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!
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
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!
Friday, May 29, 2020
The Second Beast
Revelation 13: 11-18
We've seen the first beast, who is commonly called The Antichrist. Now we will see the second beast, who is called The False Prophet.
(11) Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth;
This is a different kind of beast, not from the sea, but from the Earth.
and he had two horns like a lamb
Lambs don't have horns until they grow up to be rams. These horns must signify power.
and he spoke as a dragon.
He talked like Lucifer!
(12) He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence.
This person aligns himself with the Antichrist. These two horns could be the political power and the demon spiritual power.
And he makes the Earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
He must be a spiritual leader who wields political power, like a Pope. The Roman Catholic Pope is the spiritual leader of all the Catholics in the world, and he is also the Governor of Vatican City, and as such he speaks to other world leaders.
(13) He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of Heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
This looks like when Elijah called the fire down on the Lord's sacrifice after the priests of Baal, the fire god, could not on their altar (see I Kings 18: 19-40 for the story). Satan is imitating what God does again, fraudulently.
(14) And he deceives those who dwell on the Earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast,
This religious leader is convincing the people that he is telling them God's message, when he is leading them into idolatry by these supernatural signs he is performing.
telling those who dwell on the Earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
He instructs them to make a statue, like you see of the saints in Catholic churches, of this political leader who has apparently been raised from the dead. Another fraudulent copy of God's works, of raising Jesus from the grave.
By this time, the Antichrist has acquired the governorship over all the nations of the world during the first three and a half years of the seven.
(15) And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Not only does this False Prophet preach to the people, but this statue also is given the ability to do the same. Whether this is a biological or an electronic feat, the effect is that people everywhere will be lighting candles and praying to this statue and the man it represents.
(16) And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
(17) and he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This mark can be figurative or literal. It could be an implant or a vaccination or some kind of debit card that is marked or implanted on one's body.
There is already a chip that has been implanted on people's hands that allows the person to wave his hand over a reader, and the transaction will take place to deduct the payment for the item being purchased. These chips can hold more than financial information, but also personal histories, health info, all kinds of sensitive information, and even substances that that will leach into the person's body to influence their thinking processes and emotions.
And this Antichrist will put all this technology into use to force the masses to turn to himself.
(18) Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Wisdom is more than adding up a bare number. This whole issue is much deeper, and needs God's wisdom to discern. This is a whole lifestyle and mindset issue.
This Antichrist, with the help of the False Prophet, in the power of Lucifer, will force everyone in the world to worship him instead of God with tight economic controls that intends to starve out every dissident.
And this will last for at least three and a half years, along with all of the environmental upheavals that God will be bringing upon the Earth in His wrath upon the evil and wickedness.
God's people at this time will need to come together to help one another. To do that we need to know one another, and be able to contact each other.
O my Father, please help us to be able to acquaint ourselves with one another, and allow others to get hold of us when they have needs that we can help with as brothers and sisters in Christ. Teach us how to love one another as You have loved us, and to go out to the rest of the world to share Your love with them, too. Let everyone in the world hear of Your wonderful plan to save us from ourselves, and from the sin that seeks to enslave us.
My Father, please send us out now, give us the sense of urgency to spread Your Good News everywhere, before the Bad News comes. Let every living person hear and understand sufficiently to make a fully informed choice to accept or reject Your generous and gracious offer, before their clarity of mind is clouded.
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 quickly, Lord Jesus!
We've seen the first beast, who is commonly called The Antichrist. Now we will see the second beast, who is called The False Prophet.
(11) Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth;
This is a different kind of beast, not from the sea, but from the Earth.
and he had two horns like a lamb
Lambs don't have horns until they grow up to be rams. These horns must signify power.
and he spoke as a dragon.
He talked like Lucifer!
(12) He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence.
This person aligns himself with the Antichrist. These two horns could be the political power and the demon spiritual power.
And he makes the Earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
He must be a spiritual leader who wields political power, like a Pope. The Roman Catholic Pope is the spiritual leader of all the Catholics in the world, and he is also the Governor of Vatican City, and as such he speaks to other world leaders.
(13) He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of Heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
This looks like when Elijah called the fire down on the Lord's sacrifice after the priests of Baal, the fire god, could not on their altar (see I Kings 18: 19-40 for the story). Satan is imitating what God does again, fraudulently.
(14) And he deceives those who dwell on the Earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast,
This religious leader is convincing the people that he is telling them God's message, when he is leading them into idolatry by these supernatural signs he is performing.
telling those who dwell on the Earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
He instructs them to make a statue, like you see of the saints in Catholic churches, of this political leader who has apparently been raised from the dead. Another fraudulent copy of God's works, of raising Jesus from the grave.
By this time, the Antichrist has acquired the governorship over all the nations of the world during the first three and a half years of the seven.
(15) And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Not only does this False Prophet preach to the people, but this statue also is given the ability to do the same. Whether this is a biological or an electronic feat, the effect is that people everywhere will be lighting candles and praying to this statue and the man it represents.
(16) And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
(17) and he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This mark can be figurative or literal. It could be an implant or a vaccination or some kind of debit card that is marked or implanted on one's body.
There is already a chip that has been implanted on people's hands that allows the person to wave his hand over a reader, and the transaction will take place to deduct the payment for the item being purchased. These chips can hold more than financial information, but also personal histories, health info, all kinds of sensitive information, and even substances that that will leach into the person's body to influence their thinking processes and emotions.
And this Antichrist will put all this technology into use to force the masses to turn to himself.
(18) Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Wisdom is more than adding up a bare number. This whole issue is much deeper, and needs God's wisdom to discern. This is a whole lifestyle and mindset issue.
This Antichrist, with the help of the False Prophet, in the power of Lucifer, will force everyone in the world to worship him instead of God with tight economic controls that intends to starve out every dissident.
And this will last for at least three and a half years, along with all of the environmental upheavals that God will be bringing upon the Earth in His wrath upon the evil and wickedness.
God's people at this time will need to come together to help one another. To do that we need to know one another, and be able to contact each other.
O my Father, please help us to be able to acquaint ourselves with one another, and allow others to get hold of us when they have needs that we can help with as brothers and sisters in Christ. Teach us how to love one another as You have loved us, and to go out to the rest of the world to share Your love with them, too. Let everyone in the world hear of Your wonderful plan to save us from ourselves, and from the sin that seeks to enslave us.
My Father, please send us out now, give us the sense of urgency to spread Your Good News everywhere, before the Bad News comes. Let every living person hear and understand sufficiently to make a fully informed choice to accept or reject Your generous and gracious offer, before their clarity of mind is clouded.
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 quickly, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, May 28, 2020
The Beast
Revelation 13: 1-10
(1) And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.
This is the dragon that was thrown out of Heaven.
Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea,
This could be a sea of nations, or a nation on the other side of the sea.
having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems,
This looks like a confederation of nations, horns signifying political powers.
and on his heads were blasphemous names.
The heads of this government are all evil people who have agreed to govern in a dictatorial manner, believing that the common people are not capable of managing their own affairs, but need a strong government to cede their rights to and make all the personal decisions for them. (This is exactly what Barak Obama said in a speech that I saw online.)
(2) And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
This government is very strong and scary, and gets its power from Lucifer. He has wanted to be worshiped ever since he sinned, and now he will force all mankind to worship him, instead of God.
(3) I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
This is Satan's imitation of Christ's Resurrection. He wants to be god so he mocks God by imitating Him. Just like Jannes and Jambres imitated the miracles Moses did before Pharaoh, Paul writes in II Timothy 3: 8 that this is the same attitude men will adopt in the last days, resisting the truth, having corrupt minds and reprobate.
(4) they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
These are all the people of the world who are deceived by the devil, and they see no choice but to worship this powerful government and the power behind it, because they hold all military power and make all the rules and laws, and there's no way to go against them successfully.
(5) There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.
This beast may appear at the beginning of the seven years, but for this limited time of three and a half years, it will be given unlimited authority to do whatever it wants.
(6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His Name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in Heaven.
It slanders and tears down God and His beings and people to build itself up.
(7) It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
This is unimaginable, that this evil power would be able to overcome God's people. God is giving Satan a long rope to hang himself with.
(8) All who dwell on the Earth will worship him, everyone whose name is not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
Only those who have been born into God's family and have His Spirit of Truth in them will be able to see past all the deception, and not succumb to the seductions of this world government.
(9) If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
This is for everyone who is willing to listen to truth, even if it isn't what they want to hear.
(10) If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.
This is where the saying comes from, "He who lives by the sword will die by the sword." During the last three and a half years of the seven prophesied, it will seem that everything is set in stone, and cannot be changed. People will be deprived of choice and forced to accept whatever the world government decides for them.
There will be many martyrs, and God's people will have to go into hiding and cooperate with each other to survive, like Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins propose in their Left Behind series of books.
This is the end of the End Days. There's not much time left. Satan knows his time is short, so he is forcing Mankind into the worst most horrible times the Earth has ever known since its creation. There has never been anything like it before, and if God hadn't limited it, there would be no flesh left (see Matthew 24: 22 and Mark 13: 20).
This is not all that we are to expect before the Lord returns, there's a lot more!
O my Father, please give us clarity on what is ahead. Help us to put together all these happenings so we will be able to recognize when we are experiencing them. Teach us to trust in You and to lean on You in these times coming soon when we will each be required to give our testimony in the face of opposition and danger.
Strengthen us, Father, to maintain our faith in Your almighty power over our enemy, to not waver or collapse, but to fight with the spiritual weapons You have provided us, and to wear the appropriate armor that You have designed.
O Father, send out Your children now, while there is still time, to preach Your Good News to the world, before the Bad News takes over. There is not very much time left for us to do this, Father, please give us Your strength and wisdom to accomplish Your will in this time we are in right now.
And grant us perseverance to endure all that is coming.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, and no other, He is our 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!
(1) And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.
This is the dragon that was thrown out of Heaven.
Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea,
This could be a sea of nations, or a nation on the other side of the sea.
having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems,
This looks like a confederation of nations, horns signifying political powers.
and on his heads were blasphemous names.
The heads of this government are all evil people who have agreed to govern in a dictatorial manner, believing that the common people are not capable of managing their own affairs, but need a strong government to cede their rights to and make all the personal decisions for them. (This is exactly what Barak Obama said in a speech that I saw online.)
(2) And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
This government is very strong and scary, and gets its power from Lucifer. He has wanted to be worshiped ever since he sinned, and now he will force all mankind to worship him, instead of God.
(3) I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
This is Satan's imitation of Christ's Resurrection. He wants to be god so he mocks God by imitating Him. Just like Jannes and Jambres imitated the miracles Moses did before Pharaoh, Paul writes in II Timothy 3: 8 that this is the same attitude men will adopt in the last days, resisting the truth, having corrupt minds and reprobate.
(4) they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
These are all the people of the world who are deceived by the devil, and they see no choice but to worship this powerful government and the power behind it, because they hold all military power and make all the rules and laws, and there's no way to go against them successfully.
(5) There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.
This beast may appear at the beginning of the seven years, but for this limited time of three and a half years, it will be given unlimited authority to do whatever it wants.
(6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His Name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in Heaven.
It slanders and tears down God and His beings and people to build itself up.
(7) It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
This is unimaginable, that this evil power would be able to overcome God's people. God is giving Satan a long rope to hang himself with.
(8) All who dwell on the Earth will worship him, everyone whose name is not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
Only those who have been born into God's family and have His Spirit of Truth in them will be able to see past all the deception, and not succumb to the seductions of this world government.
(9) If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
This is for everyone who is willing to listen to truth, even if it isn't what they want to hear.
(10) If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.
This is where the saying comes from, "He who lives by the sword will die by the sword." During the last three and a half years of the seven prophesied, it will seem that everything is set in stone, and cannot be changed. People will be deprived of choice and forced to accept whatever the world government decides for them.
There will be many martyrs, and God's people will have to go into hiding and cooperate with each other to survive, like Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins propose in their Left Behind series of books.
This is the end of the End Days. There's not much time left. Satan knows his time is short, so he is forcing Mankind into the worst most horrible times the Earth has ever known since its creation. There has never been anything like it before, and if God hadn't limited it, there would be no flesh left (see Matthew 24: 22 and Mark 13: 20).
This is not all that we are to expect before the Lord returns, there's a lot more!
O my Father, please give us clarity on what is ahead. Help us to put together all these happenings so we will be able to recognize when we are experiencing them. Teach us to trust in You and to lean on You in these times coming soon when we will each be required to give our testimony in the face of opposition and danger.
Strengthen us, Father, to maintain our faith in Your almighty power over our enemy, to not waver or collapse, but to fight with the spiritual weapons You have provided us, and to wear the appropriate armor that You have designed.
O Father, send out Your children now, while there is still time, to preach Your Good News to the world, before the Bad News takes over. There is not very much time left for us to do this, Father, please give us Your strength and wisdom to accomplish Your will in this time we are in right now.
And grant us perseverance to endure all that is coming.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, and no other, He is our 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!
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Spiritual Insight Into Our History
Revelation 12: 1-17
(1) A great sign appeared in Heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;
(2) And she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
This is a sign, so it is not an individual person. This woman must be the nation Israel, who is called God's wife, for example, in Ezekiel 16: 32. Israel produced the Messiah, through the tribe of Judah. Israel was in great pain under the Roman dominance at the time of the birth of Jesus. This shows that everything is done in Heaven as it happens on the Earth.
(3) Then another sign appeared in Heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.
This is another sign. This describes our enemy, as having great authority and power and standing and rank.
(4) And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the Earth.
When Lucifer abandoned his duties of protecting God's holiness and directing all worship to God, instead receiving the worship to himself, he had such beauty and brightness and authority and standing that a third of the other angels were deceived into giving him their worship, and they also fell from their positions of honor with God.
And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
This enemy was directing Herod the Great who was king over Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' birth, and the Wise Men from the East came to inquire. That is why he tried to eliminate Him by killing all the male infants in the Bethlehem district to get rid of Him.
(5) And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
This is obviously talking about Jesus, our Lord, and our King who is coming again, to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and He was Risen and is now in Heaven sitting in His Father's throne with Him.
(6) Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
The wilderness heralds back to the Exodus when Israel fled Egypt and was given manna in the wilderness for forty years. This time, it will be for three and a half years: the second half of the 7 years, the Great Tribulation.
(7) And there was war in Heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,
(8) and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in Heaven.
The war is always a spiritual reality before we experience its working out on the Earth and in the world. But God's forces are stronger than the evil forces of the dragon. Michael, Israel's protector, has at least twice as many warriors than the dragon can muster. Our God is Almighty God.
(9) And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world; he was thrown down to the Earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Defeated, he is thrown out! This battle was probably fought as Jesus was suffering on the cross. Satan probably thought he had finally won, but Jesus conquered death and rose from the grave victorious!
(10) Then I heard a loud voice in Heaven, saying,
"Now the salvation, and the power, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
This song is sung by the martyred saints (our brethren), who are rejoicing in Christ's victory, because this Satan, accuser, will have no more permission to come before our Judge with accusations of us who still are on the Earth. All the wrath of God that we deserve has already been poured out on our Savior, who fought our battle on His altar of sacrifice, and His blood washes us clean, pristine, without fault before our God.
(11) "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
And we as His saints still overcome him by the blood of the Lamb which has made us pure for God to place His Holy Spirit into our spirit, being born spiritually into God's family right now as we live and testify, telling others that God has done all of this for us, even when faced with death.
(12) For this reason, rejoice O Heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the Earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
Those in Heaven no longer have to listen to this accuser's accusations. But we on Earth will now be subject to this powerful enemy's wrath, which will now be directed toward us.
God has chosen Mankind to be His own children, a position above angels, and we take Lucifer's place as directing worship to Him.
God has also given us a second chance, that Lucifer never got, because he was created to live forever, not subject to death. Mankind was only made subject to death after his creation, because he chose to rebel, so that a Redeemer could die in his place to save him.
Lucifer has probably complained that this isn't fair! He has to bear his sin and suffer for all eternity! There's no second chance for him!
(13) And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the Earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.
Israel has, through the passage of time, been hated, chased, persecuted, thrown into gulags and concentration camps, been accused of causing all the ills of the world, and been subject to attempts of genocide.
(14) But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman,
This hearkens back to Exodus 19: 4, where God is talking to Moses, to tell the nation of Israel, You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself.
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
This repeats verse 6, that will take place during the Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years of the seven. It looks like God will "hide" the nation Israel from the antichrist to preserve them for the coming of their Messiah.
(15) And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.
(16) But the Earth helped the woman, and the Earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.
This reminds me of when Hitler tried to wipe out the Jews, and after the war the world was horrified at the pictures from the camps; and the world's attitude toward them changed, allowing them to come back to their Promised Land and be again a Nation Israel among the nations of the world.
(17) So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
If the world will protect the Nation Israel, then the target will be with the rest of her children, who are all those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. This is the Church. This is all those, both Jew and Gentile, who have acknowledged Christ Jesus as Messiah and Savior. We are both, Jews and Christians, "people of the Book."
Paul wrote that, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants (Romans 9: 8). It is all of us, no matter where we live or what our genealogy would show, if we accept His promise, we are also counted as children of Israel and children of God.
This chapter has given us more insight into the spiritual side of our history, of how all the major political events have been in response to the Heavenly battles that are being fought on our behalf.
O my Father, thank You for telling John to write this mysterious book, that looks like a nightmare. But it is Your warning, because You want us to not be caught unawares when all these things come to pass.
O Father, grant that we may understand what You are telling us. Help us to see Your Truth in what John and the other prophets wrote, so that we will be able to discern Your timeline in all of this, and to realize where we are in it when we find ourselves in the midst of these shocking developments in the natural and political world we live in.
My Father, help Your children to realize how little time we have left, before all this hits the fan, to go out into all the world to share with every living being how much You love us, and want everyone to come to realize the gracious and generous gift You are offering each one of us. Let every person understand well enough to be able to make a fully informed decision to accept or reject Your undeserved offer.
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 very soon, Lord Jesus!
(1) A great sign appeared in Heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;
(2) And she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
This is a sign, so it is not an individual person. This woman must be the nation Israel, who is called God's wife, for example, in Ezekiel 16: 32. Israel produced the Messiah, through the tribe of Judah. Israel was in great pain under the Roman dominance at the time of the birth of Jesus. This shows that everything is done in Heaven as it happens on the Earth.
(3) Then another sign appeared in Heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.
This is another sign. This describes our enemy, as having great authority and power and standing and rank.
(4) And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the Earth.
When Lucifer abandoned his duties of protecting God's holiness and directing all worship to God, instead receiving the worship to himself, he had such beauty and brightness and authority and standing that a third of the other angels were deceived into giving him their worship, and they also fell from their positions of honor with God.
And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
This enemy was directing Herod the Great who was king over Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' birth, and the Wise Men from the East came to inquire. That is why he tried to eliminate Him by killing all the male infants in the Bethlehem district to get rid of Him.
(5) And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
This is obviously talking about Jesus, our Lord, and our King who is coming again, to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and He was Risen and is now in Heaven sitting in His Father's throne with Him.
(6) Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
The wilderness heralds back to the Exodus when Israel fled Egypt and was given manna in the wilderness for forty years. This time, it will be for three and a half years: the second half of the 7 years, the Great Tribulation.
(7) And there was war in Heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,
(8) and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in Heaven.
The war is always a spiritual reality before we experience its working out on the Earth and in the world. But God's forces are stronger than the evil forces of the dragon. Michael, Israel's protector, has at least twice as many warriors than the dragon can muster. Our God is Almighty God.
(9) And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world; he was thrown down to the Earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Defeated, he is thrown out! This battle was probably fought as Jesus was suffering on the cross. Satan probably thought he had finally won, but Jesus conquered death and rose from the grave victorious!
(10) Then I heard a loud voice in Heaven, saying,
"Now the salvation, and the power, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
This song is sung by the martyred saints (our brethren), who are rejoicing in Christ's victory, because this Satan, accuser, will have no more permission to come before our Judge with accusations of us who still are on the Earth. All the wrath of God that we deserve has already been poured out on our Savior, who fought our battle on His altar of sacrifice, and His blood washes us clean, pristine, without fault before our God.
(11) "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
And we as His saints still overcome him by the blood of the Lamb which has made us pure for God to place His Holy Spirit into our spirit, being born spiritually into God's family right now as we live and testify, telling others that God has done all of this for us, even when faced with death.
(12) For this reason, rejoice O Heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the Earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
Those in Heaven no longer have to listen to this accuser's accusations. But we on Earth will now be subject to this powerful enemy's wrath, which will now be directed toward us.
God has chosen Mankind to be His own children, a position above angels, and we take Lucifer's place as directing worship to Him.
God has also given us a second chance, that Lucifer never got, because he was created to live forever, not subject to death. Mankind was only made subject to death after his creation, because he chose to rebel, so that a Redeemer could die in his place to save him.
Lucifer has probably complained that this isn't fair! He has to bear his sin and suffer for all eternity! There's no second chance for him!
(13) And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the Earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.
Israel has, through the passage of time, been hated, chased, persecuted, thrown into gulags and concentration camps, been accused of causing all the ills of the world, and been subject to attempts of genocide.
(14) But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman,
This hearkens back to Exodus 19: 4, where God is talking to Moses, to tell the nation of Israel, You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself.
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
This repeats verse 6, that will take place during the Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years of the seven. It looks like God will "hide" the nation Israel from the antichrist to preserve them for the coming of their Messiah.
(15) And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.
(16) But the Earth helped the woman, and the Earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.
This reminds me of when Hitler tried to wipe out the Jews, and after the war the world was horrified at the pictures from the camps; and the world's attitude toward them changed, allowing them to come back to their Promised Land and be again a Nation Israel among the nations of the world.
(17) So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
If the world will protect the Nation Israel, then the target will be with the rest of her children, who are all those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. This is the Church. This is all those, both Jew and Gentile, who have acknowledged Christ Jesus as Messiah and Savior. We are both, Jews and Christians, "people of the Book."
Paul wrote that, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants (Romans 9: 8). It is all of us, no matter where we live or what our genealogy would show, if we accept His promise, we are also counted as children of Israel and children of God.
This chapter has given us more insight into the spiritual side of our history, of how all the major political events have been in response to the Heavenly battles that are being fought on our behalf.
O my Father, thank You for telling John to write this mysterious book, that looks like a nightmare. But it is Your warning, because You want us to not be caught unawares when all these things come to pass.
O Father, grant that we may understand what You are telling us. Help us to see Your Truth in what John and the other prophets wrote, so that we will be able to discern Your timeline in all of this, and to realize where we are in it when we find ourselves in the midst of these shocking developments in the natural and political world we live in.
My Father, help Your children to realize how little time we have left, before all this hits the fan, to go out into all the world to share with every living being how much You love us, and want everyone to come to realize the gracious and generous gift You are offering each one of us. Let every person understand well enough to be able to make a fully informed decision to accept or reject Your undeserved offer.
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 very soon, Lord Jesus!
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