The Prophecy of the Four 'Sevens' in the Bible, by Witness Lee

I. THE NEGATIVE CONTENTS OF THE SEVENTH TRUMPET

A. The Wrath of God,
Which Came Because the Nations Were Wroth,
Constituting the Seven Bowls

The seventh trumpet as the third woe includes the seven bowls. The negative contents of the seventh trumpet are the coming of God’s wrath because the nations were wroth (Rev. 11:18a).

B. The Destruction of Those Who Destroy the Earth

The negative contents of the seventh trumpet also include the destruction of those who destroy the earth (Rev. 11:18e).

1. The Destruction of Antichrist,
His False Prophet, the Ten Kings, and
Their Armies at the War of Armageddon

The destruction of those who destroy the earth includes the destruction of Antichrist, his false prophet, the ten kings, and their armies at the war of Armageddon. After mentioning the fall of religious Babylon, Revelation 14 speaks of the warning against the worship of Antichrist in the great tribulation (Rev. 14:9-12), the blessing of the martyrs in the great tribulation (Rev. 14:13), the harvest of believers close to the end of the great tribulation (Rev. 14:14-16), and the gathering of the grapes (the evildoers) at the end of the great tribulation (Rev. 14:17-20). This will be the great winepress, the war at Armageddon, where Antichrist, the false prophet, the ten kings, and their armies will be destroyed (Rev. 16:13-16; 17:11-14; 19:11-21). These ones are all the destroyers of the earth. At the war of Armageddon, they will be destroyed by Christ.

2. The Destruction
of Physical Babylon the Great—
the City of Rome

The destruction of physical Babylon the Great—the city of Rome—will be at the end of the great tribulation (Rev. 16:19b; 18:1—19:5). This destruction will take place at the seventh bowl. Revelation 16:19 says, "And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath." Due to the great earthquake of the seventh bowl, the great city, Jerusalem will be divided into three parts. Furthermore, the city of Rome will be remembered before God to be utterly destroyed.

3. The Binding and Imprisoning of Satan
in the Abyss for One Thousand Years

The destruction of those who destroy the earth includes the binding and imprisoning of Satan in the abyss for one thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3). This will take place after Antichrist and the false prophet are defeated and cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:19-21).

4. The Casting of the "Goats," Those Who Worship Antichrist and Who Do Not Receive
the Eternal Gospel, into the Lake of Fire

There will also be the casting of the "goats," those who worship Antichrist and who do not receive the eternal gospel, into the lake of fire (Rev. 14:6-7, 9-11; Matt. 25:31-33, 41-46a). After the destruction of Antichrist and the imprisoning of Satan, the nations who are left on earth will be judged at Christ’s throne of glory. Christ will judge them, not according to the law of Moses or the gospel of Christ, but according to the eternal gospel. The eternal gospel consists of fearing and worshipping God and not following Antichrist. The nations who receive this gospel and who treat God’s people well during the time of the great tribulation will be considered as "sheep." They will enter into the thousand-year kingdom to be its citizens. Those who follow and worship Antichrist and who do not treat God’s people well during the time of the great tribulation will be considered as "goats." Christ will cast these ones into the lake of fire. They are also considered as the destroyers of the earth.

(The Prophecy of the Four 'Sevens' in the Bible, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)