Revelation 19: 7-10
Immediately after all the Hallelujahs for the judgment of modern Babylon, Heaven is rejoicing at the marriage feast of the Lamb.
(7) "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."
(8) It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
I'm not sure what heavenly "fine linen" is, but it must be gorgeous! This word has also been translated as "stone" when angels are dressed in it.
(9) Then he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'"
Who are invited to this marriage feast? The Old Testament saints? The angels in Heaven? We're not told who they are, but they will be truly blessed in witnessing this union of the Lord God with His bride.
The church must be Raptured to wed her Bridegroom and be one with Him. And this must take place before He breaks through the clouds of Earth and sets up His Kingdom. I don't know how God will manage this, but I know He has it all in hand. I know He has manipulated time on Earth at least twice for His people.
And he said to me, "These are true words of God."
Why this angel needed to emphasize these particular words as true words of God, He may be putting great importance on the necessity of this marriage to take place before we will be prepared to rule with Him on His throne.
(10) Then I fell at his feet to worship him.
Even John, in his old age, after loving Jesus and serving Him faithfully his whole, long life, succumbed to bowing down to this angel.
But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God.
And the angel reminded John that this celestial being is one of the servants God sent to John and the other saints who are still living in our flesh bodies. And to bow down and worship only God.
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
This is a curious saying. To have the testimony of what Jesus has done and accomplished on behalf of each of us, is prophetic! The Spirit of Prophecy is God's Holy Spirit who is able to live in each of us because the blood of Jesus has cleansed us. And this Spirit is the Seal and Down Payment on the Redemption Jesus bought for us. So when we have the testimony of Jesus, then the spirit of prophecy assures us of everything that certainly lies ahead.
The very next verse has our King coming through the opened sky.
O my Father, thank You for Your greatness and Your goodness. Thank You for loving us and saving us and making us fit to be Your Son's bride, to marry Him and be one with Him as He is one with You. And to rule with Him in His throne as He rules with You in Your throne, over everything that exists.
Please, Father, help us to go to all the world, broadcasting Your Good News to every living being, so that they all will understand and be able to make a clear decision to choose to turn to You for Redemption, or else to be seduced by the lies of the deceiver.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Friday, June 5, 2020
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Four Hallelujahs
Revelation 19: 1-6
(1) After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in Heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;
(2) "because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the Earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her."
(3) And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever."
(4) And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"
(5) And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."
(6) Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!"
John records all this praise as coming right after the judgment of modern-day Babylon, which happens before the seventh Trumpet is sounded. So it must happen sometime during the 7 years of Tribulation. We're told about it in 14: 8 and we've just seen a lot of details about it here and here so we would be able to recognize this political system and leave it before its destruction.
If the sixth Seal and the seventh Trumpet and the seventh Bowl or Vial all describe the same Day, approached from different directions, then the whole 7 years of Daniel's final "week" which is the time of Tribulation and Great Tribulation have been described by the duration of all three of these 7's in this book.
If John had recorded all these things in strictly chronological order, then it would have shown how chaotic these times will be when they come to pass in time, with everything happening on top of one another at the same time. Jesus had told him first thing that all these events and happenings would "soon" take place (1: 1): This word "soon" or "shortly" is a combination of two Greek words, en and tachos which separately each convey an idea of something happening all of a sudden, and together they intensify the urgency and scope of what will happen, as all kinds of things happening all at the same time within a very short time period.
And when this seven year period starts with a treaty in the Middle East that will be set up to be re-negotiated in seven years, then fasten your seat belts, because it will be a wild ride all the way to the end!
John put a little order into this chaos by grouping the sevens, then adding in all the rest of the events. So it still looks chaotic, but we can better connect the dots to comprehend a larger understanding of what lies ahead, probably very soon.
O my Father, please teach Your children how to read this confusing book, to be able to know what to expect and be ready to survive and help others to survive these unprecedented events that will soon come upon this Earth to affect the world of men. And show us how to lean on Your strength and faithfulness when confronted with the lies and slick deceptions of the enemy.
Strengthen Your children, Father, to be strong and generous, loving one another unconditionally, as You have loved us; to be ready and instant to help others, even when the others are the ones who have brought upon us and themselves the extreme hardships that occasion the help.
My Father, send out Your children to broadcast to the whole world the wonderful Good News of Your love and Your solution to our sin and evil problem. Grant that every living person will be able to hear and understand clearly enough to make a fully informed decision to accept Your generous and gracious offer; or else to choose to be deceived by the liar.
And every eye shall soon see, and every knee will soon bow, and every tongue will soon confess that Jesus is our Christ, the only Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
(1) After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in Heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;
(2) "because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the Earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her."
(3) And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever."
(4) And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"
(5) And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."
(6) Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!"
John records all this praise as coming right after the judgment of modern-day Babylon, which happens before the seventh Trumpet is sounded. So it must happen sometime during the 7 years of Tribulation. We're told about it in 14: 8 and we've just seen a lot of details about it here and here so we would be able to recognize this political system and leave it before its destruction.
If the sixth Seal and the seventh Trumpet and the seventh Bowl or Vial all describe the same Day, approached from different directions, then the whole 7 years of Daniel's final "week" which is the time of Tribulation and Great Tribulation have been described by the duration of all three of these 7's in this book.
If John had recorded all these things in strictly chronological order, then it would have shown how chaotic these times will be when they come to pass in time, with everything happening on top of one another at the same time. Jesus had told him first thing that all these events and happenings would "soon" take place (1: 1): This word "soon" or "shortly" is a combination of two Greek words, en and tachos which separately each convey an idea of something happening all of a sudden, and together they intensify the urgency and scope of what will happen, as all kinds of things happening all at the same time within a very short time period.
And when this seven year period starts with a treaty in the Middle East that will be set up to be re-negotiated in seven years, then fasten your seat belts, because it will be a wild ride all the way to the end!
John put a little order into this chaos by grouping the sevens, then adding in all the rest of the events. So it still looks chaotic, but we can better connect the dots to comprehend a larger understanding of what lies ahead, probably very soon.
O my Father, please teach Your children how to read this confusing book, to be able to know what to expect and be ready to survive and help others to survive these unprecedented events that will soon come upon this Earth to affect the world of men. And show us how to lean on Your strength and faithfulness when confronted with the lies and slick deceptions of the enemy.
Strengthen Your children, Father, to be strong and generous, loving one another unconditionally, as You have loved us; to be ready and instant to help others, even when the others are the ones who have brought upon us and themselves the extreme hardships that occasion the help.
My Father, send out Your children to broadcast to the whole world the wonderful Good News of Your love and Your solution to our sin and evil problem. Grant that every living person will be able to hear and understand clearly enough to make a fully informed decision to accept Your generous and gracious offer; or else to choose to be deceived by the liar.
And every eye shall soon see, and every knee will soon bow, and every tongue will soon confess that Jesus is our Christ, the only Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Babylon's Financial Downfall
Revelation 18: 1-24
We have seen that these two chapters are expanding on Babylon's judgment, which has already happened in Revelation 14: 8 before the seventh Trumpet sounded.
Yesterday we saw the extreme spiritual degradation of this Babylon, and today we will see it's financial ruin.
(1) After these things I saw another angel coming down from Heaven, having great authority, and the Earth was illumined with his glory.
(2) And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
This angel is a high-ranking official in God's hierarchy of authority, and he has been sent to tell John the details of this Babylon that has been destroyed.
(3) "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the Earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the Earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
This is a political entity that has had so much influence on the rest of the world for evil, that it has contaminated every other national leader among the nations with the sensual perversions and wantonness, using its great wealth.
(4) I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, "Come out of her, My people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;
God is telling His saints today, to recognize this nation, and if you are there, then don't get trapped in all the errors of the culture, and even leave to go somewhere else so that you won't be caught up in all the upheavals that are coming to destroy the land.
(5) "for her sins have piled up as high as Heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
There's so much in this land that has deceived the people with wealth and pleasure and luxury that God has finally decided that it is enough, it is as full as it can be, and overflowing everywhere.
(6) "Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
(7) "To the degree that she has glorified herself and lived sensually, to the same degree give her torment and mourning;
He is saying, essentially, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander!"
for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.'
This is a nation that is proud, with the attitude of superiority in not considering anything it does to bring any kind of negative consequences, but to only continue to get richer and more luxurious and wanton. They believe that their "exceptionalism" exempts them from any accountability.
The only nation that has adopted this attitude since ancient Babylon, I think, is America. Okay, now I've named it. Look and see for yourself if there is any other nation or people group that fits this description.
(8) "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
And with the economy having been shut down to destroy the best economy the world has ever seen, and with all the major cities burning in the riots over justice that are currently in the news, I ask you, what more do you need to see?
(9) "And the kings of the Earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning,
(10) "standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'
And all the political entities are lamenting that, "the party's over, it's time to call it a day!"
(11) "And the merchants of the Earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more--
(12) "cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble,
(13) "and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives.
(14) "The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.
The monetary ruin of this financial powerhouse has cut off every kind of product and item from luxury items to foodstuffs to warfare implements and even human persons treated as property, from availability for purchase. So the businessmen are not able to make money any more.
(15) "The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
(16) "saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls;
(17) "'for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance,
(18) "and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?'
(19) "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!'
The businessmen and rich tycoons who made their millions and billions off of the capitalism and economy of this nation, are now lamenting that it's such a shame for all this luxury and profitability and prosperity to be dried up so completely so fast. They are standing at a distance, so they won't be identified with this place that is being destroyed, after sucking it dry.
(20) "Rejoice over her, O Heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgement for you against her."
The angel says to rejoice in God's judgment of this wicked city, because it got what was coming to it for all the evil and violence it perpetrated against God and His people and His ways.
(21) Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.
This city will not go gracefully into the annals of history, but will be violently thrown down with vehemence and suddenness. And it will be complete.
(22) "And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsmen of any craft will will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer;
There will be no more gaiety, no more manufacturing or other businesses, no more foodstuff or product making any more of any kind.
(23) "and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer;
There will be no more celebrations or parties at all any more.
for your merchants were the great men of the Earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
The big businessmen who made their millions and billions did so because of the advertising that drew people in by appealing to their comfort and relief of any kind of pain, and stimulating the pleasure-centers in their brain, and the sensuality and pornography that they promoted. And multitudes were sucked into their financial webs in every nation.
(24) "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the Earth."
And this nation is accountable for disregarding human lives in favor of the "almighty dollar." They are guilty of many murders, like letting people die in order to sell more of their drugs, and promoting the "suicide" of people who know too much or violence against those who don't agree with their political philosophies, and merchandising dangerous products including toys for children, and even killing hundreds of thousands of innocent children even before they are born, and selling their body parts for profit! They are sacrificing these innocent little ones with much suffering to the demons.
There is one nation that I see in the world that is guilty of all of these transgressions and rebellions, and is the biggest promoter of all of these evils.
I would suggest that if things keep going as they are, and God does not grant us any more reprieve, then what we're seeing on the news right now would be the fulfillment of these two chapters. That's a big "if." Dear reader, you can make your own determination to decide what you want to see.
O my Father, thank You for telling us so many details, so that we should be able to identify when you are fulfilling Your word. Your children are aware that You will be sending Your Son back to the Earth very soon, to judge and reward and set up His Kingdom to give our world its true "golden age."
Father, we can see all that is happening in the world around us, and You are preparing us for the rigors of what is coming. And I also see that You are taking home some of Your children who are physically weaker, to spare them the suffering coming. And we know that there will be even more martyrs who die at the hands of the Antichrist and his minions who will betray and take lives to be politically correct.
O Father, continue to teach us, and to strengthen us, and to prepare us for all the glory that You will bestow upon each of us, for the faithfulness You have provided us to remain strong in our trust in You, regardless of what is happening all around us until then.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
We have seen that these two chapters are expanding on Babylon's judgment, which has already happened in Revelation 14: 8 before the seventh Trumpet sounded.
Yesterday we saw the extreme spiritual degradation of this Babylon, and today we will see it's financial ruin.
(1) After these things I saw another angel coming down from Heaven, having great authority, and the Earth was illumined with his glory.
(2) And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
This angel is a high-ranking official in God's hierarchy of authority, and he has been sent to tell John the details of this Babylon that has been destroyed.
(3) "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the Earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the Earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
This is a political entity that has had so much influence on the rest of the world for evil, that it has contaminated every other national leader among the nations with the sensual perversions and wantonness, using its great wealth.
(4) I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, "Come out of her, My people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;
God is telling His saints today, to recognize this nation, and if you are there, then don't get trapped in all the errors of the culture, and even leave to go somewhere else so that you won't be caught up in all the upheavals that are coming to destroy the land.
(5) "for her sins have piled up as high as Heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
There's so much in this land that has deceived the people with wealth and pleasure and luxury that God has finally decided that it is enough, it is as full as it can be, and overflowing everywhere.
(6) "Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
(7) "To the degree that she has glorified herself and lived sensually, to the same degree give her torment and mourning;
He is saying, essentially, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander!"
for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.'
This is a nation that is proud, with the attitude of superiority in not considering anything it does to bring any kind of negative consequences, but to only continue to get richer and more luxurious and wanton. They believe that their "exceptionalism" exempts them from any accountability.
The only nation that has adopted this attitude since ancient Babylon, I think, is America. Okay, now I've named it. Look and see for yourself if there is any other nation or people group that fits this description.
(8) "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
And with the economy having been shut down to destroy the best economy the world has ever seen, and with all the major cities burning in the riots over justice that are currently in the news, I ask you, what more do you need to see?
(9) "And the kings of the Earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning,
(10) "standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'
And all the political entities are lamenting that, "the party's over, it's time to call it a day!"
(11) "And the merchants of the Earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more--
(12) "cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble,
(13) "and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives.
(14) "The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.
The monetary ruin of this financial powerhouse has cut off every kind of product and item from luxury items to foodstuffs to warfare implements and even human persons treated as property, from availability for purchase. So the businessmen are not able to make money any more.
(15) "The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
(16) "saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls;
(17) "'for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance,
(18) "and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?'
(19) "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!'
The businessmen and rich tycoons who made their millions and billions off of the capitalism and economy of this nation, are now lamenting that it's such a shame for all this luxury and profitability and prosperity to be dried up so completely so fast. They are standing at a distance, so they won't be identified with this place that is being destroyed, after sucking it dry.
(20) "Rejoice over her, O Heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgement for you against her."
The angel says to rejoice in God's judgment of this wicked city, because it got what was coming to it for all the evil and violence it perpetrated against God and His people and His ways.
(21) Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.
This city will not go gracefully into the annals of history, but will be violently thrown down with vehemence and suddenness. And it will be complete.
(22) "And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsmen of any craft will will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer;
There will be no more gaiety, no more manufacturing or other businesses, no more foodstuff or product making any more of any kind.
(23) "and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer;
There will be no more celebrations or parties at all any more.
for your merchants were the great men of the Earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
The big businessmen who made their millions and billions did so because of the advertising that drew people in by appealing to their comfort and relief of any kind of pain, and stimulating the pleasure-centers in their brain, and the sensuality and pornography that they promoted. And multitudes were sucked into their financial webs in every nation.
(24) "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the Earth."
And this nation is accountable for disregarding human lives in favor of the "almighty dollar." They are guilty of many murders, like letting people die in order to sell more of their drugs, and promoting the "suicide" of people who know too much or violence against those who don't agree with their political philosophies, and merchandising dangerous products including toys for children, and even killing hundreds of thousands of innocent children even before they are born, and selling their body parts for profit! They are sacrificing these innocent little ones with much suffering to the demons.
There is one nation that I see in the world that is guilty of all of these transgressions and rebellions, and is the biggest promoter of all of these evils.
I would suggest that if things keep going as they are, and God does not grant us any more reprieve, then what we're seeing on the news right now would be the fulfillment of these two chapters. That's a big "if." Dear reader, you can make your own determination to decide what you want to see.
O my Father, thank You for telling us so many details, so that we should be able to identify when you are fulfilling Your word. Your children are aware that You will be sending Your Son back to the Earth very soon, to judge and reward and set up His Kingdom to give our world its true "golden age."
Father, we can see all that is happening in the world around us, and You are preparing us for the rigors of what is coming. And I also see that You are taking home some of Your children who are physically weaker, to spare them the suffering coming. And we know that there will be even more martyrs who die at the hands of the Antichrist and his minions who will betray and take lives to be politically correct.
O Father, continue to teach us, and to strengthen us, and to prepare us for all the glory that You will bestow upon each of us, for the faithfulness You have provided us to remain strong in our trust in You, regardless of what is happening all around us until then.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Spiritually Bankrupt Babylon
Revelation 17: 1-18
John has written about the whole process of judgment on the Earth and on those who dwell here who have wickedly destroyed the Earth and the world and the people of the world and for all the evil done. This is a good place to pause and look at something mentioned before, to give more details. Just as in Genesis chapter one we read about the whole creation; then chapter two narrows down the focus to the details of the creation of the man and the woman.
This chapter and the next will focus our attention on the falling of Babylon, which we read about in Revelation 14: 8 when the "second angel" pronounced it.
(1) Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
(2) "with whom the kings of the Earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the Earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality."
This focuses on the moral degradation to which this people has fallen.
(3) And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness;
The angel is giving John a vision of how this will happen, he is in the spirit, not in his body, seeing all this.
and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
(4) The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,
(5) and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth."
The beast that carries the woman is a government that has acquired all kinds of "blasphemous names" which could be unrighteous laws and decrees that allow evil practices or that forbid righteous deeds.
(6) And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
Violence and bloodshed are similar to alcohol in its affects on the brain, and this woman has caused much violence and bloodshed against God's people, and the witnesses of Jesus could be the "two witnesses" in whose murder she is complicit. She is reeling in the drunkenness of all the bloodshed.
When I saw her I wondered greatly.
John is flabbergasted with all the unleashed evil that has taken over this "woman."
(7) And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
The angel says, Why are you just standing there dumbfounded? I'll let you in on what has happened here.
(8) "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction.
The abyss is the bottomless pit that was unlocked by the star when the fifth trumpet was sounded, so it is not the same beast that comes out of the sea in chapter 13. That beast will become the world dictator. This beast is the power behind the government of this "city" of Babylon.
And those who dwell on the Earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.
People who don't know the Lord will greatly admire this government and have great respect for its power that it can influence other governments. It may be represented by someone who used to hold political power, but disappeared from public office, then returned.
(9) Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,
Theologians used to use this verse to conclude that this harlot is the Catholic Church, as it sits on the "seven hills of Rome." But hills are not mountains.
This beast itself is the government of the "city." The heads could be the men who are in power in this government. And Scripture uses the figure of a mountain to convey political power. The woman sits on these mountains, they are supporting her weight.
(10) "And they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
We are told outright here, that they are seven men who style themselves as kings. They are not all in power at the same time, some have already fallen out of favor by this time, and another hasn't come into public view yet. It seems to be a volatile political situation.
(11) "The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.
And the government itself, or the principal head of the government, is also included in the number here, and he also will be judged severely.
(12) "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
(13) "These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
Horns are used in Scripture to convey military power. These ten could be a coalition of great military leaders. But when they receive their authority it will only be for a specific purpose at a very limited time.
(14) "These will wage war against the Lamb,
These will be among the other armies who are surrounding the Holy Land and Jerusalem, and will end up fighting against the Lamb of God who is Jesus, at the Battle of Armageddon.
and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
When Jesus breaks through the cloud barrier and His feet land on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14: 4), all His saints and angels will be following His lead (His "holy ones") including the resurrected ones who have been Raptured.
(15) And he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
All kinds of peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues have gathered in the "melting pot" of the world, but are refusing to "melt" into the culture, and insist on maintaining their own languages and cultures and societies. This is a reality today in America. And this harlot has been supported by all of these diverse groups.
(16) "And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.
But the powers behind these groups turn against her, and strip her of her worth and treasure, and absorb her wealth, and cause fires to burn up her cities.
The news today and yesterday and the day before, are telecasting how the concerned people who come out to protest peacefully become angry mobs that loot, destroy and burn police cars and businesses. This is upsetting, but it is exactly what has been forecasted and predicted right here in this prophecy.
(17) "For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.
God has allowed the "powers that be," whether it is the Bilderback Group, or the Illuminati, or George Soros, or Bill and Melinda Gates, whoever has the will and the wherewithall to pay these puppets who are willing to foment violence for a fee! God is Almighty and uses even the most evil and depraved individuals to decide to do what God has decreed will happen, according to His great Plan of the Ages!
They are not supporting her any more, but have turned on her savagely.
(18) "The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the Earth."
This woman is the geographical populated area that has so much influence over all the other nations in the world that it is said to reign over them!
This is the spiritual and moral aspect of this "city" of Babylon.
Tomorrow we will see that it is also a financial wellspring that has been financing the wealth of the rest of the world.
O my Father, please help us to see what is going on around us, and to recognize when we are witnessing the fulfillment of Your prophecies. Open our eyes, Father, to understand where we stand in Your timeline for this Earth and Universe. Teach us to withstand the evil powers that are energizing all of these destructive events, and show us what we are to do to protect Your little ones in the midst of it all.
And, My Father, continue to send out Your children as Your witnesses and missionaries to broadcast Your Good News throughout the world so that every living person will hear and understand so they will make informed decisions to choose to accept Your gracious and generous gift of Salvation, or else to knowingly turn to the lies of the enemy.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is the only Lord and Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come hastily, Lord Jesus!
John has written about the whole process of judgment on the Earth and on those who dwell here who have wickedly destroyed the Earth and the world and the people of the world and for all the evil done. This is a good place to pause and look at something mentioned before, to give more details. Just as in Genesis chapter one we read about the whole creation; then chapter two narrows down the focus to the details of the creation of the man and the woman.
This chapter and the next will focus our attention on the falling of Babylon, which we read about in Revelation 14: 8 when the "second angel" pronounced it.
(1) Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
(2) "with whom the kings of the Earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the Earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality."
This focuses on the moral degradation to which this people has fallen.
(3) And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness;
The angel is giving John a vision of how this will happen, he is in the spirit, not in his body, seeing all this.
and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
(4) The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,
(5) and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth."
The beast that carries the woman is a government that has acquired all kinds of "blasphemous names" which could be unrighteous laws and decrees that allow evil practices or that forbid righteous deeds.
(6) And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
Violence and bloodshed are similar to alcohol in its affects on the brain, and this woman has caused much violence and bloodshed against God's people, and the witnesses of Jesus could be the "two witnesses" in whose murder she is complicit. She is reeling in the drunkenness of all the bloodshed.
When I saw her I wondered greatly.
John is flabbergasted with all the unleashed evil that has taken over this "woman."
(7) And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
The angel says, Why are you just standing there dumbfounded? I'll let you in on what has happened here.
(8) "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction.
The abyss is the bottomless pit that was unlocked by the star when the fifth trumpet was sounded, so it is not the same beast that comes out of the sea in chapter 13. That beast will become the world dictator. This beast is the power behind the government of this "city" of Babylon.
And those who dwell on the Earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.
People who don't know the Lord will greatly admire this government and have great respect for its power that it can influence other governments. It may be represented by someone who used to hold political power, but disappeared from public office, then returned.
(9) Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,
Theologians used to use this verse to conclude that this harlot is the Catholic Church, as it sits on the "seven hills of Rome." But hills are not mountains.
This beast itself is the government of the "city." The heads could be the men who are in power in this government. And Scripture uses the figure of a mountain to convey political power. The woman sits on these mountains, they are supporting her weight.
(10) "And they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
We are told outright here, that they are seven men who style themselves as kings. They are not all in power at the same time, some have already fallen out of favor by this time, and another hasn't come into public view yet. It seems to be a volatile political situation.
(11) "The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.
And the government itself, or the principal head of the government, is also included in the number here, and he also will be judged severely.
(12) "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
(13) "These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
Horns are used in Scripture to convey military power. These ten could be a coalition of great military leaders. But when they receive their authority it will only be for a specific purpose at a very limited time.
(14) "These will wage war against the Lamb,
These will be among the other armies who are surrounding the Holy Land and Jerusalem, and will end up fighting against the Lamb of God who is Jesus, at the Battle of Armageddon.
and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
When Jesus breaks through the cloud barrier and His feet land on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14: 4), all His saints and angels will be following His lead (His "holy ones") including the resurrected ones who have been Raptured.
(15) And he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
All kinds of peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues have gathered in the "melting pot" of the world, but are refusing to "melt" into the culture, and insist on maintaining their own languages and cultures and societies. This is a reality today in America. And this harlot has been supported by all of these diverse groups.
(16) "And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.
But the powers behind these groups turn against her, and strip her of her worth and treasure, and absorb her wealth, and cause fires to burn up her cities.
The news today and yesterday and the day before, are telecasting how the concerned people who come out to protest peacefully become angry mobs that loot, destroy and burn police cars and businesses. This is upsetting, but it is exactly what has been forecasted and predicted right here in this prophecy.
(17) "For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.
God has allowed the "powers that be," whether it is the Bilderback Group, or the Illuminati, or George Soros, or Bill and Melinda Gates, whoever has the will and the wherewithall to pay these puppets who are willing to foment violence for a fee! God is Almighty and uses even the most evil and depraved individuals to decide to do what God has decreed will happen, according to His great Plan of the Ages!
They are not supporting her any more, but have turned on her savagely.
(18) "The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the Earth."
This woman is the geographical populated area that has so much influence over all the other nations in the world that it is said to reign over them!
This is the spiritual and moral aspect of this "city" of Babylon.
Tomorrow we will see that it is also a financial wellspring that has been financing the wealth of the rest of the world.
O my Father, please help us to see what is going on around us, and to recognize when we are witnessing the fulfillment of Your prophecies. Open our eyes, Father, to understand where we stand in Your timeline for this Earth and Universe. Teach us to withstand the evil powers that are energizing all of these destructive events, and show us what we are to do to protect Your little ones in the midst of it all.
And, My Father, continue to send out Your children as Your witnesses and missionaries to broadcast Your Good News throughout the world so that every living person will hear and understand so they will make informed decisions to choose to accept Your gracious and generous gift of Salvation, or else to knowingly turn to the lies of the enemy.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is the only Lord and Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come hastily, Lord Jesus!
Monday, June 1, 2020
Final Wrath, Total Devastation
Revelation 16: 1-21
This is the time of the final, total judgment upon all the wicked, evil people and the lands where they lived and did all their evil deeds, as King Jesus sets everything up for His rule. The final wiping of the slate clean, to start over.
(1) Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the Earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."
It looks like all seven of these angels are to pour out their bowls at about the same time, or in very close succession to to one another. And they would have to be.
And all seven of these judgments have a correlation to the corresponding Trumpet blasts.
(2) So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the Earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
This first bowl's effects are on people, as the first Trumpet's effects were on the ground of the Earth. What we would call extreme environmental pollution could wreak these effects.
(3) The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.
The second Trumpet's effect was on a third of the sea; this bowl completes the process.
(4) Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.
The third Trumpet's blast affected a third of all fresh waters, now this judgment removes all potable water from the Earth.
Since there is no food and no water, how long could any people survive? So these must all be poured out at the last day or two or at most three, before Jesus appears.
(5) And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things;
(6) for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it."
(7) And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."
This is interesting. The martyrs who had been beheaded had called out for judgment upon their murderers, from under the altar when the fifth seal was broken; now the altar itself is calling out praises for God's judgment fulfilled upon them. Since we are all "living stones" building God's house, then are the martyrs who have been "sacrificed" the stones of the altar in the Heavenly temple?
(8) The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.
Since the fourth Trumpet blast caused anomalies in the sun, moon and stars, so they wouldn't shine for a third of the day and night; then is this bowl of wrath connected to that, to have the sun too bright when it does shine?
(9) Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the Name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.
Even when God forces upon mankind His almighty power to show them who He is, they still don't admit their culpability before Him! We are so stubborn!
(10) Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,
The fifth Trumpet had the bottomless pit unlocked, to release the thick smoke and the locusts who stung with the scorpion poison to torment but not kill. Is this bowl of wrath a further description of the effects of this?
(11) And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.
These are the dragon's minions who have chosen to take that condemning mark of the beast. They still refuse to admit their wickednesses.
(12) The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
This also corresponds to the sixth Trumpet, where we're told that the four powerful evil angels were unbound at this river, to gather the two hundred million army to wipe out a third of the human race. Now this bowl of wrath clears the way for them to proceed.
(13) And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;
(14) for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great Day of God, the Almighty.
And these frog-like demons are sent out to recruit the soldiers for this massive assault on God's people.
(15) ("Behold I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.")
Paul said that, "You, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day would overtake you like a thief" (I Thessalonians 5: 4), so as children of light, we may not know the day or the hour, but we should have our eyes open to recognize the signs to be able to discern the year and the season! That way, we will know to "stay awake and keep our clothes on" when we expect His coming.
(16) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon [Armageddon].
Here we've got all the armies of the world gathered and ready for the Battle of Armageddon.
(17) Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done."
And now this is the end. "It is done." Jesus is coming through the cloud cover, and everything is coming down to the final end.
(18) And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the Earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
This is the massive, world-wide earthquake that will re-write all the land-masses of the Earth.
(19) The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
The great city Babylon could be any great geographical area where the people are acting like the ancient city of Babylon; it could even be America. I can see how America can easily split into three, with the major fault lines and California slipping into the sea.
(20) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Will this happen twice? We were already told this happened when the sixth Seal was broken. The sixth Seal, the seventh Trumpet and the seventh Bowl all look like the same Day to me, approached from different directions. This has to be the Day that Jesus pierces the cloud cover and barrels toward the Earth, aiming at landing on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14: 4).
(21) And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men;
Great hail is also mentioned when the last Trumpet blasted (I Corinthians 15: 52).
and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.
All the people on the Earth alive at that time who have not chosen to accept God's gracious gift and taken the mark of the beast instead will be under the most excruciating pain, but will still not turn to the Lord.
O my Father, You are holy, too holy for anything with any sin to live with You! That's why Satan is thrown out of Heaven, down to the Earth. And he knows his time is short, so his anger at You for giving us the second chance he never had, is great. But You are greater, Father. And I trust in You.
My Father, please send out Your children to share with every living being how much You love them in sending Your own Son to take our death for us.
Let each person understand sufficiently to make a fully informed decision.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Jewish Messiah, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all the Universe, of everything material and spiritual; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
This is the time of the final, total judgment upon all the wicked, evil people and the lands where they lived and did all their evil deeds, as King Jesus sets everything up for His rule. The final wiping of the slate clean, to start over.
(1) Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the Earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."
It looks like all seven of these angels are to pour out their bowls at about the same time, or in very close succession to to one another. And they would have to be.
And all seven of these judgments have a correlation to the corresponding Trumpet blasts.
(2) So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the Earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
This first bowl's effects are on people, as the first Trumpet's effects were on the ground of the Earth. What we would call extreme environmental pollution could wreak these effects.
(3) The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.
The second Trumpet's effect was on a third of the sea; this bowl completes the process.
(4) Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.
The third Trumpet's blast affected a third of all fresh waters, now this judgment removes all potable water from the Earth.
Since there is no food and no water, how long could any people survive? So these must all be poured out at the last day or two or at most three, before Jesus appears.
(5) And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things;
(6) for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it."
(7) And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."
This is interesting. The martyrs who had been beheaded had called out for judgment upon their murderers, from under the altar when the fifth seal was broken; now the altar itself is calling out praises for God's judgment fulfilled upon them. Since we are all "living stones" building God's house, then are the martyrs who have been "sacrificed" the stones of the altar in the Heavenly temple?
(8) The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.
Since the fourth Trumpet blast caused anomalies in the sun, moon and stars, so they wouldn't shine for a third of the day and night; then is this bowl of wrath connected to that, to have the sun too bright when it does shine?
(9) Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the Name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.
Even when God forces upon mankind His almighty power to show them who He is, they still don't admit their culpability before Him! We are so stubborn!
(10) Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,
The fifth Trumpet had the bottomless pit unlocked, to release the thick smoke and the locusts who stung with the scorpion poison to torment but not kill. Is this bowl of wrath a further description of the effects of this?
(11) And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.
These are the dragon's minions who have chosen to take that condemning mark of the beast. They still refuse to admit their wickednesses.
(12) The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
This also corresponds to the sixth Trumpet, where we're told that the four powerful evil angels were unbound at this river, to gather the two hundred million army to wipe out a third of the human race. Now this bowl of wrath clears the way for them to proceed.
(13) And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;
(14) for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great Day of God, the Almighty.
And these frog-like demons are sent out to recruit the soldiers for this massive assault on God's people.
(15) ("Behold I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.")
Paul said that, "You, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day would overtake you like a thief" (I Thessalonians 5: 4), so as children of light, we may not know the day or the hour, but we should have our eyes open to recognize the signs to be able to discern the year and the season! That way, we will know to "stay awake and keep our clothes on" when we expect His coming.
(16) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon [Armageddon].
Here we've got all the armies of the world gathered and ready for the Battle of Armageddon.
(17) Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done."
And now this is the end. "It is done." Jesus is coming through the cloud cover, and everything is coming down to the final end.
(18) And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the Earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
This is the massive, world-wide earthquake that will re-write all the land-masses of the Earth.
(19) The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
The great city Babylon could be any great geographical area where the people are acting like the ancient city of Babylon; it could even be America. I can see how America can easily split into three, with the major fault lines and California slipping into the sea.
(20) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Will this happen twice? We were already told this happened when the sixth Seal was broken. The sixth Seal, the seventh Trumpet and the seventh Bowl all look like the same Day to me, approached from different directions. This has to be the Day that Jesus pierces the cloud cover and barrels toward the Earth, aiming at landing on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14: 4).
(21) And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men;
Great hail is also mentioned when the last Trumpet blasted (I Corinthians 15: 52).
and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.
All the people on the Earth alive at that time who have not chosen to accept God's gracious gift and taken the mark of the beast instead will be under the most excruciating pain, but will still not turn to the Lord.
O my Father, You are holy, too holy for anything with any sin to live with You! That's why Satan is thrown out of Heaven, down to the Earth. And he knows his time is short, so his anger at You for giving us the second chance he never had, is great. But You are greater, Father. And I trust in You.
My Father, please send out Your children to share with every living being how much You love them in sending Your own Son to take our death for us.
Let each person understand sufficiently to make a fully informed decision.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Jewish Messiah, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all the Universe, of everything material and spiritual; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Preparing The Wrath
Revelation 15: 1-8
We are looking at all the stuff that has been going on while the seals have been opened and the trumpets have been sounded. It looks like everything has been going on at the same time, like a 5-ring circus!
Now we're going back to seeing what's going on in Heaven while God prepares to complete His justice on all the evil people who have done so much damage already.
(1) Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
These angels are great and marvelous because they are God's warriors who are preparing to win God's war with these rebels against good.
(2) And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
(3) And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
These are martyrs who have stood their ground against the edicts of the Antichrist's government decreeing immorality and idolatry and all kinds of depraved degeneration. The harps of God are probably organic, so they could be the vocal chords of these saints. This is their song:
"Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
(4) "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your Name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your righteous acts have been revealed."
They are singing His praises for showing everyone His power and righteousness and holiness; and every being everywhere will be compelled to accede to God's divinity and authority as the only God over all.
(5) After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,
(6) and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.
These seven angels all came out of the Heavenly Temple all together, dressed in magnificent and marvelous clothing, beyond any royal clothes any king ever wore on Earth.
(7) Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
And the bowls or vials full of God's wrath were all given to all seven angels at the same time.
(8) And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
God in His Temple is now exerting His power and might to energize the wrath that is "in" these bowls, to accomplish every drop of justice and vengeance on every person for every thought and intention and action of rebellion against God by attacking His people and His ways.
Tomorrow we will look at what these bowls of wrath will do when they are poured out on the Earth.
O my Father, thank You for telling us what is coming. If it scares people, then let it scare them into Your comforting arms. No matter how hard it gets, we know that You will continue to be faithful to take care of us, and to fight on our behalf to give us the victory, even when we give our lives. Jesus told Martha that, "... he who believes in me will live even if he dies ..." (John 11: 25), so, even the martyrs gain the victory in giving their lives.
And many of us will be called upon to give our lives. We as Your children, Father, must all be willing to give our lives, even if we never get to that point. Teach us to value You above our mortal lives, to realize that they are just temporary, and the life You give us is forever.
And help us, my Father, to spread Your Good News, to broadcast Your great love, to every living person in the world! Please give everyone a clear understanding, so that each one will be able to make an informed and honest decision to choose to accept Your gracious gift, or to reject Your goodness and allow themselves to be deceived by the liar.
In either case, every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign king over all Creation, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come very soon, Lord Jesus!
We are looking at all the stuff that has been going on while the seals have been opened and the trumpets have been sounded. It looks like everything has been going on at the same time, like a 5-ring circus!
Now we're going back to seeing what's going on in Heaven while God prepares to complete His justice on all the evil people who have done so much damage already.
(1) Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
These angels are great and marvelous because they are God's warriors who are preparing to win God's war with these rebels against good.
(2) And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
(3) And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
These are martyrs who have stood their ground against the edicts of the Antichrist's government decreeing immorality and idolatry and all kinds of depraved degeneration. The harps of God are probably organic, so they could be the vocal chords of these saints. This is their song:
"Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
(4) "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your Name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your righteous acts have been revealed."
They are singing His praises for showing everyone His power and righteousness and holiness; and every being everywhere will be compelled to accede to God's divinity and authority as the only God over all.
(5) After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,
(6) and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.
These seven angels all came out of the Heavenly Temple all together, dressed in magnificent and marvelous clothing, beyond any royal clothes any king ever wore on Earth.
(7) Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
And the bowls or vials full of God's wrath were all given to all seven angels at the same time.
(8) And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
God in His Temple is now exerting His power and might to energize the wrath that is "in" these bowls, to accomplish every drop of justice and vengeance on every person for every thought and intention and action of rebellion against God by attacking His people and His ways.
Tomorrow we will look at what these bowls of wrath will do when they are poured out on the Earth.
O my Father, thank You for telling us what is coming. If it scares people, then let it scare them into Your comforting arms. No matter how hard it gets, we know that You will continue to be faithful to take care of us, and to fight on our behalf to give us the victory, even when we give our lives. Jesus told Martha that, "... he who believes in me will live even if he dies ..." (John 11: 25), so, even the martyrs gain the victory in giving their lives.
And many of us will be called upon to give our lives. We as Your children, Father, must all be willing to give our lives, even if we never get to that point. Teach us to value You above our mortal lives, to realize that they are just temporary, and the life You give us is forever.
And help us, my Father, to spread Your Good News, to broadcast Your great love, to every living person in the world! Please give everyone a clear understanding, so that each one will be able to make an informed and honest decision to choose to accept Your gracious gift, or to reject Your goodness and allow themselves to be deceived by the liar.
In either case, every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign king over all Creation, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come very soon, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, May 30, 2020
More Happening At The End
Revelation 14: 1-20
(1) Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Name and the Name of His Father written on their foreheads.
Mount Zion literally is where Solomon built the temple, but throughout Scripture it describes the rule of the Lord God as King on the Earth. These are the Israelites who believe that Jesus is their Messiah.
(2) And I heard a voice from Heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.
(3) And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the Earth.
This choir of 144,000 have vocal chords like harps, and they are singing in a heavenly voice in resurrected bodies.
(4) These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
(5) And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
These are the first Israelites who are saved in this time. The rest of Israel will be saved in a day, when they see Jesus come down through the clouds.
(6) And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the Earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;
(7) And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the Earth and sea and springs of waters."
This first angel gives everyone one last chance to recognize God.
(8) And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality."
The second angel proclaims the destruction of Babylon, the details of which we will read about later, in chapters 17 and 18.
(9) Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
(10) "he also will drink of the wine of he wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
(11) "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Here is the finality of those who take this mark. Evidently this mark will prevent anyone who receives it from being able to understand how wonderful God is and will believe all the lies of the Antichrist.
(12) Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
As children of God, born into His family, we are to persevere in our faith and in our trust of God, regardless of what is going on around us. Even if it means we may die.
(13) And I heard a voice from Heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."
There will be more martyrs during this time than during any other time in history. Already today there are more martyrs than ever before, but during this time of the second three and a half years there will be exponentially more.
(14) Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a Son of Man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
This looks like Christ, the Son of Man who has the crown of authority.
(15) And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the Earth is ripe."
I don't think an angel would be commanding his Creator, so this angel must be relaying to the Son that the Father has given the command that "it is time."
(16) Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the Earth, and the Earth was reaped.
The sickle in His hand is symbolic because He is calling out His people from the Earth, the event that theologians call "The Rapture."
(17) And another angel came out of the temple which is in Heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.
(18) Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the Earth, because her grapes are ripe."
This is what Jesus said in Matthew 13: 39 when He said, "the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels."
(19) So the angel swung his sickle to the Earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the Earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
(20) And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
This is the Battle of Armageddon, when will flow the blood of all the armies in the world who are attacking Israel, who find themselves fighting King Jesus, and He cuts them to ribbons with the Sword that proceeds out of His mouth, His Words!
These are horrifying times. All the evil in the world has been let loose; and combined with the wrath of God poured out on the Earth, there would be no life at all that could survive, had not God limited it to this short time.
God will allow this to show us just how wicked and destructive evil is, even as Satan disguises it as fun and freedom.
We are seeing things, not in the order that they will occur, but I doubt that anyone yet has been able to deduce God's entire timeline. He's given us all the pieces in different places among His prophets, and I think He's given John the most pieces in this book of Revelation: the final prophesies--that helps us put all the rest of them in place.
O my Father, please help us to be ready to face everything that is ahead of us in Your timeline. Strengthen us to withstand all the barrages of the enemy, and show us how to understand what You have told us.
My Father, without Your Holy Spirit as our Teacher, we would not be able to make sense of any of this whole fantastic scenario; but You have told us, because this is what You will do. You are God, and You do supernatural things that puny human minds cannot fathom. They seem to be impossible to our thinking, but all things are possible for You. Because all of Creation is Your imagination. And You can imagine anything!
Father, send out Your children to share with every living being how much You love us all, and sent Your own Son to be the personal Sacrifice for each one of us, so we could be washed clean, fit to be in Your presence as Your own family.
Please let them all understand enough to make an informed decision to turn to You or to get the damning mark and be lost forever.
Every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
(1) Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Name and the Name of His Father written on their foreheads.
Mount Zion literally is where Solomon built the temple, but throughout Scripture it describes the rule of the Lord God as King on the Earth. These are the Israelites who believe that Jesus is their Messiah.
(2) And I heard a voice from Heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.
(3) And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the Earth.
This choir of 144,000 have vocal chords like harps, and they are singing in a heavenly voice in resurrected bodies.
(4) These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
(5) And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
These are the first Israelites who are saved in this time. The rest of Israel will be saved in a day, when they see Jesus come down through the clouds.
(6) And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the Earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;
(7) And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the Earth and sea and springs of waters."
This first angel gives everyone one last chance to recognize God.
(8) And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality."
The second angel proclaims the destruction of Babylon, the details of which we will read about later, in chapters 17 and 18.
(9) Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
(10) "he also will drink of the wine of he wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
(11) "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Here is the finality of those who take this mark. Evidently this mark will prevent anyone who receives it from being able to understand how wonderful God is and will believe all the lies of the Antichrist.
(12) Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
As children of God, born into His family, we are to persevere in our faith and in our trust of God, regardless of what is going on around us. Even if it means we may die.
(13) And I heard a voice from Heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."
There will be more martyrs during this time than during any other time in history. Already today there are more martyrs than ever before, but during this time of the second three and a half years there will be exponentially more.
(14) Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a Son of Man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
This looks like Christ, the Son of Man who has the crown of authority.
(15) And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the Earth is ripe."
I don't think an angel would be commanding his Creator, so this angel must be relaying to the Son that the Father has given the command that "it is time."
(16) Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the Earth, and the Earth was reaped.
The sickle in His hand is symbolic because He is calling out His people from the Earth, the event that theologians call "The Rapture."
(17) And another angel came out of the temple which is in Heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.
(18) Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the Earth, because her grapes are ripe."
This is what Jesus said in Matthew 13: 39 when He said, "the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels."
(19) So the angel swung his sickle to the Earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the Earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
(20) And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
This is the Battle of Armageddon, when will flow the blood of all the armies in the world who are attacking Israel, who find themselves fighting King Jesus, and He cuts them to ribbons with the Sword that proceeds out of His mouth, His Words!
These are horrifying times. All the evil in the world has been let loose; and combined with the wrath of God poured out on the Earth, there would be no life at all that could survive, had not God limited it to this short time.
God will allow this to show us just how wicked and destructive evil is, even as Satan disguises it as fun and freedom.
We are seeing things, not in the order that they will occur, but I doubt that anyone yet has been able to deduce God's entire timeline. He's given us all the pieces in different places among His prophets, and I think He's given John the most pieces in this book of Revelation: the final prophesies--that helps us put all the rest of them in place.
O my Father, please help us to be ready to face everything that is ahead of us in Your timeline. Strengthen us to withstand all the barrages of the enemy, and show us how to understand what You have told us.
My Father, without Your Holy Spirit as our Teacher, we would not be able to make sense of any of this whole fantastic scenario; but You have told us, because this is what You will do. You are God, and You do supernatural things that puny human minds cannot fathom. They seem to be impossible to our thinking, but all things are possible for You. Because all of Creation is Your imagination. And You can imagine anything!
Father, send out Your children to share with every living being how much You love us all, and sent Your own Son to be the personal Sacrifice for each one of us, so we could be washed clean, fit to be in Your presence as Your own family.
Please let them all understand enough to make an informed decision to turn to You or to get the damning mark and be lost forever.
Every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
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