(Adapted from a published adventure by Professor Christopher McGlothlin)
It had been a week since the team had left Gibraltar and Bethany behind and headed to Israel to meet up with Jack Wolfe, Max and Tess Challenger-Wildeman.
For the first couple of days, they had tried to be constantly present and ready to deal with the ongoing protests outside the C-W power plants whilst Max and Tess sorted out activating their Fusion Pulse Reactors. However, it soon became apparent that the Israeli Police preferred them to be Emergency Response only and not actively be involved with policing.
They had met a couple of times with the Israeli super team, Sabra and agreed the criteria whereby they could respond. The team had been set up in 2003 by The Rocket, a speedster who’d died just over a year ago leaving his 19 year-old daughter, known publicly as Jenni Rocket to take over running the team. It was obvious that she was both competent and new to leadership, especially given that she was the youngest member of the team. Jenni was a speedster like her father. Her team consisted of Seraph a mysterious paragon type who used alien bio-implants to give her a variety of powers. She didn’t however speak any English. Kho’mer (which was apparently Hebrew for clay), was supposedly a Golem according to the news reports but speaking to him that definitely wasn’t the impression he gave. He could manipulate his own clay-like body to attack, bind or warp itself and was the heavy hitter of the team. Finally Dr Tzaddik was a mystic of the Kabbala school of mysticism but he was rarely present at their meetings.
Their UN-appointed META liaison was Samal Davidi a meta-human himself with strength and invincibility powers and Officer Levi was their local Police liaison (and carrier of very big weapons).
They had made it clear that any incidents would be dealt first and foremost by themselves.
They were also warned about a Palestinian meta-human that Israel had declared a terrorist but was considered locally a bit of a heroine; the mysterious Ash’Abah. One thing the team did notice was that Jenni in particular sometimes accidentally referred to her as a him; just something to store away, just in case.
That morning the team had gathered around the pool on the rooftop terrace of the apartment that the Challengers had arranged for them. The Raft had also been parked on the roof and Adam was lazing nearby fixated on his phone, which made Sam wonder if Adam was finally getting a social life again, though he wasn’t sure with who… So why did that ‘cute’ reporter Tony Jason come immediately to mind?
Akira had pulled up a news channel on the hi-def TV they had hauled to the roof and was checking each story against the ECHO network data-feed which, despite supposedly only covering Europe also covered Israel – seems participating in the Eurovision Song Contest wasn’t the only anomaly when it came to the country’s location.
(See 16i – News stories for details)
A couple of stories caught their eye; in particular the one about the ‘discovery’ of apparently intelligent gorillas. Akira was all for pulling up sticks and heading to Libertalia (or Madagascar as Mary called it on her version of Earth. Seems the island was first colonised by pirates in the 17th century here and the country had developed from that) to see if they could find the intelligent apes but was talked down.
There was also a great deal of interest in the story about the hospital disappearances; especially remembering their experiences with the hospital disappearances of Angelique St. Marie who become Calypso and the teenager Mallory Brooks.
Through ECHO, they called up a list of the missing eight patients but again there was nothing they could work on – they weren’t young or Meta-humans as far as they could tell and nothing linked them to the Reading disappearances.
(See 16ii – Trinity Hospital records)
In the end, they decided to go off and see if they could find out more about the Canadian and the theft from the Dome box office. After all as Akira said to Sam “these mercenary types are bad for business…”
Adam elected to stay behind on standby and not to activate Tinks unless requested.
To ease their passage through the crowded Jerusalem streets to the scene of the crime, Mary turned on the glamour of her younger personae whilst Akira elected to turn himself and Sam invisible and follow on behind.
Arriving, they realised they had no authority to access the scene of the crime so they first calling up a file on Anvil and discovered that Donnie Moore was changed by a silver storm into a 3-foot tall metallic man with a thing for violence. Sam’s sense of smell had identified that a motorcycle (using unleaded fuel rather than the bio-diesel all the locals used to fuel their vehicles) had been parked outside the box office within the last six hours and had headed off west. Where would he go with all that money and credit card data? Akira suggested a scrapyard so he could make himself some friends or possibly an underground fight club.
In the end, Akira used his post-cognition to get a vision but again other than this had occurred over four hours before and the vehicle apparently headed west, towards Jordan afterwards they had nothing to go on.
It was about midday as they were thinking what to do next, that a call came through ECHO that the midtown district near the new power station was being overrun by a huge moving black mass that was causing people to collapse and that the black mass was apparently swarming round the power station itself.
They again checked the ECHO network and confirmed that Sabra was still in Tel Aviv dealing with the cargo containment. Jenni could be there in minutes but not the whole team, so Jenni asked them if they could help if possible, especially given that people were at risk.
As they weren’t that far away they set off and quickly realised from the air that what they were seeing was a massive flood of insects – fleas, to be precise.
As the little blighters started to invade them, Akira activated his force shield around himself and his team mates forcing the fleas already on them away. They couldn’t help observe that innocent bystanders were taking flight from the area as best they can, covered in biting fleas. A number of traffic accidents have occurred because of the bugs, resulting in a number of small blazes.
The swarm was also getting into electric circuitry such as street lights and causing power-outs.
What worried them most as they stared at this black sea of insects a couple of metres high was the number of people collapsing suffering from severe bites and anaphylactic shock. People were dying.
Mary summoned forth her harp and immediately tried to use a healing melody to ease their breathing and to try and give them a chance of survival but there was just too many victims. Thankfully the Israeli emergency services arrived in decontamination suits and started to remove the collapsed people to safety whilst Akira’s shield allowed them to move forward. It was then the realised the insects were on the move and targeting a particular location; The C-W Fusion Pulse Reactor Power Plant!
Mary used her mystical senses to see if she can get some idea as to what was summoning the creatures and got an impression that they needed to head to the roof. That was where whatever was summoning them was located. Before they could all set off though a call came through from Jack Wolfe requesting assistance as the fleas were massing in the control centre and could set off a major explosion if they were unable to shut the reactor down in time. They needed back up. Akira elected to go help the Challenger-Wildeman’s and Mary, now changed into Banshee, and Sam would fly to the roof and try and stop this at the source.
Banshee in her insubstantial form was able to immediately float out of reach of the little buggers but Sam unfortunately was swarmed and discovered that his scales weren’t invulnerable enough to stop some of the fleas getting beneath them and biting, causing a major distraction and some pain but not enough to stop him from trying. Both set off flying towards the roof and whatever awaited them on top.
In the meantime Akira used his shield to protect him as he went to the lift only to find that it was no longer functional. He immediately headed for the next floor, ripped the doors of that floor open and levitated up the lift shaft to the control room. There he found Max using his powers to block and Jack using some form of taser rifle to keep as many of the fleas as possible away from Tess who was attempting to bypass the control panel and initiate a close down of the reactor. Akira did wonder how the fleas were getting into the sealed room then noticed that they were entering via the air vents having overpowered by sheer numbers the security screens.
He couldn’t help hear that Tess, sweet, innocent Tess, had one hell of a potty-mouth on her as she colourfully and in several languages, constantly swore as she tried to cope with the bites of the fleas that got passed her family to attack her and concentrating on rerouting the control panel.
Damn! He tried to extend his shield to cover everyone and the makeshift bypass unit she was working on but it was too much. Then he forced himself to concentrate, focus, and leaving Jack and Max to cope as best they could, he instead focused his force shield into a cage still around himself and extending it so that it also protected Tess and the panel.
On the roof, Sam and Banshee found themselves confronted with a multi-limbed creature resembling a seven-foot tall flea! Sam shouted out “Stop, you’re hurting people.” It replied, “Go away!” It spoke hesitantly in English with an Arabic accent.
Sam continued, “There’s not a lot of time before people start to die, this has to stop. How do we do that?”
The creature replied again in guttural English that he needed his revenge – he wanted to hurt as he has been hurt!
There was no time, Banshee unleashed a terrorising shriek that dazed and staggered the creature. Sam followed it up immediately with a draconic suggestion that this had to stop, now! The creature felt compelled to comply and dropped to its several knees.
Down below in the Control Centre, Akira watched Jack being overwhelmed by the mass of fleas which attacked his eyes and throat and caused him to drop the taser rifle and collapse to the ground whilst Max struggled to get to him. There was no time, karma be damned! He focused his TK and created a massive force wall that started at his fingers and burst across the room, hurling all of the fleas in front of the psychic storm either crushing them against the wall or back through the air vents. Suddenly it was possible to breath without worrying about swallowing mites. Max rushed across the room to Jack’s side and began to clear Jack’s throat and administering CPR. To Akira’s surprise Tess remained focused on completing the bypass and suddenly the reactor shuddered to a sudden stop and power down as Tess screamed “finished!” and immediately grabbed a medic case and a syringe of adrenaline and rushed to Jack’s side.
Akira elected to leave them to it and rushed out of the room levitating towards the roof.
He arrived just as Sam, forcing the mass of fleas covering him out of his eyes and mouth, and with a puff of fiery breath to clear his throat, used his suggestion again to compel the creature.
No not a creature, Banshee confirmed this was a mystical transformation; one that referred to itself as ‘Kinim’ – a Hebrew word that Sam vaguely thought might itself mean flea.
Sam spat out the last of the roasted fleas in his mouth and compelled Kinim to send the flea horde back to where they came from. As they watched, the fleas started to lose their direction and purpose though a black sea of insects still hopped and skittered about below.
Banshee changed back into Mary as Sam tried to get a sense as to whether this was a meta-human or stormer they were dealing with and got a sense of magic at play. This was a normal person transformed by magic. He had also been rendered blind by the transformation, which further exacerbated his confusion.
Sam continued, “I think we can help you.” It replied, “So you believe I’m innocent?” In response, Akira asked what had happened and the creature hesitantly explained.
He was Professor Khaled Al-Hassan, a name that ECHO confirmed was one of those missing from Trinity Hospital.
The professor had previously lived a busy life. In addition to writing and lecturing as a chair of Al-Azhar University’s peace studies department, Al-Hassan was an outspoken activist for a group advocating peaceful integration with Israel. Professor Al- Hassan and his bullhorn were a common sight in Gaza. His advocacy wasn’t subtle, but it was heartfelt, and attracted a fair amount of money and new members to the group. Thus he would have remained, had it not been for one rare quiet evening at home. Al-Hassan happened upon an investigatory report into the group’s funding, one that eventually revealed the group’s purchase of several large freezers which turned out to being used for the storage of carcasses believed to be murdered hostages. The organisation to which the professor had devoted his life to was in truth a terrorist organisation apparently responsible for putting to death Israeli’s according to the local Israeli Police who were investigating an anonymous tip-off. The next thing he knew, Professor Al-Hassan awoke in Trinity Hospital, suffering from shock and the crushing weight of a guilty conscience. He had been duped into aiding the very activities he deplored. How he could possibly atone for his sins and make those who’d murdered, answer for their crimes?
Professional Al-Hassan was nearly finished mentally composing his strongly worded op-ed press release when a tall, smartly dressed gentleman in sunglasses entered his room. This person who answered only to “the Bargainer” had offered to help Al-Hassan “teach everyone a lesson” including his former group. The professor stood up only to find himself transformed into a man-sized flea. He later remembered hearing a female voice directing him to get his revenge by coming here, wherever here was.
As he finished, Sam continued, “We believe and think we can help you…” The transformed Professor interrupted him, “So you believe I’m innocent?”
Sam continued, “We understand you have been changed by magic and we’ll try and help clear your name but we need to know Professor, would you prefer to remain as you are or as you were?”
His reply resulted in Mary using a recent learnt spell to try and neutralise the invocation that had transformed him. At first, nothing happened but gradually he began to shrink slightly and change but it was obviously a powerful spell that would take time. As he became more human, his sense of guilt made him more and more aware of the damage and injury he had caused to complete innocents.
In the meantime, what to do about the Professor? The decision was taken to call the raft and return him to the hospital – after all, he was as much a victim as those attacked down below. In the meantime, as Police and emergency services began to arrive and wash the streets clean of fleas, Akira elected to turn him invisible. As the raft arrived they explained the situation to Adam and bundled the now normal sized but still partially transformed Professor inside.
Then a call came through from Jenni – a second assault was going down at the city of Galilee, her team was still at Tel Aviv, could they help out? She was already present at the scene and facing a swarm of frogs and toads, which was causing people touching some of them to fall unconscious.
The decision was taken that Sam would have to travel on the outside of the Raft holding onto the handles on the rear whilst the others stayed inside with the Professor. Hospital would have to wait.
A short time later, they hovered over the Tiberius district of Galilee. Beneath them was a green sea of moving amphibians heading towards a slum area in the city.
When they re-contacted Jenni and told her what they observed from the air, she stated that she believed that the target was the Mekorot Plant on the lakeside, which pumped water into the Galilee-Jerusalem pipeline.
The Brackish Water Pipeline was used to divert brackish ground water from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem and was completed in 1965. As a reaction to the construction of the pipeline, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan tried to divert the headwaters of the Jordan River and had been one of the events that increased tensions leading to the Six-Day War of 1967 during which Israel captured the West Bank.
They left her rescuing affected civilians and headed for the front of the attack. Hovering in the sky and leaving the Professor inside, Sam glided and Akira levitated down to the front of the amphibian assault. Mary just jumped out, turning into Banshee moments before reaching the ground. Before them was a slimy, moving river of creatures making ground travel extremely difficult, with the mass of toads getting crushed underfoot. At the head of the swarm was a toad-like small human whose long elongated tongue was darting out and causing people to collapse in trauma.
He seemed determined to advance on a small, grubby older man herding him towards a particular property. The property was run down and old fashioned but in a good state of repair. The man stood on the doorstep trying to get a key out and open the door causing the toad-like creature to smile revealing a wide, obscene mouth. It seemed happy at the outcome.
Sam crashed down and started quickly removing victims out of the way whilst Banshee materialised, grabbed at the creature and turned insubstantial again but the creature was difficult to hold and managed to slip free.
Akira realised that this was going to be a karmic boomerang, still… He gestured and called back up the TK wall and rammed it down the road, then separated the force wave into two, crushing the amphibian assault against the walls of the buildings either side. Sam casually stated that he was “painting the town green…” then seeing them being crushed amended that to “ah, red” and asked if Akira was feeling particularly violent today and he “didn’t know he was a street artist?”
Akira knew he had made the right choice as other civilians rushed in to the cleared area and dragged the fallen victims clear.
Sam immediately used the confusion of the falling frog-guy and Akira’s toad crush to fly straight at the sleazy man trying to get into the building, grab him, shock be damned, and fly him up to the flat roof of the building.
Once there he tried to find out who he was. The man stated his name was Hillel Smilic, and with a smarmy smile admitted that he’d recently bought the property as a bargain and offered once this was over showing him around if he was looking for a fine apartment to rent.
Down below the miniscule frog-dude was trying to strike at Banshee with its poisoned tongue and jumping around as it occurred to her to try calling it the names of the missing patients; Betzalel Ira Gordhirsch, Albert Hedison, Chava Meisel, Mustafa Al-Hallaj… That name got a reaction. The creature stopped and tilted its head… “Mustafa?” It nodded and tried to speak. Its mouth unsuited to speaking. Thankfully, he understood at least some English. Ok, Mustafa had been 17, so… Banshee turned into her Young Mary glamour and smiled. Most of what he said she couldn’t understand but she did get “murdered aunt” – did he suspect the sleazy man of murder?
Mustafa was calmer if confused, so Mary tried casting the neutralise magic spell again and as his elongated tongue shrank he could understand the obviously disabled boy more. Language was going to be a problem though until Akira came over and touched him, using his post-cognition to understand his background.
Mustafa Al-Hallaj came into this world a simple, beautiful soul trapped inside a crippled, malformed body. His sweet and gentle nature endured despite years of physical and mental abuse from a dysfunctional family disinterested in seeing to his special needs, and from neighbours unwilling to accept anyone who looked so different. It wasn’t until he was placed him in the care of an aunt in Jericho that he ever knew love and acceptance. As fate would have it, Mustafa was without pain in his life just long enough to grow accustomed to its absence. A bullet from a panicked Israeli soldier ended both his aunt’s life and the only happiness he’d ever known. Facing an uncertain future in care of the state (at best), an anguished Mustafa wanted to end the ceaseless pain that was his life.
That was the state the blonde man without eyes (no, Mary later confirmed he had cauls over his eyes that rendered him blind – that’s why he had worn sunglasses indoors when he visited the Professor) had found him in, but despite his rage and torment, Mustafa’s essential goodness shone through. The inner beauty and outer aberrations put him in the mind of the Frog Prince, and prompted him to offer Mustafa the chance to be “cute as a little toad” and to punish the people who’d murdered his aunt. Those were the right words spoken at just the right time by the man, no the Bargainer. Mustafa agreed and changed. It was a woman’s voice, someone calling herself “Makat Bechorot” that directed him to attack her landlord who’d stolen his aunt’s house and left him penniless… But his aunt had lived in Jericho, not Galilee! Why attack him here, why did this “Makat Bechorot” want him to drive him to this particular house before killing him?
With Jenni’s arrival at the scene and an explanation, she agreed that this was not the kid’s fault, he’d been used, compelled and accepted that the first attack might have been the same. She couldn’t wait around as her team had finally made it back from Tel Aviv only to find that a single young woman, this time apparently untransformed, was attacking near the Garden of Gesemane by the Ashkelon water distribution plant which provided water to the whole of Jerusalem. Her power seemed to be to turn water into blood! Her team was dealing and confirmed that the woman was another of the missing patient, in this case Chava Meisel!
They couldn’t get there in time but Jenni could, she agreed to return Mustafa to Trinity Hospital and get him a good lawyer but had to go and rushed off.
Inside Sam asked the ‘landlord’ Smilic to show him the apartment, using a little bit of persuasion to make sure it occurred, and Sam went inside. Several boxes of belongings were at the door waiting to be ‘disposed off’ according to the man who hoped to be their future landlord. The premises looked as though it hadn’t been redecorated since the 60’s and had an old woman’s feel to it that Smilic tried to deal with by saying it just ‘needed a lick of paint’. Sam asked how he’d got it and was told at auction. Somehow, it didn’t ring true.
Sam asked to use the toilet and used the time to contact Akira and Mary and fill them in; time for a little draconic persuasion. He went outside and used his power to get to the truth. Compelled, Smilic hadn’t any choice but to admit that the apartment had belonged to an old woman who’d been taken to hospital so he did what he always did and fraudulently forged ownership papers to transfer the properties to himself. He’d done the same thing to Mustafa’s aunt’s house.
What was the name of the woman who’d lived here? “Zahava Noether.” Another name that sounded familiar.
“And how old was she and what happened to her? “Oh she was almost 80 and was hospitalised with terminal cancer.”
“Ok, turn round you’re being restrained until the Police arrive and arrest you for fraud.” Akira who’d just arrived quipped “looks as though the frog will get its pad back!”
After the Police ‘frog-marched’ Smilic away and Mustafa taken into care as another victim, they headed back with the now changed back Professor to Jerusalem but the woman had managed to escape. Unfortunately, the contaminated water remained as blood, forcing the authorities to close down the city’s water supply and cleaning out the contaminated conduits before piping any additional water into the city again.
Again, this seemed to confirm some theories that this had been part of a terrorist attack against the Israeli government. Jenni however realised that, as the Balance proposed, there was more to it than that and agreed to help them investigate the Professor’s story that he was an innocent dupe.
When Jenni was asked what “Makat Bechorot” meant? She asked, “Why would you want to know about the Angel of Death?”
They dropped off the Professor, who would be returned to the hospital, and left him with a contact card. As they were about to walk away from the Garden area, they noticed an argument had broken out between an evangelical Christian Minister and his placard-waving group proclaiming that this is the last days, a group of Haredi (ultra-orthodox) Jews led by a Torah-welding Rabbi and a smaller group of Palestinians protesting the ‘illegal’ settlements on the West Bank.
The argument was getting physical, with lots of shoving and pushing. It seemed to be about whether the events that had just happened were a sign of the Last Days as supposedly prophesied in Revelations (the Seven Plagues) and therefore a sign that Jews must accept Christ as the Son of God; or as the Haredi claimed, the return of the ten Plagues of Egypt to remind humanity to return to keeping the Jewish Sabbath holy.
(See 16iii – Seven Plagues of Revelations vs the Plagues of Egypt)
One of the Palestinians, an Imam apparently, tried to stop his protesters from getting involved though several were saying that the Ten Plagues of Musa (Moses) as stated in the Koran must be a sign from Allah to stop treating Palestinians as second class citizens (the terms “slaves” and “captives” are bandied about…)
The potential riot halted with the sudden re-arrival of Jenni Rocket who immediately removed the two primary leaders (the Minister and Rabbi) to the back of their groups before appearing in a small sandstorm between everyone. On her arrival, the Palestinian protesters immediately started leaving the area.
Maybe, just maybe, it was time to visit the hospital.
16i – News Stories
- Libertalia (Madagascar) – Apparently intelligent gorillas have been seen and photographed several times in the jungles surrounding the city of Mission. Fears of an ape uprising has made this headline news despite claims by experts that this is obviously a hoax or a publicity stunt for a remake of Planet of the Apes. The local Socialist Party are demanding Parliament grants basic civil rights to the primates.
- The Israel Museum is holding an exhibition about the 6-Day War with a special exhibit about the actions of the Israeli meta-human heroes both home and away.
- Protests outside the Jerusalem C-W Tech power plant (nicknamed the Nucleus) have been ongoing for several days and a protect by ultra-extremist orthodox Jews yesterday resulted in the Police using tear gas to disperse the crowd. The leader of the protest, Rabbi Ben Azim claimed that the installation was a blasphemy against God and would cause the End of Days if allowed to activate in the Holy City.
- Ash’Abah (The Ghost) was seen yesterday at a fire in Tel Aviv. Despite claims by Israeli authorities that she was responsible for the fire, which occurred in a prosperous part of the town, locals have given eyewitness testimony that the Palestinian meta-human arrived after the fire started and was responsible for saving the lives of several Jewish tenants trapped inside.
- Don’t forget! THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, the one and only Sakura Wind, one of Japan’s rising hero-pop bands, rocks the Shuster Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now, or just keep your radio tuned to WNCC for your chance to win front-row seats and backstage passes. Sakura Wind—taking a “Slow Ride”, this Saturday night only! Sponsored by Fresh Sounds Promotions.
- Local Police still have no leads on the mysterious disappearance of several patients from Trinity Hospital. The facility today released a statement saying the hospital was cooperating fully with the authorities in their effort to locate the missing people. Extra measures are being implemented to prevent any future re-occurrences.
- The Tel Aviv Waterfront was shut down for several hours earlier today as agents of Shabak, the meta-hero team Sabra, and the City Transit Authority searched an incoming cargo vessel suspected of involvement in a terrorist plot. Authorities removed several containers from the ship and took the crew into custody for questioning. An official statement is still forthcoming. Unconfirmed reports indicate a suspected plot by a major international terror cartel.
- The Dome box office was robbed earlier today by the Canadian super-criminal known as “Anvil” in a daring daytime robbery. Dome officials are still calculating the exact loss, but it is known to include several hundred thousand shekels in cash and an unspecified amount of credit card information.
- The Jewish community will be observing special prayer services today in recognition of the Passover holidays, which begin tonight at sunset.
- Most of the city’s synagogues reported large turnouts. Channel 5 is marking the occasion with its traditional airing of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston as Moses, tonight at 8 p.m.
16ii – Trinity Hospital Records
Trinity Hospital records show the identities and maladies of the eight missing patients:
- Professor Khaled Al-Hassan, age 47, Al-Azhar University’s peace studies department, Gaza; recovering from shock.
- Betzalel Ira Gordhirsch, 16, high school student; treated for broken nose.
- Albert Hedison, 37, unemployed; hospitalized for severe alcohol poisoning.
- Chava Meisel, 15, high school student; treated and kept under observation after suicide attempt.
- Mustafa Al-Hallaj, 17, ward of the state; awaiting transfer into the care of social services.
- Zahava Noether, 78, retired; hospitalized with terminal cancer.
- Nasr Abdel Aziz Eleyan, 31, Delphic Industries employee; being treated for meningitis.
- Emunah Stricker, 19, unemployed; being treated for severe anorexia.
16iii – Seven Plagues of Revelations vs the Plagues of Egypt
The Seven Plagues of Revelation 16
Summary: In the book of Revelation John describes seven plagues to come at the end of time—seven plagues typified by the plagues of Egypt in Moses’ time.
In ancient times, God’s people the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God wanted to take them out but Pharaoh hardened his heart. When Egypt’s pharaoh refused to let God’s people go and instead took away their right to a Sabbath rest, God struck Egypt with plagues (Exodus 5).
Because Moses re-established the Israelites’ Sabbath, Pharaoh increased their workload, making it impossible for the Israelites to keep the Sabbath. When this law was enacted and God’s people could no longer worship according to their consciences, God intervened. The plagues came and Israel was freed from slavery and taken to the Promised Land.
In Revelation, John describes the seven last plagues that will fall at the end of the world’s probation. This close of probation, just like in Egypt, will come after the mark of the Beast is enforced, depriving God’s people of their freedom to worship Him according to the dictates of their conscience. In the end times, the Sabbath will once again be the issue.
I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God (Revelation 15:1).
In Revelation, John sees the heavenly temple fill with smoke. The heavenly temple service ends and probation is closed: “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled” (Revelation 15:8).
The First Plague
The first plague of Revelation 16 falls on those who have the mark of Beast. God’s people are present, but protected.
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image (Revelation 16:1-2)
The Second Plague
Revelation 16’s second plague is similar to the plague of the Egyptians in Exodus 7.
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea (Revelation 16:3).
The Third Plague
Just as God took care of Elijah, so God will take care of His people during the third plague of Revelation 16.
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments (Revelation 16:4-7).
The Fourth Plague
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory (Revelation 16:8-9).
The Fifth Plague
The fifth plague of Revelation 16 brings darkness against the Beast.
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven (Revelation 16:10-11).
The Sixth Plague
The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and its water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared (Revelation 16:12).
The Seventh Plague
Hail, the seventh plague of Revelation 16, will end the rebellion against God.
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great (Revelation 16:17-21).
The final plague of hail will destroy the nations of the earth. Babylon will disintegrate into its three components. The greatest earthquake in history will destroy the last life on earth. Huge blocks of hail weighing over 100 pounds will end the rebellion. No one will be left. In the midst of this confusion, Christ’s people will be taken away.
Ten Plagues of Egypt (G’Tach in Hebrew)
According to the Torah’s account, the book of Exodus chapters 7-12 (and later incorporated into the Christian Bible), contains the story of the Plagues of Egypt. The Plagues were visited upon Egypt by God to persuade the Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves. The Plagues were ultimately successful, but not until after ten of them had taken their toll upon the Egyptians.
In the Torah, the Ten Plagues were (in order of appearance, the Hebrew name listed first):
1) “Dam”: All sources of fresh water (rivers included) turned to blood (recounted in Exodus 7:14-25).
2) “Tsfardeia”: The land was overrun by frogs (Exodus 7:26-8:11).
3) “Kinim”: The Egyptians were beset by swarms of fleas (Exodus 8:12-15).
4) “Arov”: Stinging, biting flies attacked the Egyptians and their livestock (Exodus 8:16-28).
5) “Dever”: A pestilence infected the Egyptian livestock, causing a shortage of food (Exodus 9:1-7).
6) “Shkhin”: The Egyptians were afflicted with painful and incurable boils (Exodus 9:8-12).
7) “Barad”: The land was pelted with a fiery hail (Exodus 9:13-35).
8) “Arbeh”: A plague of locusts devoured the Egyptian crops (Exodus 10:1-20).
9) “Choshech”: An unending, impenetrable darkness descended over the land (Exodus 10:21-29).
10) “Makat Bechorot”: The firstborn male child was slain in every household that did not mark its door with the blood of a sacrificial lamb (Exodus 11:1-12:36).
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