". They are pictured again in Revelation 13 and 17 as parts of one overall "beast". These prophecies together foretell the rise and fall of a total of 18 powers, which occurred during the 2520 year period predicted in Leviticus 26:24, from 575BC until 1945AD.
The first Gentile power to conquer Jerusalem was Babylon. Its fate was to be overthrown by the Medes and Persians and for its capital city to be a desolation forever. Jerusalem was then in Medo/Persian hands, until they in turn lost it to the Greeks under Alexander the Great. Alexander died at a young age, which led to the fragmentation of the Greek Empire. One of its divisions, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, next conquered Jerusalem, but it suffered ongoing warfare with another of the Greek divisions, the Seleucid Empire, until the latter prevailed and took over rulership of Jerusalem. Both were eventually conquered by Rome, which then became the sixth Gentile power to rule Jerusalem.
It was during Roman rule of Jerusalem that the prophecies of Revelation were given (Rev 17:10), and so it was on Rome that the seven last plagues of Revelation 15 and 16 began to be poured out. These seven plagues fell in turn on the sixth head of the "Beast" (Rome), the seventh head of the "Beast" with its ten horns (Islam), and the eighth head of the "Beast", or "little horn", ("Christianity"), which was the final Gentile power to rule the Holy City.
God says that He declares the end from the beginning, and He has been true to His Word. Today, since the end of the 2520 year punishment of the nation of Judah, Satan's "Beast" powers no longer rule Jerusalem or trample down the Jews.
However, Daniel 7:12 tells us that when the "Beast" powers "have their dominion taken away", i.e. over Jerusalem, their lives are "prolonged for a season and a time". And since we see that Islam and "Christianity" are both still very active in the world, the curses of the fourth and fifth plagues, respectively, continue to be poured out on them as well.
Curses on the seventh head of the "Beast" continue predominantly in the form of their endless wars against Israel and against each other, while curses on the eighth head of the "Beast" are seen in the crime, depravity, chronic sickness, and migration crises that today wrack the Western World. This is perfectly in line with the predicted fate of the "Christian" nations just prior to the return of Christ, as described in Revelation 18. See the page "BABYLON IS FALLEN" for more on this.
The completion of the sixth and seventh plagues will occur upon Christ’s return, when Islam and "Christianity" are symbolically cast into "the lake of fire" (Rev 19:20), or in other words cease to exist.