👑 The King is coming soon – Hope beyond the end
📅 February 17 – The Seven Last Plagues and the Protection of the Faithful
Monthly Theme: The Great Controversy – The Conflict Between Good and Evil
Year Theme 2026: “Soon the King Is Coming – Hope Beyond the End”
📖 Central Bible Text of the Day
“And I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels:
Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
— Revelation 16:1
🌅 Devotional of the Day
When the door of grace closes,
the time of intercession ends.
Then begins the time of the seven last plagues —
the final revelation of divine judgment
upon a world that has rejected the light of truth.
Yet in the midst of this time of wrath,
a promise shines like an everlasting light:
God will protect His own.
“Only with your eyes shall you look
and see the reward of the wicked.
Because the LORD is your refuge.”
— Psalm 91:8–9
Ellen G. White wrote:
“In that time God’s people will be protected,
for they dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.
Angels will surround them like walls of fire.”
(The Great Controversy, p. 630)
✨ The Meaning of the Seven Last Plagues
The seven last plagues are not arbitrary punishments,
but just responses to the deliberate rejection of grace.
They show that God is righteous,
even when the world rejects Him.
“And I heard the angel of the waters saying:
You are righteous, O Holy One, who is and who was,
because You have judged these things.”
— Revelation 16:5
As in the time of Pharaoh, these judgments
will not soften the hearts of the wicked,
but harden them.
Those who have rejected the Spirit of God
will now reap the wrath
they themselves have chosen.
Ellen White wrote:
“When no one repents anymore,
the judgments of God will be revealed in their full severity.
The seven last plagues will fulfill the measure of divine justice.”
(The Great Controversy, p. 627)
🌿 The Order of the Plagues
Revelation describes the plagues in seven stages (chapter 16):
-
Painful sores – suffering and pain for those who bear the mark.
-
The sea becomes blood – systems of life collapse.
-
The waters become blood – the earth reaps what it has sown.
-
The sun scorches with fire – nature itself turns against humanity.
-
Darkness over the throne of the beast – the power of deception breaks.
-
The Euphrates dries up – support for false religious power disappears.
-
A great earthquake and hail – the end of rebellious world powers.
These plagues strike the earth,
but not the people of God.
Just as Israel was preserved in Egypt,
the faithful will be guarded in the time of trouble.
“No evil shall befall you,
nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.”
— Psalm 91:10
🔥 The Protection of the Faithful
In the hour of greatest distress,
God’s children will not be alone.
They have no refuge in walls or mountains,
but in Christ Himself.
“You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in Your word.”
— Psalm 119:114
Their names are written in the Book of Life,
and God’s angels encamp around them.
They are sealed with the seal of the living God,
which makes them untouchable.
Ellen White wrote:
“God’s people will not be free from suffering,
but they will not be destroyed.
Their enemies will surround them,
yet not a hair of their heads will fall without God’s will.”
(The Great Controversy, p. 629)
In that time they will no longer receive forgiveness through confession,
for their sins have already been blotted out.
They live by trust
that God’s grace will preserve them,
even when heaven seems silent.
🌄 The Trust That Remains
In that time the righteous will learn
to live without visible help —
without mediator, without church, without human support.
Yet their trust will be deeper than ever before.
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
for You are with me.”
— Psalm 23:4
They know that their Redeemer lives.
They hold fast,
even when everything around them collapses.
Ellen White describes:
“In the time of trouble they will stand alone,
yet not abandoned.
Their hearts are fixed on God,
and they know: ‘He who has justified me
will also deliver me.’”
(Maranatha, p. 305)
🙏 Prayer
Gracious Father,
I thank You that You are a God of grace and justice.
Prepare me for the time of testing
when faith will be refined.
Teach me to trust You,
even when the earth shakes and heaven seems silent.
Seal me with Your seal,
and keep me faithful in Your care.
Be my protection, my refuge, and my peace.
Amen.
💭 Thought for the Day
“When the seven last plagues are poured out,
the faith of the righteous will be unshakable,
because they have learned to trust God
when everything else fails.”
— Ellen G. White, Maranatha, p. 307
💡 Personal Application
-
Read Revelation 15–16 and Psalm 91.
Study the difference between judgment and protection. -
Pray: “Lord, teach me to trust You now,
so that I may stand firm when You test.” -
Practical:
Strengthen your faith today through gratitude and praise,
even in small trials — they prepare you for greater ones.
🌺 Closing Verse
“Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you,
nor shall any plague come near your house.”
— Psalm 91:9–10
