The Four Winds and Armageddon

In the September 2004 edition of the Signs of the Times an article appears entitled “Armageddon and the Middle East crisis.” From this article we read the following:

Revelation indicates that the issues in earth’s final war will be global, not local. And the issues (and combatants) will be spiritual, not political as they are at present in the Middle East. The battle of Armageddon will pit the nations of the world against the armies of heaven.

Revelation 13 says that the second beast will use false miracles to deceive the inhabitants of the world (verse 14). It is possible that one such deception will be a counterfeit battle of Armageddon; after all, the spirits of demons will gather the entire world to this battle (16:12-14).

In this respect the Bible gives two important details that can prevent us from being deceived. According to popular Christian culture, Armageddon finds the nations of the world taking sides against each other, arrayed in battle on a dusty Palestinian plain.

In Revelation, on the other hand, the nations of the world assemble to make war against Christ, not against each other. Moreover, it appears that virtually all nations participate. So, no matter how terrifying a world war in the Middle East may be, if the nations of earth are fighting each other, that war is not the biblical Armageddon. {Signs of the Times, September 2004}

In the Signs of the Times article Armageddon is presented as a spiritual battle that takes place at the end of the world. After reading it one is left with the impression that any literal wars at the end of the world are only side issues or deceptions. However are we, as the people of God, to ignore any literal wars at the end of the world as deceptions?

In the Signs of the Times article Armageddon is called “the sixth in a series of seven plagues.” Indeed the seven last plagues come at end of the world. At the very same time, at the end of the world, the four winds are let loose (see Revelation 7:1). Therefore, Armageddon, the sixth plague (according to the Signs of the Times) comes at the very time the four winds are let loose. The following two statements show this:

The nations are now getting angry, but when our High Priest has finished His work in the sanctuary, He will stand up, put on the garments of vengeance, and then the seven last plagues will be poured out. {EW 36.1} I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus’ work was done in the sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues. {EW 36.2}

Soon He will say to the angels who are holding the four winds, “Let the plagues loose; let darkness, destruction, and death come upon the transgressors of my law.” {RH, October 8, 1901 par. 15}

Read carefully Early Writings page 36 above quoted. It says two things 1) when Jesus” sanctuary work is finished then the seven last plagues will fall and 2) when Jesus” sanctuary work is done then the four winds will be released (no longer held). So when the sanctuary work is over, both these things occur. Thus the seven last plagues and the four winds are either one and the same thing, or at the very least they are concurrent events.

But what do the four winds represent? The four winds represent both the elements of nature gone awry, and political strife and war.

If such scenes as this are to come, such tremendous judgments on a guilty world, where will be the refuge for God’s people? How will they be sheltered until the indignation be overpast? John sees the elements of nature–earthquake, tempest, and political strife– represented as being held by four angels. These winds are under control until God gives the word to let them go. {TM 444.3}

Then I saw the four Angels cease to hold the four winds. And I saw famine, pestilence and sword, nation rose against nation, and the whole world was in confusion. {DS, March 14, 1846 par. 2}

So obviously during the time of Armageddon (the sixth plague) when the four winds are released there will be political strife. Nation will rise against nation. The nations of the earth will be fighting each other. Now if the people of God believe that the nations fighting each other is the four winds let loose there is absolutely no deception in that. The Middle East is the place of the greatest political tensions in the world. The nations of the Middle East are some of the most volatile on the earth. So if the nations of the Middle East are going to fight each other it is not a deception to believe that this is the four winds let loose. In fact the nations could even fight each other on the very Òdusty Palestinian plain” and there would be absolutely no deception in believing that this is the four winds let loose.

Consider the following three statements:

Four mighty angels are still holding the four winds of the earth. Terrible destruction is forbidden to come in full. The accidents by land and by sea; the loss of life, steadily increasing, by storm, by tempest, by railroad disaster, by conflagration; the terrible floods, the earthquakes, and the winds will be the stirring up of the nations to one deadly combat, while the angels hold the four winds, forbidding the terrible power of Satan to be exercised in its fury until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. {RH, June 7, 1887 par. 13}

Everything in our world is in agitation. There are wars and rumours of wars. The nations are angry, and the time of the dead has come, that they should be judged. Events are changing to bring about the day of God, which hasteth greatly. Only a moment of time, as it were, yet remains. But while already nation is rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, there is not now a general engagement. As yet the four winds are held until the servants of God shall be sealed in their foreheads. Then the powers of earth will marshal their forces for the last great battle. {6T 14.1}

Four mighty angels hold back the powers of this earth till the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. The nations of the world are eager for conflict; but they are held in check by the angels. When this restraining power is removed, there will come a time of trouble and anguish. Deadly instruments of warfare will be invented. Vessels, with their living cargo, will be entombed in the great deep. All who have not the spirit of truth will unite under the leadership of satanic agencies. But they are to be kept under control till the time shall come for the great battle of Armageddon. {7BC 967.8}

How should we understand the three preceding statements? Since the four winds represent political strife and the nations of the earth fighting each other, we can draw the following three conclusions: 1) The winds will be the stirring up of the nations to one deadly combat in which they will fight each other. 2) The powers of earth will marshal their forces to fight against each other and 3) the nations of the world are eager for conflict against each other.

The issues (and combatants) will be spiritual, not political as they are at present in the Middle East. The battle of Armageddon will pit the nations of the world against the armies of heaven

What “weapons” would the beast and the rulers of earth employ in warfare against Christ and heaven? Will they deploy weapons of mass destruction or laser beams? The Bible doesn’t say, but it’s interesting to think about it. {Signs of the Times, September 2004}

The article in the Signs of the Times totally ignores the fact that at the very time of Armageddon the nations of the world will be fighting against each other as plainly represented by the four winds. Instead they say that nations of the world will be fighting against the armies of heaven and not each other. They question how earthly nations could fight the armies of heaven perhaps with laser beams. This is ridiculous. The armies of heaven will fight as they have always done, not in a visible manner, but as the angel Gabriel fought in Daniel 10:20 “and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.” The angels fight behind the scenes influencing nations to fight each other as Greece fought to overcome Persia.

Read Revelation 7:1-4. The seal of the living God is given to the people of God so that they can be protected when the four winds are let loose. The reason for this is so that they can be protected from the winds of political strife and war. Consider the following:

Satan is now using every device in this sealing time to keep the minds of God’s people from the present truth and to cause them to waver. I saw a covering that God was drawing over His people to protect them in the time of trouble; and every soul that was decided on the truth and was pure in heart was to be covered with the covering of the Almighty. {EW 43.2}

Satan was trying his every art to hold them where they were, until the sealing was past, until the covering was drawn over God’s people, and they left without a shelter from the burning wrath of God, in the seven last plagues. God has begun to draw this covering over His people, and it will soon be drawn over all who are to have a shelter in the day of slaughter. God will work in power for His people; and Satan will be permitted to work also. {EW 44.2}

The people of God will be protected from the political strife and wars of the four winds. But not only that, in Early Writings page 44 above quoted it says that the seal of God is given to protect the people of God from the burning wrath of God, in the seven last plagues. So the seal of God is given to protect the people of God from both the seven last plagues and the four winds. Since they are protected from both, again we can say the seven last plagues and the four winds are either one and the same thing, or at the very least they are events that bear a remarkable similarity.

As we have shown previously the four winds represent earthquake, tempest, political strife, famine, pestilence, sword, and nation rising against nation. That being the case can we distinguish between the earthquake and tempest of the seventh plague and the earthquake and tempest of the four winds? Can we distinguish between the incurable sores of the first plague and the pestilence of the four winds? Can we distinguish between the heat of the fourth plague which brings famine and the famine of the four winds? Can we untangle the events of the seven last plagues from those of four winds and say they are something different? Also we recognize that the four winds represent political strife and war but is there nothing to represent political strife and war in the seven last plagues?

As the people of God, we are to be prepared for the time when there will be political strife and wars at the end of the world, at the very time of Armageddon. The article in the Signs of the Times ignores these facts and is itself a dangerous piece of deception. It is a “peace and safety” message, which attempts to set people at ease in regards to any political strife and especially that which is occurring in the Middle East at the moment.
AMEN.

Glendon Higgins, Australia