Chapter 12 in Revelation
is full of “THENs”.

Not the “if you do this
THEN I’ll do that,”
but the “THEN” related
to a sequence of events -
the “After This, Then That.”

In Chapter 11 I just learned
AFTER the two witnesses
are taken up into Heaven,
(FOR NOW I believe it means
the “Smyrna and Philadelphia type of Church"
who are killed, resurrected? 
and raptured into heaven -
what is known as post-tribulation)
THEN the 7th angel
blows the 7th trumpet
to announce the coming of Christ
and the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

The scripture says when this happens,
the nations were already filled with wrath,
would now have to experience
the time wrath of God.
After the church is raptured,
God will judge the dead
and reward His servants,
from the least to the greatest.

THEN in heaven, the Temple of God
will be opened and His covenant
with humankind would be done.
Now in Chapter 12, John states
after the 7th Trumpet is blown
which brings about Judgment Day,
also known as “the third woe,”

THEN he saw a significant event
that takes place in heaven.
The Apostle John says,
“I saw a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon beneath her feet,
and a crown of twelve stars
on her head. She was pregnant,
and she cried out
because of her labor pains
and the agony of giving birth.”

“THEN I witnessed in heaven
another significant event.
I saw a large red dragon
with seven heads and ten horns,
with seven crowns on his heads.
His tail swept away
one-third of the stars in the sky,
and he threw them to the earth.
He stood in front of the woman
as she was about to give birth,
ready to devour her baby
as soon as it was born.
She gave birth to a son
who was to rule all nations
with an iron rod.”

“Her child was snatched away
from the dragon
and was caught up to God
and to his throne.”
“And the woman fled
into the wilderness,
where God had prepared a place
to care for her for 1,260 days.”

That’s 3.5 years.
3.5 years of hidden freedom.

“THEN there was war in heaven.
Michael and his angels
fought against the dragon and his angels.
And the dragon lost the battle,
and he and his angels
were forced out of heaven.
This great dragon -
the ancient serpent
called the devil, or Satan,
the one deceiving the whole world -
was thrown down to the earth
with all his angels.”

“THEN I heard a loud voice
shouting across the heavens,
“It has come at last -
salvation and power
and the Kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser
of our brothers and sisters
has been thrown down to earth -
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night. “
“And they have defeated him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives
so much that they were afraid to die.”

The living message was the sacrifice.

“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens!
And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!”
“But terror will come on the earth
and the sea, for the devil has come
down to you in great anger,
knowing that he has little time.”

“When the dragon realized
that he had been thrown down to the earth,
he pursued the woman
who had given birth to the male child.”

“But she was given two wings
like those of a great eagle so she could fly
to the place prepared for her
in the wilderness.
There she would be cared for
and protected from the dragon
for a time, times, and half a time.”

That’s 3.5 years.
3.5 years of hidden freedom.

“THEN the dragon
tried to drown the woman
with a flood of water
that flowed from his mouth.
But the earth helped her
by opening its mouth
and swallowing the river
that gushed out
from the mouth of the dragon.
And the dragon was angry
at the woman and declared war
against the rest of her children -
all who keep God’s commandments
and maintain their testimony for Jesus.”

God’s children are the ones
who keep His commands,
and maintain their testimony to Christ.
They do not bow down
to progressive world views
or the cultural stance.

“THEN the dragon
took his stand on the shore beside the sea.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:1-18‬

Tomorrow I will learn more
when I read Chapter 13.

After the two witnesses
ascend into Heaven,
the seventh angel
will sound the trumpet
and loud voices from Heaven
will declare
“The kingdoms of this world
have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He shall reign forever and ever!”
Amen

At this time, the 24 elders
who sit before God
will fall on their faces
because God’s Judgement Day
has finally come.

At this time,
God will reward His servants,
the prophets and the saints,
and all people,
who are small and great,
who fear His name.

When the seventh trumpet is blown
the Lord will destroy everyone
who has brought destruction
to the earth;
and He will open
the temple of God in heaven,
and the ark of His covenant
will be seen by everyone.
Revelation‬ ‭11:15-19‬

This is the Day
everyone thinks of
when they think of God displaying
His pure love and pure wrath.

To know more about
the great and terrible
Day of the Lord
read what was proclaimed
by the prophet Joel.

And to know more
about the Ark of the Covenant
that sits in the heavenly
Temple of God,
read Chapter 9 in Hebrews.

“And just as each person
is destined to die once
and after that comes judgment,
so also Christ was offered
once for all time as a sacrifice
to take away the sins of many people.
He will come again,
not to deal with our sins,
but to bring salvation
to all who are eagerly waiting for him.”
Hebrews‬ ‭9:27-28‬

Yesterday I learned
that the Apostle John
was given a measuring rod.

He was told to measure the Church
which includes the temple of God
the altar and its worshipers.

At the same time,
John was told
to exclude the outer court
and not to measure it,
because it was given over
to the nation of the Gentiles.
Revelation‬ ‭11:1-2

John was informed
that the nations would be divided
by the inner and outer courts,
those who are inside
and outside the Church.

This reinforces
what Paul said to the Roman Church.
“For you are not a true Jew
just because you were born
of Jewish descent,
or because you have gone through
the ceremony of circumcision.
No, a true Jew is one
whose heart is right with God.
And true circumcision is not
merely obeying the letter of the law;
rather, it is a change of heart
produced by the Spirit.
Romans 2:28-29

I learned that gentile people
who are not a part of the Body of Christ,
the true children of God, 
will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

That means that for three and a half years,
the people of God will endure
a stamping of sorts
while non-believing gentiles
walk over the saints.

During this time,
God will appoint two witnesses,
and the two witnesses
will prophesy for 1,260 days,
while clothed in sackcloth.

For three and a half years
these two witnesses 
will lead people to God
with their voice,
all while mourning
with the deepest of griefs.

Just like Jesus
was coming over the Mount of Olives
to enter into Jerusalem as their Savior King,
He sent two disciples
to prepare the way for Him.
And they were instructed to say,
"because the Lord needs it." 

The two disciples of Christ
will let the world know
that the Lion of Judah is coming into Jerusalem.

It will truly be the Church in splendor.

Now some would say
the two witnesses
are resurrected people,
but, right now, I would beg to differ.

I could be wrong
but as I’m writing this poem
the Spirit is showing me
the Church in splendor.

I am immediately thinking of
what the Lord said to John
about the synagogue of Satan
to the church of Smyrna and Philadelphia
earlier in the Book of Revelation.

Is it possible that rather than being 
individual people,
the two witnesses are actually churches
who do nothing wrong
in the eyes of God?

Of the seven churches that Jesus addressed,
only two churches had nothing against them.

To the church in Smynra, Jesus said,
“I know your afflictions and your poverty -
yet you are rich!
I know about the slander
of those who say they are Jews
and are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan.
Do not be afraid
of what you are about to suffer.
I tell you, the devil will put
some of you in prison to test you,
and you will suffer persecution for ten days.
Be faithful, even to the point of death,
and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
Whoever has ears,
let them hear what the Spirit says
to the churches.
The one who is victorious
will not be hurt at all
by the second death.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2:8-11‬

And to the church in Philidelphia,
He said,
“See, I have placed before you
an open door that no one can shut.
I know that you have little strength,
yet you have kept my word
and have not denied my name.
I will make those who are
of the synagogue of Satan,
who claim to be Jews though they are not,
but are liars -
I will make them come
and fall down at your feet
and acknowledge that I have loved you.
Since you have kept
my command to endure patiently,
I will also keep you from the hour of trial
that is going to come on the whole world
to test the inhabitants of the earth.
I am coming soon.
Hold on to what you have,
so that no one will take your crown.
The one who is victorious
I will make a pillar
in the temple of my God.
Never again will they leave it.
I will write on them
the name of my God
and the name of the city of my God,
the new Jerusalem,
which is coming down
out of heaven from my God;
and I will also write on them
my new name.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:7-12‬

Is it possible
these are the kinds of people
who represent the Church in splendor?

Are these the two olive trees
that bear God's chosen fruit?

Are these the two lampstands
that stand before the Lord of the earth?

What do you think?
Are the two witnesses
John the Baptist and Elijah,
as many seem to think?
Or could the two witnesses
be people like you and me?

After the Apostle John
ate the little scroll,
he was given a reed
that looked like a measuring rod
and was told to go
and measure the temple of God
and the altar, with its worshipers.
He was told to exclude
the outer court and not measure it,
because it has been given
over to the Gentiles.
Revelation‬ ‭11:1-2

Wow!
By eating the scroll,
which is the very Word of God,
and by possessing
the measuring stick of God,
John was able to prophesy
among nations,
and people of many tongues.

In essence, he said,
the nations will be divided
not by land and sea boundaries,
but by inner and outer courts.

The revelation that has been given,
by God to Jesus and then, Jesus to John,
is that there are some who are God’s children
and some who are not.

The term “Jews and Gentiles”
is really about
what makes up "The True Church."

Paul said,
“For you are not a true Jew
just because you were born
of Jewish descent,
or because you have gone through
the ceremony of circumcision.
No, a true Jew is one
whose heart is right with God.
And true circumcision is not
merely obeying the letter of the law;
rather, it is a change of heart
produced by the Spirit.
And a person with a changed heart
seeks praise from God,
not from people.”
Romans 2:28-29

Those who know God
will read Revelation
and bow down in awe,
because they are
the true children of God.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ
written by the Apostle John
is the true story
of the Old and New Testament
all wrapped into One.

Those who are afraid
to learn about Jesus
through this Revelation
are still stuck in their pride.
They have not YET
been given spiritual eyes.

There is no fear
in the Pure Love of God.
There is no sorrow
because God's children
know the true meaning of Love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ -
Do Not Rely on another person
to teach you God’s Word!
YOU must dive in
to personally know God yourself.
YOU must dive in
and give God your heart.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ -
Do NOT trust in yourself,
but trust in God
who has placed His Spirit
inside of you
so that you can know the whole truth.

Jesus said,
“I have much more to say to you,
more than you can now bear.
But when he,
the Spirit of truth, comes,
he will guide you into all the truth.
He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears,
and he will tell you
what is yet to come.”
‭‭John‬ ‭16:12-13‬

Come! Look for yourself.
Half the time,
I don’t even know what I write
because I am only reflecting God’s light.

Do you think my words are my own?
No, they are not!
They only exist because
I am a true servant of God.

Come! The invitation is yours.
It is time to seek refuge in our risen Savior,
the Lord,
the slain Lamb who gave up His life.

The slain Lamb is coming back!
Every knee will bow and declare Him as King.
​

Reader, are you ready to hear
an interesting thing about the Apostle John?
He was given the gift of prophesy,
and oh boy, he had it abundantly!

As I was reading Revelation 10,
I noticed the prophetic anointing
that was placed inside of him.

In this section, in verses 9-11,
I saw that the purpose
of the mighty angel
that comes down from Heaven!

His purpose was to deliver
a little scroll to the Apostle John.

And that little scroll
that was packed with a punch!

It’s important for us to know the power
was NOT in the angel
that was robed in a cloud,
with a rainbow above his head,
nor was the power in the angel’s face
that shined like the sun with the glory of the Lord.

No!
The power was in the little scroll
that the angel held in his hand.

The angel that John saw
was standing
with one foot on the sea
and one foot on land.

The angel rose his right hand
to heaven and swore,
“There will be no more delay!"

It's as if the angel was in
the court room of God -
declaring God's truth!

The angel went on
and this is what he said,
"But in the days
when the seventh angel
is about to sound his trumpet,
the mystery of God will be accomplished,
just as he announced
to his servants the prophets.”

Jesus!  
What a magnificent revelation!

Then the voice of the angel
spoke in John’s ear,
and this is what is recorded as having been said,
“Go, take the scroll
that lies open in the hand
of the angel who is standing on the sea
and on the land.”

The Apostle John did exactly as told.
He went up to the angel
and asked him to give him the little scroll.

The angel said to John,
“Take it and eat it.
It will turn your stomach sour,
but ‘in your mouth
it will be as sweet as honey.’”

Wow!
This is the same thing that happened
to the prophet Ezekiel.
He took the scroll from an angel of the Lord,
the scroll tasted like honey
and it too turned bitter in his stomach.

In both instances, with both human men,
John the Apostle and Ezekiel the Prophet,
were given both great wisdom
and an unbearable burden.

Both men saw the angel of the Lord,
and both were told to prophesy
about people living in rebellion.

Ezekiel was told
to speak to directly to Israel,
and John was told to prophesy to many
“peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭10:5-11‬

And that, my friend,
is the end of Revelation Chapter 10.
When you get a chance,
go and read Ezekiel Chapter 2.

"Then I looked, and I saw
a hand stretched out to me.
In it was a scroll,
which he unrolled before me.
On both sides of it
were written words of lament
and mourning and woe.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭2:8-10‬

I am not going to jump ahead
to Revelation Chapter 11,
but I am going to prepare my heart
to get ready to receive
whatever words are contained within it.

I fully believe
the Book of Revelation
is exactly what is needed 
for God's people to sing Maranatha.

I pray the Lord
will continue to give me
knowledge and wisdom
to understand His Word.

I pray that the words of my mouth,
and those expressed on paper
bring many to Christ,
the author and perfecter of our faith.

I know my words are not my own,
I pray I am able
to continue to walk on this path
that I have been called,
which is to deliver His message
through Little Scroll poems
to a lost, lonely and broken generation.

Today I write about
“The Impossible.”

“Impossible”
is a word
that the Western Church
does not often think of.

In fact, we are taught to believe
that nothing is impossible for us
at all!

We have made cars and planes,
phones and TVs,
and have even put humans on the moon.
"The sky’s the limit" - as we would say!
And for sure, 
Nothing is Impossible for God!

Well, I’m about to share a story
that ends with a great deal of struggle.
A command given by God
that would seem impossible to do.
Now this story is hard to understand 
so, try your hardest to wait for the end
before putting it down.

I really want to know
if you would be able to do it!

I want to know
if you would be able to do
the impossible!

It’s based on what John sees
in Revelation 10 verses 1-4.

Here goes:

The Apostle John wrote,
“Then I saw another mighty angel
coming down from heaven.
He was robed in a cloud,
with a rainbow above his head;
his face was like the sun,
and his legs were like fiery pillars.
He was holding a little scroll,
which lay open in his hand.”
He planted his right foot on the sea
“and his left foot on the land,
and he gave a loud shout
like the roar of a lion.
When he shouted,
the voices of the seven thunders SPOKE.”

As John was about to write down
what he heard,
he heard a voice from heaven say,
“Seal up what the seven thunders
have said and do not write it down.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭10:1-4‬

Tell me, my friend,
would this be impossible for you?

Would you be able to seal up
the thunderous voices that you heard?

When Jesus healed people
and told them not to tell anyone
how they were healed,
do you think they obeyed his command
and did what he said?

If God told me to do something
so extremely difficult
I know I would be tempted
and want to give in.

How could I hear something so strong;
an unbelievable Word
that no one else has heard -
and seal it up in my head?

I honestly think I would go insane!
The information would only be
between me and God!

I can’t begin to imagine
how hard that was for John!

Even as I think on it, 
I am tempted.
I wonder what the 7 thunders said.

My God!

It’s easier for me to imagine
the angel that is shared
in Revelation Chapter 10,
then to imagine holding on
to a commandment given by God.

What is wrong?

John must have had
complete and utter fear of the Lord
to do what is only possible with God!

Perhaps we should all take this in.

Perhaps our belief to follow our gut
is more destructive than following God.

Perhaps the creation has become his own master.
Perhaps we believe we are God instead.

Fear of the Lord
IS the beginning of wisdom.
Fear of the Lord
IS what makes it possible 
for the creation to give honor to God.

I also noticed this...

Just like there was a pause,
a period of time and specific events
that happened between
the 6th and 7th seals,
there is also a pause
between when
the 6th and 7th trumpet is blown.

I have to be honest,
I am both excited and nervous
to see what happens
between the 2nd and 3rd WOE.

What do you think this angel means?

What do you think it means
that that the angel put
one foot in the sea and one foot on land?

And what is the little scroll
that he holds in his hand?

Is it the same scroll of God 
that was taken and opened by the Lamb?

I can not wait to read on.

What is going on
with the judgment trumpets
found in Revelation and the stars?
And are the stars really stars,
or are they people?
Well… maybe not people, but angels?
I don't know?

Yesterday I learned
that the blast of the third trumpet
sent a star,
and the star was named Wormwood.

Wormwood is described
as a great star -
that will blaze like a torch,
as it falls to earth from Heaven.

When it lands on the earth
it will effect our waters -
a third of the rivers will turn bitter,
and many people will die.

Now today I read Revelation 9,
and I learned that another star
will fall from the sky.

Now this star was not given a name,
but it opened the abyss to "the destroyer."
whoever (or whatever) that may be.

Scripture says,
“The star was given the key
to the shaft of the Abyss.
When he opened the Abyss,
smoke rose from it
like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.”

The pronoun used here
is “he” not “it.”
In the English language,
a pronoun is a part of speech
used as a substitute for a noun.
The use of the pronoun “he”
demonstrates that the star 
is “a person” -
maybe not human,
but definitely a being.
 
I probably should look at the Greek,
which is how John would have said it.

I really do not know,
but I’m assuming the star
is some kind of being.

The scripture says,
“The sun and sky were darkened
by the smoke from the Abyss.
And out of the smoke
locusts came down on the earth
and were given power.”

The locusts were told
not to harm anything,
except the people who did not have
the seal of God on their foreheads.

The locusts were forbidden
from killing the sealed;
and they were only allowed
to torture the unsealed people
for a short time -
for a period five months,
to be exact.

This story sounds
much like what happened to Job,
except he was described by God 
as being righteous.

The unsealed people,
who do not belong to God;
the people who do not have the Holy Spirit,
will suffer a terrible thing.

When this happens,
which by the way, is coming soon,
there will be so much pain
that people will seek death
but will not find it;
they will actually long to die,
but death will elude them.

Now the locusts described
by the Apostle John,
are scary.

He said they look like
horses prepared for battle.
On their heads
they wear gold crowns;
and they have human faces.

Could these locusts be people?
The locusts are described as having hair
like that of a women;
and teeth like that of a lion.
They wear breastplates of iron.
And the sound of their wings
is deafening.
It sounds like the thundering
of many horses and chariots
rushing into battle.
The locusts have tails with stingers,
and in their tails they have power.

They have power to
torment unsealed people.
And
“They had as their king
the angel of the Abyss,
whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon
and in Greek is Apollyon
(that is, Destroyer).”

Damnation is coming
to unsealed people.
God will judge
all those who do not choose him.

The star named Wormwood
brings bitterness,
but this second star brings an army
who works directly for Satan!

This is only the first Woe!
“two other woes are yet to come.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭9:1-12‬