Last Day Events Leading to the 7 Last Plagues
By Dr. Paul Conner, Appleton

With events surrounding the Gulf oil spill causing concern among many people, some have asked the question, “Is this part of the seven last plaques?” Does the pollution of the ocean and the “red” color of the polluted water fulfill the conditions for the second plague spoken of in Rev. 16:3? This study will be written from three different perspectives:

• Are the plagues “natural” disasters, or are they supernatural acts of God?

• Matthew 24 list of last day events and sequence of same;

• Rev. 12-16 sequence of last day events leading to seven last plagues.

I will address points 1 and 2 this month, and point 3 next month.

The first five of the seven last plagues of Rev. 16 are based on the plagues that God sent upon Egypt just prior to the exodus of Israel from Egypt during the time of Moses. If you read about these plagues in Exodus 7-11, you are struck with one thing: these were not just “natural” disasters, but acts of God sent to punish Pharoah’s stubborness in not letting Israel go free. You will notice that Pharoah’s wise men tried to mimic the first couple of plagues, and made it appear that they could; but from the third plague on, it was evident that the wise men had been faking it and could not duplicate what the Lord was sending “supernaturally.” My point in all this, is that we have to understand that the seven last plagues will be the same. They cannot just be “natural” disasters from the foolishness of man, but are “supernatural” acts from God that will be clearly seen as such. All the world will know that these are from God, even though most of the people of the world will not repent to God of their sins which caused these plagues to be sent upon the world (Rev. 16:9,11). So we may know today, that even though we see many man-made disasters, these are NOT the beginning of the plagues.

Our study of Matthew 24 and Revelation 12-16 will show us that there will be a clear sequence of events leading up to the plagues; and that the plagues cannot come until these events have come to pass. Let us now go over Matthew 24 and see what sequences Jesus gave for the end of the world.

In Matthew 24:2,3, the disciples asked Jesus two questions. The first was about the fall of Jerusalem, “When shall these things be?” (referring to Jesus’ statement in verse 2 about not one stone left upon another in Jerusalem), and the second was, “What shall be the sign of Your coming and the end of the world?”

The disciples thought that Jerusalem would only be destroyed AT the end of the world, so they thought that the two events would be together. We know better today, because Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70, and the end of the world has not yet come. The answer to the riddle of Matthew 24 then goes like this: if Question 1 (about the fall of Jerusalem) is A, and Question 2 (about the end of the world) is B, Jesus answers these questions in reverse order. So the Biblical literary sequence is ABBA, at least up to verse 21. To make it easier to understand, let me list it:

• A = disciples question about the fall of Jerusalem (v. 3)

• B = disciples question about the end of the world events (v.3)

• B = Jesus’ answer about end of the world events (v.4-14)

• A = Jesus’ answer about the fall of Jerusalem (v. 15-20).

In this study we are not concerned with the fall of Jerusalem so much as the signs of the end of the world. So let’s start in verse 4 to see the sequence of events that Christ Himself gave leading up to the end of the world.

(verses 4-6) These events are qualified with Jesus’ statement that “the end is not yet.” In other words, the events listed in verses 4-6 are normal worldly events that some may THINK are at the end, but are actually normal history before things start to get serious leading to the end.

Some people will come trying to deceive others into believing they are Christ or at least a reincarnation of Christ. Think of people like Jim Jones, David Koresh, and others who claimed to be God or at least His spokesmen.

There will be wars and conflicts that are just part of this messed up world, and from people who can’t get along with each other. These are normal worldly events that are not yet a fulfillment of the events of the “last days” (the end is not yet”).

(verses 7-14) The events in this section are described in verse 8 as the “beginning of sorrows.” In other words, these events ARE important events leading directly to the seven last plagues and the second coming of Christ. We will list these below:

•  There will be an increase in the frequency and extent of wars and conflicts to the point where people ask themselves what is happening to the world (are we going to destroy ourselves?)

• There will be an increase in famines and droughts, caused by changes in weather patterns and climate change, some due to our own man-made effects, and some due to Satan’s attempt to destroy as many people as he can before he gets his last reward.

• Diseases, new viruses, and bacterial contamination escalate to a point where it is everyday news, and causes millions of deaths all over the world. (AIDS, ebola virus, cancer, and other things such as botulism and e.coli).

• Earthquakes decimate many cities and towns, causing thousands of deaths. They will be more frequent and more violent. Does this make you think of this past year?

• Religious persecutions will occur all over the world, especially of those who follow God’s truth as given in the Bible.

• More false messengers and prophets will come, claiming to have the word from God, but who are only deceiving the gullible.

• The love of many shall wax cold, because of the abundance of sin and selfishness in the world: escalating crime, pirates off Somalia, the drug cartels, parents killing children and children killing parents, Ponzi schemes, everyone out for themselves by way of killing or cheating others.

• The gospel message shall be given to the whole world in an unprecedented way; think computers, television, satellite programs, and short wave radio.

All these signs are the real beginning of the end time events, leading directly to the seven last plagues, and the second coming of Christ. During this time the people of the world have a choice to make; whether to follow and worship God, or to follow and worship the false religious system known as “the beast” in Revelation. Once these things are accomplished and God’s judgement in heaven is finished, the plagues come to those who have chosen to follow the beast (Rev. 16:2). There is no turning around; the final die is cast. As Revelation 22:11 says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

The seven last plagues of Revelation are spoken of here in Matthew 24:21-22 as the “great tribulation such as never was or ever shall be again.” In Daniel 12:1 it is called the “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” In Daniel, this time of trouble immediately precedes God delivering His people, so it is clear that this time of trouble is the seven last plagues. In Matthew 24:21-22 they are described as so bad that God will cut them short so that the righteous won’t perish because of them. The righteous ARE on the earth during this time, because between the sixth and seventh plagues, God issues a warning to the righteous: “blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, in preparation for the Lord’s coming.” As we proceed to verses 23-28, we see that even during this time, false messages will be coming to the world from Satan, specifically about the time and manner of Christ’s coming. In II Cor. 11:13-14, it talks about Satan coming as an angel of light to deceive the world into thinking that Christ has finally come. Can’t you imagine how he would look, and what he would say? In soft Christ-like tones he would speak to people about “new truth,” doing away with what the Bible teaches. He would seemingly heal all manner of diseases, and do signs and wonders. But it is not Christ! Matthew 24:27 says that like lightening shines from horizon to horizon, Christ’s coming will be seen everywhere by everyone. You are not going to have to be told He has come; you will not have to go somewhere else to see Him. You will see Christ come with your own eyes! Anything else is a deception.

The second coming of Christ is the next event after the Seven Last Plagues. It is the end of the world as we know it. In my last article, I stated what happens from this point on in time, so please refer back to this article if you have any questions. Next month, we will finish with this subject from the perspective of Revelation 12-16. See you then.


Dr. Conner has been a practicing dentist for 37 years in Appleton. He enjoys sports of all kinds, and also owns a sports-training business. But his greatest passion is helping others come to a better understanding of the Bible. He has been involved in numerous Bible study groups, and has given several seminars on prophecy in the Bible. He lives in Shiocton, WI. with his wife Ethel. You can contact him at dk2doc@aol.com.