I can’t imagine
how John must have felt when his spirit went to Heaven and he saw what he wrote in Revelation 13. It had to be quite frightening, and super overwhelming! John saw a beast rising up out of the sea. The beast had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. Written on each head were names that blasphemed God! I wonder what the names actually were? Could they have been “Pride,” “Liar,” “Murder,” “Evildoer,” “Wrong,” “Falsehood,” and “Discord” as described in Proverbs 6:17-19? This beast is described as looking like a leopard, but having the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. How could the beast have seven heads, but only have one mouth like a lion? It just does not make sense. How do ten horns come out of seven heads? The beast sounds absolutely deformed! Does the head represent seven nations? Do the horns reflect their abundant power? The scripture says, “And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.” So, the dragon and the beast are two different beings, and yet, the beast takes on the characteristics of the serpent. The beast must officially be "The Antichrist." The beast must represent a distorted yet powerful global power. John saw that one of the heads was wounded. In fact, it he says it looked “wounded beyond repair” but then the wound was miraculously healed! This must be how the whole world gets duped - a wounded nation “resurrects from the dead.” Isn’t it like Satan to mimic Jesus - to bring a whole group of people back to life again? The global community will be utterly deceived; they will marvel at this amazing miracle, and then give their allegiance to the Antichrist. The will worship Satan for giving the beast his amazing power, and in doing so, they will also worship the beast. According to this awe-full Revelation that was given to John by the angel of God, the whole world will one day bow down to Satan. Humanity will be like the Days of Noah, when the Lord observed the extent of human evil on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. The scripture says the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.” Genesis 6:5-6 While in the spirit, John heard the people exclaim “Who is as great as the beast?” “Who is able to fight against him?” Then John saw the beast being allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. The beast was given authority to do whatever he pleased for forty-two months. I wonder why God will allow the Antichrist to be born? Why would God allow this creature to grow such powerful heads and deformed horns? If the Antichrist is going to speak terrible words of blasphemy against God and all those who dwell in heaven with Him, then why in the hell does God allow this evil beast to be born? Why, oh why does the Most High God allow the beast to have a temporary throne? Well, the answer is this - John said the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and conquer them because those who love Christ will pick up their cross and follow Him. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble.” The word trouble in the Greek means persecution, affliction, distress, or tribulation. The one who endures without being shaken is a true child of God. We get to prove that we have the same loving heart as him. Now some would say - Why would God allow his children to be enslaved and massacred if he really loves them? Why would a good God allow such an atrocity to ever happen? How could God sit back and watch this deformed global system be given authority to rule over every tribe, people, language and tongue? Why would God allow the people of the world to bow down to Satan? And how could people be so fooled that they would worship a man who wears the mark of Satan? Well, the answer is simple. “They are the ones whose names were NOT written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.” And there it is. Not everyone is part of God's elect. Some humans were not created as children of God. We must understand that there is an established Day of the Lord. On God’s sovereign timeline, the minds of people will be in total decay. And on this day, at the appointed time, the Lord will bring His judgement down. This day will look a lot like God totally being removed from the human government. People will throw out the Bible and stamp their feet upon it. Christians will be mocked for adhering to the will of the Holy Spirit, and because of this those who follow Christ will absolutely be hated. You see my friend, Jesus already gave us the warning. He said this world is not our home. It never has been. And yet, people want to continue to pretend that they can build their kingdom on their own. The oxygen we currently breath is going to run out. It is not going to last. It's a temporary blessing while God waits for his elect to be born. God made a promise from the beginning of time, and he continues to remain faithful to it. He said, Love the Lord with all your heart and do not serve any other gods, and I will always love you. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out all fear: and he that fears is not made perfect in love. Brothers and sisters in Christ - believe that God is perfect even when you are not. He planned every detail of your being from the beginning of time - he even planned for the day when the Antichrist would live. God already knows the members of the elect. He already knows the saints who are written into His Life Book. The Lamb of God was slain before the earth was even made. The Lamb of God chose to redeem, even before God made Adam and Eve. There has always been a plan! God is sovereign. Nothing takes Him by surprise. “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.” Verses 13:1-10
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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 wrote about
the two witnesses, and for some reason the Lord showed me the Church in Splendor. I began to imagine that the two witnesses were the believers in Christ who were like those believers from the Smyrna and Philadelphia church. This was so different than what I had always been taught to believe - that the two witnesses were actually people - Elijah and John the Baptist. But now, after reading the rest of the scripture in Revelation 11, I’m not sure what to think. Let me get your opinion. The rest of the scripture says, “If anyone tries to harm them (the two witnesses), fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.” I can’t imagine fire coming out of the mouths of every true Christian. It’s much easier to think of fire coming out of the mouth of two resurrected men. “They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.” Now just because they have power to stop the rains and turn water into blood, and strike the earth with every kind of plague does not necessarily mean they are going to use it. Or are they? “Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.” Is the testimony that they give a living message to Jesus, our King? Is that why their act of prophesy and their testimony is the same thing? “Their dead bodies will lie in the public square of the great city - which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt - where also their Lord was crucified.” Well, when I looked up the meaning of “dead body” in the Blue Letter Bible it’s a single neuter noun, Pto-mah, which in addition to corpse, could also mean “Failure, defeat, downfall or ruin.” The public square - I’ve also heard of that before. It’s in Proverbs 1:20 and it is one of my favorite verses. “Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.” Proverbs 1:20 The public square is not necessarily a physical place. It could be a spiritual state where every eye can see. It’s a place that describes both judgement and humility. And then, there is the great city. Everyone knows that the great city is Jerusalem, not Sodom nor Egypt. So why in the world did John say that Jerusalem was spiritually like Sodom and Egypt? Well, according to the Blue Letter Bible, Sodom is equated with “brimstone and burning;” and Egypt is known for its “double straits.” The metaphorical use of Egypt is like the Jews persecuting Christ and his followers, so to be likened to how the Egyptians treated the Jews. Coming out of Egypt could be a spiritual state. This could be the process of “saving and sanctification.” And obviously, it is not something the Israelites did on their own. They were only saved by the good grace of God. It’s because he is sovereign, and He is a God of Promise - A God of His Word. Verse 11:8 is so informative! “For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.” Could the ruin actually be the great city Jerusalem? Does it have to be two dead bodies? Does it have to be John the Baptist and Elijah? Since a true Jew is actually a follower of Christ, could the true Jerusalem actually be the true Christian Church? “The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them (the dead Christians?) and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets (could it be the true Church?) had tormented those who live on the earth.” Are the inhabitants of the earth those like Sodom and Gomorrah? Is it like the world during the days of Noah? Do these antichrist people gloat for taking Christians out? Do they send gifts to each other when Christians are martyred? Jesus always sent his disciples out in pairs. Two by two they took to the stairs. Do the pairs have to be two single people, or could they be two churches? Apparently I’m still stuck on the two churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia. I don’t know why the Holy Spirit won’t let me shake it? And what is a prophet? A prophet is a person who speaks forth the Word of God. Is it possible for the two churches to be so moved by the Holy Spirit, that they become even more powerful than what we saw in the Book of Acts? Could the children of God fall dead, and then later be resurrected in front of everyone? The scripture says, “But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.” Then they (the resurrected Christian church?) heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Is it possible that in the end of days, the last 3.5 years, that Satan will believe he has finally received his kingdom? “And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.” Is this the rapture that people often talk about? Is this when God takes his whole Church? “At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” There is always an appointed time, an appointed time determined solely by God. Is this scripture true? Are 90 percent saved? God usually saves a remnant- 10% of His investment. But in this case, 10 percent are killed and the rest are saved because they saw the wrath of God. “The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.” What in the world? Lord, give me wisdom. Help me to understand. I need Your help walking through the rest of Revelation. Based on Revelation 11:5-14 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. Today I learned about
the second WOE that comes from the 6th trumpet when it is blown. “The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God.” It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” Revelation 9:13-14 God has established the time when He will kill off a third of mankind. The four angels that come from the river will not be alone. They will be bringing a great army to get the job done. “The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand, and the horses and riders had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur.” “The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.” I can’t even imagine what this looks like in my head. The closest I can think of is the dark army from The Lord of the Rings. Scripture says, “A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury." "The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood - idols that cannot see or hear or walk." "Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Revelation 9:13-21 It’s hard to imagine humans so resistant towards God, that losing a third of mankind did not shake them of their pride! 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 |
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